September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose feast is celebrated on September 15th. What comes to mind when you picture someone suffering? Perhaps you imagine illness or severe hunger, which are the kinds of hardship we recognize as physical suffering. We know that many saints endured great physical pain before their deaths.
Yet, there is another form of anguish, spiritual suffering. Aside from Jesus Himself, no one suffered spiritually as deeply as the Blessed Virgin Mary. Chosen by God to bear Christ into the world, Mary had to witness every hurt inflicted upon her Son. She knew Jesus was sent to guide humanity away from sin and toward God’s love. Watching so many reject Him broke her Immaculate Heart, filling it with sorrow for a world turning away from God.
