The Sorrowful Hail Mary

The Sorrowful Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of sorrows,

the Crucified is with thee;

thou art pitiable amongst women,

and pitiable is the Fruit of thy womb,

Jesus.

Holy Mary,

Mother of the Crucified,

implore for us, the crucifiers of thy Son,

tears of contrition,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

~~approved by Pope Pius IX in 1847

I had never seen this prayer before, but last night we prayed it at our Secular Franciscan meeting after completing the Stations of the Cross. The group's newsletter attributes the prayer to to St. Bonaventure. I really like the prayer.

Mary's pain at seeing what her divine Son was going through has always touched me. I am a father, and in lesser ways I have experienced pain as I've watched my daughters grow and sometimes face struggles. I've cried some times - as I can imagine Mary having done.

And I also think back to my own mother grieving the death of my brother in her own way. All of his clothes were shipped back from Alaska (where he died), and she washed, ironed, folded and put them all away. His death remained heavy on her heart from 1983 until her own death in 2005.

Mom always had a devotion to Mary. I wonder if she knew this prayer?

Now that I know it, I will say it for her.