09/02/2026
Mother of Sorrows, ora pro nobis.
September opens with a woman who had spent nearly a lifetime waiting for one moment. Saint Anna the Prophetess had known marriage, widowhood, age, and the long passage of years, yet her heart remained fixed upon God. She made the Temple her home, filling her days with fasting and prayer, watching for the Messiah while generations came and went around her. Then one ordinary day, Mary and Joseph entered carrying a Child, and Anna knew that everything she had been waiting for was before her.
How beautiful that Anna recognized Jesus while He was still small enough to rest in His Mother’s arms. Others saw a young family bringing their firstborn to the Temple. Anna saw the redemption of Jerusalem. A lifetime of prayer had taught her eyes to recognize God when He came quietly. And beside her stood Our Lady, herself carrying promises she could not yet fully see, presenting to the Father the Son who had been entrusted to her.
On September 1st, we stand at the doorway of a month given to Our Lady of Sorrows, moving toward September 15th and the Mother beneath the Cross. Anna met Mary near the beginning, with Jesus held safely against her heart; the Church will soon ask us to contemplate Mary years later, standing before that same Son crucified. Between those two moments lies an entire life of trusting what God has promised.
Saint Anna teaches us to become people who can wait without allowing our hearts to grow cold. Some prayers are answered quickly. Others accompany us through years, losses, changing seasons, and lives that look very different from what we once imagined. Keep watch. Keep praying. Christ is nearer than we know.
Saint Anna the Prophetess, pray for us.
Our Lady of Sorrows, teach us to wait faithfully for your Son.
:: Prints are available in my shop ::