“We may ask ourselves, how can I love and desire someone I do not know? How can I incarnate Christ’s words Seek ye the kingdom of God and its righteousness when I have no idea what the kingdom of God is?… Why should I seek the kingdom of God first? Why shouldn’t I seek self-fulfillment, money, comfort, security? [And so we] immerse ourselves in our busyness, our daily preoccupations. They are a kind of solace for us, as if by this busyness we would, in some sort of way, make it easier for ourselves to at least half-forget what Christ said. But this forgetfulness so often leads us into deeper failures, and even into sin; and lo and behold, our lives become “old” again instead of being renewed by Christ. We can be just plain selfish, and if you are selfish, what happens? You concentrate on yourself, and life can become awfully dull….” –Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty (+ 1985)
Intention: Jesus, I trust in You!
Friday: Offering Suffering
1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
Scripture:
He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My
Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I
will, but as you will.”
—Matthew 26:39
Reflection:
Jesus Christ’s human nature shrank back from death; yet, His
divine nature was able to overcome His human nature and
accept the bittersweet consolation that, although He was about
to die, in so doing, He would fulfill the will of the Father.
Because He was God (as well as man), His suffering meant
eternal redemption for us all.
Prayer:
Eternal Father, I offer my sufferings and anxieties to You for
peace on earth, and for the salvation of souls. Even if my offering
is only a drop in Your ocean, I give it freely. Amen.
Friday: Destroy the Temple
2nd Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Scripture:
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in
three days I will raise it up.”
—John 2:19
Reflection:
The witnesses at Jesus’s trial claimed that He said He would
destroy the temple, when, in fact, He said that they would
destroy it. They also claimed that He said that He would build
another temple, when in fact He said that He would raise it up
(meaning His Body).
Prayer:
Lord, help me to understand human frailty and thereby transcend
my limitations. Amen.
Friday: Sorrow for Sins
3rd Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning With Thorns
Scripture:
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered
the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock
crows today, you will deny me three times.” He went out and
began to weep bitterly.
—Luke 22:61–62
Reflection:
Even though Peter denied that he was associated with Christ,
Jesus extended forgiveness and generosity toward him, just as
He did toward those who crucified Him. He made Peter “The
Rock,” even though he was a sinful man, so that later on we
would never despair of Jesus’s love and acceptance of us, no
matter what our sins were.
Prayer:
Sin always wounds people—in small ways and in large ways.
It is the sorrow I feel at my sins because they have wounded
others or myself that is the key to repentance, and the key
to forgiveness also. Jesus, please help me to understand the
healing power of forgiveness for myself and enable me to offer
forgiveness to those who hurt me. Amen.
Friday: Help to Carry
4th Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Scripture:
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who
was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and
Rufus, to carry his cross.
—Mark 15:21
Reflection:
It is beautiful to contemplate how Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus
carry His Cross. In fact, it naturally leads to our wanting to
imitate Simon by assisting our neighbors to carry their crosses
of grief or loneliness, if only just to listen to their story a little
while, to help them feel less alone in it.
Prayer:
There but for the grace of God go I; therefore, being conformed
to Christ’s mind, I must help my brothers and sisters in carrying
their crosses. Dear Heavenly Father, make my heart like Jesus’s
heart: full of compassion and love for my neighbor. Amen.
Friday: Ultimate Triumph
5th Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion
Scripture:
And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli,
Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?”
—Matthew 27:46
Reflection:
When Jesus quoted this, He was quoting the first line of Psalm
22—that in those days was a way of referring to the entire
psalm—that spoke of many aspects of His passion. And also,
at the end, it spoke of the ultimate triumph of the Lord and
deliverance of the descendants of Israel.
Prayer:
My Father, Who art in heaven, remind me that there is a
purpose in my sufferings, and use them to help to bring about
Your ultimate triumph on earth. Amen.
