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I was so honored to have been asked to write reflections for the Sorrowful Mysteries because they have always been my favorite Mysteries to pray. In times of suffering, I have found great consolation in praying with these Mysteries because they remind me that I do not suffer alone. In my day to day life, these Mysteries helped me more deeply understand and connect with Jesus Christ as the person who existed two thousand years ago, and who I meet again every time I approach the altar for Communion. Mostly, my fondness for these Mysteries comes with the fact that I have always been a romantic.
Yes, you read that correctly: romantic.
As in “characterized by the expression of love.”
In this, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary are indeed romantic. The expression of love in the five Sorrowful Mysteries—the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging at the Pillar, the Crowning of Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion—is not found in spite of the horrific suffering and the bloody death but within it.
These Mysteries show me that my messy human nature is loved even with all its faults. They show me that while I am not perfect, a perfect God wants a relationship with me that transcends both time and space; Love Himself wants to be with me for all eternity. These Mysteries show me that I was, am, and always will be worth being sacrificed for.
But not only does it show me how loved I am, it also shows me how I should love others. My good pal, St Francis De Sales once wrote:
“Mount Calvary is the mount of lovers. All love that does not take its origin from the Savior’s passion is foolish and perilous. Unhappy is love without the Savior’s death. Love and death are so mingled in the Savior’s passion that we cannot have one in our hearts without the other. Upon Calvary, we cannot have life without love, or love without the Redeemer’s death.”
These Mysteries teach me how to suffer with others, how to bear wrongs patiently, how to sacrifice for the beloved. As wives, as mothers, as students, as friends, as women, we were made for this love. We should no longer be content loving with a love that is not from this Love.
In this part of the study, we will be going through the sufferings of our Lord, culminating with His death on Calvary. I encourage you over the next five days, to allow yourself to enter into each Mystery and walk with Christ. Ask Christ to give you the graces you need to love well. Allow yourself to learn from Him how to love and more importantly, allow yourself to truly be loved.
Reflect: What do you think St. Francis De Sales meant when he says, “Love and death are so mingled in the Savior’s passion that we cannot have one in our hearts without the other?”
Reflect: How do you think the Sorrowful Mysteries might be romantic?
Act: Ask God for the grace to allow Him to romance you over the next five days.
