This devotion to Our Sorrowful Mother originated in the thirteenth century. It recalls the Sorrows the Virgin Mother of God endured in compassion for the suffering and death of her Divine Son. The Litany of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady was composed by Pope Pius VII (1740-1823) while held in captivity during the Napoleonic Wars. St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373 reported that Our Lady promised to grant seven graces to those who honor her and draw near to her and her Son every day by meditating on her dolors (sorrows)1.
℣. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
℟. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.
O Mother of Sorrows, how deeply your heart was pierced with sorrow when Simeon announced that Jesus, your beloved Child, was to be a sign that would be rejected. Your heart knew that He was to be the suffering Messiah the prophets had foretold, the man of sorrows, who would carry all our sins and heal us by His wounds. Through this bitter sorrow obtain for us the grace never to reject Jesus or refuse Him anything. Help us to completely surrender our lives to Him and to live according to His most holy will in everything.
Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
O Mother of Sorrows, what pain filled your heart as you fled your home and country knowing that the tyrant Herod was intent on murdering your little Child whom you loved above all else. The hardships of travel, the long journey, and life as a refugee was nothing compared to the torment of such demonic malice directed toward Jesus. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace never to risk the life of Jesus in our souls through deliberate sin.
Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
O Mother of Sorrows, what grief filled your heart as you and Joseph searched desperately for Jesus when you could not find Him among your relatives and friends returning home from Jerusalem. When your Son replied that He must be about His Father’s business, you accepted that He had begun the mission that would lead to His sacrificial death. The sorrow of those three days of separation prepared you for the three days of suffering you endured while His body lay lifeless in the tomb. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to accept the ways of Divine Providence even when we do not understand them.
Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
O Mother of Sorrows, how it must have wounded your tender maternal heart to see your beloved Son Jesus carrying His Cross to Calvary, the place of execution! How it must have pained you to see Him so bloodied, beaten, and reviled as He strained to fulfill His deepest desire: to give His life as a ransom for us. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Jesus with perseverance and love.
Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
O Mother of Sorrows, here the prophecy of Simeon comes to its ultimate fulfillment: the sword of sorrow impales your heart as you stand beneath the Cross of your Son. Crucified spiritually with your crucified Son, you offered Him to the Father and united yourself completely to His self-offering and sacrificial death. We simply cannot fathom the pain of your offering or the depth of love that inspired it. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to unite all our sufferings to our crucified Lord with unselfish generosity and love.
Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
O Mother of Sorrows, your heart was drowned in grief as you embraced the lifeless corpse of your Son. He who was your very life was now dead. Your light in this life was extinguished. Yet you accepted this sorrow with love knowing that it was all part of the Father’s plan of salvation. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to accept with patience and love the sorrows that befall us in this vale of tears, firmly believing that God works all things to the good for those who love Him.
Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
O Mother of Sorrows, who could express the cruel anguish of this moment? The same Child that you once wrapped in swaddling clothes amidst unspeakable joy, you now wrap silently in His burial shroud. Your tears mingle with the blood and dirt that covers His broken body. But even in this moment your trust in His promise did not die. Your mourning was not without hope, for you knew that He would rise again from this grave just as He promised. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to believe with unshakable hope in the victory of our Lord even in the darkest moments of life.
Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.
O Mary, you truly became the Queen of all martyrs as these seven bitter swords of sorrow pierced your Immaculate Heart! By the merits of your tearful distress obtain for us and for all sinners the graces of perfect contrition and conversion. Help us always, dear Mother, to imitate you by taking up our crosses and following Jesus with limitless love and generosity. Amen.
(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 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—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 their sins will be forgiven and my Son will be their eternal consolation and joy. ↩