The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is Thursday, 14 September. The Feast of the Holy Cross occurs forty days after the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The Transfiguration reveals the glory of Jesus as God’s Beloved Son, and the Holy Cross is the means through which we are saved. For Peter, James, and John the Transfiguration represented a special moment of time that they wished to savor forever. Yet Jesus reminded them as he reminds us of the work that needs to be accomplished in the ordinary moments of life. The extraordinary moments impact our spirituality, but it is in the humbleness of the ordinary that the will of God is exalted. The following is the prayer for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant, we pray, that we, who have known his mystery on earth, may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven.
The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, 15 September, is a logical continuation of the Feast of the Holy Cross. The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows commemorates the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. They are: The Prophecy of Simeon, The Flight into Egypt, The Disappearance of Jesus for Three Days, The Carrying of the Cross, The Crucifixion, The Body of Jesus being taken down from the Cross, the Body of Jesus placed in the sepulcher. There are promises of Our Lady that accompany these seven events. The promises are – peace, enlightenment, consolation, spiritual riches, protection, accompaniment, eternal joy.
The Stabat Mater is traditionally sung at the Stations of the Cross and the chant is an optional sequence to be used at moments of prayer on the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. The words of the Stabat Mater can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (usccb.org). One stanza of particular note unites these two feasts: Christ, when you shall call me, hence, be your Mother my defense, be your Cross my victory.
Pope Pius VII (7th) had a particular devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. Pope Pius was pontiff from 1800 until 1823. The bicentennial of his death was three weeks ago. Pope Pius’ pontificate coincided with the aftermath of the French Revolution. Pope Pius was imprisoned by Napoleon for five years for refusing to give the French government any secular authority over the religious affairs of the Catholic Church. It was his meditation upon the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady that sustained Pope Pius during his imprisonment. Finally in 1815, when Napoleon met his Waterloo, Pius was released and approved the following mediations on the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady.
- I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the affliction of your tender heart at the prophecy of Simeon. Dear Mother, by your heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of holy fear.
- I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of your most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and your sojourn there. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety.
- I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried your troubled heart at the loss of your dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of self-knowledge.
- I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of your heart at meeting Jesus as he carried his Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude.
- I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which your generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in his agony. Dear Mother, by your afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.
- I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of your compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by a lance before his Body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.
- I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched your most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom.