Page:MaryHelpOfChristians.djvu/145

 pitiful condition  meets  His  blessed  Mother. What a spectacle,  what  a  sight  for  a  Mother  such  as Mary! Anxious to  look  upon  her,  and  with  one fond glance  to  thank  her  for  her  heroic,  unselfish love, He  made  an  effort  to  change  His  bowed position beneath  the  cross,  feebly  raised  His  head, and directed  toward  her  one  loving  glance  of  ineffable anguish,  mingled  with  grateful  recognition and humble  resignation. Then the  sad  procession moves on,  Mary  following  her  divine  Son  on  His way to  death.

e, by  our  sins,  placed  into  the  hands  of  the Jews and  executioners  the  weapons  by which  Jesus  suffered,  and  thus  we  thrust  the sword of  sorrow  into  Mary's  heart. We repeat this, in  a  certain  sense,  as  often  as  we  commit  a grievous  sin,  because  we  thereby  number  ourselves among  those  whom  the  Apostle  describes as "crucifying  again  to  themselves  the  Son  of God,  and  making  Him  a  mockery"  {Heb. vi. 6) . Cardinal Hugo  writes:  "Sinners  crucify,  as  far as  is  in  them,  Christ  our  Lord,  because  they  repeat the  cause  of  His  crucifixion."  Doing  this, we  thrust  anew  the  sword  of  sorrow  into  Mary's heart.  Let  this  consideration  fill  us  with  hatred for  and  fear  of  sin.

Prayer of  the  Church  (p.  117).

Litany of  Loreto  (p.  322).