Anyone who loves will experience sorrow. It can’t be helped. When a loved one suffers, we suffer. The church looks to Our Lady of Sorrows during those difficult times. Mary has been pierced by the sword of sorrow many times, including the seven noted by tradition: The prophecy of Simeon, the Flight into Egypt, the lost child Jesus later found in the Temple, meeting Jesus on the road to Calvary, the Crucifixion, and Jesus’ removal from the cross and his burial. Listen to the aching beauty of the Stabat Mater hymn recited each year on this memorial and know that you are not alone in your suffering. Mary’s empathy is one of the saving graces of our faith. She knows how we feel, and sometimes that’s all it takes to get us past the pain. MEMORIAL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS