The Seven Sorrows Rosary
(Contemplation on Suffering with Love)
SYMBOLS
[℣] Leader [℟] Response [Ⱥ] All togetherSIGN OF THE CROSS
† In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit † Amen.
OPENING PRAYER
My God, I offer you this rosary for your glory. I want to honor your Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin, by meditating upon and sharing in her suffering.
O Blessed Virgin Mary, you are our tender Mother and the refuge of sinners. I run to you with confidence and love. Hide me under your mantle of love and protection. As I meditate upon the swords of sorrow that pierced your Immaculate Heart, obtain for me the forgiveness of my sins and the grace to live a life of heroic holiness. Amen.
ACT OF CONTRITION
[Ⱥ] O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend You, my God, You Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
IF YOU HAVE, MENTION YOUR SPECIAL INTENTIONS HERE
[℣] Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.[℟] Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.
At the Opening Beads
In honor of the tears of our Sorrowful Mother
HAIL MARY (3x)
[℣] Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. [℟] Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
At the Heptad Beads
The First Sword of Sorrow
Simeon announces the suffering destiny of Jesus
Scripture Reflection—Luke 2:34-35
Prayer
O Mother of Sorrows, how deeply your heart was pierced with sorrow when Simeon announced that Jesus, your beloved Child, was to be a sign that would be rejected. Your heart knew that He was to be the suffering Messiah the prophets had foretold, the man of sorrows, who would carry all our sins and heal us by His wounds. Through this bitter sorrow obtain for us the grace never to reject Jesus or refuse Him anything. Help us to completely surrender our lives to Him and to live according to His most holy will in everything.
LORD’S PRAYER
[℣] Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your WILL be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. [℟] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
HAIL MARY (7x)
[℣] Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. [℟] Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
The Second Sword of Sorrow
Mary escapes into Egypt with Jesus and Joseph
Scripture Reflection—Matthew 2:13-15
Prayer
O Mother of Sorrows, what pain filled your heart as you fled your home and country knowing that the tyrant Herod was intent on murdering your little Child whom you loved above all else. The hardships of travel, the long journey, and life as a refugee was nothing compared to the torment of such demonic malice directed toward Jesus. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace never to risk the life of Jesus in our souls through deliberate sin.’
LORD’S PRAYER
[℣] Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your WILL be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. [℟] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
HAIL MARY (7x)
[℣] Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. [℟] Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
The Third Sword of Sorrow
Mary seeks Jesus lost in Jerusalem
Scripture Reflection—Luke 2:41-51
Prayer
O Mother of Sorrows, what grief filled your heart as you and Joseph searched desperately for Jesus when you could not find Him among your relatives and friends returning home from Jerusalem. When your Son replied that He must be about His Father’s business, you accepted that He had begun the mission that would lead to His sacrificial death. The sorrow of those three days of separation prepared you for the three days of suffering you endured while His body lay lifeless in the tomb. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to accept the ways of Divine Providence even when we do not understand them.
LORD’S PRAYER
[℣] Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your WILL be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. [℟] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
HAIL MARY (7x)
[℣] Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. [℟] Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
The Fourth Sword of Sorrow
Mary meets Jesus as He carries His Cross to Calvary"
Scripture Reflection—cf. Luke 23:26-31
Prayer
O Mother of Sorrows, how it must have wounded your tender maternal heart to see your beloved Son Jesus carrying His Cross to Calvary, the place of execution! How it must have pained you to see Him so bloodied, beaten, and reviled as He strained to fulfill His deepest desire: to give His life as a ransom for us. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Jesus with perseverance and love.
LORD’S PRAYER
[℣] Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your WILL be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. [℟] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
HAIL MARY (7x)
[℣] Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. [℟] Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
The Fifth Sword of Sorrow
Mary stands near the Cross of her Son Jesus
Scripture Reflection—John 19:25-27
Prayer
O Mother of Sorrows, here the prophecy of Simeon comes to its ultimate fulfillment: the sword of sorrow impales your heart as you stand beneath the Cross of your Son. Crucified spiritually with your crucified Son, you offered Him to the Father and united yourself completely to His self-offering and sacrificial death. We simply cannot fathom the pain of your offering or the depth of love that inspired it. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to unite all our sufferings to our crucified Lord with unselfish generosity and love.
LORD’S PRAYER
[℣] Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your WILL be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. [℟] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
HAIL MARY (7x)
[℣] Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. [℟] Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
The Sixth Sword of Sorrow
Mary receives into her arms the body of Jesus taken down from the Cross
Scripture Reflection—cf. John 19:38
Prayer
O Mother of Sorrows, your heart was drowned in grief as you embraced the lifeless corpse of your Son. He who was your very life was now dead. Your light in this life was extinguished. Yet you accepted this sorrow with love knowing that it was all part of the Father’s plan of salvation. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to accept with patience and love the sorrows that befall us in this vale of tears, firmly believing that God works all things to the good for those who love Him.
LORD’S PRAYER
[℣] Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your WILL be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. [℟] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
HAIL MARY (7x)
[℣] Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. [℟] Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
The Seventh Sword of Sorrow
Mary helps place the body of Jesus in the tomb
Scripture Reflection—cf. John 19:39-42
Prayer
O Mother of Sorrows, who could express the cruel anguish of this moment? The same Child that you once wrapped in swaddling clothes amidst unspeakable joy, you now wrap silently in His burial shroud. Your tears mingle with the blood and dirt that covers His broken body. But even in this moment your trust in His promise did not die. Your mourning was not without hope, for you knew that He would rise again from this grave just as He promised. Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to believe with unshakable hope in the victory of our Lord even in the darkest moments of life.
LORD’S PRAYER
[℣] Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your WILL be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. [℟] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
HAIL MARY (7x)
[℣] Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. [℟] Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
O Mary, you truly became the Queen of all martyrs as these seven bitter swords of sorrow pierced your Immaculate Heart! By the merits of your tearful distress obtain for us and for all sinners the graces of perfect contrition and conversion. Help us always, dear Mother, to imitate you by taking up our crosses and following Jesus with limitless love and generosity. Amen.
Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us. (3x)
PRAYER FOR SOULS IN PURGATORY
[Ⱥ] O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, my Mother, I turn to you in supplication and by that sword which pierced your sorrowful heart at beholding your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, suffer on the cross, I pray and ask you to help the holy souls in Purgatory and particularly our dearly departed family, relatives, friends and all those souls that have no one to pray for them.
O Mother of Sorrows, for the love of your Divine Son whose Precious Blood was shed for us, help us who are in danger not only of falling into Purgatory, but of losing our souls forever in hell, with your powerful intercession. O Mary our Mother, Mother of Grace, Mother of Mercy, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
[℣] Let us pray. O God, Eternal Loving Father through the most Precious Blood of Jesus and through the Sorrows of Mary have mercy on the holy souls in purgatory. Amen. [℟] Lord, grant them eternal rest and let perpetual light shine upon them.
[℣] May the divine assistance remain always with us, [℟] and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
SIGN OF THE CROSS
† In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit † Amen.
PSALMIC REFLECTION ON
For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you… (From Psalm 86)