“Love leads to communion, and communion allows everyone to move forward in harmony. Communion is not a happiness passively enjoyed, but it struggles to maintain a fraternal spirit and to open the doors of this fraternity to all people. By nature, love propagates itself; it is contagious, communicates to others, and draws everyone toward communion.” –Venerable Francis Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân (+ 2002)
Intention: Lord, please give us fair and honest elections.
Friday: Jesus is Model
1st Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
Scripture:
Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again, “My Father, if it
is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your
will be done!” Then he returned once more and found them
asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open.
—Matthew 26:42–43
Reflection:
The gospel writers make it clear that Jesus experienced enormous
emotional pain while praying in Gethsemane. However, He
bravely told the Father that He preferred the Father’s will over
His own will, trusting that the Father would look after Him
no matter what.
Prayer:
Jesus is my model of how to deal with difficult situations.
Father, I trust You to take care of these concerns and anxieties
that I have in my life today: _______________. Amen.
Friday: Jesus’s Severe Torture
2nd Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Scripture:
Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed!
What further need have we of witnesses? You have now heard
the blasphemy; what is your opinion?” They said in reply, “He
deserves to die!” Then they spat in his face and struck him,
while some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy for us, Messiah:
who is it that struck you?”
—Matthew 26:65–68
Reflection:
The gospels make no mention of a pillar with regard to Jesus’s
scourging; however, artists back through history have painted
this mystery with Jesus being tied to a pillar, and so it has
become recognized as the Scourging at the Pillar.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, the Scourging at the Pillar is separated from the
Crowning with Thorns in the Rosary to help us to recognize
the genuine physical torture that You received at the hands
of those who scourged You. Help me to remember that You
suffered before me when I face the challenge of illness or pain.
Amen.
Friday: Emotional and
Mental Suffering
3rd Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning With Thorns
Scripture:
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption by his blood, the
forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his
grace that he lavished upon us.
—Ephesians 1:7–8
Reflection:
The torture that Jesus experienced while being crowned with
thorns was not just physical; it was also emotional and mental.
Our emotional and mental sufferings can also be offered up as
redemptive suffering, in union with Jesus’s suffering, during this
third sorrowful mystery.
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, I offer up to You this emotional or mental
suffering that I have experienced, in union with Your sufferings:
___________________. Amen.
Friday: Keep Moving
4th Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Scripture:
Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling
around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers
throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. The God
of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ
[Jesus] will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish
you after you have suffered a little.
—1 Peter 5:8–10
Reflection:
Jesus offers us an example of how to undergo suffering in
this mystery by continuing to move forward, no matter how
painfully, no matter how slowly, resisting the devil, while
having faith in the Father’s love for Him.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I am steadfast in the faith that You are loving me
through whatever situation I am in at the moment – even if
I cannot feel Your love. I will keep moving and resisting the
devil’s temptations, and keep uniting my cross to the Cross of
Christ. Amen.
Friday: Painkiller
5th Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion
Scripture:
And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means
Place of the Skull), they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with
gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.
—Matthew 27:33–34
Reflection:
In the Gospel of Mark, we read that Jesus was offered a mild
painkiller, a mixture of wine and myrrh; we don’t know if
perhaps this was some small move of compassion by the soldiers
or not. However, He refused the concoction.
Prayer:
Lord, I sometimes resort to unhealthy habits to numb my senses
when I am suffering. Grant that I might be strengthened and
delivered from these temptations. Amen.
