Do these promises apply to just saying seven Hail Marys, while meditating on the Seven Sorrows? I'm going to start saying the Seven Sorrows Rosary again regardless, I've been thinking about doing it for some time; but I've heard people say, that these promises apply to just saying Seven Hail Marys while contemplating the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, and for a while now, I've been doing that two or three times a day.
I started off praying seven Hail Mary's while meditating on the Seven Sorrows, as I was given a beautiful little booklet which had meditations and just one Hail Mary was to be said after the meditation. However, I knew that there was actually a rosary and decided to find out about it. The seven sorrows rosary consists of one Our Father and seven Hail Mary's for each sorrow. There is a total of 49 hail Mary's, plus three Hail Mary's at the beginning, in honour of Our Lady's tears. The seven sorrows rosary of Kibeho and Saint Bridget are slightly different in the introductory and concluding prayers. The Kibeho formula is posted below. THE ROSARY OF THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY BY OUR LADY OF KIBEHO Sign of the Cross: In the name of The Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Amen. Introductory Prayer: My God, I offer You this Rosary for Your glory, so I can honor your Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin, so I can share and meditate upon her suffering. I humbly beg you to give me true repentance for all my sins. Give me wisdom and humility, so that I may receive all the indulgences contained in this prayer. Act of Contrition: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend You, my God, You Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen. (Pray 3 Hail Mary’s) Most Merciful Mother, remind us always of the Sorrows of your Son, Jesus. 1) THE FIRST SWORD OF SORROW: THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON (LUKE 2:22-35) Meditation...."And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"). There, the old priest Simeon held the baby Jesus in his hands, and the Holy Spirit filled his heart. Simeon recognized Jesus as the promised Savior and held the Child high toward heaven, thanking God for granting his wish that he would live long enough to behold the Messiah. (Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Mary’s) Most Merciful Mother, remind us always of the Sorrows of your Son, Jesus. 2. THE SECOND SWORD OF SORROW: THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT (MATTHEW 2:13-15) Meditation....Mary’s Heart broke and her mind was greatly troubled when Joseph revealed to her the words of the angel: they were to wake up quickly and flee to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill Jesus. The Blessed Virgin hardly had time to decide what to take or leave behind; she took her Child and left everything else, rushing outside before Joseph so that they could hurry as God wished. Then she said, "Even though God has power over everything, He wants us to flee with Jesus, His Son. God will show us the way, and we shall arrive without being caught by the enemy." (Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Mary’s) Most Merciful Mother, remind us always of the Sorrows of your Son, Jesus. 3. THE THIRD SWORD OF SORROW: THE LOSS OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE (LUKE 2:41-52) Meditation....Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, but He was also Mary’s child. The Blessed Virgin loved Jesus more than herself because He was her God. Compared to other children, He was most unique because He was already living as God. When Mary lost Jesus on their way back from Jerusalem, the world became so big and lonely that she believed she couldn't go on living without Him, so great was her Sorrow. (She felt the same pain her Son felt when He was later abandoned by His apostles during the Passion.) (Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Mary’s) Most Merciful Mother, remind us always of the Sorrows of your Son, Jesus. 4. THE FOURTH SWORD OF SORROW: MARY MEETS JESUS ON THE WAY TO CALVARY (LUKE 23:27-31) Meditation....Mary witnessed Jesus carrying the heavy cross alone—the cross on which He was to be crucified. This didn’t surprise the Blessed Virgin because she already knew about the approaching death of Our Lord. Noting how her son was already weakened by the numerous hard blows given by the soldiers’ clubs, she was filled with anguish at His pain. The soldiers kept hurrying and pushing Him, though He had no strength left. He fell, exhausted, unable to raise Himself. At that moment, Mary’s eyes, so full of tender love and compassion, met her Son’s eyes, which were pained and covered in blood. Their hearts seemed to be sharing the load; every pain He felt, she felt as well. They knew that nothing could be done except to believe and trust in God and dedicate their suffering to Him. All they could do was put everything in God’s hands. (Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Mary’s) Most Merciful Mother, remind us always of the Sorrows of your Son, Jesus. 5. THE FIFTH SWORD OF SORROW: MARY STANDS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS (JOHN 19:25-27) Meditation....The Blessed Virgin Mary continued to climb the mount to Calvary, following behind Jesus painfully and sorrowfully, yet suffering silently. She could see Him staggering and falling with the cross some more, and she witnessed her Son being beaten by soldiers who pulled His hair to force Him to stand up. Despite His innocence, when Jesus reached the top of Calvary, He was ordered to confess in front of the crowd so they could laugh at Him. Mary deeply felt her Son’s pain and humiliation, particularly when His tormentors forced Him to strip off what was left of His clothing. The Blessed Virgin felt sick at heart seeing these tyrants crucifying her Son naked, shaming Him terribly merely to amuse the jeering crowd. (Jesus and Mary felt more disgrace than normal people did because they were without sin and holy.) (Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Mary’s) Most Merciful Mother, remind us always of the Sorrows of your Son, Jesus. 6. THE SIXTH SWORD OF SORROW: MARY RECEIVES THE DEAD BODY OF JESUS IN HER ARMS (JOHN 19:38-40) Meditation....The friends of Jesus, Joseph and Nicodemus, took down His Body from the Cross and placed It in the outstretched arms of the Blessed Virgin. Then Mary washed It with deep respect and love because she was His mother. She knew better than anyone else that He was God incarnate who had taken a human body to become the Savior of all people. (Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Mary’s) Most Merciful Mother, remind us always of the Sorrows of your Son, Jesus. 7. THE SEVENTH SWORD OF SORROW: THE BODY OF JESUS IS PLACED IN THE TOMB (JOHN 19:41-42) Meditation....The life of the Blessed Virgin Mary was so closely linked to that of Jesus she thought there was no reason for her to go on living any longer. Her only comfort was that His death had ended His unspeakable suffering. Our Sorrowful Mother, with the help of John and the Holy women, devoutly placed the Body in the sepulcher, and she left Him. She went home with great pain and tremendous Sorrow; for the first time she was without Him, and her loneliness was a new and bitter source of pain. Her heart had been dying since her Son’s heart had stopped beating, but she was certain that our Savior would soon be resurrected. (Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Mary’s) Most Merciful Mother, remind us always of the Sorrows of your Son, Jesus. Concluding Prayer: Queen of Martyrs, your heart suffered so much. I beg you, by the merits of the tears you shed in these terrible and sorrowful times, to obtain for me and all the sinners of the world the grace of complete sincerity and repentance. Amen. Three times, say: Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us. Sign of the Cross: In the name of The Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Amen.
Speaking of Mary, full of Grace, I have put all forum members and their families and all of our intentions in a novena of Masses at the Miraculous Medal Shrine for the Mother of Divine Grace Novena, beginning July 14. All of our intentions will be prayed for and remembered in the Masses. O Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee and those who do not, especially enemies of our Church....
In his conversion story, Jewish Catholic, Roy Schoeman, shared that a year after his encounter with God, he experienced an encounter with Our Lady. Overwhelmed by her beauty, he asked which of the prayers addressed to her was her favorite. Even after her initial response, "I like all prayers" he persistently asked again. Our Lady responded: "O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!" So I'll take that as my favorite title, just as Luke 1:28, one of my favorite verses, contains the words full of grace, which allude to the Immaculate Conception.
Gary G. Michuta (Making Sense of Mary: Grotto Press) cites Zechariah 2:10 to connect the verse with John 1:14. In the prophecy, God says, "I am coming to dwell among you." The author informs us that the Greek word for "dwell" is kataskenoso, whose root word for "tent" or "tabernacle" is skene, viz., the portable tent or tabernacle that housed the Ark of the Covenant before Solomon built the Temple. In the Gospel of John (1:14), the Greek word for "dwelt" is eskenosen which is derived from the same root word skene. So, the evangelist is literally saying, "The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us." This occurred when Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and conceived our Lord. God's incarnated presence filled the temple of her body and the sanctuary of her womb in which He personally dwelled and filled with His glory as He had the Ark of the Covenant.
I must go with the name Kecharitomene that the Angel Gabriel greeted Mary by at the Annunciation, which means "completely and permanently endowed with sanctifying grace."
Queen of Peace Tell them to pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for peace, since God has entrusted it to her. Saint Jacinta of Fatima
