{"id":3114,"date":"2008-02-20T02:21:25","date_gmt":"2008-02-20T02:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/2008\/02\/praying-with-the-heart\/"},"modified":"2016-03-18T07:39:56","modified_gmt":"2016-03-18T06:39:56","slug":"praying-with-the-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/2008\/02\/praying-with-the-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Lady’s Seven Dolours"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"0813icon-7arrows03.jpg\"Beginning Lent in Knock<\/strong>
\nMy pilgrimage the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock a fortnight ago renewed my longstanding devotion to the Rosary of the Seven Dolours. On Ash Wedneday I concelebrated with Father Thomas Lane, C.M., and assisted with the distribution of ashes in the old parish church. The church was filled to capacity, mostly with local people, for the 3:00 p.m. Mass. The priests who staff the shrine at Knock are great men. One of them, Father William O’Donovan, O.M.I. is about to celebrate his seventieth anniversary of priesthood; he is still a dynamic preacher.<\/p>\n

Saint Joseph and Saint John <\/strong>
\nThose already familiar with the Rosary of the Seven Dolours know that the first three of Our Lady\u2019s Sorrows were shared with Saint Joseph and the last four with Saint John, the Beloved Disciple of Jesus. Saint Joseph and Saint John, the two men chosen by God to live in the intimacy of the Virgin Mother and to enter deeply into the mystery of her sorrows, appeared with her at Knock on the night of August 21, 1879.<\/p>\n

Sister Elma’s Mission Shop<\/strong>
\nSister Elma, the kind and holy Daughter of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, who operates the Mission Shop at Knock has very nice Seven Dolours Beads in stock. I had left my own Seven Dolours Beads at home (What was I thinking?) and Sister Elma was quick to remedy the situation. The Rosary of the Seven Dolours is a fitting form of prayer at Knock: a contemplation of the Mystery of the Lamb through the eyes of Our Lady with Saint Joseph and Saint John.<\/p>\n

Mary’s Tears<\/strong>
\nThe Rosary of the Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin Mary<\/em> is, in effect, a way of holding in one’s heart certain events in the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Compassion of His Virgin Mother. The fruits of this particular prayer are compunction of heart, detachment from the occasions of sin, chastity, humility, reparation, compassion, intimacy with the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, and desire to contemplate the Face of Christ. The power of this prayer — something that many have experienced — comes from allowing one’s own heart to be irrigated and purified by the tears of the Mother of God. The tears of the Sorrowful Mother bring purity and healing wherever they fall.<\/p>\n

Here is a method I prepared for saying the Rosary of the Seven Dolours<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

+ Incline, unto my aid, O God.
\nO Lord, make haste to help me.
\nGlory be to the Father, and to the Son,
\nand to the Holy Spirit.
\nAs it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
\nworld without end. Amen. Alleluia.
\n(In place of Alleluia<\/em>, from Ash Wednesday until Easter is said:
\nPraise be to thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

1. The prophecy of Simeon.<\/strong>
\n\u201cAnd Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
\n‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed\u201d (Lk 2:34-35).
\nHoly Mother of God, I remember the sorrow of your heart upon hearing Simeon\u2019s prophecy, and I desire to contemplate with you the Face of Jesus, \u201ca light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to God\u2019s people Israel\u201d (cf. Lk 2:32).
\nOne Our Father and seven Hail Marys.<\/em>
\nHoly Mother, this impart,
\nDeeply print within my heart,
\nAll the wounds my Saviour bore.<\/p>\n

2. The flight into Egypt.<\/strong>
\n\u201cAnd an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
\n‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.\u2019 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt have I called my Son\u2019\u201d (Mt 2:13-15).
\nHoly Mother of God, I remember the sorrow of your heart at the flight into Egypt by night, and I desire to contemplate with you the Face of Jesus, born \u201cto save his people from their sins\u201d (cf. Mt 1:21).
\nOne Our Father and seven Hail Marys.<\/em>
\nHoly Mother, this impart,
\nDeeply print within my heart,
\nAll the wounds my Saviour bore.<\/p>\n

3. The loss of Jesus for three days.<\/strong>
\n\u201cAnd when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him,
\n‘Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.\u2019 And he said to them, ‘How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father\u2019s house?'” (Lk 2:48-49).
\nHoly Mother of God, I remember the sorrow of your heart when together with Saint Joseph you searched for Jesus for three days, and I desire to contemplate with you the Face of Jesus, \u201cfull of grace and truth\u201d (Jn 1:14).
\nOne Our Father and seven Hail Marys.<\/em>
\nHoly Mother, this impart,
\nDeeply print within my heart,
\nAll the wounds my Saviour bore.<\/p>\n

4. Her meeting Jesus, carrying His cross.<\/strong>
\n\u201cHe was oppressed and was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. . . . Yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors\u201d (Is 53:7, 12).
\nHoly Mother of God, I remember the sorrow of your heart when you encountered your Jesus bearing His cross, and I desire to contemplate with you the Face of Jesus, \u201cdespised and rejected by men\u201d (Is 53:3).
\nOne Our Father and seven Hail Marys.<\/em>
\nHoly Mother, this impart,
\nDeeply print within my heart,
\nAll the wounds my Saviour bore.<\/p>\n

5. Her standing beneath the cross on Calvary.
\n<\/strong>\u201cBut standing by the Cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother\u2019s sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!\u2019 Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!\u2019 And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home\u201d (Jn 19:25-27).
\nHoly Mother of God, I remember the sorrow of your heart when you saw your Child\u2019s hands and feet nailed to the wood of the Cross and His side pierced by the soldier\u2019s lance, and I desire to contemplate with you the Face of Jesus Crucified, bowed in death.
\nOne Our Father and seven Hail Marys.<\/em>
\nHoly Mother, this impart,
\nDeeply print within my heart,
\nAll the wounds my Saviour bore.<\/p>\n

6. The Sacred Body of Jesus, taken down from the cross.
\n<\/strong>\u201cWhat can I say for you, to what compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Sion? For vast as the sea is your ruin; who can restore you? Cry aloud to the Lord! O daughter of Sion! Let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite\u201d (Lam 2:13, 18).
\nHoly Mother of God, I remember the sorrow of your heart when you beheld the lifeless Body of Jesus taken down from the cross, and I desire to contemplate with you the Face of Jesus, \u201cbeautiful above the sons of men\u201d (Ps 44:3).
\nOne Our Father and seven Hail Marys.<\/em>
\nHoly Mother, this impart,
\nDeeply print within my heart,
\nAll the wounds my Saviour bore.<\/p>\n

7. Her witnessing the burial of the Sacred Body of her Son.<\/strong>
\nJoseph of Arimathea \u201cwent to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the Day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb, and how the body was laid; then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment\u201d (Lk 23:52-55).
\nHoly Mother of God, I remember the sorrow of your heart when you beheld the Body of Jesus wrapped in a linen shroud and laid in the tomb, and I desire to contemplate with you the Face of Jesus, covered with a veil in death.
\nOne Our Father and seven Hail Marys.<\/em>
\nHoly Mother, this impart,
\nDeeply print within my heart,
\nAll the wounds my Saviour bore.<\/p>\n

In honour of the tears shed by Our Lady during these Seven Dolours:
\nthree Hail Marys.
\nO Mother of Sorrows, by the tears you shed,
\ngrant that I may weep for my sins. Hail Mary.
\nO Mother of Sorrows, by the tears you shed,
\nsoften the hardened hearts of sinners. Hail Mary.
\nO Mother of Sorrows, by the tears you shed,
\nallow me to make reparation for my sins. Hail Mary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beginning Lent in Knock My pilgrimage the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock a fortnight ago renewed my longstanding devotion to the Rosary of the Seven Dolours. On Ash Wedneday I concelebrated with Father Thomas Lane, C.M., and assisted with the distribution of ashes in the old parish church. The church was filled to capacity, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blessed-virgin-mary"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paVypq-Oe","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3114"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3114"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12875,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3114\/revisions\/12875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}