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the dolors of mary
by saint alphonsus ligouri
martyr of martyrs
as jesus is called the king of sorrows and the king of martyrs, because he suffered in his life more than all other martyrs; so also is mary with reason called the queen of martyrs, having merited this title by suffering the most cruel martyrdom possible after that of her son. hence with reason was she called by richard of st. laurence, the “martyr of martyrs;” and of her can the words of isaias with all truth be said, he will crown thee with a crown of tribulation (is. 22:16);auldron of boiling oil, but came out more vigorous than when he went in. saint thomas says, “that to have the glory of martyrdom, it is sufficient to exercise obedience in its highest degree, that is cause her death not once but a thousand times. from this we shall see that mary was not only a real martyr, but that her martyrdom surpassed all others, and her whole life may be said to have been a prolonged death.
bitter sea
“the passion of jesus,” as saint bernard says, “began with his birth.” so also did mary, in all things like unto her son, endure her martyrdom throughout her life. amongst other significations of the name of mary, as saint albert the great asserts, is that of “bitter sea.” hence to her is applicable the text of jeremias: great as the sea is thy destruction. for as the sea is all bitter and salt, so was the life of mary saint that. whence nursing tears; for my sorrow, which was compassion for my son, never departed from before my eyes, as i always foresaw the sufferings and death which he was one day to endure.”
continual sorrow
the divine mother herself revealed to saint bridget, that, “even after the death and ascension of her son, whether she ate or worked, the remembrance of his passion was ever deeply impressed on her mind, and fresh in hers; to saint bridget: “as the rose grows up amongst thorns, so the mother of god advanced in years in the midst of suffering: and as the thorns increase with the growth of the rose, so also did the thorns of her sorrows increase in mary, the chosen rose of the lord, as she advanced in age; and so much more deeply did they pierce her heart.”
user
In the text, there are fifty-two "f"s.
assistant