On September 15, 2026, Catholics celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. The feast honors Mary standing in faithful love beside the Cross of her Son and invites Christians to bring their own grief, compassion, and unanswered questions to Christ.
Our Lady of Sorrows is not a devotion to sadness without hope. Mary’s sorrow is united to Jesus’ saving Passion, and her faithful presence at Calvary becomes a witness to love that remains when fear, loss, and suffering seem to have taken everything away. The feast follows the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14, placing Mary near the Cross in the Church’s calendar.
What Does Our Lady of Sorrows Mean? Our Lady of Sorrows is a title for Mary in her profound union with the suffering and death of Christ. From Simeon’s prophecy in the Temple to the burial of Jesus, Mary’s life was marked by a loving participation in mysteries she could not control or fully explain. Mary’s sorrow is not despair. She does not run from the truth, pretend that suffering is pleasant, or claim to understand every part of God’s plan. She remains present, prayerful, and united to her Son. For people experiencing grief, illness, family crisis, persecution, or loneliness, this makes her a compassionate mother and a model of persevering faith. Catholics honor Mary because God’s grace made her a faithful disciple. The grace and mercy she offers always come from Christ and lead to Christ.
The Seven Sorrows of Mary. The traditional devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary meditates on seven Gospel scenes. The number seven represents fullness; the list is not meant to limit Mary’s suffering to only seven moments.
Sorrow. Scripture. Prayerful meaning:
1. Simeon’s prophecy. Luke 2:34–35. Mary learns that a sword will pierce her heart.
2. Flight into Egypt. Mt. 2:13–15. The Holy Family becomes refugees to protect the Child.
3. Loss of Jesus in Jerusalem. Luke 2:41–52. Mary searches for Jesus in the Temple.
4. Meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary. Tradition. Mother and Son meet at the Cross.
5. Standing beneath the Cross. John 19:25–27. Mary remains near Jesus as He gives His life.
6. Receiving Jesus’ body. Tradition of the Pietà. Mary receives the body of the Son she bore.
7. Jesus in the tomb. Gospel accounts. Mary entrusts the hidden future to God in mourning.
Mary’s Sorrows in Scripture. Simeon’s sword — Luke 2:34–35. When Mary and Joseph present Jesus in the Temple, Simeon blesses God but warns Mary that a sword will pierce her soul. This prophecy reaches toward the Passion, but it also describes the cost of loving a person completely. Mary’s heart is open to Jesus, and open to the pain of seeing Him rejected.
The sword at Calvary — John 19:25–27. John’s Gospel places Mary near the Cross with the beloved disciple. Jesus sees His mother and entrusts her to the disciple, then entrusts the disciple to Mary. In Catholic tradition, this scene reveals Mary’s spiritual motherhood within the community of believers. Read John 19 slowly and notice Mary’s silent fidelity.
Mary’s sorrow and the Magnificat. The woman who sings “My soul doth magnify the Lord” is the same woman who stands at Calvary. Christian joy is not the absence of suffering. Mary’s Magnificat teaches us to recognize God’s faithfulness; her sorrow teaches her to remain faithful when the promise passes through darkness. (Google: Mater Dolorosa. Adapted)
Pray slowly rather than treating the devotion as a task to complete. After each sorrow, name someone who needs consolation. Let Mary’s compassion become a concrete act of love.
O sorrowful Mother, I turn to you in total trust. You suffered the sharpest pains in life, watching your Son die upon the Cross, and yet you remained by Him to the end. Look with favor upon me, a poor sinner, and obtain for me from your Son all the graces I need to endure the sufferings God allows me to face. “On the Cross her Son was dying. Mary stood beneath Him crying, sharing in His saving cross. As He hangs, her soul is grieving, and a sword her heart is cleaving, and she weeps the bitter loss.” O Mother of Sorrows, intercede for me with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and grant me the favor I implore (Mention Ester’s and your request). “Ester and I pray for Your blessings to grace our children, and their children’s children, to wholeheartedly support The MCC FOUNDATION – The MONTINOLA-CUMAGUN CARE FOUNDATION OBJECTIVES: (1.) Special Children SPED; a child’s mind is the most precious thing to waste. (The motto of the American Negro College), and the Handicapped Senior Citizens – Physical Therapy. (2.) Financial Support for Diocesan priests and Grade School Teachers for the rural areas. (3.) Computer Start-up Education Tools for selected public schools and (4.) Selected Start-up Management and Financial Support for Small Businesses. Let the Montinola Cumagun Care Foundation’s Good Work speak, not our family name.
The Memorare: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your clemency, hear and answer me. Amen.
WORD Today. John 19:25-27. Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Reflection. The words of the Popes. John, the only one of the Twelve present at Calvary, saw and testified that beneath the cross stood Jesus’ mother together with the other women (cf. Jn 19:25). And he heard with his own ears the last words of the Master, among which were these: “Woman, here is your son!” and then, turning to him, “Here is your mother!” (Jn 19:26-27). Mary’s motherhood through the mystery of the Cross took an unimaginable leap: the mother of Jesus became the new Eve, the source of new and eternal life for every person who comes into the world. (…) The fruitfulness of the Church is the same as Mary’s; it is realized in the lives of her members to the extent that they relive, “in miniature,” what the Mother lived, namely, they love according to the love of Jesus. All the fruitfulness of the Church and of the Holy See depends on the Cross of Christ. Otherwise, it is only appearance, if not worse. A great contemporary theologian wrote: “If the Church is the tree that grew from the tiny mustard seed of the cross, this tree is destined to produce mustard seeds in turn, and therefore fruits that repeat the shape of the cross, because it is precisely to the cross that they owe their existence” (H.U. von Balthasar, Cordula ovverosia il caso serio, Brescia 1969, 45-46). (Pope Leo XIV, Homily, 9 June 2025)
The Cross reminds us that God can transform what seems like defeat into something life-giving. There are crosses in life that we would never choose—pain, disappointment, loss, failure, even struggles within ourselves. And while we are carrying them, we may not understand why they are happening or where they are leading us. The Cross does not tell us that suffering is good. Rather, it reminds us that suffering placed in God’s hands does not have to be meaningless. God can bring grace even from our wounds, strength from our weakness, and new life from what we thought was already lost. We may not see it immediately. But the Cross assures us: love is stronger than what hurts us, and God can still bring something beautiful even from the difficult parts of our lives.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach me to accept with faith the crosses that are part of my journey. When I cannot understand them or change them, give me the grace not to lose heart. Help me to carry them with You, one day at a time, trusting that I do not walk alone. May I learn to surrender what I cannot control, to remain faithful in what is asked of me, and to believe that even in the difficult and painful moments of life, Your love is still at work. Amen.
Business Enterprises are not Legacy: the wake you leave, WHO you leave it to, WHAT you leave, and WHY? Let the Montinola Cumagun Care Foundation’s Good Work speak, not our family name.
Our Lady of the Impossible, grace those late in life but had more in life who tried to be their brothers’ keepers for those who have less in life – “Ester and I pray for your blessings to grace our children, and their children’s children, to wholeheartedly support The MCC FOUNDATION – The MONTINOLA-CUMAGUN CARE FOUNDATION OBJECTIVES: (1.) Special Children SPED, “A child’s mind is the most precious thing to waste.” (The motto of the American Negro College), and the Handicapped Senior Citizens – Physical Therapy. (2.) Financial Support for Diocesan priests and Grade School Teachers for the rural areas. (3.) Computer Start-up Education Tools for selected public schools and (4.) Selected Start-up Management and Financial Support for Small Businesses. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48. “The sin of the rich man was not that he did wrong things, but that he did nothing.” (William Barclay, in Antonio G. Cumagun Autobiography Song of Myself Memoirs, Looking Back at Serendipity, 2002) Our Lady of the Impossible, “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection was left unaided. . .” the good news of peace and justice through Ester and my founding the Montinola Cumagun Care Foundation. Business Enterprises are not Legacy: It is the fruits of the wake you leave, and who you leave it to, and what you leave. Let your wake speak, not your Family name.
Ester and my state of health – vital stats are recorded by Ester’s everyday, 24 hr. PDNs.
Ester’s morning BP was 110/70. HR 81. O2sat 98%. Temp 36.4
Last Night’s BP 110/70.HR 75. O2sat 96%. Temp.36.5
Tony’s morning BP was 110/70. HR 62. O2sat 99%. Temp 36.7
Last Night’s BP 110/70. HR 64. O2sat 98%. Temp. 36.8
Beata John Paul 1, watch over Cristina C, Justice Jun’s state of health, Ester’s recovery, and our autistic son John Paul’s emotional/emotional stability 57 (baptized John Paul a decade before Cardinal Luciano of Milan took the regnal name of John Paul), whom we met, promised to pray for him that John Paul II continued with Christmas greetings, and my weakening 89-year-old body.
FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED AND SOULS IN PURGATORY
In Memory of all those who left us. We remember you in the morning and at night. You are always with us. We pray for the souls in Purgatory.
Blessed Mother Mary, I bring to you for your intercession the souls of Amb. Manuel R. and Dolores G. Cumagun, Juana Cumagun, Annette Cumagun, Lina Beltran, Judge and Mrs. Dolores Cumagun, Gov. Primo & Magdalena H. Gaffud, Dr. Trino, Sr. & Angeles Montinola, Betty, Luie, Trino, Jr. Montinola, Bernardino, and Isabel Jalandoni. Dr. Terry Lirio-Montinola, Dr. & Mrs. Tomacruz, Akira Tsusaka, Boy Eugenio, Jesus Ibañez, Sen. Nene Pimentel, Santiago Ranada 111, Boysie Villavicensio, Patria Manuel, Dr. Mariano Laurel, Rene Datu, (Ateneo ’54 – Jimmy Ongpin, Atty. Ato Gonzales, Buddy Joaquin, Fr. Unson, Msgr. Tantoco, Atty. Art Alafriz, Robert Arevalo Ylagan, Maximo Abesamis, Jr., Jesse Paredes), Atty. C. Platon, Araceli Rivera, Rey Castañeda, Col. Tanseco, Dr. E Fores, Dr. J. Caedo, Christine Syjuco, Leni Panganiban, Raul Boncan, Atty. Spanky and Dolly Perez, Amb. Albert del Rosario, Nellie Valdez, Toti Herbosa, Tec Syjuco, AL, Umberto (Beck) Gonzales, and Rufo Colayco. Pray 7 Our Father and The Credo