On September’s feast of the Seven Sorrows, we meditate on the seven sorrows representative of the sufferings she endured throughout her earthly life as the Mother of Christ.
Those seven sorrows are:
The Prophecy of Simeon The Flight into Egypt
The Loss of Jesus in the Temple
The Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross The Crucifixion
The Taking Down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross Jesus is laid in the Tomb
These seven sorrows are often represented in art by a sword — or three or seven swords — piercing Mary’s immaculate heart. This relates to the prophecy of the old man Simeon we heard about at Candlemas, when, after Our Lady pesented the Child Jesus at the Temple, he told her, “Behold this Child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”