Meditation - The Sorrowful Mysteries
The cross appears in many forms. All that is in man must suffer and bear the punishment of sin, either personal sin or the sins of others. The soul must suffer because mind and will are primarily responsible for sin. Therefore Jesus suffers His agony, sad unto death, trembling and sweating blood, but accepting the chalice of His Passion because it is His Father's will. The pain of the scourging atones for the sins of the flesh, all sensuality and pampering of the body; the humiliation of the crowning with thorns, for the pride by which man seeks to be like unto God and despises His will; the carrying of the cross, for the pleasure-seeking and forgetfulness of duty; the crucifixion, for the spirit of rebellion against the restraints of God's law binding man at all times and under all circumstances. The sorrowful mysteries are found in the life of every true follower of Christ. Through agony of mind and body, through humiliations patiently borne, through fidelity in carrying the burdens of life, through perseverance in the attitude of loving submission to God's will he must atone for sin, conform to the image of Christ, and through such conformity with Christ Crucified prove his claim to the glory of life everlasting.
Excerpted from Our Lady's Litany, Rev. A. Biskupek S.V.D.
Day Twenty-nine