This One’s for the Saddies

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrow, which I have never really acknowledged or celebrated until today. In fact, I remember specifically skipping over Our Lady of Sorrows resources in a past Catholic Mom bundle. I thought something like, “Oh, this really isn’t my jam.” Like, there’s enough sadness in the world to go around. We don’t need extra emphasis on old sadness, you know?

Well, now it is my jam.

Come, all who pass by the way,
pay attention and see:
Is there any pain like my pain
~ Lamentations 1:12

Different translations use different words.

Is there any suffering like my suffering
or
Is there any sorrow like my sorrow

“Is there any sorrow like my sorrow?” hits hard these days.

This month during our school morning time, we’re working on memorizing the seven sorrows of Mary. Looking over the list, she kind of had a lot to deal with. She may have been the woman picked to care for and raise Jesus, but her life was super hard.

1. She was told by a prophet her heart would be pierced.
2. She had to flee in the night to an unknown land to avoid certain death to her baby.
3. She lost Jesus for three days. (I have lost children for 3 minutes and nearly died. 3 days!!!)
4. She saw Jesus carry a cross.
5. She saw Him nailed to the cross.
6. She watched her Son die and be taken down from the cross.
7. She had to see to her Son’s burial.

All the sudden our sorrow doesn’t seem that weird.

I wish I had beautiful pictures of kissing Joseph. The two of us smiling at the camera. Me smiling contentedly as he sleeps cuddled on my chest. Instead, this is what we have. I will add that to my list of sorrows, that the only picture of me holding Joseph is one of grim acceptance.

I have held my son’s lifeless body.
I had to leave my son at the tomb.
I have to learn how to live without him.

Our Lady of Sorrows, she gets it. She gets it even if no one else does.

Today we will eat some lemon pie I made to represent the sourness and bitterness of sorrow. And we will lean into the shared sadness of today while listening to this video of the Stabat Mater dolorosa in English.

Have you ever celebrated Our Lady of Sorrows?

PS– Came across this resource on how to help grieving parents which is SO GOOD and wanted to share.