Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows
Devotion to Mary's seven sorrows — including standing at the foot of the cross — grew through the Middle Ages as a way of finding a mother's companionship in grief. This prayer asks her to stay near those who mourn, the way she once stood by her own son's suffering.
Holy Mary, Mother of Sorrows, you stood beneath the cross and felt the full weight of a mother's grief. You know what it is to lose someone dearly loved, and you did not turn away from that pain. Stay beside me now in my own sorrow. Teach me to carry grief without being crushed by it, and to trust, as you trusted, that love is not undone by death. Comfort all who mourn this day, and lead us gently toward hope. Amen.
