Dr. Helen Titilola OLOJEDE

Here is September! The month prepares us in no small way for October devotion, as on September 8, we celebrate her birthday, and on the 12th, we celebrate the Holy Name of Mary. Beyond these two feasts, the entire month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.

Our Lady of Sorrows is a title given to Mary based on her suffering alongside Christ, her son, during His Passion. The title is gotten from Simeon’s gospel” “The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’” (Luke 2:33-35).

This month, thus, offers a natural “spiritual calendar” that invites us as lay faithful to deepen our interior life by walking with Mary through the Passion of her Son. The very dedication of the month encourages a turn toward the “sword” that pierces her heart (Lk 2 35) and makes her a model of compassionate participation in the redemptive work of Christ. By entering into this Marian mystery, we can open a path of prayer, sacramental renewal, and concrete acts of love that together nourish a fuller spirituality.

One of the ways we can deepen our spirituality during this month is to make a sacramental confession. In particular, we can bring “the sins against creation…and every violation of solidarity” to the confessional this month. A spirit of contrition and a renewed conscience provide the fertile soil in which any subsequent prayer or work of mercy can bear fruit.

The Catholic Encyclopedia’s entry on “Special Devotions for Months” records that September carries an indulgenced devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary, granting “three hundred days each day” and a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions. By praying the Seven Sorrows, reflecting on Simeon’s prophecy, the Flight into Egypt, the loss of the Child in the Temple, the meeting on the way to Calvary, standing at the foot of the Cross, the taking down of the Body, and the burial of Christ, we enter into a concrete meditation on the whole salvific story, allowing Mary’s compassion to shape our own response to suffering.

We can also pray a novena or participate in a triduum leading to the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on the 15th. The simple rhythm of saying a set of prayers each day for nine or three days creates a habit of regular, intentional prayer that can be sustained beyond September.