The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
 
Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.  She is also called the Sorrowful Mother, Mother of Sorrows, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours.  Our Lady of Sorrows is one of the names the Blessed Mother is called in referring to the sorrows of her life.

The Seven Sorrows of Mary are a popular devotion in the Church.  The Seven Sorrows of Mary are seven events in her life that are a popular devotion.  They are:
The Prophecy of Simon over the Infant Jesus (Luke 2:34)
The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family (Matthew 2:13)
The Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:43)
The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross (Luke 23:26)
The Crucifixion where Mary stands at the foot of the cross (John 19:25)
The Descent from the Cross where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms (Matthew 27:57)
The Burial of Jesus (John 19:40)
On this day, I encourage you to take a moment and reflect on the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  When I think of what our Holy Mother went through, I am encouraged despite the challenges in my life.  Perhaps things are not as I expected they would be by this point in my life, but I'm healthy and happy and married to a wonderful man who would do anything for me.  And if Mary could go through the many sorrows of her life and still remain strong in her faith to the Lord, who am I to doubt?

Often, I try to focus on the joy in my faith rather than the sorrow, but there are times when the sorrow can offer a bit of perspective for life--and faith.  And when I pray to Our Lady of Sorrows, I know that, because of her sorrows, she understands what I've gone through, and can offer her prayers and support to me, helping me get through my sorrows.

How do you deal with sorrow in your life?