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Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary began in the Middle Ages when devotion to the Passion of Christ was popular. Between the years 1348-1377, almost 40% of the population of Europe died from wars and the bubonic plague. Many people turned to the Crucified Christ and his Sorrowful Mother to assist them and help them to understand their sufferings. Sorrow and pain, however, know no age. The Crucified Christ and his Sorrowful Mother continue to be a source of strength and compassion to all those who suffer for whatever reason.
The memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows is celebrated on September 15, appropriately following the feast of the Exultation of the Cross, September 14.
A Devotion Revealed to St. Bridget
The Blessed Virgin Mary mystically revealed to St. Bridget of Sweden that she grants seven graces to souls who honor her daily by meditating on her tears and sorrows. The Hail Mary prayer is said seven times after each meditation.
The Seven Graces:
1.I will grant peace to their families.
2.They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
3.I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
4.I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
5.I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
6.I will visibly help them at the moment of their death when they will see the face of their Mother.
7.I have obtained (this grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and sorrows will be taken directly from
this earthly life to eternal happiness since all of their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.
The Seven Sorrows (meditations):
1.The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke II, 34, 35)
2.The flight into Egypt (St. Matthew II, 13-14)
3.The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple. (St. Luke II, 43-45)
4.The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
5.The Crucifixion.
6.The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross.
7.The burial of Jesus.
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