Easy Peasy Lemon Bars- Our Lady of Sorrows- September 15
Updated: Feb 3, 2022
Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. This is a title given to our Blessed Mother to emphasize the immense pain and suffering that she went through during the life and death of her son, Jesus Christ. I have heard it said that, "a mother is only as happy as her saddest child" and one can only imagine what the depths of that must have been like for Our Lady. This does not only refer to the agony of watching Jesus die a gruesome and public death but several other events throughout his life that she endured as His mother. We call them the Seven Sorrows or Seven Dolors, which is why we see the traditional image of her heart with seven swords piercing it.
Seven Swords Piercing the Sorrowful Heart of Mary in the Church of the Holy Cross, Salamanca, Spain
The Seven Sorrows
The Prophesy of Simeon
The Flight to Egypt
The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple
Meeting Jesus on His Way to Calvary
The Crucifixion
Jesus' Body Being Removed from the Cross
The Burial of Jesus
While learning more about this feast day I read that it wasn't in the Roman Missal until 1482, that's more than 200 years after it gained popularity. It was added under the title Our Lady of Compassion not Sorrows, or so it sounds. The Latin roots for the word compassion cum and patior means to suffer with, and no one suffered more with Jesus than His own mother. This is a reminder to myself as well when thinking about what it actually means to show compassion for another person. We imitate Mary when we suffer along side of other people and stand by them with trust in God and love.
Today I made Lemon Bars which has become a new favorite for me, yes a little self indulgence. I made a liturgical living lemon connection with the sour taste that for some can even bring tears to their eyes. More than that it reminds me of the sour, bitter discomfort of suffering! Along with these we will be praying the sorrowful mysteries as a family, I hope that you will join along.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 32 minutes
Yields: 9-16 servings depending on cut
The Gang
For the Crust
10 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 C. flour
1/2 C & 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 Tsp salt
For the Filling
3 large eggs
1 C. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/3 C. lemon juice
1/2 Tsp. baking powder
Picture disclaimer: I am just a regular gal trying to make for a happy home with happy bellies. While I'd like for everything to be "blog" worthy, I find more good in just showing you the way things are. I call this real life and this is what it would look like if you were baking lemon bars next to me. I hope you enjoy! 😉
This is going to be easier than you might think, so once you get all of your ingredients out you can go ahead and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take out a bowl and pour in the 1 1/2 cups flour! I like to put the measurements in the descriptions as well because I hate having to scroll up and down while baking. You're Welcome Friends!
Then sprinkle in 1/4 Tsp salt to the bowl of flour.
Now for the powdered sugar, I highly recommend you don't make this recipe in dark colored clothes! Pour in 1/2 C and 2 Tbsps.
