INTRODUCTION

THE ROSARY OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS 

THIS BOOK written by Anthony Jeremy renders a great service to the Church by providing a beautifully crafted access to the wonderful pathway of devotion that is the Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows-The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. This fruitful structure of Christian prayer brings into focus the relationship that divine providence forged between Mary of Nazareth and the Divine Word of God, who became incarnate from that moment when the Virgin accepted the vocation of Motherhood. Through the Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows we will learn to be attentive to all that was said at the Presentation. Whilst embracing her infant Son within the precincts of the Temple, Mary began the embrace of her own martyrdom, foretold through the prophecy of Simeon. From that moment the Mother of God teaches the Church how to accept communion with the work wrought by our Most Holy Redeemer. It is the duty of every disciple not only to accompany the Redeemer in His Sacrifice but to share in that Sacrifice­ to bear witness, which is the very definition of martyrdom. Jesus Christ shares His life with us and we must share our lives with Him. Embarking from Simeon's prophecy, we must react to the threat of persecution by tracking the migrant trail that leads to Egypt. We must wrestle with trepidation by searching for the Child lost in the heart of Jerusalem. We must hold fast at the harrowing sight of the Mother beholding her condemned Son as He suffers in carrying the very instrument of His execution. We must all confront the desolation of death. As Mary caresses the dead body of her Son we are taught to embrace death and to enter the very tomb with the Redeemer. Through the Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows we discover with Mary the nature of a spiritual martyrdom. With Mary we learn to await the glory of the Resurrection.

The Reverend Canon Peter G. Collins, KHS, STL 

Archbishop of Norfolk