Reflection/Homily for Friday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time memorial of our lady of sorrow 15th September 2023
Homily for Friday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time. Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Hebrews 5:7-9. Psalm 31:1-2ab,2cd-3,4-5,14-15,19. John 19:25b-27. Today's memorial follows immediately upon the exaltation of the Holy Cross. In doing this, the Catholic Church reminds us of the special union that Mary shared in the sacrifice of her Son on the cross of Calvary. This memorial originated in Germany and was extended to the universal Church by Pope Benedict XIII in 1721. The Christian faithful have long meditated upon this momentous scene as it is recorded by the four Evangelists. The essence of this memorial is to remind the Christian faithful of the spiritual martyrdom of the Mother of God and her compassion with the sufferings of her divine Son. The seven great events of sorrow in her life were: Prophecy of Simeon, Flight into Egypt, Three Days' Loss of Jesus, Meeting Jesus on the Way to Calvary, Mary at the Foot of the Cross, Jesus Taken Down from the Cross, and the Burial of...