Homily For Monday, Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 15th September, 2025. The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

 

Readings: 1Tm 2:1-8; Ps.28; John 19:25-27

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO BEAR YOUR SORROWS OF LIFE

In life, we encounter ugly events and challenges that cause us sorrows and tears. And oftentimes we don't know how to manage those moments. Just yesterday, we celebrated the exaltation and triumph of the Holy Cross; today, we are celebrating the sorrows of our Blessed Mother, who experienced a great sorrow at the suffering and death of her Son, who suffered grievously for the sins and faults of others and for the sake of the redemption of all humanity.

So as we commemorate our Lady's greatest sorrows: beginning with the prophecy of Simeon in the temple, her flight into Egypt with the infant Jesus, the loss of Jesus at the age of 12 in Jerusalem, Mary's encounter with her son Jesus on his way to Calvary, his crucifixion, death and burial. In fact, our Gospel passage today tells us that Jesus, seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son. Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’

Thus, from that moment, the disciple made a place for her in his home. This very action may seem so easy for those who have not experienced the painful torture that comes from witnessing the suffering of their loved ones. But for those who have experienced such torture, especially our good mothers, we will understand better that it is harder to watch the pains and suffering of your loved ones than to bear our own pains.

So, we can now understand the situation and condition our Lady was passing through for the sake of obedience to God’s will as she watched Jesus suffer for our redemption. Little wonder in our first reading we are told that there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus, who sacrificed himself as a ransom for them all.

Dear friends, I don’t know what kind of sorrows you are carrying in your hearts. Is it the sorrows caused by the ugly situation in your life, your family, your place of work, your inability to achieve your goals and dreams in like manner? Or is it sorrows caused by other people, or caused by mistakes of your past, the ugly ways of life? Whatever and however deep the sorrows are, today we are called to learn how to bear our sorrows of life patiently, like Mary, by linking them to the will of God.

Let us learn how to present our sorrows and problems to God in prayer by raising up our minds and hearts to him, and since he promised that he will teach us the way we should go, instruct us, and advise us. Let us listen to what he is calling us to do and ensure we do them just like our Mother Mary, because the Lord Jesus speaks to us from the depths of our heart, and he desires that we listen to him whenever we pray and associate our sorrows with his own, just like Mary, our mother.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, there are so many sorrows in our lives, and people are doing all they can to overcome them. Through the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows, may we experience your love and help us to know the best ways to bear our sorrows patiently. We asked this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.