our Lady of Sorrows

As I type this, my husband and a team of soldiers are biking/running from Fort Jackson, South Carolina, to Ground Zero in New York for the anniversary of September 11th. They will ride 780 miles to remember the fallen—those who died that day and those who gave their lives in the days, months, and years to come. 

Each member of the group is riding with the name of a person on their shirt—a friend who brought great joy with their life and great sorrow with their death. This journey whispers their name across the country and boldly declares the great mystery of love. Truly, no one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13. 

I share this with you today for two reasons: One—to ask for prayers over the team riding and for the families and friends who have lost loved ones on 9/11 and in the years of war that followed. 

Two—To chat about sorrow. As parents, when we navigate conversations about the dignity of the human person with our child, we cannot exclude addressing the dimension of sorrow that so often is a companion on our journey. 

This week, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. At the moment of her fiat, our Blessed Mother made the first step on the long, painful journey towards Calvary. Through Mary, we come to know, in a very intimate way, the great dignity and power of suffering with another. Truly, she laid down her life for the sake of His sorrowful passion. 

Mary shows us how to grieve—she teaches us how to take the broken pieces of the human heart and place each one at the foot of the Cross. She teaches us how to suffer with another, to never let our sorrow become despair, and to trust in God's perfect love with every tear. 

Download our Children's PGS this week and introduce your child to Our Lady of Sorrows….Teach your child how to find her hand!

Praying beside you!