“The Christ-life is a joyful one, but it is hard, it is not easy, because it is never for one moment the line of least resistance; it is a continual conquest. The non-Christian of the post-Christian world, often a charming and amiable person, can rid himself of the agony of temptation simply by giving way to it; the Christian has to go on wrestling with it, and to go on feeling the agony of it while he does so.” –Caryll Houselander (+ 1954)
Intention: Lord, please bless the world with peace on earth. I expect the earth to be at peace – true peace, like that which we experience on Christmas Day, in Jesus’ name and in His mighty power! I thank You God ahead of time for this!
Tuesday: Benefit in the End
1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
Scripture:
Even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed
are you.
—1 Peter 3:14
Reflection:
Although suffering cannot be erased from human existence, it
does have meaning when it is offered up to God and is placed
in His loving hands. God has the ability to write straight with
crooked lines. Just look at Jesus’s story.
Prayer:
Dear God, I have learned that You accompany me in a very
close and special way when I suffer. Give me Your divine
strength when my suffering becomes too much to bear in my
human nature and make benefit come out of it, in the end.
Amen.
Tuesday: Suffering Servant
2nd Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Scripture:
Because [Jesus] himself was tested through what he suffered, he
is able to help those who are being tested.
—Hebrews 2:18
Reflection:
During Jesus’s trial, scourging, crowning with thorns and
crucifixion, He offered no protest, but laid His life down for
us as the Suffering Servant predicted in Isaiah, to manifest God’s
love for us.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Strength of Martyrs, through Your passion and
Cross, bring to fulfillment the salvation of all Your people.
Amen.
Tuesday: Heavenly King
3rd Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning With Thorns
Scripture:
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the
cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to
crucify him.
—Matthew 27:31
Reflection:
Jesus did not come into Jerusalem to be crowned an earthly
king; in stark contrast, He was mocked and abused in many
ways, and died as a criminal on the Cross. However, it was
through what He suffered on that Cross that His Kingdom
shines most brightly.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, You are a Heavenly King who teaches me by
example how to live a life filled with love and service. Help
me to remember the importance of this when I am confronted
with the values of the world. Amen.
Tuesday: Reasoning of the Cross
4th Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Scripture:
He [the Lord] reached out from on high and grasped me;/ he
drew me out of the deep waters.
—2 Samuel 22:17
Reflection:
When we follow in the footsteps of Christ, our King, we learn
to step out of our comfort zones and reach out to our brothers
and sisters who are in deep waters, vulnerable and in need.
Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, the reasoning of the cross is less about pain
and death, and more about self-sacrificial love. Inspire me with
the words and deeds that will be most helpful to others. Amen.
Tuesday: God Judges by Loving Us
5th Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion
Scripture:
He replied to [the criminal], “Amen, I say to you, today you
will be with me in Paradise.”
—Luke 23:43
Reflection:
The way God judges us is to love us; then, if we accept His love,
we are saved. If we reject His love, we are condemned. God’s
only action is to love and redeem us.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, the Way of the Cross is the journey of
acceptance and forgiveness, and receiving Jesus’s gracious, grand
and glorious love. Help me to feel worthy to accept Jesus’s love.
Amen.
