Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows Luke 6,39-42

In a fitness center, athletes raise the dumbbells. They gradually add heavier and heavier weight to the dumbbells, and then they always have joy when they raise the dumbbell above their head. Every man increases the burden of his days, months, and years. There comes a time when we will not be able to lift either our feet or our hands. We must raise our life into the hands of God. For us, Mary’s life can be an example. Jesus could redeem humanity even without Mary. But God liked the love of man. The love that lasts even in suffering and pain. He chose Mary because she knew how to be with her Son even in hell. Every man can give his suffering to Jesus. Paul of Tarsus wrote; Now I rejoice in the hell I endure for you. For the body of Christ, the church, I add to my earthly life what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” Colossians 1,24. From Mary’s attitude toward suffering, we can draw strength and help. Faith gives meaning to our suffering and pain. For unbelieving people, hell has no meaning. An older woman was living alone in her apartment and complaining. I did not know what time it was. I was very thirsty, so I went for water. I had to go up three flights of stairs. But I felt unwell and fainted. When I came to my senses, I went back to the room. On the bed, I fell again. I wanted to go to bed but could not; I only pulled down the feather bed on me. And I covered myself. How miserable man is. God is also in our difficulties and sufferings and helps so that grief does not weigh us down. Through hell, we can ask for blessings for others. Our task is to eliminate suffering in the world through our service and love. During the Second World War, an uprising broke out in Warsaw. The rebellion was suppressed. In a bombed house lay a believing Jew. He wrote on a scrap of paper. I know that I will never see the sunrise. God, you have done everything to make me not believe in you or doubt you. But I will die as I lived, with firm faith in you. This person had admirable dedication. Events such as war, misfortune, and illness can destroy trust in people. But many people showed with their lives, like Mary, for example, that their faith was more substantial than the suffering they had to endure.