The Sorrowful Mysteries

Page 10 in "Marian Devotions in the Domestic Church"

Catherine Fournier and Peter Fournier

Matthew 26:36-39, Mark 14:32-36 

Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with His disciples. He gave them the Eucharist at His Last Supper. Then Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. He knew that His time on earth was almost finished. He also knew that the next day would be very hard. He was going to die for our sins. 

Jesus prayed, "Father, let these things not happen, if it is Your will. But I want to do Your will, not Mine." Art angel came to Him and comforted Him as he prayed. Jesus was like us in all things but sin, yet He died to save us from sin. What great sorrow for all of us that the innocent victim died for our sins! 

Let this mystery teach us to be truly sorry for our sins. 

Mark 15:15, John 19:1 

Soldiers Game to arrest Jesus and to take Him to stand before the high priests. The priests questioned Him about being the Son of God. They were angry and said He was lying. They wanted Jesus to stop teaching the people about God the Father. So, they told the soldiers to take Jesus to Pontius Pilate's palace. 

There, the soldiers took off Jesus' clothes and tied him to a pillar. They beat Him with a whip. They hurt Him to make Him say He was not the Son of God. But Jesus wanted to do His Father's will even when it was hard, so He stayed silent. What great sorrow for all of us that Jesus was punished for our sins! 

Let this mystery teach us to accept God's will. 

Matthew 27:29-31, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2-3 

After Jesus was beaten, the soldiers laughed at Him. "You call yourself a king!" they said. "You don't look like a king to us!" They took an old purple robe and made a crown from thorny vines, and they dressed Jesus up like a ragged king and laughed. 

They made fun of Jesus because they thought He was a failure, a pretend king. They wanted to make Him angry and taunted Him to show off His power. But Jesus obeyed His Father's will and stayed quiet. His Kingdom was not of this world. What great sorrow for all of us that Jesus was humiliated for our sins! 

Let this mystery teach us to accept mockery and scorn for being disciples of the Savior. 

Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17 

The high priests and the crowds demanded that Jesus be ,crucified. Pontius Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent but agreed to impose the death sentence. "Take him away to Golgotha", he told the soldiers. Golgotha was a hill outside the city, where the Romans crucified criminals. 

Jesus had to carry the heavy Cross through Jerusalem to Golgotha. He was very tired and weak. The scourging and the crown of thorns made His head and back bleed. Crowds screamed, laughed, and threw things at Him. But Jesus patiently obeyed His Father and carried the Cross for our salvation. 

What great sorrow for all of us that Jesus carried His Cross for our sins! 

Let this mystery teach us to be patient with our crosses. 

Matthew 27:33-50, Mark 15:22-37, Luke 24:33-46, John 19: 18-30 

When Jesus reached Golgotha, the soldiers stripped off His clothes. They nailed His hands and feet to the Cross and, put a sign over His head: "Here is the king of the Jews." Then they pushed the Cross upright. The executioners mocked Him, saying: "You call yourself a king, why don't you save yourself!" 

Mary and one of the disciples stood near the Cross. Jesus spoke to them, telling them to be faithful to God and each other. He knew that they did not yet understand what God's will was for them and for His Church. He knew that His death would bring salvation to them and the whole world. 

What great sorrow for all of us that the cost of our salvation was Jesus' death on the Cross! 

Let this mystery teach us to be always faithful to God.