Photo provided by Fr. Zach Rathke, C.S.C.
I felt a twinge of discomfort when I first learned that the chief patronal feast of the Congregation of Holy Cross was Our Lady of Sorrows. Why dwell on the moments when Mary suffered? Why not, instead, contemplate her moments of joy—like the excitement and hope of the Annunciation, or the glory of the Resurrection and her heavenly reunion with her Son?
Instead, Holy Cross holds out the trials of Mary, remembering especially the “Seven Sorrows” she endured while accompanying her divine Son. Today, thirteen years after my entrance into Holy Cross, my perspective has completely changed. I now feel a tremendous amount of joy and encouragement as we celebrate this wonderful feast on September 15th.
The tradition of the Seven Sorrows of Mary—often depicted in religious art as seven swords piercing her heart—originates from the Prophecy of Simeon when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem. Simeon prophesies to Mary in Luke 2:34-35:
“Look, [your Child] is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed—and a sword will pierce your soul too—so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.”
If you knew that your vocation would lead to such bitter opposition and eventually pierce your very heart like a sword, how would you respond? Mary was promised the Cross from the very beginning. Guided by a love only a mother could know, she was destined to journey with her Son to the foot of the Cross, witnessing His torture and final breath. Her heart was so perfectly united to His with unconditional, fathomless love that the spear that pierced His side pierced her soul as well.
Yet, Calvary was not her only moment of suffering. Often, the anticipation of suffering is more agonizing than the event itself. Imagine how Simeon’s prophecy echoed in the heart of her who “pondered all these things in her heart.” From that moment on, whether she was watching her child joyfully play, seeing Him grow into a man in the image of Joseph and His Heavenly Father, or witnessing the excitement of the crowds He taught, she knew what was coming. No mother wants to see her son suffer and die. The Virgin Mary knew it was inevitable from His earliest days.
And yet, she stayed faithfully by His side from the beginning to the end. She persevered in a vocation she knew would lead them both to the Cross.
If you knew that your vocation would take you to the Cross, would you still accept it? If that same vocation were to lead to opposition that would pierce your heart, whether physically or spiritually, would you persevere? The reality is that every true vocation leads to the Cross. Jesus told us clearly: “If anyone wants to be a follower of Mine, let him renounce himself and take up his Cross every day and follow Me.” If we want to follow Christ, this is our lot. We do not need a new prophecy from Simeon to be assured of it.
In fact, a pivotal moment in my own vocational discernment came from watching my older brothers enter into married life. I watched one of my brothers, renowned for his extroversion, start a family with his much more introverted wife. I saw his own Cross begin to take shape as he sacrificed a past life of constant action, outings, and endless conversations. Instead, he had to willingly restrict himself—first to devote quality time to his wife, and then to bear the tremendous responsibilities of raising children amidst a demanding career.
As someone who idolized marriage, this was an eye-opener. It revealed to me that marriage is not free of the Cross—even for well-meaning, well-formed Catholics like my brother and his wife. It taught me exactly what Simeon revealed to Mary: regardless of whether I was called to marriage or to the priesthood, I, too, was guaranteed a cross as a follower of Christ.
To be honest, my first years of priesthood felt very much like the Cross I witnessed in my brother’s early years of marriage. Entering ministry in the midst of Covid-19, I was immediately met with the relentless demands of the priesthood: a constant stream of hospital and home visits, Sacramental celebrations, hours in the confessional, and intense pastoral conversations. Exhausted, I frequently asked myself: Can I really live under these demands for the rest of my life?
Many face this exact question at some point in their vocation, regardless of their state in life. I can only imagine Mary asking herself something similar after her first three sorrows: Simeon’s agonizing prophecy, Herod’s murderous pursuit of Jesus forcing their flight into Egypt, and the terrifying three days losing her child in the Temple. That is a lot for a mother to take! Yet, she persevered. She kept journeying with her Son, filled with abundant love, hope, and compassion.
There is a reason she persevered all the way to Calvary. She knew who her Son was. She knew He was the Son of God, and that nothing—not even death—could keep Him down. Mary journeyed with Jesus to her seventh sorrow: the tomb. She entered that dark place where the God of Love, murdered by His own people, was laid to rest. But she entered that tomb with the light of hope, knowing in her heart who her Son was.
None of the Gospels record that the Virgin Mary went to the tomb on Easter morning. Reflecting on this in 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II noted it is entirely reasonable to believe that Jesus appeared first to His mother before the other disciples, even if the event was not recorded in Scripture. If I might dare, I would like to take the Pope’s affirmation a step further:
Mary loved with the pure heart of a perfect mother—a heart inextricably united to her Son’s. As He entered death and descended into hell, she deeply mourned the terrible violence done to Him, yet she knew in her heart that He was still alive. Death could not break the bond of love between the Son of God and His mother. After all, she was filled with the very same Spirit of God that filled Him and raised Him from the dead (cf. Romans 8:11). Unlike Mary Magdalene and the other women who stayed at the tomb in grief, Mary had no doubt. She whose heart was pierced alongside His could still feel Him in the depths of her soul. Spiritually, she never left Him, and she knew He was still alive. She was with Him, and their hearts remained united from His tumultuous childhood to His torture and death, through to His resurrection.
Why, then, do we celebrate this day with joy? Because as Jesus hung on the Cross, He looked down at His disciple and said, “Behold, your mother.” He gave her to us to be our mother, too. She loves you with that exact same fierce, enduring love.
Take courage! Your vocation will bring you to the Cross. Accept it, but do not be afraid. Mary, our Mother, will be standing right beside you, revealing her compassion for you and urging you to persevere like her Son. She will bring the light of hope even into the darkness of your own tomb, knowing with absolute certainty that her Son will raise you up as He was raised up. She never once left her Son. If you accept your vocation to pick up your cross and live in the footsteps of Christ, she will never leave you, either, until you arise to be joined to her and her Son in the heavenly kingdom.
By Fr. Zach Rathke, C.S.C.
Published September 15, 2026 by the Office of Vocations
