My heart has been deeply compelled to draw closer to Our Lady as of lately. As a convert to the Catholic faith, it has taken me a long time to get to this point, but I finally feel a strong devotion to her that I am excited to see grow ultimately into a deeper relationship with Christ.
Why do we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15? We celebrate it today because yesterday, September 14, is the feast of the Holy Cross. Mother and Son share feast days next to each other as a way of demonstrating the devotion that Our Lady had to Jesus throughout His life and even at the foot of the Cross. She stayed with Him and never left His side, enduring the sorrows of His passion that pierced her heart.
What can we draw from Our Lady as she weeps for Jesus? We can learn to pray for a heart that is sorrowful for the things that hurt Our Lord looking down from heaven. We can offer to quench Christ’s thirst for souls through prayer and use of our spiritual charisms in the service of others. Ultimately, we can sit at the foot of the cross and gaze upon Jesus, sharing the greatest love story with anyone we encounter as we go back out into the world.
Facing the sorrows and trials of this life draw strength from Our Lady. Christ gave her to us and gave us to her. Ask for her intercession in your joys and trials – she wants to know us deeply and will lead us into greater communion with Jesus. Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
Nathalie Shultz is a joyful convert to the Catholic faith and a competitive swimmer with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She loves to share her passion for Catholicism with others, including her conversion story and how God continues to work miracles in her life through her OCD. She is the Director of Religious Education for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative of parishes. Nathalie is married to her best friend, Tommy Shultz. Her favorite saints include St. Peter the Apostle, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II. She is also a huge fan of C.S. Lewis. If you have any questions for Nathalie, or just want her to pray for you, you can email her at rodzinkaministry@gmail.com.