The Sorrows of Mary
Queen of Heaven
Guadalupe
Immaculate
Rose Dust
Mother of God
Noire
“Nothing great is ever accomplished for God without suffering. If the most pure soul of Mary needed to be pierced that God’s purpose in many hearts should be revealed, shall we not think it necessary that our souls be pierced? Shall we think that we can spread the Kingdom of God’s love upon earth without swords in our souls? This is not inconsistent with joy. When we love, we are glad to suffer.”​
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― Mother Mary Francis / A Time of Renewal
Holy Saturday reflection - The Sword of Sorrow
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Trinitone
The First Sorrow
The Prophecy of Simeon
The Blade of Commitment
A Hebrew circumcision blade is in the Seventh position and depicts the First Sorrow of Mary. The sin of Lust cuts into Mary’s Heart, and is represented with a Blue stone. It’s impure attack is dispelled by the Heavenly Virtue of Prudence, the Holy virtue of Chastity, and the Gift of the Holy Spirit which is Wisdom.
The first sorrow of Mary is the Prophecy of Simeon. It should not come as a surprise that the announcement that a sword would pierce Mary’s heart would cause the first piercing of her heart. An ominous prophecy delivered during such a joyfully mysterious and traditional occasion would break anyone’s heart. This first piercing for Mary came from a Commitment to Tradition. And just as Joseph and Mary presented the baby Jesus in the temple on the Fortieth day for the sake of Tradition, so too was the Christ child circumcised on the Eighth day, a Commitment made by God Himself and His Wisdom. Through Tradition, the First Wound of Christ has associated itself to Mary’s Sorrow by means of Commitment against the first mortal sin and the sins of our youth. JN 4:5-42 talks to us about Spirit and Truth. Tradition is founded in Truth, and Truth existed before the Fall. It is through ancient Traditions that Jesus and Mary make their Commitment to us. And by continuing the sanctity of Tradition, we Commit ourselves to God.
The Flight into Egypt
The Second Sorrow
The Sword of Conflict
The Egyptian Khopesh, a sword used during the time of King Herod, is in the First position from the left and depicts the Second Sorrow of Mary. The sin of Avarice injures Mary’s Heart, and is represented with a Yellow stone. It’s greedy attack is dispelled by the Heavenly Virtue of Charity, the Holy virtue of Generosity, and the Gift of the Holy Spirit which is Understanding.
The Second Sorrow of Mary is the flight into Egypt. King Herod is a false king, a dragon. He is the reason for the Holy Family’s flight into a distance land far from home. Everything they know and everyone they love is taken by another’s Greed. And on that terrible day, so too are the lives of many families impacted when their innocent children are slaughtered by Herod’s command. The Agony Christ experiences in the Garden of Olives is in part from an understanding He had for all the innocent childrens’ lives that were sacrificed simply because He came. If He does not drink from the Cup the Father has given Him to Redeem us from Sin, those innocent ones died for no reason. And if this is true for these few, then what about the countless others? The rest of all humanity? At the base of the Khopesh hilt is carved an olive tree to represent the Garden Jesus wept in. An agony for God that not only began when Mary was swept away to Egypt by the Holy Spirit through Joseph because of Herod the dragon, but an Agony dating back to the Original Garden with a Tree and a Serpent. Jesus chose to BE in this world, this War, not to be part of the Conflict, but to BE the Redemption from it. Christ’s agony was in the garden. Mary’s agony was in the desert.
The Losing of Jesus
in Jerusalem
The Third Sorrow
The Sword of Conviction
The Sword of Solomon is in the Fifth position and depicts the Third Sorrow of Mary. The sin of Sloth wounds Mary’s Heart, and is represented with a Light Blue stone. It’s deadly attack is dispelled by the Heavenly Virtue of Fortitude, the Holy virtue of Diligence, and the Gift of the Holy Spirit which is Fortitude.
The finding of Jesus in the Temple is such an extreme joy for Mary and Joseph because it concludes such an extremely painful three days of searching for the Lost Jesus. The Temple in Jerusalem is represented here through means of King Solomon. The Ark of the covenant, the Star of David, and the Lion of Judea are all in the sword’s handle. But also accompanying them on the hilt is the whip used to Scourge our Lord. King Solomon, in his matured age, had access to such great Wisdom from God, but chose instead Not to use it. He, like all of us often do, fell away from Wisdom through Sloth, and Solomon’s slothfulness led to many other sins. Jesus, in contrast and in youth, makes an appearance in the Temple to do His Father’s work and acts against the Slothful wise men continuing Solomon’s work in the Temple, the House of God. This act against Slothfulness does not come cheap. It is a trial for Mary and Joseph. As Christ, who was Innocent, accepted His Scourging with Grace and Love, so too does Mary accept the scourging of Motherhood at Her time of pain. The Beauty of Mary’s scourging is that it is our Father’s means of preparing Her for the Three Days to come. Resurrection can only come after Crucifixion, and Mary put Her whole faith in God that Jesus would do as He said and Rise on the Third Day after doing His Father’s Work. For the crimes of the Many, Jesus was Convicted and scourged, and it was with great Fortitude that Mary also accepted Her scourging with Conviction.
Mary Meets Jesus Carrying the Cross
The Forth Sorrow
The Sword of Confrontation
The Crusader Sword is in the Third position and depicts the Fourth Sorrow of Mary. The sin of Envy slashes into Mary’s Heart, and is represented with a Green stone. It’s jealous attack is dispelled by the Heavenly Virtue of Hope, the Holy virtue of Kindness, and the Gift of the Holy Spirit which is Fear of the Lord.
Mary witnesses the trial and scourging of Jesus, her son, from a distance, but on His way to Calvary, she finally gets to meet Him face to Face. He wears a crown of thorns upon His head and her child’s face is hard to see through all the blood. But it was not her son she came to see. It was her Savior. Her King. And she found Him wearing the Crown of Love preparing to take His Thorn. In this Confrontation of consolation and encouragement for our Lord, Mary earned her own crown. A Crown of Roses. Roses of such great Beauty with Thorns of their own. Mary did not have to prove her worthiness to earn such a Crown. She was made for it from the Beginning, but Her act of participation in Christ’s crucifixion showed to us all why She was made deserving to wear the Crown of the Queen of Heaven. One that She did not seek out of Envy, though many are envious of Her and Her position. Mary sought only Humility and Reverence to the Father. The pommel of the Crusader sword bears a rose and crown of thorns to represent the Righteousness and Pains that come from being crowned King and Queen.
Mary Standing at
the Foot of the Cross
The Fifth Sorrow
The Sword of Compliance
A Jewish Sanhedrin Sword is in the Second position and depicts the Fifth Sorrow of Mary. The sin of Pride impales Mary’s Heart, and is represented with Two Violet stones to symbolize the additional strength that this sin has on us spiritually and mentally. It’s arrogant attack is dispelled by the Heavenly Virtue of Faith, the Holy virtue of Humility, and the Gift of the Holy Spirit which is Piety.
At the foot of the Cross, Mary stands and accepts the Will of the Father in Full Faith, just as she had watched her son accept in Full Obedience the Cross He Came to carry. Mary is the handmaid of the Lord at every moment of her life. From the Annunciation to the Crucifixion, Mary continually and perfectly says Yes to the Father in Full Obedience and Faith. This is meekness of heart. Obedient in the small and ordinary to be prepared for the Extraordiary. Meekness is to be more than simply agreeable or stepped upon by God, but being in union and communion with Him in All things. Lovingly choosing that His Will is the best for All and Trusting Him. Fear comes when we lack trust in God, and Pride manifests itself from our lack of Trust in Him. It is an act that comes from believing that we need to do what He is failing to do. It is Blindness. But He is the source of all Life, and we are Not. Yet He Loves us so, even to the extent that He came to suffer and die for us to save us. Mary’s Compliance was Given to us by God the Father as a Gift so that we might all see how powerful His Grace is. We have the availability to access just as much Grace as Mary everyday because we are human just as She is, though we will never be as perfect here on earth as She. We are not Immaculately made and will never need the Full Amount of Grace that She did to bear the Savior’s birth, undergo the severe trials of His Crucifixion, experience that amount of Loss, and experience the ultimate suffering She did at His Death as the Mother of God. That is Her’s Uniquely. Mary is our greatest human example of pure, innocent, and unquestioning Obedience.
Mary Holding the Body of Jesus Taken Down from the Cross
The Sixth Sorrow
The Sword of Consecration
A Roman Gladius is in the Sixth position and depicts the Sixth Sorrow of Mary. The sin of Wrath thrusts into Mary’s Heart, and is represented with a Red stone. It’s aggressive attack is dispelled by the Heavenly Virtue of Justice, the Holy virtue of Patience, and the Gift of the Holy Spirit which is Counsel.
In the act of the Crucifixion, Jesus performs the greatest act of Love the Universe will ever experience. It is The Act that allows the breaking of the bread and chalice of the wine to be able to be Consecrated into His Body and Blood for us to Receive Him. God’s Love is Eternally Experienced in the Eucharist. It is the Prefection of His Love Given to and for us. God is Love. Not Hate. He does not Hate us in His Wrath. He hates the sin we commit, but never us. God Loves us even in our sin. But when we turn away and abandon our God, we enter His Wrath and cease to experience the fullness of His Love. The further we venture away from this Love, the deeper we enter into God’s Wrath. Like entering the cold, darkness of night that grows when you leave the warm, burning glow of a bonfire. And it is not God who puts us there. We go of our own freewill; given to us by the Father out of Love for us to choose Him freely. In God’s Wrath we are susceptible to the sin of Wrath ourselves, and Man has shown throughout all history how quickly we turn to anger when we walk in sin. We quickly choose to hurt others either with the sword in our hand or the sword of our tongue because of where we have let our hearts wander. Through Justice, Mary never wandered from God, and all attacks of Wrath were overcome, concurred by Patience. The Virtue of the True Imitator of Christ, the Saint, is to have the sword, but stay the hand. And in doing so, Mary received the Blessing of holding the pierced, Victorious Body of Christ after being taken down from the cross, and She held Him in Her arms, fully Consecrated.
Mary Present at the Burial of Jesus
The Seventh Sorrow
The Lance of Consummation
The Centurion Spear that pierced the side of Christ is in the Fourth position and depicts the Seventh Sorrow of Mary. The sin of Gluttony rips into Mary’s Heart to deliver the final blow, and is represented with Two Orange stones to symbolize the additional strength that this sin has on us spiritually and physically. It’s obstinate attack is dispelled by the Heavenly Virtue of Temperance, the Holy virtue of Abstinence, and the Gift of the Holy Spirit which is Knowledge.
The pursuit of Knowledge is what got us in trouble at the Beginning. We desired it, and we took it. But Knowledge is a Gift meant to be Given by God in its proper time. Through Eve, the fruit was taken from the tree. Through Mary, The Fruit was put back on the Tree. Gluttony is rooted in a fear that our needs will not be met, but it is more than just about food. It is about everything we see as a need. Like Pride, it is a lack of Trust in God, so we Take for ourselves. And when driven by our passions, we Take as much as we can until we have more than we need, regardless of how it may effect others. Gluttony desires a full belly. Mary, in complete contrast, emptied herself entirely to the point of having The most empty interior of all time. A heart and a womb totally emptied of God’s Presence and separated by a burial stone. And yet… Mary trusted and prayed. In total Darkness. In her own Spiritual Death, She Trusted Him and prayed for Jesus on His Mission... “at the hour of death”. She Trusted Jesus would return just as He and the ancient Scriptures said He would; just as God the Father had returned Jesus when He was a twelve year old child lost in the Temple doing His Father’s Work. The burial of Jesus was Mary’s Darkest Night. A Mother’s death. But in Temperance, practiced through Abstinence, Mary was Given Knowledge by the Holy Spirit. True Knowledge. And She used it to Pray. Light triumphs over Darkness. Darkness is Nothing. Light is all that IS. Darkness is only the Absence of Light, and it has NO power against The Light. Through the piercing of Jesus’s side the Veil was torn, the Barrier of Death was broken, and Light shown into All Darkness to Defeat it. God’s Heart burst Open, and Truth and Life came forth as Blood and Water. The Mission was complete. Victory over sin was Finished in Perfect Consummation.
Story behind the painting
This illustration of Our Blessed Mother’s Heart comes from my time spent with Jesus and Mary praying the Novena of St. Bridget pondering the Wounds of Jesus in union with the Sorrows of Mary. A tapestry of prayer woven by God the Father and in reflection of His Work, this illustration is a painting of the Prayer.
The sword designs and overall layout was made throughout the better part of Lent 2023. The placement of the seven swords was inspired by my son Harrison who suggested that Mary’s Heavenly Heart was struck from the Earth below. The order of their arrangement from left to right, also inspired by Harrison, is not the chronological order her wounds occurred, but are instead grouped by the Virtues appointed to them. The three Theological Virtues of Charity, Hope, and Faith on the left accompanied by the four Cardinal Virtues of Temperance, Courage, Justice, and Prudence on the right. The Virtues, Gifts, and Sins I have chosen to portray with each sword are only one way to arrange these elements, but I believe they represent Her story well in this manner.
The explanation and reflection above is a journaling for myself to remember my time in prayer during the making of this image, and may be more for my benefit than for others who will find their own treasures by spending their own time praying this Novena.
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The final design was drawn on canvas the week before Holy Week. The background watercolor was painted on Palm Sunday. The sword blades were painted Tuesday and their hilts on Holy Thursday. The red of the heart, fire, blood and first step of the roses were put to canvas Good Friday. The roses were completed Holy Saturday. Easter was a day of Rest so no work was done. I figured I would be able to finish the prayer during the first week of Easter, but God had other plans. Instead of painting a pierced heart, my own heart was pierced by the loss of a friend. It was a hard, but beautiful week because of the out pouring of Grace He gave my family and the increase of love in my own heart for so many others. Growing is painful, and love is built through pain and sacrifice. And so it was during the second week of Easter that I was able to paint the rose leaves, stone gems, cross, and do the final inking and gold strokes to complete this Prayer.