September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows because the feast of our Lady of Sorrows is September 15. Devotion to the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back from the time when Jesus entrusted her to his beloved disciple and “from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (Jn. 19:27). Her sorrows are innumerable. However, with the passage of time, devotion to the seven of her sorrows became popular. The first sorrow of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the prophecy of Simeon, which occurred when Simeon told her that a sword shall pierce her soul. (Lk. 2:35). This first sorrow teaches us to accept blessings and adversities from the Lord with equanimity. God spoke to Mary, through the prophet Simeon, that blessings and joys as well as sufferings and sorrows awaited her. She accepted in good faith both the blessings and the sorrows that accrued to her as the Mother of the Redeemer. There would be a swerving from the path of eternal life if we do not follow Christ and embrace the cross. Jesus said that if we would be his disciple, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. (Mt. 16:24).

Let us pray. O Sorrowful Mother of God, when presenting your divine Son in the temple, the holy Simeon announced to you that this Child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel and that a sword shall pierce your own soul. O Sorrowful Virgin, by the sword that pierced your soul, obtain that the sufferings of your beloved Son, and your own sorrows, may be deeply imprinted on my heart to the end of my life, so that sacrificing to God my entire will and affections, I may love him henceforth with a love, pure, ardent, and generous. Amen.

The second sorrow of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the escape to Egypt. This was when she was told that Herod sought to kill her beloved Son and, at the command of the angel, she had to flee with Joseph and the Infant Jesus to Egypt to escape the murderous wrath of Herod. (Mt. 2:13 15a).

Human life is interwoven with prosperity and adversity. Those who know the Lord trust in him, and those who trust in him have knowledge of the goodness of God. When has the Lord ever failed those who hoped in his assistance? (Ps. 18:31). When has he ever turned away his countenance from his afflicted and helpless children? Trust in God and acknowledge him as our heavenly Father who is willing to provide for his children and who, without fail, will nourish and sustain us in all our necessities. Oh, you who trust in Divine Providence, neither afflict yourself in the time of need nor neglect the worship of God in order to make provision for material needs. When you have played your part, confide in the Lord; hope patiently, even when help seems delayed. It will always be at hand at a time when it will do you the most good, when the paternal love of God will manifest itself most openly to you and others, and when it will be for the glory of God.

Let us pray. O Virgin Mother of God, how your heart was rendered in grief when obliged to flee into Egypt to protect your divine Son from the persecution of the impious Herod. O most afflicted Mother, by this sorrow that overwhelmed you, I call upon you to be my guide and support during the exile of this life, that imitating your perfect obedience I may persevere in the grace of God, and, like you, cling more closely to Jesus, during the trials of this life, in order that he may receive me in his heavenly kingdom of joy and glory forever and ever. Amen.