The Sorrowful Mysteries

Gustave Doré (1832–1883) 

The Agony in the Garden

We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of Thine Agony in the Garden of Olives; and we ask of Thee, through this mystery, and through the intercession of Thy holy Mother, contrition for our sins ​(St. Louis Marie de Montfort).

​He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Mt 26:39).

​The night before His Passion, Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane where He asked them to “watch and pray” with Him. Although their hearts were willing, their flesh was weak and they fell asleep. As Jesus considered His coming Passion and experienced the full weight of man’s sin, His suffering was so intense He began to sweat blood. Yet, through the pain, He prayed to His Father on our behalf and accepted all the circumstances of His death. This Lent, let us ask for the grace of true contrition for our sins as we consider how painful they were to Christ in His agony.

Benvenuto Tisi (1481–1559)

The Scourging at the Pillar

We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of Thy bloody Scourging; and we ask of Thee, through this mystery, and through the intercession of Thy holy Mother, the grace of mortifying our senses (St. Louis Marie de Montfort).

Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)

​So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified (Mk 15:15).

​Our Lord’s great humility is shown throughout the Passion, but there is something particularly striking in His calm acceptance of His bloody scourging. Pilate had just announced to the people that he found no fault in Jesus and no cause for His arrest, but within minutes he had ordered Jesus to be scourged. Innocence was beaten and brutalized for the sins of mankind. This Lent, let us ask for the strength to mortify our senses as a means of uniting ourselves to Christ in His scourging.

The Crowning with Thorns

We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of Thy being crowned with thorns; and we ask of Thee, through this mystery, and through the intercession of Thy holy Mother, a contempt for the spirit of this world ​(St. Louis Marie de Montfort).

Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588–1629)

​They clothed him in purple and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him. They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage (Mk 15:17-19).

​After His scourging, Jesus was mocked and spit upon while His torturers wove a crown of thorns to press into His already wounded head. He remains at peace in following the will of the Father, which causes bitter confusion and greater vehemence for His enemies in their efforts to injure Him. It is easy for us to become entangled so deeply with work, news, politics, and even the many needs of our families, that we forget our first duty: the praise and worship of God. This Lent, let us ask for the grace to turn away from the distractions of this world and to order our hearts towards the Sacred Heart.

The Carrying of the Cross

We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of Thy carrying of the Cross; and we ask of Thee, through this mystery, and through the intercession of Thy holy Mother, patience in bearing our crosses ​(St. Louis Marie de Montfort).

Theophile Marie Francois Lybaert (1848–1927)

​As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus (Lk 23:26).

​Having spent a sleepless night and already having shed a significant amount of His Precious Blood, Jesus was given His cross to carry to the top of Golgotha. Rather than fight or shun the instrument of His death, Jesus embraced it as the instrument of our salvation. What had only been a sign of shame and misery He would soon transform into a sign of endless love and mercy. This Lent, let us ask for the patience to bear our crosses in union with Christ as instruments of our sanctification. 

The Crucifixion

​We offer Thee, O Lord Jesus, this decade in honor of Thy Crucifixion and ignominious death upon the Cross; and we ask of Thee, through this mystery, and through the intercession of Thy holy Mother, the conversion of sinners, the perseverance of the just, and the relief of the souls in Purgatory ​(St. Louis Marie de Montfort).

Netherlandish – School

​Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15:37-39)

​For three hours Jesus hung on the cross for love of poor sinners and, after He breathed His last, He permitted the final drops of His Precious Blood to be spilled from the depths of His Sacred Heart. This sprinkling of His Blood is what absolves us in the sacrament of Confession, it is what strengthens us in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and it is what relieves the torments of those enduring their purification in Purgatory. This Lent, let us ask God to pour innumerable graces upon us, our family, our friends, our enemies, and all those who have no one to pray for them as we unite the sacrifice of our daily lives with Christ on the cross.