“Let us respond to the tremendous thirst of God by our loving trust in his love for us and total surrender to his will with joy. Let us turn to God with deep faith and love, repenting for our sins and begging for his mercy. Let us turn to each other also in love and trust, asking pardon for the hurt we have caused others and forgiving all the hurt we have received….” –Saint Teresa of Calcutta (+ 1997)
Intention: Please give us a population that becomes more religious again, and has a Christian revival. I thank You God for the revival that is already started.
Friday: Strengthen
1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
Scripture:
When he arrived at the place he said to them, “Pray that you
may not undergo the test.”
—Luke 22:40
Reflection:
When Jesus entrusted Himself to the Father in the Garden
of Gethsemane, He took His own earlier advice and found
strength in God through prayer and reflection.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please aid me in my most distressing times to
keep doing Your will, so that I can be assured that I will be
strengthened by You. Amen.
Friday: Accepting Insults
2nd Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Scripture:
No weapon fashioned against you shall prevail;/ every tongue
you shall prove false that launches an accusation against you./
This is the lot of the servants of the Lord,/ their vindication
from me, says the Lord.
—Isaiah 54:17
Reflection:
It is disturbing to envision Jesus’s tormenters laughing at Him,
and whipping Him again and again as He bled. But it is valuable
to think of this, to remind us of how much He paid for us.
Prayer:
Jesus Christ, I ask for the ability to accept every insult I receive
for the love of You. When others are thoughtless toward me,
help it to roll off of me and instead to focus on Your love. Amen.
Friday: He Loves Me
3rd Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning With Thorns
Scripture:
But [Pilate] said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only
shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!”
—Matthew 27:23
Reflection:
Again, it is disturbing but valuable to envision the humiliations
that Jesus suffered when He was crowned with thorns. If He,
who was sinless, underwent such suffering, why would we
think that we should be spared all suffering in our lives?
Prayer:
Lord, when something humiliating comes my way, help me to
meditate on Your suffering, accept what happened and call to
my mind how much You love me – remembering that nothing
will ever stop You from loving me. Amen.
Friday: Accept Cross Willingly
4th Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Scripture:
Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to
be executed.
—Luke 23:32
Reflection:
It is sobering to think of the agony that Jesus and His Mother
Mary must have experienced together when their eyes met on
His way to Calvary as He – bruised and wounded—carried the
heavy Cross.
Prayer:
Dear Mother Mary, Vessel of Selfless Devotion, please pray for
me to accept my cross willingly, and for Jesus to assist me in
carrying it, also. Amen.
Friday: Replace My Pride
5th Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion
Scripture:
Love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
—Psalm 32:10
Reflection:
When Jesus entrusted His Mother to John while on the Cross,
He was giving her to all of us, too. He wants us to depend on
her and to love her, as He loves her.
Prayer:
Dearest Mother Mary, through your intercession, let me love
Jesus with your heart, and please replace my pride with your
humility. Amen.
