The sorrowful mysteries are a group of scenes from the life of Jesus that we meditate on while we pray the Rosary. Typically, these mysteries are meditated on during Tuesdays and Fridays. The point in meditating on these while we pray is to bring us closer to the suffering that Jesus endured for us and make us contemplate our own life that Jesus died for. The mysteries from Scripture are:
The Agony in the Garden
While meditating on this scene the other day, it really struck me the emotional aspect of what Jesus did. While Jesus was God, he also had a human side to him. I thought about the fear, the doubts, the sadness, that must have overwhelmed Him. To know that you are positively going to die, must be a feeling that is absolutely terrifying. I recently gave birth to my 5th child via C-section. The surgery was incredibly intimidating and I was very nervous beforehand. As with any surgery, there’s a chance that something could go wrong. On the other hand, when Jesus spent time in the Garden, there was no “if’s” about it. I thought about the fear that I felt over the mere possibility of something happening to me, and it made me incredibly emotional to think about what that would have felt like for Jesus.
Scouraging at the Pillar
If you’ve ever seen the Passion of Christ, you would know that this wasn’t any small thing. When they would scourage someone with a rope, it would cut deep into their skin, for hours. Jesus’ body would have been riddled with scars that would have taken weeks to heal. I cannot imagine having to endure even five minutes of the pain of someone cutting deeply into my skin, with no relief, no escape. Meditating on this mystery really puts any level of pain I’ve ever had into perspective. There’s nothing that I could endure that would compare to what Jesus endured for me.
The Crowning of Thorns
Oh, to have to endure the pain of this and then to be mocked! During this mystery, I often find myself thinking of Mary, his mother. To have to watch your son go through so much pain and suffering, unable to do anything, then to be made fun of by the crowd watching! Where was the humanity?! I would have been screaming, fighitng to get to my child, trying to make everyone listen to me. I wonder about Jesus during this moment as they tried to mock him, but instead crowned Him a king. No one likes to be made fun of or made to feel crappy by others. To have an entire crowd mocking you and laughing at you, bleeding to death? I don’t think I’ll ever let someone’s mean words get to me again.
Carrying of the Cross
Not only are you now beaten and bloody, but now they’re going to make you walk for a long distance, carrying the largest and heaviest literal cross they can. Don’t stumble, don’t drop it, or there’s more pain. Everyone will follow you, watching, laughing. I can’t even jog a mile without getting winded. To carry a gianormous cross? I’d just lay down and give up, but not Jesus! Jesus never gave up. He knew that all of this would come to pass and never once did he consider giving up. Nothing is too much for me to carry, if Jesus can do that for me.
Dying on the Cross
I have written about my fear of dying before. It can sometimes be overwhelming to me, something that sends me straight into a panic attack. I think of all the future moments I’ll miss out on, the things I’ll never know, and most of all, everyone I love that I’ll never get to be with in this world. It makes me terrified and sad. Jesus, on the other hand, died with so much faith and dignity, and never once let his fear show. Even in his final moments, he looked upon those he loved and felt nothing but happiness that he would go to Heaven and see them all again.
These mysteries leave so much to contemplate about my own mortality and our pain that we endure here in this world. These things that Jesus endured while alive put into perspective how much I complain and how ungrateful I can be sometimes. I can go to Mass without fear, I have modern medicine to help with any pain, and people aren’t chasing each other down in the streets to hurt each other. These mysteries hold so many secrets and can unlock so much of our own thoughts if we meditate on it during the Rosary. It can show us a whole new side of ourselves.
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