This post is a continuation of “Praying for Your Kids.”
Who doesn’t suffer? The Sorrowful Mysteries go through five stages of the Passion of Jesus. From the emotional impact of the anticipation of His suffering through physical and mental torture, through persevering, through weakness then enduring the last stage of death. Even though it was less than 24 hours, there was nothing quick about the torture He sustained at the hands of the enemy.
Agony in the Garden
Jesus knew what was coming. Sometimes in our own lives, we can see the writing on the wall. One day everything is fine, the next day we get a bit of news that, we can see, has the potential for taking our regular routine and throwing it over a cliff. In that moment when everything seems out of control, we can turn to Jesus and truly say, “Thy will be done.” While the enemy of our souls may have intended this event to destroy us, God, who while not the author of suffering, often uses suffering and intends it for our good and the salvation of our souls.
Scourging at the Pillar
Programs on the Shroud of Turin show that Jesus bore this torture of being whipped with pieces of metal and bone which not only bruised Him but ripped out chucks of His flesh and muscle down to the bone. For those of us whose affliction is in the flesh, some kind of cancer or disability or constant pain, Jesus can meet us there. Even after having His flesh ripped apart, He had to continue on to faithfully finish all the Father had ordained. Jesus understands pain. He can accompany us who suffer in the flesh, and we can share in the sufferings of Christ.
Crowning with Thorns
Those who have studied the Shroud of Turin show that the Crown of Thorns was not as is typically portrayed in the art of the centuries. Evidence on the Shroud shows that the “crown” was not in the shape of a wreath, it was more like a cap. It covered Jesus’ entire head. Jesus wasn’t just bleeding from the thorns circling His head, He bled from holes created by thorns covering His entire scalp.
Our thoughts rule our lives, we can only be as productive and successful as our thoughts allow us to be. So, when we can’t control our thoughts, our lives suffer. As I said in my previous posting on the Chaplet of St. Michael, the enemy’s primary battleground in the mind. If he can wreck our thought life, he can ruin our lives and make us impotent for the Kingdom of God. But Jesus bled and died for us, explicitly, He bled from His head. When we meditate on this, and plead the blood of Jesus over our minds, and begin to think on the goodness of the Kingdom of God, and who God has created each of us to be, the enemy loses ground.
Carrying the Cross
Jesus tells us that the servant is not greater than the Master. If Jesus had to carry a cross, so must we. By the love of God, each of us has a custom made cross that, if we carry it faithfully, willingly, lovingly, generously, at the end of our lives, He will tell us, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and welcome us into His Kingdom. Not only that, but while we are here on earth, we will have a relationship with Him that, in spite of our suffering and difficulty in carrying that cross, will be full of peace and joy.
The Crucifixion
We will all die one day but, in some ways, that death will be a relief. It’ll be the end of the suffering this existence intrinsically holds. However, it is the daily dying to self of this life that can be difficult to handle. Choosing to prefer others over ourselves. Being generous when we don’t want to be. Being grateful for the little things. Changing in ways of thinking and behaving that make us uncomfortable because we sense the Lord leading us in that direction. Standing up for causes of Christ that are unpopular, politically incorrect or against Catholic teaching. And more than that, standing up for our faith in Christ to the point of real or social martyrdom. Whatever death we face each day, we can offer to Jesus for the salvation of our souls.
As we carry our own crosses, we may suffer for months, years or even our entire lifetime before it finally ends in one fashion or another. But as we endure our suffering, we may go through each of the stages portrayed in these mysteries multiple times and find comfort in knowing that our God has suffered as well.
