From the Friars: Our Lady of Sorrows
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross and tomorrow the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. In the thirteenth century the Servite Order promoted devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows and the Rosary of her Seven Sorrows. On the day of the great miracle of the Sun in Fatima, October 13, 1917, Mary appeared as Our Lady of Sorrows.
Our Lady of Sorrows, by Zarateman – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, link
Another very important event in the history of this devotion occurred in Rwanda, Africa in the early 1980’s. The Vatican has approved as authentic the apparitions there of Our Lady of Kibeho. The Mother of God appeared to three young girls at a Catholic High School. Mary taught them the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows and entrusted them with the mission of spreading it throughout the world, as it had been largely forgotten. In August of 1982 they saw a vision of a river of blood, abandoned dead bodies and other horrors which was a prophecy of the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
Our blessed Mother came to Fatima in 1917 with a call to prayer, penance and conversion and to prevent a second and worse war. The message was not heeded. She tried to warn the people of Rwanda of the coming genocide and to prevent it. Again, for the most part, they did not listen. This pattern is as old as the human race. There are many biblical examples of prophetic warnings, failures to heed, and subsequent disaster such as in the book of Jeremiah.
On September 3rd China had a massive military parade to celebrate the 80th anniversary of their victory over Japan and the end of World War II. The images of thousands of troops marching and the display of so many weapons, including nuclear capable missiles, reminds one of 1930’s newsreels of similar displays of power by Nazi Germany.
The Rosary is the very weapon that Our Blessed Mother has consistently called us to use in the battle against evil in the world. At Kibeho she said her Rosary of her Seven Sorrows is especially powerful for the healing of hearts and for God to hear the pain and tears of mothers for their children.
Let us listen to our Mother.
–Fr. Peter