Student Reflection: Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows Mass

早上好. My name is Xahil Gonzalez from the class of 2024. I would like to welcome all of you to this Mass celebrating the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. The name “Our Lady of Sorrows” was given to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Often depicted mourning the loss of her son, this name was meant to exemplify the immense pain and suffering she had gone through during the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Full of the sorrow and grief that comes along with the loss of a son, through the hurt she rejoiced his death as she knew what was to come of it. Our Lord sent his only son to be born from the Blessed Mary, only to suffer and die for our sins. She knew his suffering was necessary for Salvation. 她知道他是我们的遗产.

 

When we hear the word inheritance, we may find ourselves imagining a distant relative we may have never met, 甚至没有听说过, who might leave us an estate or castle in a foreign country. We might imagine hearing the news of a great uncle or aunt leaving us a sizable amount of money that would allow us a lavish existence for the rest of our lives. But that is not the definition I mean as today’s responsorial psalm says, “你是我的产业, 耶和华阿.“当他为我们而死, we were given an undeserved favor in the form of Grace, something not earned but given freely. We were forgiven from our sins and granted mercy in order to achieve salvation. Sometimes it may seem as if we do not deserve the infinite love and mercy of Our God, but that is the thing about inheritances: one receives it regardless of their worthiness.

 

Sometimes it can feel as if we are isolated in life, but I can assure you that we are never alone because the Lord is always with us. T在这里 have been times w在这里 I have felt that I was alone, 绝望地走, feeling as if t在这里 was no actual light at the end of the tunnel; however, I could not have been more wrong.

 

Last year I lost someone who I was very close to and I was deeply affected by it. The pain of knowing I’d never see them again caused me to lash out and just feel angry all the time. I felt unworthy of any forgiveness and kept pushing away my faith. But I knew that in those moments, I had to remember that His undying love and mercy was my inheritance, whether I felt I deserved it or not. I remembered that through my baptism I had placed my faith and my heart in the hands of God as I knew to trust whatever he had planned for me. I knew he would lead me to the light. As the psalmist says, we are to turn to the Lord for answers, and He will provide them. 

 

Our Lady stood by her son while he suffered and died for our sins. Even when faced with his death, He was not alone. 圣母和他一起受苦. She was mourning her son just like anyone would for someone they loved. We must remember to take refuge in the Lord, as she did, for he is our shelter. We must learn to seek counsel from Him, for he is our teacher. He is always with us and in our presence, for he is the path to life. It is important to remember that no matter what we may be going through, He will always be with us to guide us, 教我们, console us for the Lord is our inheritance. 

 

现在, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and Our Lady, 如果你知道并且愿意的话, please join me in saying the “Dios te salve, 玛丽亚（女名）.”

 

“上帝保佑，María，
Llena eres de gracia， 
el Señor est contigo. 
Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres, 
y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús. 
Santa María, Madre de Dios， 
Ruega por nosotros, pecadores， 
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.
阿门”