MASS(Today, the Gospel of the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows isobligatory. However, for the first reading and the psalm, one canchoose between the texts of the Wednesday of the Twenty-FourthWeek in Ordinary Time, pages 75-77, or those of the memorial,pages 74-75.)

Our Lady of Sorrows

Memorial

● The Blessed Virgin was born to be the Mother ofGod. From the first moment of Mary’s immaculatepresence in her mother’s womb, Our Lady has led us toher Son. From the cross, Christ commands, “Behold,your mother.” As the Saviour’s dying gift to us, Jesusleads us back to Mary. For we need the maternal close-ness of the Sorrowful Mother to sustain us when over-come by the terrifying trials of life. Through Mary’scompassionate presence at the cross, that event – as itrecurs in our life – becomes more deeply human, fillingus with the courage to face life’s sufferings, certain inthe secure embrace of divine providence. WheneverMary loves us, she gives us Jesus. By obeying the Lordin our devout beholding of the Mother of God, we giveMary the chance to speak her Yes to the “annuncia-tion” uttered from the cross: “Behold, your son.” ●

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

Simeon said to Mary: This child is destined to be a sign whichmen will reject; he is set for the fall and the rising of many inIsrael; and your own soul a sword shall pierce. (Lk 2: 34-35)

OPENING PRAYER

Father,as your Son was raised on the cross,his mother Mary stood by him, sharing his sufferings.May your Church be united with Christin his suffering and death

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and so come to share in his rising to new life,where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever.

● He learnt to obey and he became the source ofeternal salvation. ●

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews 5: 7-9

DURING HIS LIFE on earth,Christ offered up prayer

and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one whohad the power to save him out of death, and he submit-ted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although hewas Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but havingbeen made perfect, he became for all who obey him thesource of eternal salvation.This is the word of the Lord.

————————● PSALM 30 ●————————

R/ (17) Save me, O Lord, in your love.

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;let me never be put to shame.

In your justice, set me free,hear me and speedily rescue me. R/

Be a rock of refuge for me,a mighty stronghold to save me,

for you are my rock, my stronghold.For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me. R/

Release me from the snares they have hidden for you are my refuge, Lord.

Into your hands I commend my spirit.It is you who will redeem me, Lord. R/

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But as for me, I trust in you, Lord,I say, “You are my God.”

My life is in your hands, deliver me from the hands of those who hate me. R/

How great is the goodness, LORD,that you keep for those who fear you,

that you show to those who trust you in the sight of men. R/

Or:

Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

● There are three things that last: faith, hope andlove, and the greatest of these is love. ●

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 12: 31-13: 13

BE AMBITIOUS for the highergifts. And I am going to

show you a way that is better than any of them.If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but

speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or acymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy, under-standing all the mysteries there are, and knowing every-thing, and if I have faith in all its fulness, to movemountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all. IfI give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I evenlet them take my body to burn it, but am without love,it will do me no good whatever.

Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous;love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude orselfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful.Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but

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delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, totrust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.

Love does not come to an end. But if there are gifts ofprophecy, the time will come when they must fail; or thegift of languages, it will not continue for ever; andknowledge – for this, too, the time will come when itmust fail. For our knowledge is imperfect and ourprophesying is imperfect; but once perfection comes, allimperfect things will disappear. When I was a child, Iused to talk like a child, and think like a child, and arguelike a child, but now I am a man, all childish ways areput behind me. Now we are seeing a dim reflection in amirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face. Theknowledge that I have now is imperfect; but then I shallknow as fully as I am known.

In short, there are three things that last: faith, hopeand love; and the greatest of these is love.This is the word of the Lord.

————————● PSALM 32 ●————————

R/ (12) Happy the people the Lord has chosen as hisown.

Give thanks to the LORD upon the harp;with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.

O sing him a song that is new,play loudly, with all your skill. R/

For the word of the LORD is faithful,and all his works are to be trusted.

The LORD loves justice and rightand fills the earth with his love. R/

They are happy, whose God is the LORD,the people he has chosen as his own.

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May your love be upon us, O LORD,as we place all our hope in you. R/

[Our Lady of Sorrows]

————————● STABAT MATER ●————————

(Sequence)

At the cross her station keeping,Stood the mournful Mother weeping,

Close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,All his bitter anguish bearing,

Now at length the sword had passed.

Oh, how sad and sore distressed Was that Mother highly blessed

Of the sole-begotten One.

Christ above in torment hangs;She beneath beholds the pangs

Of her dying glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,’Whelmed in miseries so deep,

Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

Can the human heart refrain From partaking in her pain,

In that Mother’s pain untold?

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,She beheld her tender child,

All with bloody scourges rent.

For the sins of his own nation Saw him hang in desolation,

Till his spirit forth he sent.

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O you Mother, font of love! Touch my spirit from above,

Make my heart with yours accord.

Make me feel as you have felt;Make my soul to glow and melt

With the love of Christ ourLord.

Holy Mother, pierce me through;In my heart each wound renew

Of my Saviour crucified.

Let me share with you his pain,Who for all my sins was slain,

Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with you,Mourning him who mourned for me,

All the days that I may live:

By the cross with you to stay,There with you to weep and pray,

Is all I ask of you to give.

Virgin of all virgins best,Listen to my fond request:

Let me share your grief divine.

Let me, to my latest breath,In my body bear the death

Of that dying Son of yours.

Wounded with his every wound,Steep my soul till it has swooned

In his very Blood away.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,Lest in flames I burn and die,

In his awful judgement day.

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Christ, when you shall call me hence,Be your Mother my defence,

Be your cross my victory.

While my body here decays,May my soul your goodness praise,

Safe in paradise with you.Amen. (Alleluia.)

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy is the blessed Virgin Mary;/who, without dying, won the palm of martyrdom/beneath the Cross of the Lord. Alleluia!

● Christ above in torment hangs; she beneath beholdsthe pangs of her dying glorious Son. (Stabat Mater). ●

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 19: 25-27

NEAR THE CROSS of Jesusstood his mother and his

mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary ofMagdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he lovedstanding near her, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman,this is your son.” Then to the disciple he said, “This isyour mother.” And from that moment the disciple madea place for her in his home.This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Or:

● A sword will pierce your own soul. ●

A reading fromthe holy Gospel according to Luke 2: 33-35

AS THE FATHER AND MOTHER ofJesus stood wondering at

the things that were being said about him, Simeon

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blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “You see thischild: he is destined for the fall and for the rising ofmany in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected –and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that thesecret thoughts of many may be laid bare.”This is the Gospel of the Lord.

PRAYER OVER THE GIFTSGod of mercy,receive the prayers and gifts we offerin praise of your nameon this feast of the Virgin Mary.While she stood beside the cross of Jesusyou gave her to us as our loving mother.Grant this through Christ our Lord.

PREFACE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY I OR II

COMMUNION ANTIPHON

Be glad to share in the sufferings of Christ! When he comes inglory, you will be filled with joy. (1 P 4: 13)

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Lord,hear the prayersof those who receive the sacraments of eternal salvation.As we honour the compassionate love of the VirginMary, may we make up in our own liveswhatever is lacking in the sufferings of Christfor the good of the Church.We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

● ●

M E D I T A T I O N O F T H E D A Y● ●

The Sorrowful Mother

In the Crucified One the soul that dies is dividedfrom the spirit of mission which is breathed out withbowed head and given up to the Father and to the

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Church: in the Mother who shares his suffering,whose “soul magnifies the Lord” and whose “spiritrejoices in God my Saviour” (Lk 1: 46-47), the swordpierces between praise and rejoicing: the rejoicing isborne away with the spirit to God, while the soulremains behind and, when the body is taken downfrom the cross, can only utter the assent of praisewith a sigh in the most profound darkness, in theutmost weakness.

It is here and nowhere else that sinners – whetheroppressors or the weeping oppressed – can findrefuge. As Claudel has written:

“For the poor man there is no firm friend unlesshe finds someone poorer than himself. So come,my oppressed sister, and behold Mary… Beholdher who is there, without complaint as withouthope, like a poor man who has found someonepoorer, and both contemplate each other insilence.”

It is the greater suffering that hides and therebyconsoles: not with soothing words, not with promisesthat things will get better, but simply because themore profound pain as such goes on giving praiseand only now does so adequately, just as from abroken jar of ointment comes a stronger aroma.

It remains an impenetrable mystery how this tem-poral precipitous distress of a Mother shares in and isinvolved in the eternal praise of her transfiguration.Her heart remains as open as that of her Son, who iscontinually offering his heart’s blood in theEucharistic meal: “My blood is drink indeed, and hewho does not drink it has no life in him.” One shouldnot place far from that of her Son the Mother’s heartpierced by the sword, the heart that offers itself to allthe poor as one yet poorer, even if its openness isonly to be understood as pointing to the eternalopenness of his heart to the Father. “I am the door,”

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he says; she only says: “I am the handmaid, do what-ever he tells you.”

FATHER HANS URS VON BALTHASAR

Father von Balthasar († 1988) was an eminent Swiss Catholictheologian who wrote prodigiously.

Prayer for the EveningThrough the Blessed Virgin Mary,

let us give thanks and praise to God our Saviour!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to theHoly Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, andever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN Metre: 88 7

At the cross her station keeping,Stood the mournful mother weeping,Where he hung, the dying Lord:

Bowed with anguish, deeply grieved,For her soul, of joy bereaved,Felt the sharp and piercing sword.

Deep the woe of her affliction,When she saw the crucifixionOf her ever-glorious Son.

PSALM 56 2-6

All you who pass by the way,/ look and see:/ is any sorrow like thesorrow that afflicts me? (Lm 1: 12)

Saint Augustine called this psalm a description of Christ’s passion.Mary suffered with her Son’s suffering, was pierced with his piercing,and was taken up into his glory. As the image of her Son, she is theimage of redeemed humanity, the image of God restored and madeperfect through Christ.

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