"And one day, we will sorrow as well. That's the good news?" On the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15), Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, O.P. offers a reflection from Martin de Porres House in Oak Park on a feast that seems, at first, to promise only pain.
The feasts of Mary always carry a pattern: what she has already received, we will one day receive. The Assumption points to our own place in heaven. Our Lady of Sorrows points to something harder: Mary stood at the foot of the cross and watched her son brutally executed, and we too will know sorrow. But drawing on Paul's image of the one body with many parts (1 Corinthians 12), Fr. Scott shows how sorrow binds us together rather than isolating us. When one part suffers, the whole body suffers. Our pain is shared by others, by Mary, and by Jesus on the cross, and joined to his it becomes part of his saving work in the world.
The challenge for today: don't hold your sorrow at arm's length. Embrace it, and see what it's teaching you.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:03 – Welcome to A Word of Hope – Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
0:10 – Fr. Scott Steinkerchner at Martin de Porres House, Oak Park
0:16 – The pattern of Mary's feasts: she has already, we will someday
0:26 – The Assumption: one day we'll join her in heaven
0:39 – Our Lady of Sorrows: she was there when her son was executed
0:50 – "One day, we will sorrow as well. That's the good news?"
1:02 – First reading: 1 Corinthians – one body, many parts
1:17 – If any part suffers, the other parts suffer
1:25 – Sorrow binds us together in a world full of sorrows
1:32 – We are not alone when we feel the pain of another
1:37 – Our suffering is shared by others, by Mary, by Jesus on the cross
1:49 – Joining our suffering to Christ's saving work
2:01 – Suffering as a blessing this side of heaven
2:15 – Empathy: feeling the sorrow of all people everywhere
2:29 – Working for the kingdom where there will be no more sorrow
2:38 – Don't hold your sorrow at arm's length – embrace it
2:45 – See what it's teaching you today
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💬 Is there a sorrow you've been holding at arm's length? What might it be teaching you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
📖 First Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31a
📖 Gospel: John 19:25-27 (or Luke 2:33-35)
📅 Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows – Tuesday, September 15, 2026
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