The promises of Jesus for the devotion to Mary of Sorrows
St. Bonaventure, addressing the Blessed Virgin, says to her: “Madam, why did you also want to go and sacrifice yourself on Calvary? Was it not enough to redeem us a crucified God, who you also wanted to be crucified, His Mother? ”. Oh, certainly. Jesus' death was enough to save the world, and also infinite worlds, but this good Mother who loved us so much wanted to contribute to our salvation with the merits of Her sufferings which She offered for us on Calvary. For this reason, St. Albert the Great claims that just as we must be grateful to Jesus for His Passion offered for our love, so we must also be grateful to Mary for the martyrdom that she spontaneously wanted to suffer for our salvation at the death of her son. I added SPONTANEOUSLY, because as the Angel revealed to Saint Brigida, this so compassionate and benevolent Mother of ours preferred to suffer any pain rather than know the souls not redeemed and left in their ancient sin.
It can be said that the only relief of Mary in the great pain of the Passion of the Son was the certainty that the death of Jesus would redeem the lost world, and would reconcile with God the men who had rebelled against him with the sin of Adam. Such a great love of Mary deserves gratitude from us, and gratitude manifests itself at least in meditating and sympathizing with His pains. But she complained about this to Saint Brigida saying that few were close to her in her suffering, most lived without even remembering her. For this reason, I recommend to the Saint to remember her pains: “I LOOK AMONG THOSE WHO LIVE ON EARTH BUT I FIND VERY FEW WHO HAVE COMPASSION OF ME AND MEDITINE ON MY PAIN SO, MY DAUGHTER, EVEN IF MANY FORGET; YOU DON'T FORGET ME; CONTEMPLATE MY PAIN AND IMITATE ME AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AND SUFFER WITH ME ”. To understand how much the Virgin likes that we remember her sufferings, it is enough to know that in 1239 she appeared to seven of her devotees, who then were the founders of the Servants of Mary with a black dress in her hand, and confided to them that if they wanted to do her what she liked, they often meditated on Her pains. Therefore, just in memory of his sufferings, he exhorted them, from that moment on, to wear that lugubrious robe.
Jesus Christ himself revealed to Blessed Veronica da Binasco that He is almost happier when he sees that creatures console the Mother rather than Himself. In fact, he said to her: “DAUGHTER Tears are poured out for me for my passion; BUT BECAUSE I LOVE MY MOTHER WITH IMMENSE LOVE, I PREFER THAT THE SUFFERINGS THAT YOU PATH TO MY DEATH ARE MEDITATED ". Therefore the graces promised by Jesus to the devotees of Mary's pains are very great. Pelbarto reports the content of a revelation had by St. Elizabeth. She saw that John the Evangelist, after the Assumption to Heaven of the Blessed Virgin, wished to see her again. He obtained grace and his dear Mother appeared to him, and together with her also Jesus Christ. Then she heard that Mary asked the Son for some special grace for the devotees of His sorrows, and that Jesus promised her four main graces for this devotion:
L. THOSE WHO CALL THE DIVINE MOTHER IN HIS SUFFERINGS WILL HAVE THE GIFT OF PENITING ALL HIS SINS BEFORE DIING.
2. HE WILL CONSOLATE THESE DEVOTEES IN THEIR SUFFERINGS, ESPECIALLY AT THE TIME OF DEATH.
3. YOU WILL IMPRESS THEIR MEMORY OF HIS PASSION, AND IN HEAVEN THEN WILL GIVE THEM THE AWARD.
4. THESE DEVOTED PEOPLE WILL BE ENTRUSTED TO THE PROTECTION OF MARY, SO THAT THEY WILL DISPOSE OF IT AT HIS PLEASURE AND GET THEM ALL THE THANKS THAT YOU WISH.