The Seven Swords Rosary Of Our Lady Of Sorrows

The Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows, also known as the Seven Sorrows (Swords) devotion, places our attention on the seven sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary that pierced her to the Heart. This devotion refers to the words of Simeon spoken to Our Lady during the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2: 34-35.

The Seven Swords popularized by the Servite Fathers in 1668 are:
1) The Prophecy of Simeon
2) The Flight into Egypt
3) The Loss of Jesus in Jerusalem for Three Days
4) Mary meets Jesus carrying His Cross on the way to Calvary
5) Mary standing at the foot of the Cross as Jesus Dies
6) Mary receives the dead Body of Jesus as He is removed from the Cross
7) The Burial of Jesus

The Seven Swords Rosary is united with the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, celebrated by the Universal Church on September 15. Falling as it does on the day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, this feast and devotion remind the faithful of the Mary’s intense suffering during the passion and death of Christ. The famous statue by Michelangelo, the Pieta, and the hymn Stabat Mater are artistic representations of Mary’s grief. In praying the Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows we unite ourselves to Mary, and with her, share in the sufferings of Christ. Mary’s participation in the suffering and passion of Christ was different from that of other disciples; it was special because she was His mother. Mary was not only intimately associated with the passion and death of Christ, but as our Mother she plays an active role as Mediatrix in our redemption by transmitting to us the fruits of Christ’s passion.