"Joyce Rupp, the author of eight books . . . calls herself a spiritual midwife. This great God-given talent comes to the fore here in her ability to relate the seven sorrows of Mary to the suffering and loss we all experience in our lives today. 'Everyone can find their struggles and sadness hidden in the folds of Mary’s robe of sorrows . . . Whether Mary is approached as a historical or symbolic figure of compassion, the heartaches and sorrows of her life contain a message of strength and encouragement for those who hurt.' With the exquisite prose and poetry that has always graced her writing, Joyce Rupp mines the multiple meanings of the prophecy of Simeon (the foretelling of sorrow), the flight into Egypt (fleeing from destruction), the loss of the child Jesus in the temple (searching for lost treasures), Mary seeing Jesus carrying his cross (meeting our pain), Mary standing beneath the cross of Jesus (suffering grief), Mary receiving the dead body of Jesus (embracing our loss), and Jesus being laid in the tomb (laying our sorrows to rest). On these pages, we embrace Mary as mother, sister, mentor, and friend. She models for us faith, inner resiliency, compassion, and hope. Each chapter contains scriptural interpretation, poem prayers, guided imagery, and questions for personal or group reflection."

Using the traditional seven sorrows of Mary (prophecy of Simeon, flight into Egypt, Jesus in the temple, meeting Jesus carrying his cross, standing beneath the cross of Jesus, receiving Jesus’ dead body, Jesus being laid in the tomb), Rupp . . . asks readers to meet their own sorrows in Mary’s journey . . . Each chapter ends with poems, meditations, guided imagery and questions for personal reflection or group discussion. Rupp’s writing challenges the faithful to get beyond their comfortable spirituality and find strength in their times of suffering.