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Ever-patient in her yearning Though her tear-filled eyes were burning, Mary gazed upon her Son.

For Reflection:             

In his writing, The Spirituality of Waiting, Henri Nouwen gives five characteristics of waiting. He tells us waiting is a movement. “People who wait have received a promise that allows them to wait. … They have received something that is a work in them, like a seed that has started to grow… So waiting is never a movement from nothing to something. It is always a movement from something to something more."           

How is this truth depicted in the stanza above? Consider Mary’s gaze. What might have been transpiring in her heart as Mary looked upon her Son and as He gazed upon her? What promise(s) had she received and what might be the “something more” still yet to come?

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With what pain and desolation, With what noble resignation, Mary watched her dying Son.

 

 For Reflection:             

Many spiritual writers have discussed the “spirituality of waiting” and the virtues it requires. Some of these are patience, long-suffering, trust, surrender, humility, gratitude, receptivity, hope. In what ways do you think Mary embodied all of these as she watched her Son die? Which of these do you most need to acquire?

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While she waited in her anguish, Seeing Christ in torment languish, Bitter sorrow pierced her heart.

For Reflection:             

This verse tells us Mary “waited.” What attitude of heart do you think marked Mary’s disposition as she waited? What virtues? Recall a time when you, too, waited. What marked your disposition? What virtues did you exhibit?

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At the cross her station keeping, Mary stood in sorrow weeping When her Son was crucified.  

For Reflection:             

Father Faber tells us that each consecutive suffering of Our Lady outstripped its predecessor in pain, because each new suffering had “more love to torture, and therefore more power of inflicting pain.” In this first verse of the Stabat Mater, Mary experiences the fifth sword to her heart. She is at the summit of her suffering. Consider Father Faber’s quote in light of this. What do you think he means by “more love to torture?” What is the connection between love and pain? To what extent are you willing to truly love?

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        Closing Prayer to Our Lady

 O Mary, our Mother, with thine arms outstretched –

     those tender arms in which the eternal God

delighted to dwell when He became our blood Brother –

    plead our cause. With thine eyes of mercy,

   beseech of Him for us, thy children,

the grace that in our exile we may resemble thee,

        His most devoted follower, and so at last,

    in union with thee, may glorify Him forever!

For Reflection:             

Which of these sentiments, petitions, desires most expresses my heart and why?

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“…since the measure of our grace will always be inferior to [Mary’s}, we must adorn our souls with virtue through correspondence with the degree of grace that God bestows on us. Thus will we walk in her footsteps and, like her, grow in humility, in purity, and in love of God.”

For Reflection:             

Of all the lessons presented this month, which one lesson do I most need to learn? What virtues does this lesson require? Using a particular examination of conscience (see page 45 of the  Women of Grace Journal in the link below) what strategies can I employ to make this lesson a pattern of my life?

http://www.womenofgrace.com/App_Uploads_Docs/Journals/women_of_grace_journal_issue_7.pdf

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“As our chief duty in life is the sanctification of our souls, we should strive with all our powers to advance to that standard of perfection that God has determined for each one of us. We should use all our efforts to grow daily in divine love.”

For Reflection:             

With a frank look at my own heart, what do I consider to be the chief duty in my life? What attitudes of heart, ideas, and behaviors need to be amended to help my spiritual life take first position?  Am I willing to apply my efforts in this direction – why or why not?

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“Our prayer, like Mary’s and the Apostles', must come from our hearts under the absolute dominion of the Holy Spirit. The love of God above all things, detachment from the world, and an abiding sense of the supernatural, or recollection – these are the prerequisites of prayer.”

For Reflection:             

How does my time of prayer measure up according to the standard in the quote above? Which of the prerequisites listed above do I employ? Which do I need to cultivate. Write a prayer to Our Lady asking for her maternal intercession.

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“The true child of Mary must be prepared to make the sacrifice necessary to overcome the love of created things with the love of the Creator.”

For Reflection:             

To what am I most attached? What virtues can I begin to practice to help me become more detached to them and filled more with the things of God? What devotions can I develop to help inculcate a deeper love for God?

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“When God demands of a soul a great sacrifice, he strengthens the soul, through the vivifying power of His grace, to overcome all obstacles. Such a soul dies perfectly to itself, and its only desire is to remain spiritually dead to its natural inclinations as long as God wishes.”  

For Reflection:             

What has been the greatest sacrifice God has entrusted to me? What were the potential hazards, the hurdles, and the obstacles it presented? How did I experience God’s grace in the midst of the trial? Am I willing to die to self and embrace the crosses God sees fit to offer me?

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