One week out from Good Friday. Today is the Feast of our lady of Sorrows.

We are today one week from Good Friday. As such it is the feast of our lady of Sorrows.

I wrote seven posts on the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin.  Please visit my “Our Lady of Sorrows Project” page: HERE

Today it is possible in the older form of the Roman Rite to celebrate Mass for the feast of Our Lady, counter intuitively with white vestments and even a Gloria.

Mary as Sorrowful mother is often depicted in art as being pierced through the heart with daggers or swords, (rhomphaia – a curved, long-handled Thracian blade) as an echo to the prophecy made by Simeon at the time of the presentation of the Lord in the temple. He foresaw that in the passion of the Lord, our lady would be so much in union with her divine son’s will, that she too would feel great anguish.

The Collect of the Our Lady of Sorrows

Orémus.
Deus, in cujus passióne, secúndum Simeónis prophétiam, dulcíssimam ánimam gloriósæ Vírginis et Matris Maríæ dolóris gladius pertransívit: concéde propítius; ut, qui transfixiónem ejus et passiónem venerándo recólimus, gloriósis méritis et précibus ómnium Sanctórum Cruci fidéliter astántium intercedéntibus, passiónis tuæ efféctum felícem consequámur:

Let us pray.
O God, in Whose Passion the sword, according to the prophecy of blessed Simeon, pierced through the soul of Mary, the glorious Virgin and Mother, mercifully grant that we, who reverently commemorate her piercing through and her suffering, may, by the interceding glorious merits of all the saints faithfully standing by the Cross, obtain the abundant fruit of Your passion. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

R. Amen.