Short Chaplet of Our Lady of Sorrows

Taken from the book “Pray, pray, pray”, Shalom, code 8001
Recited using the special Sorrowful Virgin rosary, code 10997

Sign of the cross

By the sign of the holy cross, Lord, deliver us from evil.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

O God, come to save me.
Lord, come quickly to my aid.

Glory be to the Father.

Sequence to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, send us from heaven a ray of your light.
Come, Father of the poor, come, giver of gifts, come, light of hearts.
Perfect Consoler, sweet guest of the soul, sweetest relief.
In toil, rest; in heat, shelter; in mourning, comfort.
O most blessed light, fill the innermost hearts of your faithful.
Without your strength, there is nothing in man, nothing without fault.
Wash what is filthy, water what is dry, heal what bleeds.
Bend what is rigid, warm what is cold, straighten what has gone astray.
Grant your faithful, who trust in you alone, your holy gifts.
Grant virtue and reward, grant a holy death, grant eternal joy. Amen.

Creed

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, (at these words, bow) who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

First meditation

Sorrowful Virgin, as I meditate on the words that the holy old man Simeon said to you when your Son Jesus was presented in the Temple: “And a sword will pierce your soul too” (Lk 2:35a), grant that I may understand your sorrow and obtain for me the ability always to show compassion toward those who suffer in soul and body.

Our Father • 7 Hail Marys • Glory Be

Second meditation

Sorrowful Virgin, when Herod ordered the massacre of the children in order to kill your Son Jesus as well, how much pain you felt in your mother’s heart for so many innocent deaths! Obtain for this humanity the ability to respect, foster, and promote life from conception to natural death.

Our Father • 7 Hail Marys • Glory Be

Third meditation

Sorrowful Virgin, when you realized that your Son Jesus was missing, great were your pain and anxiety as you searched for him for three days, until you found him in the Temple of Jerusalem, discussing with the teachers of the Law. Obtain for those who live far from your Son the grace to find the way back to the Church through listening to the word of God.

Our Father • 7 Hail Marys • Glory Be

Fourth meditation

Our Lady of Sorrows, when on Calvary you saw your Son Jesus stretched out on the cross, stripped of his garments, how much pain you felt! When you heard him insulted and mocked, how bitter was the anguish in your motherly heart!

Obtain for those who devote themselves to caring for those who suffer sensitivity, willingness, and love, and for everyone respect for those who are marginalized.

Our Father • 7 Hail Marys • Glory Be

Fifth meditation

Our Lady of Sorrows, you who at the foot of the cross received the final words of your Son Jesus: «Woman, behold your son!» (Jn 19,26b), never turn your merciful eyes away from us sinners, and obtain for us the grace to end our earthly lives at peace with God and our brothers and sisters, comforted by the sacraments and aided by your presence.

Our Father • 7 Hail Marys • Glory Be

Sixth meditation

Our Lady of Sorrows, when the soldier's sword pierced the side of your Son Jesus, your own heart was also torn apart with pain, as the old Simeon had foretold. Obtain for those who are obstinate in sin the grace to open their hearts to grace, and for everyone sensitivity to the needs of others, without withdrawing into selfishness.

Our Father • 7 Hail Marys • Glory Be

Seventh meditation

Our Lady of Sorrows, when you laid the body of your Son Jesus in the tomb, you certainly did not lose faith and hope in the resurrection. Obtain for us also the grace to keep our faith in eternal life and the resurrection of the dead always alive, so that everyone may regard the tomb as only a stopping place while awaiting the resurrection and eternal glory.

Our Father • 7 Hail Marys • Glory Be

Let us pray

Holy Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows! Beside the cross of your Son, you are obedient and faithful humanity, docile to the word and open to the Spirit. Turn your merciful eyes once more toward those who have lost the path of goodness and their awareness of sin, so that Christ's cross may not be rendered fruitless.

Holy Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows! At the foot of your Son's cross, you are the image of pure, immense, and devoted compassion. Turn your loving gaze once more toward the needs of your people, nailed down by illness or hunger, naked in solitude or doubt, bleeding from the wounds of violence or hatred.

Holy Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows! Beside the cross of your Son, you are a silent presence, the face of faith, an image of fidelity. Watch over us all and help us become humble instruments of reparation, to combat the harm that sin causes to the building of the kingdom, to overcome hatred with love and indifference with self-giving.

To you, Our Lady of Sorrows, glorious Mother of God and our Mother, be grateful and unending praise. Transform this praise into a joyful hymn of glory to the ineffable Holy Trinity. Amen.