Loretto stands with Mary at the cross in compassion, service

We want to recommend a book for you to read. It is titled “Let Your Life Speak” by Parker Palmer. The book is about listening to your heart. Palmer says, “Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you.” Without ever hearing Palmer’s words, that is exactly what Our Lady of Sorrows did. She listened as to how God would work in her, she prayed, she responded to God’s call with strong faith. Our Lady experienced many sorrows in life. They penetrated her heart deeply, and she accepted what came her way as she moved into the most loving relationship with her Son, Jesus.

Our Lady of Sorrows is the patron of the Sisters of Loretto. The Constitutions tell us in Article 3 that the purpose of the Loretto Community is threefold: “The glory of God, the honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary; a perpetual contemplation and a thoughtful remembrance of our dear Redeemer, with the sorrows of his beloved mother” and the propagation of the faith through instruction of youth and spiritual and corporal service.

The Church recognizes the Seven Sorrows of Mary.  If you contemplate her grace-filled life, we think you will, too. As Mary stood at the Foot of the Cross, she remembered how these sorrows filled her life and brought her closer to the God she loved. Scripture tells us the stories of the following events in Mary’s life:

The Prophecy of Simeon that a sword will pierce her heart
The Flight into Egypt
The Loss of Jesus in the Temple
Mary Meets Jesus Carrying His Cross
Mary Stands Beneath the Cross of Calvary
Mary Receives the Body of Jesus Taken Down from the Cross
Mary Witnesses the Burial of the Body of her Son

Join the Loretto Community as we stand at the foot of the cross as Mary did, waiting in hope for ways to help the suffering body of Christ. Listen to your heart. What do you hear from your God? How will you answer? Are you willing to wait in trust and hope as Our Lady of Sorrows did?