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Daily Reflections

Daily Scripture, September 15, 2025

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Scripture:

1 Timothy 2:1-8
John 19:25-27 or
Luke 2:33-35

Reflection:

On one occasion I was invited to preach in the beautiful Rosary Chapel in Lourdes.  A very large group of us were assembled together in pilgrimage, many who were very ill, whom we lovingly referred to as “maladies.”  The others were family members, friends, and the patrons of the pilgrimage, the Knights and Dames of Malta.

It was the feast of the Blessed Mother, Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth.  I naturally thought of her under her other title, as well, Queen of Angels and Saints.  As I prepared this sermon for the Mass, I remembered prior visits to Lourdes with so many who were ill and suffering in so many different ways.  I knew that if I were to preach about Mary as Queen, I would have to also remember when she became our Queen, so beautifully adorned with clothing, robes, a scepter in her hand, and a golden throne upon which she would sit and inspire.

I remembered all the beautiful images of our Blessed Mother, sitting upon her throne, a moment captured by many Italian and Dutch artists, and others as well.  Radiant in her beauty, surrounded by angels and saints, too.  But because I was so aware of all those who would be seated before me in the Rosary Basilica, so many of whom would be in wheelchairs and voitures, as they are called in French, I knew I could hardly invite them to a golden throne, so majestic and beyond earthly experience.  Rather, as a Passionist, I realized that the Lord was asking me to bring all the assembled to a different place, to the first throne of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  And where do we find this very “first throne” of Mary?  At the foot of the Cross.  We see Mary sitting in the dirt, adorned not with silk robes but rather wearing blood-stained garments and her tear-streaked face, all of which came from the unimaginably painful moment when she held in her arms, embraced in her lap, the broken, crucified body of her beloved Son, Jesus, our Crucified Lord.

This is the moment when Mary, simple maiden of Nazareth, became Queen of Heaven and Earth, Queen of Angels and Saints, seated in the mud and dirt of Calvary, at the foot of the Cross.  This is when Mary became our Queen, our very own “blessed” mother.  And, in this moment, as we approach the Cross of Christ, it is her calloused and stained hand that can reach out and hold our own.  She knows our sorrows; she knows our pain.  Not simply as a queen gloriously enthroned in Heaven, but as a beloved mother who embraces us, even as we seek to understand the meaning behind our own crosses and suffering so often encountered in daily life.  Mary, our Sorrowful Mother, holds us, too, in her warm embrace as she leads us to Jesus, her crucified and beloved Son.  It was on Calvary, sharing in the Passion of Christ, that Mary became our Queen, our Mother of Sorrows.  And it is this special mother gifted us by God whom we honor on the special feast of Our Sorrowful Mother.

Fr. Pat Brennan, C.P. is the director of Saint Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan.

Daily Scripture, July 9, 2022

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8Matthew 10:24-33 Reflection: Don’t Be Afraid After naming the apostles, Matthew gives us a teaching, a reflection, on ministering. We go as sheep among wolves, there will be » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, July 8, 2022

Scripture: Hosea 14:2-10Matthew 10:16-23 Reflection: This week we have been listening to the words of the prophet Hosea; words which catch our attention—and touch our souls. Hosea’s message was very » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, July 7, 2022

Scripture: Hosea 11:1-4, 8e-9Matthew 10:7-15 Reflection: Jesus said to his Apostles:As you go, make this proclamation:‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’Cure the sick, raise the dead,cleanse the lepers, drive » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, July 6, 2022

Scripture: Hosea 10:1-3,7-8, 12Matthew 10: 1-7 Reflection: “Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety; break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, July 5, 2022

Scripture: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13Matthew 9:32-38 Reflection: Thus says the LORD: They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority; they established princes, but without my approval. –Hosea 8:4 But » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, July 4, 2022

Scripture: Acts 28:16-20, 30-31John 21:20-25 Reflection: Love Received, Love Shared It’s July 4th, 2022!  For citizens of the U.S.A., this Independence Day invites us to ponder and celebrate our nation’s » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, July 3, 2022

Scripture: Isaiah 66:10-14cGalatians 6:14-18Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 Reflection: Over the course of their lives, many people will wrestle with their desires for position, power, privilege, and prestige. These desires, or indeed » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, July 2, 2022

Scripture: Amos 9:11-15Matthew 9:14-17 Reflection: People do not put new wine into old wineskins.Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.Rather, they pour new wine » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, July 1, 2022

Scripture: Amos 8:4-6, 9-12Matthew 9:9-13 Reflection: The first reading for today is a blistering attack on the rich and powerful who exploit the poor for their own gain.  Amos, the » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 30, 2022

Scripture: Amos 7:10-17Matthew 9:1-8 Reflection: My eye was drawn first to the line in today’s gospel reading that says, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts?” When I read the comments » Continue Reading.

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