Fr. Rick’s Two Minute Homily Memorial of our Lady of Sorrows

September 15, 2025, John 19:33-35

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091525.cfm

No Other Way

Nothing is harder than a parent burying their own child. How can anyone understand the pain of a parent watching their child’s lifeless body in a coffin? Yet, when I’ve sat with them, they always say, “Why couldn’t it have been me?”  

Today, we honor our Mother of Sorrows. Her resilience, despite being completely free from sin, as she stood under the cross of her divine Son, drinking from the same cup of His suffering, is a testament to the strength that faith can provide.  

She once cradled the Son in a manger, carried Him in her arms, and nursed Him at her breast. Now, He’s raised on a cross, nailed to it. Not one part of His body, or hers, was spared from the scars of our sins. Her spirit was just as crushed as His beloved body. Her heart was pierced by the same lance that pierced His.  

The two feasts, The Exaltation of the Cross and Our Mother of Sorrows, are not just days of remembrance, but they also teach us a profound truth. They remind us that pain and suffering are an integral part of the human experience. If there had been another way to overcome the atrocities of our sinful nature, Jesus and Mary would have been spared. But there was no other way. They willingly embraced suffering for our salvation.  

They teach us not to flee from our hardships or try to dull them with distractions. Instead, we’re urged to say, “Let this cup pass me by, but let not my will, but yours, be done.” Pray to join all your sufferings with the Passion of our Lord Jesus. Even the coldest heart can be transformed, and the most severe sins can be forgiven through suffering born out of love for someone else’s well-being, showing that suffering can be transformed into a powerful force for good.  

Turn to your Mother in times of great darkness and sorrow, just as Jesus did. Her prayers and presence bring immense courage and comfort, serving as a beacon of hope in the darkest of times. Make it a habit to pray to her often throughout the day.  

Mother of Sorrows, Pray for us.  

Love Your Neighbor

!   

Father Rick Pilger, I.C.   
frrick@bscchurch.com