September 15, 2026
Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Gospel: Jn 19:25–27 or Lk 2:33–35

Today is Tuesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time. Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. As the recently published Roman Missal tells us, this feast originated as a memorial of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, most of which were linked to the events of Good Friday, when she stood at the foot of the Cross. We remember that the Blessed Virgin Mary had to live through the piercing grief of seeing her own Son die. She had a unique share in our redemption, offering her Son’s life to the Lord and trusting that it was part of his plan.

For today’s Mass, there are two choices for the Gospel: the prophecy that Simeon spoke to the Blessed Mother when she presented Jesus in the Temple (cf. Lk 2:33–35), and the dialogue on the Cross between Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the disciple whom he loved (cf. Jn 19:25–27). The two Gospel passages complement one another, and together they form a vivid portrait of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s most perfect offering of herself to the redemptive work of Jesus.

When the Blessed Virgin Mary heard Simeon’s prophecy, she did not express surprise, still less resistance; she chose to accept it. When our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, she remained close to her beloved Son, without a word of complaint. She willingly accepted the disciple whom Jesus loved as her own son, fully revealing her maternal love and making us blessed indeed to call her our Mother.

Today, in celebrating the Memorial of the Sorrowful Mother, the Church means to remind us to imitate the Blessed and most holy Virgin Mary at every moment of our lives—to carry out the will of God always, to stay close to our Lord Jesus Christ always, and to be ready at all times to offer ourselves, so as to fulfill the mission that the Savior has entrusted to us. And now, let us lift up our prayer to God:

O God, who willed
that, when your Son was lifted high on the Cross,
his Mother should stand close by and share his suffering,
grant that your Church,
participating with the Virgin Mary in the Passion of Christ,
may merit a share in his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica