The Stabat Mater
There is no grief like that of a mother who has lost her child! The hymn Stabat Mater Dolorosa finds its Scriptural basis in the prophecy of Simeon that a sword would pierce Mary’s heart – “and you yourself a sword will pierce” (Lk 2:35). The message of the Stabat Mater focuses on the spiritual and emotional bond which unites Mary and all Christians to the death of her Son on the Cross. From this bond, each Christian can recognize the incredible compassion and holiness in Mary’s character.
There is a mother-son bond that unites Mary with Christ Jesus during His experience of suffering and death. This empathetic bond indicates that the Blessed Virgin Mary shared in her Son’s suffering. Mary is Our Lady of Sorrows precisely because her Son Christ Jesus bore the sins of the world during His passion and death. As the faithful disciple, Holy Mary invites her children to unite their personal suffering with her own. We can share in Jesus’ burden on the Cross, just as Mary did at Calvary.
Our Lady of Sorrows teaches us that the Crown of eternal life in Heaven can be reached when we each choose to share with Our Lord in His suffering and death on the Cross at Calvary.
Nature and dignity 