1. The Prophecy of Simeon: Simeon prophesied that "a sword will pierce your own soul" (Luke 2:34-35), foreshadowing Mary's future suffering.
2. The Flight into Egypt: Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to escape King Herod's wrath (Matthew 2:13-21).
3. The Loss of Jesus in the Temple: Mary and Joseph searched for the young Jesus for three days in Jerusalem after he stayed behind in the Temple (Luke 2:41-50).
4. Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary: Mary saw her Son, carrying his cross, on his way to crucifixion.
5. The Crucifixion of Jesus: Mary stood at the foot of the cross, witnessing the agonizing death of her divine Son.
6. Jesus Taken Down from the Cross: Mary received the lifeless body of Jesus in her arms after his death.
7. Jesus is Laid in the Tomb: Mary's grief was profound as she saw her Son placed in the tomb.
Pondering a bit over the next few hours, I found myself thinking about how people have chosen to highlight Mary’s sorrows over the centuries. Perhaps in an attempt to allow us to identify more fully with her in a human way – as we do with Jesus in his Passion. And this is a good thing. An excellent thing.
But the “doom-and-gloom” nature of these Sorrows is unsettling. It may not present a “balanced” view of reality. Surely there were joyful moments in Our Lady’s life also! What about those?
In a moment’s resolve, I thought about drafting a new list – “The Seven Joys of Mary” to counteract the “gloom-and-doom” nature of the “Seven Sorrows”. Fortunately I checked google first – before attempting to publish my own manifesto – and found the following more legitimate offering (I was unaware of these in all my years of Catholic education):
Seven Joys of Mary (courtesy of AI):
1. The Annunciation: Mary's joy upon learning from the Archangel Gabriel that she would conceive Jesus.2. The Visitation: The joy she experienced while visiting her cousin, Elizabeth.
3. The Nativity of Jesus: The joy of giving birth to the Son of God.
4. The Adoration of the Magi: The happiness she felt when the wise men came to worship Jesus.
5. The Finding of Our Lord in the Temple: Her jubilation when she found the Child Jesus in the temple after he was lost.
6. The Resurrection of Christ: The profound joy of seeing her resurrected Son.
7. The Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin: Her final and greatest joy at being taken into heaven and crowned Queen.
