GRACES OF THE DEVOTION
Promises and Graces
The traditional promises and spiritual fruits of meditating on Mary’s sorrows.
PLEASE NOTE
Tradition and Church Teaching
The seven graces below come from devotional tradition, commonly attributed to a private revelation to St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373). Private revelations are not part of the deposit of faith, and Catholics are not required to believe them (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 67). These promises are not defined Church doctrine. They are offered here as a traditional encouragement to prayer, always subject to God’s will and the teaching of the Church.
TRADITIONAL PRACTICE
The Seven Graces
According to tradition, Our Lady grants seven graces to those who honour her daily by praying seven Hail Marys while meditating on her tears and sorrows:
FIRST
“I will grant peace to their families.”
SECOND
“They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.”
THIRD
“I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”
FOURTH
“I will give them as much as they ask for, as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.”
FIFTH
“I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”
SIXTH
“I will visibly help them at the moment of their death; they will see the face of their Mother.”
SEVENTH
“I have obtained this grace from my divine Son: that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolours will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.”
SPIRITUAL FRUITS
Why Meditate on Mary’s Sorrows?
- Deeper love for Christ crucified. Mary’s sorrows lead us into the mystery of the Passion.
- True contrition. Seeing the cost of sin moves us to repentance and Confession.
- Patience in suffering. We learn to unite our crosses to Christ’s, as Mary did.
- Compassion. A heart that has wept with Mary becomes tender toward all who suffer.
- Hope. Mary’s sorrow ends in the joy of the Resurrection.
ACCOMPANYING MARY
Keeping Her Company
St Bonaventure and countless saints urged the faithful to keep Mary company in her grief. The Stabat Mater, the great medieval hymn traditionally attributed to Jacopone da Todi, expresses this longing: “Holy Mother, pierce me through; in my heart each wound renew of my Saviour crucified.”
SOURCES
Catholic Sources and Historical References
- Holy Scripture: Luke 2:34-35; John 19:25-27.
- Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 58 and chapter VIII: vatican.va.
- Congregation for Divine Worship, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (2001), on Marian devotions: vatican.va.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 67 (private revelation) and 964 (Mary’s union with Christ).
- The Servite tradition: the Order of the Servants of Mary, founded 1233.
- The memorial was extended to the universal Church by Pope Pius VII in 1814 and fixed on 15 September by Pope St Pius X in 1913.
- Stabat Mater Dolorosa, 13th-century sequence (English translation by Edward Caswall, public domain).
OUR MISSION