The Feast of our Lady of Sorrows

Pieta
William Bouguereau (1876)

"And a sword will pierce even your own soul ... " (St. Luke 2:35)

I said yes to God. I gave myself to Him completely; His Spirit overshadowed me. In my body He took flesh from my flesh for His Son. In my womb, without a man, the Son became man; the incarnation of God occurred within me, His heart under mine. I gave Him my womb as His sanctuary, my blood as His sustenance. From my womb, He entered the world. From my breasts I gave Him milk. From my people I departed into Egypt to protect Him. From my sight He made His way to the Temple. From my heart I gave Him all my love, for in Him I found all that is lovable and nothing unlovable. In Him I found the heart for which I was made, the Lover I was made to love, the One for whom I had been set apart from infancy. In His heart I found pure selfless Love from which all love comes. I loved Him not only as my child, my own flesh and blood, but also as my Creator, my Redeemer, and my eternal King. The more I saw His heart, the more I fell in love with Him, unable to turn away the eyes of my heart from His glorious sacred heart. The union of our hearts was like that of no other lovers in the history of the world. From me He was led to Calvary; when His heart was pierced, so was mine. Into my arms He was lowered from the tree. From my arms He was placed into the tomb. If you love Him, you will love me, for our hearts are one. Unity requires of those who seek Him that they be united to that with which He is one. To be united to Him is to be united to my union with Him, for He is my flesh, and I am His heart. How you respond to my pierced soul reveals what you know of Him.

"... so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." (St. Luke 2:35)