Sorrowful Mysteries
(Fridays, sometimes Tuesdays)
These are the hardest Mysteries for me. While I have some understanding of the importance of Christ's sacrifice for the redemption of our sins and the establishment of our everlasting life, I cringe at the suffering He goes through to bring us salvation. There is much to be learned from these Mysteries. We all undergo suffering in our lives. Through these Mysteries, Jesus shows us how to deal with that suffering and turn it into something greater.
These are the hardest Mysteries for me. While I have some understanding of the importance of Christ's sacrifice for the redemption of our sins and the establishment of our everlasting life, I cringe at the suffering He goes through to bring us salvation. There is much to be learned from these Mysteries. We all undergo suffering in our lives. Through these Mysteries, Jesus shows us how to deal with that suffering and turn it into something greater.
The Agony of Jesus in the Garden
Matthew 26:36-39 & Luke 22:44
Jesus knew what was about to befall Him that night and the following day. He knew the pain that He was about to endure and He asked if there was another path, another way to do what needed to be done. This is the most human that we see Jesus. He wanted to be in this world, in this life a bit longer even though He knows that it was not to be. Were I to know the suffering that I was about to endure, I do not know if I would have the strength to allow those events to take place. Yet Jesus does just that. He accepts His fate and makes His sacrifice willingly.
Often I have wondered about God's plan for me. Even though I recognize that my life is more comfortable than most people's lives in this world, I still complain when it gets difficult. I wonder why God has chosen this path for me and laid these challenges before me. It's nothing close to what Jesus faced, and yet He accepted His "cup." I need to learn to be more accepting of God's will in my life.
Also in this story are His disciples who have accompanied Him, but who cannot stay awake. Jesus rouses them several times only to find them sleeping again a little later. Here He is undergoing His final test and although His friends are with him, He is alone. They sleep, unaware of what is about to happen to Him.
May God give me the strength to face the challenges ahead of me. May I be accepting of God's plan as it is revealed to me. May I also be more cognizant of the challenges faced by those around me. May I be there to provide the support and guidance that they need in their times of suffering and despair.
Matthew 26:36-39 & Luke 22:44
Jesus knew what was about to befall Him that night and the following day. He knew the pain that He was about to endure and He asked if there was another path, another way to do what needed to be done. This is the most human that we see Jesus. He wanted to be in this world, in this life a bit longer even though He knows that it was not to be. Were I to know the suffering that I was about to endure, I do not know if I would have the strength to allow those events to take place. Yet Jesus does just that. He accepts His fate and makes His sacrifice willingly.
Often I have wondered about God's plan for me. Even though I recognize that my life is more comfortable than most people's lives in this world, I still complain when it gets difficult. I wonder why God has chosen this path for me and laid these challenges before me. It's nothing close to what Jesus faced, and yet He accepted His "cup." I need to learn to be more accepting of God's will in my life.
Also in this story are His disciples who have accompanied Him, but who cannot stay awake. Jesus rouses them several times only to find them sleeping again a little later. Here He is undergoing His final test and although His friends are with him, He is alone. They sleep, unaware of what is about to happen to Him.
May God give me the strength to face the challenges ahead of me. May I be accepting of God's plan as it is revealed to me. May I also be more cognizant of the challenges faced by those around me. May I be there to provide the support and guidance that they need in their times of suffering and despair.
The Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar
Matthew 27 & Mark 15:15
In an effort to appease the crowds demanding Jesus's death, Pilate ordered that Jesus be scourged. Beyond the humiliation of being stripped and publicly beaten, scourging rends the flesh, weakening a person though loss of blood and pain. Scourging can often lead to death. In this case, it was not enough and the crowded demanded Jesus's death even after He was scourged.
The scourging itself is a part of the prophesy that Jesus was fulfilling. This must have been one of things Jesus knew would happen as He agonized in the garden the night before. It fulfills the requirements set for the Messiah in the Old Testament, showing that Jesus was the embodiment and completion of the old law.
He went through this suffering for us. There were many points before this event where He could have turned away from this path and simply led a normal life. Instead, knowing what He would have to endure, He went through this set of events anyway so that we might believe and be saved. What more could we ask of our God and king?
May I learn to give my sufferings over to Christ who has willingly endured them out of love for us. May I avoid sinful deeds and thoughts as a way to show my appreciation for what Christ suffered for us. May I help alleviate the suffering of others and especially work to make certain that my deeds do not cause their suffering.
Matthew 27 & Mark 15:15
In an effort to appease the crowds demanding Jesus's death, Pilate ordered that Jesus be scourged. Beyond the humiliation of being stripped and publicly beaten, scourging rends the flesh, weakening a person though loss of blood and pain. Scourging can often lead to death. In this case, it was not enough and the crowded demanded Jesus's death even after He was scourged.
The scourging itself is a part of the prophesy that Jesus was fulfilling. This must have been one of things Jesus knew would happen as He agonized in the garden the night before. It fulfills the requirements set for the Messiah in the Old Testament, showing that Jesus was the embodiment and completion of the old law.
He went through this suffering for us. There were many points before this event where He could have turned away from this path and simply led a normal life. Instead, knowing what He would have to endure, He went through this set of events anyway so that we might believe and be saved. What more could we ask of our God and king?
May I learn to give my sufferings over to Christ who has willingly endured them out of love for us. May I avoid sinful deeds and thoughts as a way to show my appreciation for what Christ suffered for us. May I help alleviate the suffering of others and especially work to make certain that my deeds do not cause their suffering.
The Crowning with Thorns
Matthew 27:27-31
The soldiers gave Jesus a purple cloak and placed on His head a crown made out of thorns. In their mocking of Him, they actually proclaimed Him as king. His vestments were not what we would expect of most earthly kings, but Jesus is not like most kings. He is king of all of us, not just the wealthy and the privileged. The burden of His dominion is greater than that of any other ruler.
The crown given to Jesus is one that brings Him pain. His reign over us is not an easy one. He showed us the way to love one another and yet our world is filled with violence. He gives us simple rules to follow and yet watches as we continually take more difficult and harmful paths. He loves us unconditionally, and yet is still scorned, mocked, and ridiculed by people who can barely understand Him. We are the true thorns in His crown, and yet He endures out of love for us.
May I live a life that does not add to the weight of the crown that Jesus wore. May I work to make the lives of those around me easier, and not worsen their load through mocking and derision. May I also not hold any part of this world, be it people or possessions, in greater esteem than Jesus who is Lord of all.
Matthew 27:27-31
The soldiers gave Jesus a purple cloak and placed on His head a crown made out of thorns. In their mocking of Him, they actually proclaimed Him as king. His vestments were not what we would expect of most earthly kings, but Jesus is not like most kings. He is king of all of us, not just the wealthy and the privileged. The burden of His dominion is greater than that of any other ruler.
The crown given to Jesus is one that brings Him pain. His reign over us is not an easy one. He showed us the way to love one another and yet our world is filled with violence. He gives us simple rules to follow and yet watches as we continually take more difficult and harmful paths. He loves us unconditionally, and yet is still scorned, mocked, and ridiculed by people who can barely understand Him. We are the true thorns in His crown, and yet He endures out of love for us.
May I live a life that does not add to the weight of the crown that Jesus wore. May I work to make the lives of those around me easier, and not worsen their load through mocking and derision. May I also not hold any part of this world, be it people or possessions, in greater esteem than Jesus who is Lord of all.
The Carrying of the Cross
Luke 23:26-
Jesus is forced to carry His cross, the instrument of His death, to the place of His death. This is not an easy task. He has gone the night without sleep or nourishment. He has been beaten and scourged. He has been mocked and abused. Still, He carries His burden so that our redemption will be complete. In doing so, He demonstrates for us how to shoulder our own burdens as we move through life.
Jesus stumbles on this path. Just as we stumble on our path to salvation, so to did Jesus stumble and fall on His journey to grant us salvation. We are allowed to stumble under the burdens that we carry. We just need to pick the burden back up and continue on.
Jesus accepts help. People often think that they need to shoulder their responsibilities alone, even if it means slowly destroying themselves. Yet Jesus, when He was too weak to carry His cross alone, is given help from a random stranger. He doesn't refuse it. We, too, need to learn to accept the help of others, even strangers, as we carry our own crosses.
May I learn from Jesus's example in how to handle my own burdens. May I not be overly critical of myself when I stumble on my path to salvation. May I accept the help of others without shame and may I offer aid to those in need.
Luke 23:26-
Jesus is forced to carry His cross, the instrument of His death, to the place of His death. This is not an easy task. He has gone the night without sleep or nourishment. He has been beaten and scourged. He has been mocked and abused. Still, He carries His burden so that our redemption will be complete. In doing so, He demonstrates for us how to shoulder our own burdens as we move through life.
Jesus stumbles on this path. Just as we stumble on our path to salvation, so to did Jesus stumble and fall on His journey to grant us salvation. We are allowed to stumble under the burdens that we carry. We just need to pick the burden back up and continue on.
Jesus accepts help. People often think that they need to shoulder their responsibilities alone, even if it means slowly destroying themselves. Yet Jesus, when He was too weak to carry His cross alone, is given help from a random stranger. He doesn't refuse it. We, too, need to learn to accept the help of others, even strangers, as we carry our own crosses.
May I learn from Jesus's example in how to handle my own burdens. May I not be overly critical of myself when I stumble on my path to salvation. May I accept the help of others without shame and may I offer aid to those in need.
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
John 19:25-27
Jesus becomes the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Through His crucifixion and death, He fulfills both the Law and the Prophecies, allowing all of us access to eternal life. By dying, Jesus enters into the realm of death and become Lord over it. At His death, the veil between the Holy of Holys and the rest of the temple was torn. There is no further need to sacrifice for our sins. Jesus's death has made atonement for all of them.
Crucifixion was used by the Romans as the most agonizing and humiliating forms of capital punishment. It was used to make an example of those so punished in an effort to keep others from doing the same. Jesus does become an example, but not in the way that they intended. Instead, He showed us what love truly looks like and what true sacrifice actually entails.
While on the cross, Jesus forgave those who tormented Him and brought about His death. He even assured the thief who believes in Him that they will meet in heaven that day. Even in a state of pure exhaustion and pain, Jesus still demonstrated His loving and forgiving nature.
May I not forget that sacrifice that Jesus made for us. May I remember to thank Him for the redemption that He granted us and the eternal life He has given us. May I also work to be an example of love to those around me.
John 19:25-27
Jesus becomes the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Through His crucifixion and death, He fulfills both the Law and the Prophecies, allowing all of us access to eternal life. By dying, Jesus enters into the realm of death and become Lord over it. At His death, the veil between the Holy of Holys and the rest of the temple was torn. There is no further need to sacrifice for our sins. Jesus's death has made atonement for all of them.
Crucifixion was used by the Romans as the most agonizing and humiliating forms of capital punishment. It was used to make an example of those so punished in an effort to keep others from doing the same. Jesus does become an example, but not in the way that they intended. Instead, He showed us what love truly looks like and what true sacrifice actually entails.
While on the cross, Jesus forgave those who tormented Him and brought about His death. He even assured the thief who believes in Him that they will meet in heaven that day. Even in a state of pure exhaustion and pain, Jesus still demonstrated His loving and forgiving nature.
May I not forget that sacrifice that Jesus made for us. May I remember to thank Him for the redemption that He granted us and the eternal life He has given us. May I also work to be an example of love to those around me.