“The best exegesis of the beatitude about the poor is the life of Christ itself. Saint Paul writes, Jesus Christ, though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich (2 Cor 8:9)…. ‘He took on bodily poverty, in order to enrich us spiritually,’ comments Saint Thomas Aquinas. He did not come to make people richer in terms of earthly goods but to make them sons and daughters of God and heirs of eternal life. The poverty of Christ above all has a concrete, existential aspect that accompanies him from birth to death.” –Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. CAP.
Intention: Lord, please bless us with a Constitution that functions as it was intended to function. I thank You God ahead of time for this.
Friday: Reverence, Worship and Faith
1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
Scripture:
Lord, I call to you;/ come quickly to help me;/ listen to my plea
when I call./ Let my prayer be incense before you;/ my uplifted
hands an evening sacrifice.
—Psalm 141:1–2
Reflection:
When Jesus prayed “Our Father…” He gave us an excellent
example of how to pray devotionally, with love for God, and
with faith that God would listen to Him and be with Him.
Prayer:
O Lord, reach down to me as I reach up to You. I pray for
reverence, worship and faith in God. Amen.
Friday: Temperance
2nd Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Scripture:
I trust in you, Lord;/ I say, “You are my God.”/ My times are
in your hands;/ rescue me from my enemies,/ from the hands
of my pursuers./ Let your face shine on your servant;/ save me
in your kindness.
—Psalm 31:15–17
Reflection:
Some theologians think that the reason Pilate had Jesus scourged
was so that the crowd of people would be swayed to feeling
compassion and kindness for Him once they saw Him after the
scourging, and decide not to put Him to death. However, that
was not what happened.
Prayer:
I pray for the virtue of temperance, which is to take the physical
objects of pleasure in this world, and use them only so much as
is needed to maintain health and be responsible to one’s state
in life. Amen.
Friday: Love of Enemies
3rd Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning With Thorns
Scripture:
Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how
many things they accuse you of.” Jesus gave him no further
answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
—Mark 15:4–5
Reflection:
Because Mary was there to see Jesus’s crown of thorns, she
shared in His suffering of humiliation, and so also in His
redemptive action. Mary’s humility, coming as it did from a
human creature, devastated the proud demons because it helped
create the victory over them.
Prayer:
I pray for the virtue of love of my enemies, which involves the
recognition that all of them are children of God, whom God
loves unconditionally. Lord, please bless my enemies. Amen.
Friday: Fortitude
4th Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Scripture:
But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of
Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice
exultantly.
—1 Peter 4:13
Reflection:
When a cross comes into our life, it is wise to think of it as
having coming from Jesus—as if He had come to us and asked
us if we would assist Him to carry His Cross. This is because
Jesus seeks to purify us through our crosses and make us more
humble. It is His will that we become holy; that we become
saints.
Prayer:
I pray for the virtue of fortitude, which is courage in adversity.
It applies when there is a risk of death, but it also applies when
one is being challenged or ridiculed. Lord, please give me the
gift of fortitude. Amen.
Friday: Mercy
5th Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion
Scripture:
Blessed are the merciful,/ for they will be shown mercy.
—Matthew 5:7
Reflection:
Christ Jesus prayed for His enemies at the time they were
crucifying Him. This is a remarkable achievement of love and
mercy. Yet with Christ’s help, we too can pray for our enemies,
even while they are doing or saying whatever is making us
suffer.
Prayer:
I pray for the virtue of mercy, unconditional love and
forgiveness—that involves being generous to others even when
they are not being generous back to me. Heart of Jesus, Source
of all Consolation, please give me the gift of mercy. Amen.
