Exaltation of the Holy Cross + Seven Sorrows of the BVM: 7 Masses for the sick and sorrowing

Hence that uninterrupted community of life and labors of the Son and the Mother, so that of both might have been uttered the words of the Psalmist, “My life is consumed in sorrow and my years in groans” (Ps xxx. 11). When the supreme hour of the Son came, beside the Cross of Jesus there stood Mary His Mother, not merely occupied in contemplating the cruel spectacle, but rejoicing that her Only Son was offered for the salvation of mankind….
—Pope Pius X

What extraordinary grace filled Our Savior and His Mother at the Cross!

Not only did God’s grace hold Them up under the most unendurable weight of suffering, but it transformed Their sorrow and pain into a love so profound that They could rejoice, even in that darkest of hours, in the overwhelming glory of God and in the beautiful hope of our salvation.

We need that grace, too, to survive our trials and crosses – and to see in the midst of darkness that glorious hope that shall be the source of all our joy and the reason we press on. Let us find at the foot of the Cross, by Our Lady’s help, the graces we need in our sufferings.

The FSSP’s apostolate in Baltimore, the National Shrine of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, begins a new tradition this year.

In honor of the twin feasts of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on 14 September and Our Lady of Sorrows on 15 September, they will offer seven Masses, in union with the seven sorrows of Our Lady to which the month of September is dedicated, for those who are sick and sorrowing – that they may find healing and peace at the foot of the Cross with Our Lady.

These two feasts, so intimately intertwined, are a way for us to unite all our trials to the Cross of Christ as we celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and stand at the foot of Calvary with our Lady. May we have the Heart of our Lady and receive the courage and strength we need to carry our own Crosses in imitation of our Crucified Lord.

Visit their website to enroll your intentions and make a donation to support the spiritual work of the Shrine.

https://stalphonsusbalt.org/cross-sorrows