September 15th is the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. In fact, all of September is dedicated to the Sorrowful Mother. It is important to understand why the Catholic Church would set aside one entire month out of the year for remembering the Sorrows of Mary.

If you knew someone was suffering, how would you feel if you knew that you could really help them? What would you do? Also, what if that someone, who is so good, didn’t just wish you could comfort them - they asked you to?

"I look around upon all who are in the world, to see if there may be any who will pity me, and meditate upon my sorrows, and truly, I find very few. Therefore, my daughter, though I am forgotten by many, at least do not you forget me; behold my anguish, and imitate, as far as you can, my grief." - Our Blessed Mother to St. Bridget of Sweden.

What if that same someone had done everything She could to help you - in so many ways that you never knew about! You discover that this person spent Her entire life thinking about you and suffering everything to save you. This person loves you; She gave up everything that was dear to Her for your sake.

"Because of Her love for us, She was willing to see Her Son sacrificed to Divine Justice by the barbarity of men. This great torment which Mary endured for us was more dreadful than a thousand deaths and deserves our sympathy and our gratitude. If we cannot return this love in any other way, let us at least for a few moments consider how great were the sufferings by which Mary became the Queen of Martyrs." - St. Alphonsus Liguori

But what could describe how this person would feel if, after all of the pain that She endured for you, all She received was an occasional glance in Her direction, or a thoughtless word here or there. What if you never thanked Her for what She's done, and you didn’t even think about Her love? Imagine that! The one who was saved by another's sufferings... doesn’t care. This indifference would truly be the bitterest pain of that good person.

This is how Mary feels.

Her deepest grief is that we aren’t grateful. The immense majority of humanity neglects Her. She is ignored by practically every person that She helped to save. Rarely do we think about Her, and even more rarely do we thank Her.

And it is not only Our Lady who feels this injury. Jesus feels this neglectful abuse keenly. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, revealed to Blessed Veronica of Binasco "My daughter, tears shed for My Passion are dear to Me; but as I loved My Mother Mary with an immense love, the meditation on the torments which She endured at My death is even more pleasing to Me."

Imagine now that, instead of ignoring Her, you flooded that someone with the gratitude and love that She deserved. You thought about all of the hardships She endured for you, and you appreciated them. Wouldn’t that good person’s sorrow instantly turn into joy? All of Her suffering would not have been in vain, and the happiness that your love now gave Her would alleviate Her pain.

If we gave to Mary everything that She desires so much, how would She feel? All She asks is for someone to thank Her, and to love Her for what She does. Anyone who takes the time to think about Her and Her sorrows consoles Her aching Heart. And when we seek to console Her, Her happiness knows no limits! And Mary is so good, that She’s not just grateful for what She is given - She even desires to reward us when we give to Her the love that She deserves!

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862), an Italian Passionist, had a very deep love for Mary and understood Her love for us. He especially loved to console Her, particularly by meditating on the pain She suffered from Her Seven Sorrows.

Around the middle of the 1800’s, things had become very rough back in St. Gabriel’s home town of Spoleto. The town had been hit hard by the war that was ravaging all of Italy at that time. St. Gabriel wrote to his father, seeking to console him.

"Do you wish, dear father," wrote Gabriel, "to live tranquilly in the midst of so many miseries? Do you desire to pass your days in true peace?... Then compassionate the Mother of Sorrows by the remembrance of Her pains. Read a book which treats of Mary; make the Way of the Cross; recite the Seven Dolor beads and the Stabat Mater. Console your heart with Mary; tell Her your affairs, your needs..."

Around the same difficult time, St. Gabriel wrote to his brother Vincent with similar encouragement. In the letter, he begged his younger brother: "Place yourself in these troubled times with full confidence under the protection of Mary. If She is for you, who can be against you?"

Let us follow, then, this good Saint's advice, and place ourselves under Mary's protection. And as we claim Her as our tender Mother, let us prove ourselves to be Her loving children. When our good Mother is in pain, it is our duty to console Her. Remember then, especially during this month of September, how much dear Mary suffers for us, and for everyone. Let us love and console Her in place of the countless who forget and even hate Her.

Visit the Cathedral under Mary's stained glass window for more information and ideas and ways to console your Heavenly Mother. Please click this link to learn more about this devotion. We must fix Her sorrows deeply in our minds, so that, as we meditate on them day by day, we will imitate Her virtues, obtain Her special protection and console Her Sorrowful Heart.

Mary will certainly show a grateful love, and will extraordinarily bless, all those who compassionate Her Sorrows. These children, amongst all the rest, will give the sweetest consolation to Her most afflicted Heart.

If you knew that you had lessened the suffering of someone who loved you, and that you had consoled this good person... how would you feel?