The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary

Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary

For more than 2,000 years, the heroes, champions, and saints of Christianity have been meditating on the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Perhaps it is time we all spent a little time exploring the genius of the cross. The world changed at three o’clock on that Friday afternoon when Jesus laid down his life for us. The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary meditate on key moments in the passion and death of Jesus.

The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden

The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar

The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion

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What day of the week do you pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary?

The Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays.


The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden

Scripture: Luke 22:42-44

“Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground.

Reflection: Stay awake. Jesus said it three times. But his disciples could not. They let him down. Imagine how alone he felt that night in the garden. Have you ever been in agony—physical, spiritual, emotional, psychological? Multiply that by infinity and take it to the depths of eternity, and you may get a small glimpse of what Jesus was experiencing that night in the Garden of Gethsemane.

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The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar

Scripture: John 19:1

Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him.

Reflection: One sentence. “Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him” (John 19:1). Seven words. But it would have been enough to kill most people. The flesh on his back torn in a hundred places, blood dripping from each, small pieces of his divine body that had been ripped off scattered on the ground—the body of Christ. Still, this was almost nothing compared to what he was to go through.


The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns

Scripture: John 19:2

And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe.

Reflection: They crowned him with thorns and used a stick to smack the crown down on his head driving the thorns deep into his skull. He felt it all. He accepted it all. He embraced it all. It seems we will do anything to avoid pain and suffering today. But not Jesus, he embraced every experience of pain and suffering. He allowed each thorn, each taunt to strengthen his resolve to do what was before him.


The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross

Scripture: Luke 23:26

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyre’ne, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 

Reflection:  As Jesus carried his cross, it was a wonder how he was even still alive. He was beaten by the guards as he struggled to carry the cross. He collapsed three times, magnifying his pain. The guards knew he would not make it to Calvary, so they forced Simon of Cyrene to help Jesus so he would not die along the way.


The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion

Scripture: John 19:30

When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished”; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Reflection:  There is a time and place for everything in God’s plan, and every debt in the universe needs to be settled eventually. This was the day. Calvary was the place, And over two thousand years ago was the time that God decided to settle our debts.

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