This feast refers to the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God. It gives the message that Mary, as a mother and a disciple, was not spared from pains and miseries. And if the Mother of God herself experienced them, then we, too, will experience sorrow in following the will of God. But we know, as in the case of the Blessed Virgin, that this is not the end by itself but an opportunity to show our faith in God. Her seven sorrows provide the milieu for the exposure of the devil’s ways and how it will be defeated by faith and God’s power. In all her sorrows, Mary encountered a lot of temptations to abandon the mission given to her by God. The temptation to just get away from these sorrows was very attractive. But Mary endured them all. She stuck to her commitment that God’s will be done. And so, together with her Son, they came out victorious!
We will encounter thousands of sorrows in our lifetime. But there are some sorrows which are crucial in our lives. We, like Mary, must show our faithfulness to God through our sorrows. Rather than be affected by them, let us use them against the very source of those sorrows.
One of my sorrows was when the donor of the main door of our church backed out because I did not grant his request to put the names of his late relatives along the edges. I told him about the consequences of his request. That instead of being honored, his relatives might be dishonored by comments of others who don’t think it’s appropriate. I also reminded him of the real essence of giving, that is, to ask for nothing in return. But my explanations were not enough for him. I was sad because we lost a donor, but happy because we stood by our principles. I gave that donor the opportunity to do an authentically good deed but he declined.
I did not lose hope. I knew that God will provide. And true to my hope, a group of people decided to raise the money for the door among themselves. They heard about what happened between me and the donor and they agreed with my decision. And they committed to provide the money needed. Sorrow turned into joy!
Reflection Question:
Recall some of your recent sorrows. How have you made use of them as opportunities to show your faithfulness to God?
Lord Jesus, help me to always believe that our sorrows will turn into joy — in Your time.
St. Ribert, pray for us.
