Praying before the Cross, Christians are significantly comforted under the patronage of Our Lady of Sorrows. In her we contemplate the one who, as Scripture tells us, remained ‘standing’ at the foot of the Cross while the Apostles fled and betrayed Christ, as they were far from understanding the profundity of the mystery of Golgotha. This vital presence of Mary fully united to the Passion of her Son – consoling and adoring Him in an act of reparation for the offenses of those who had been unfaithful at this decisive moment – has moved truly Christian souls throughout the centuries.
These pious considerations have a theological base that justifies them: the Most Holy Virgin is intimately united to the work of Redemption in the plans of God. The sacrifice of Jesus and his salvific mission were, since the beginning, associated with Mary Immaculate, whom the Trinity gazed upon with singular predilection.
Consequently, to attribute to the Mother of Sorrows reactions incompatible with the perfection of her charity, offends Marian piety and, moreover, diverges from Catholic Doctrine – which should be the parameter used for all considerations on the incomparable figure of the Mother of God.
And so, a reminder about the Pontifical Magisterium and the doctrine of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church regarding this topic seems indispensable. ...Read on…
