As we again observe the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, I am reminded of a reading from the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a sermon by St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Here, this saint especially devoted to Our Lady, offers some touching insights.

During my college years, I used this “Little Office,” but now, as a Franciscan Sister, my Marian devotion has taken a different turn. We pray the regular Liturgy of the Hours with the Church and so I no longer use the small volume that I once utilized so often.

Instead, my challenge, as set out by our Constitutions, is “to keep the example of the Blessed Virgin ever before [my] eyes.” In order to do this, I must do a little reflection. What example does our Blessed Mother offer us? Seeing her example takes a bit of work because we know so little about her life.

As we remember our Sorrowful Mother, we might remember her as a model of faithfulness, of constancy, of endurance, and most of all, of love, in the midst of suffering.

May I, each day, have this example of love which she offers, “ever before my eyes.” May I be willing to stand by Jesus in the midst of suffering as she did.