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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Homily — “Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Mother” • Father Valentine Young, OFM

Jeff Ostrowski · September 15, 2020

The following is by Father Valentine Young, OFM, a faithful Catholic priest who died on 17 January 2020. It was delivered sometime between 2013 and 2020. To learn more about Father Valentine, please scroll to the bottom of the page.

Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

*  PDF Download • READINGS IN LATIN
—Notice how the Sequence is optional in the Ordinary Form.

EPTEMBER FIFTEENTH is the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Mother. The Feast is not celebrated when it falls on a Sunday because Sundays are usually of a higher rank and are therefore celebrated instead of a lower ranking feast. (However the Feast is commemorated at Lauds in the Divine Office and at Mass in the Extraordinary Form.) In a recent discussion, the topic of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Mother came up. Someone asked: “How many Catholics nowadays even know about the seven Sorrows or what they are?” I might ask you: “Do you know what Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows are?” For the sake of those who may not remember, I will mention and briefly comment on them.

In general: The “Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Mother” are events in her life—or the life of our Lord—which caused her special suffering. The first one occurred forty days after Jesus was born. Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple in Jerusalem to offer Him to God (as prescribed by the Jewish law). On this occasion, they met an elderly, saintly man named Simeon. Being a good and devout Jew, Simeon knew the Scriptures and felt that the time for the arrival of the Messiah was near. God promised him that he would not die until he had actually seen and met the promised Redeemer. Simeon recognized Mary and Joseph with the Infant Jesus when they came to the temple. It was then that Simeon first prayed that canticle or hymn which we know as the “Nunc Dimittis.” Now you can dismiss your servant (i.e. “allow him to die”) because his eyes had witnessed the Salvation of the nations.

Simeon & Mary: Then Simeon said something rather strange to Mary, namely that this child would be the cause or reason for her heart to be pierced as it were by a sword of sorrow. This was the first instance of Mary having to suffer because of her role as the mother of the Savior. The second sorrow came later, when Joseph was told by an angel that he must take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt because the wicked King Herod wanted to kill the child. The third sorrow occurred when Jesus was twelve years old and stayed behind in the temple. For almost three days they had to go back and look for Him. Those must have been agonizing days for Mary and Joseph.

Fourth through Seventh: The 4th to the 7th sorrows are all contained in what we know as the Via Crucis (“Stations of the Cross”). The 4th sorrow was Jesus meeting His mother as He was carrying His Cross to Mount Calvary; the 5th is the actual crucifixion of Jesus; the 6th is Jesus being placed in Mary’s arms and lap when His dead body is taken down from the cross. The 7th sorrow is the burial of Jesus in the tomb. Just imagine how painful that walk from the tomb to where she was staying must have been for Mary.

Meditation: I didn’t spend much time in commenting or reflecting on the various sorrows. I feel you can do that for yourselves. But I think we will all agree that these must have been traumatic events in the life of the Blessed Mother.

Conclusion: During World War II, devotion to our mother of sorrows was very popular. Churches would be filled on Friday evenings for the Sorrowful Mother novena and Benediction. Back then people were praying especially for the safe return of their loved ones who had to fight in the war. The Church is certainly in a spiritual “war” now. Maybe the Blessed Mother wants us to pay more attention to the suffering she had to undergo as the mother of our Savior. It is perhaps unfortunate that sometimes devotions in the Church “come and go” like other fads. There’s nothing keeping us from renewing devotion to the Sorrowful Mother. It might be the answer to some of our present difficulties and problems in the Church.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Seven Sorrows, Valentine Young SERMON Last Updated: September 15, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

[Speaking of those who wish to eliminate Latin from the liturgy.] “One may well wonder what the origin is of this new way of thinking and this sudden dislike for the past; one may well wonder why these things have been fostered.”

— Pope Saint Paul VI (15 August 1966)

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