The Catholic Defender: The Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows for President Trump and America Day 3
The seven sorrows of Mary are:
1. St. Simeon’s Prophecy (Luke 2:35)
2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14)
3. The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:44-52)
4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Way to Calvary (Tradition Luke 23:26-32)
5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:16-30)
6. The Piercing of the Side of Jesus, and His Descent from the Cross (John 19:31-37 and Tradition)
7. The Burial of Jesus (John 19:38-42)
According to St. Alphonsus de Liguori (The Glories of Mary) it was revealed to Saint Elizabeth that at the request of Our Lady, Our Lord promised four principal graces to those devoted to Her Sorrows:
1. That those who before death invoke the divine Mother in the name of Her Sorrows will obtain true repentance of all their sins;
2. That He will protect all who have this devotion in their tribulations, and will protect them especially at the hour of death;
3. That He will impress on their minds the remembrance of His Passion;
4. That He will place such devout servants in Mother Mary’s hands to do with them as She wishes and to obtain for them all the graces She desires.
In addition to these four graces there are also seven promises attached to the practice of daily praying seven Hail Mary’s while meditating on Our Lady’s Tears and Sorrows. These seven promises were revealed to St. Bridget of Sweden:
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 I 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.”
Here is the Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows (from the Raccolta). May be said as a nine day novena and/or as a companion to the daily recitation of 7 Hail Mary prayers offered in honor of Our Lady’s Sorrows.
Each day begin with:
V. O God, come to my assistance;
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be, etc. R. As it was, etc.
Then
Day III. I grieve for Thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried Thy troubled heart at the loss of Thy dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by Thy heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the Gift of Knowledge. Pray one Hail Mary.
V. Pray for us, O Virgin most sorrowful,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Let intercession be made for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of Thy mercy, by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the hour of Thy bitter Passion. We ask this through Thee, Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Day 3
Pray for Fathers at the Birth of their Child
‘At first I was petrified”, Jon told me. “Petrified that I would faint or get in the way or not know what to do to help Sarah. But then I prayed to Mary. I know, praying to Mary is something you?d think a mother would be doing. But somehow, I think Mary understood Saint Joseph more than anyone else. She probably saw the fear in his eyes and sensed the restlessness of his heart. She probably spent a lot of time praying for him as well. And when I prayed to Mary for my child about to be born, I knew she understood and heard me and prayed for me to her son. At first I was petrified, and then I put everything into God’s hands.”
The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
V. Pray for us, most Sorrowful Virgin,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary: grant that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows, may obtain the happy effect of Your Passion, Who lives and reigns world without end. Amen
