Mary, Mother of Sorrows

This week we have been meditating on the prophesy of Simeon, when Mary, unexpectantly, learned that her son would face a great deal of opposition in his life and that her own heart would bear much sorrow.  She’s gazing on this beautiful child and being told that his life would cause much pain, for himself and for her.  At that moment Anna drops by. Anna is an elderly woman, who, following the death of her husband of seven years, spends her time in the Temple. She is 84 years of age when she meets Mary.  She is a woman who has suffered much.  She is a faith-filled and hope-filled and compassionate person capable of understanding Mary’s pain, comforting her and offering her hope. 
 

All of us have “Annas” in our lives: men and women, young and old, infants, children and adolescents who enter into our lives at just the right time, as Anna did for Mary.  They are persons who generate hope and faith in our ability to find our way through the “darkness,” to discover our inner strength to endure the emotional, spiritual, psychological or physical pain suddenly thrust upon us. The “Annas” in our lives are God-sent, beacons of light in our darkness, towers of strength in our weakness, pillars of faith in our doubt.  Many times, as for Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly, husbands and wives fill this role for one another. Close friends and/or siblings may also do this for each other. From history, we know that St. Francis and St. Clare, Saint Benedict and St. Scholastica (twins), were beacons of light for each other. Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta have been a source of strength for many.  Sometimes the “Annas” that come by at just the right moment are a phone call, an email or text message, a Scripture passage, a passage from a much-loved author, a song that moves us deeply, or a favorite movie.  God uses many ways to comfort, strengthen, uplift and hearten us when bad news is delivered to our doorstep.

Young people: the hope of our future

Today and yesterday I spent time with a young woman who is discerning her vocation to religious life and is very much attracted to the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. All of us who have met her have enjoyed her immensely and she us.  This was her third visit to Our Lady of Sorrows Convent.  She was deeply touched by community life as lived here and feels at peace with us.   This is what makes vocation ministry enjoyable, as much time goes into waiting and hoping and praying with little tangible results! I pray every morning and evening that young women whom God is calling to consecrate their lives to Him will overcome whatever resistances surface within them and whatever obstacles others put in their way.  This woman is strong, deeply spiritual,  is becoming her own person, is highly motivated, is truly a leader—characteristics we look for in women seeking to enter religious life in this 21^st century, qualities that certainly were key in the sisters of all religious communities who built the educational, healthcare, and social work systems throughout the U.S. in the 1800 and early 1900’s and that are thriving to this very day.