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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, August 25, 2013

Scripture: Isaiah 66:18-21 Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 Luke 13:22-30 Reflection: "Endure your trials as ‘discipline.’" Hebrews 12: 7a We know that discipline is good for us. We need to discipline ourselves » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, August 23, 2013

Scripture: Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22 Matthew 22:34-40 Reflection: Naomi said, "See now! Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her god. Go back after your sister-in-law!" But » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, August 27, 2013

Memorial of Saint Monica Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Matthew 23:23-26 Reflection: A popular book in church circles today is entitled, "REBUILT: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, Making Church Matter." » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, August 24, 2013

Scripture: Revelation 21:9b-14 John 1:45-51 Reflection: Jesus liked Nathanael!   "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"   John 1:48  I remember Bishop May of St Louis when he » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, August 22, 2013

The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary Scripture: Judges 11:29-39a Matthew 22:1-14 Reflection: I apologize for not writing about today’s readings – I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, August 21, 2013

Memorial of St. Pius X Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:2b-8 Matthew 20:1-16 Reflection: As we approach the Labor Day celebration for 2013, we do so, mindful of the important role labor » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, August 20, 2013

Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church Scripture: Judges 6:11-24a Matthew 19:23-30 Reflection: "Who, me?  I can’t do what you ask because I’m a nobody.  I’m just » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, August 19, 2013

Scripture: Judges 6:11-24a Matthew 19:23-30 Reflection: "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" Matthew 19:16 The readings for today’s Mass contrast expectations and experience. The first reading » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, August 18, 2013

Scripture: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 Hebrews 12:1-4 Luke 12:49-53 Reflection: In Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 12:49-53), Jesus says some words that have always been challenging to me, but at this moment » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, August 17, 2013

Scripture: Joshua 24:14-29 Matthew 19:13-15 Reflection: It is in keeping this over-riding theme in mind that the first reading today is then a bit easier to understand. God’s faithfulness should » Continue Reading.

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