The Blessed Virgin knew that she had given birth to the Savior of humankind and knew what had been written about the ordeals and subsequent death of the Savior. Although her Heart was deeply touched by this favor of bearing the Baby Jesus, her Heart remained heavy and troubled, and she immediately understood and accepted Simeon’s prophecy. Through Simeon, she learned more distinctly and in greater detail what sufferings and what a cruel death awaited Him. She knew that He would be persecuted and opposed in every way, and whenever she saw her Son, she was constantly reminded of the suffering He would be subject to, and His suffering became her own.

Prayer: Beloved Mother Mary, whose Heart suffered beyond bearing because of us, teach us to suffer with you and with love, and to accept all the suffering God deems it necessary to send our way. Let us suffer, and may our suffering be known to God only, like yours and that of Jesus. Do not let us show our suffering to the world, so it will matter more and be used to atone for the sins of the world. You, Mother, who suffered with the Savior of the world, we offer you our suffering, and the suffering of the world, because we are your children. Join those sorrows to your own and to those of the Lord Jesus Christ, then offer them to God the Father. You are a Mother greater than all.

Mary’s heart broke and her mind was greatly troubled when Joseph revealed to her the words of the angel: they were to wake up quickly and flee to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill Jesus. The Blessed Virgin quickly took her Child and left everything else, rushing outside before Joseph so that they could hurry as God wished. Her heart was deeply troubled at the sight of her Infant Son’s discomfort, and she suffered greatly because He was cold and shivering. While she and her husband were tired, sleepy, and hungry during this long travel, Mary’s only thought was about the safety and comfort of her Child. She feared coming face to face with the soldiers who had been ordered to kill Jesus because she was aware that the enemy was still in Bethlehem. Her heart remained constantly anguished during this flight. She also knew that where they were going, there would be no friendly faces to greet them.

Prayer: Beloved Mother whom we love, you endured a suffering that we cannot name, by carrying the infant Jesus into exile; teach us to accept our daily sufferings. Teach us to be brave so that we should never be discouraged when the world rejects or persecutes us. Help us to protect the life of Jesus who lives in our hearts as the jealousy of the devil does everything to drive out this life with Jesus. Loving Mother, you who suffered much because of this exile, we offer you all refugees today. Keep them from despair so that they understand that the Almighty is with them everywhere they are. You who were denied the right to possess and to be filled with joy in your country, we offer you those who their rights to live in liberty are violated. 

Mary witnessed Jesus carrying the heavy cross alone—the cross on which He was to be crucified. This didn’t surprise the Blessed Virgin because she already knew about the approaching death of Our Lord. Noting how her son was already weakened by the numerous hard blows given by the soldiers’ clubs, she was filled with anguish at His pain. The soldiers kept hurrying and pushing Him, though He had no strength left. He fell, exhausted, unable to raise Himself. At that moment, Mary’s eyes, so full of tender love and compassion, met her Son’s eyes, which were pained and covered in blood. Their hearts seemed to be sharing the load; every pain He felt, she felt as well. They knew that nothing could be done except to believe and trust in God and dedicate their suffering to Him. All they could do was put everything in God’s hands.

Prayer: Beloved Mother, stricken with grief, help us bear our own suffering with courage and love so that we may relieve your Sorrowful Heart and that of Jesus. As you suffered, teach us to suffer silently and patiently. Grant unto us the grace of loving God in everything. O Mother of Sorrows, most afflicted of all mothers, have mercy on the sinners of the whole world. Ensure that those who come to you to find refuge are not disappointed, console the mothers who have been seriously wounded by seeing their children killed. Console the mothers who are afflicted by the immense grief caused by prematurely losing their children that smiled at them so tenderly and filled them with joy. Console the children who are victims of a judgment like that of Pilate even when they don’t know what sin is. Console the children who carry the heavy cross of life while they are still very young. Console those who are unjustly accused and carry on their heads many burdens.

The Virgin Mary climbed up the Mount of Calvary with Jesus, carrying in her heart the same cross which her Son bore on his shoulders. As she walked, she watched how her Son was stumbled under the cross. How they were beating him so that he would move forward. He often fell under the heavy burden and they lifted him up by pulling on his hair. When they arrived at the top of Calvary, they forced him to undress in front of his detractors, who were happy to mock him. His mother felt all these things so deeply that she suffered bitter pain seeing these wicked men humiliating and making fun of her Son until they finally crucified him in front of the eyes of the crowd. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, the Virgin Mary suffered in her heart, as if she herself was nailed to the cross. Jesus spent six hours in extreme agony as he saw his grieving mother, standing near the cross.

Prayer: Beloved Mother, Queen of the Martyrs, give us the courage you had in such painful moments, so that in our turn we can give thanks to God through all who do evil to us, and thus join in the pardon granted by Jesus for everybody.  Help us to unite our sufferings with yours and give glory to God. Help us follow all His commandments and those of the Church so that Our Lord’s sacrifice will not be in vain, and all sinners in the world will be saved. 

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took down Jesus’ Body from the Cross and placed It in the outstretched arms of the Blessed Virgin. Mary could see the terrifying wounds from the flogging Jesus had received while at Pilate’s. Mary found that the wounds from the nails were less severe than those caused by the flogging and by carrying the Cross. She saw the circle of blood the Crown of Thorns had made on His forehead and the Holy Mother knew that His agonizing death was far worse than the torture reserved for the wickedest of criminals. As she cleaned her Son’s damaged Body, she envisioned Him during each stage of His short life, remembering her first look at His beautiful newborn face as they lay in the manger, and every day since then until this heart-rending moment as she gently bathed His lifeless Body. Her anguish was relentless as she prepared her Son and Lord for burial, but she remained brave and strong, becoming the true Queen of Martyrs. As she washed her Son, she prayed for every soul in the world to embrace God’s Love, so her Son’s torturous death would benefit all humankind and not have been in vain.

Prayer: We thank you, Beloved Mother, for your courage as you stood beneath your dying Child to comfort Him on the Cross. As our Savior drew His last breath, you became a wonderful Mother to all of us; you became the Blessed Mother of the world. We ask you to help us be brave and strong when we are faced with the death of a loved one, and to offer to God our sufferings and anguish on behalf of every soul. We know that you love us even more than our own earthly parents, and we implore you to be our advocate before the Throne of Mercy and Grace so that we can truly become your children. We thank you for bringing us Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, and we thank Jesus for giving you to us.