Pray The Rosary – Forth Sorrowful Mystery -Carrying Of The Cross
The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery – The Carrying of the Cross.
Jesus say to us, if you want to be a follower of mine then renounce yourself, pick up your cross and follow me. As we meditate on the forth sorrowful mystery, we see that Jesus leads by example.
26As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30Then ” ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ‘ 31For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
(Lk.23:26-31)
Meditation – Forth Sorrowful Mystery – Carrying of the Cross
Jesus is condemned to death by crucifixion and he is forced to carry a cross to the place where he will be executed. The cross would have been made of very solid and heavy wood strong enough to bear his weight. That would make it a very heavy cross to bear, more-so after being brutally beaten.
Weak and exhausted from the loss of blood and from the beating that he took, Jesus fell three times under the weight of his cross. But each time he fell, he got back up again. Jesus never give up no matter how difficult and painful it was. He was determined to get to the end.
As we reflect on the forth sorrowful mystery, we recall Jesus’ invitation to us to follow him,
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 What, then, will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his life?
(Matthew 16: 24-26)
Prayer
Mother Mary, so often, the world preaches a gospel that is contrary to Jesus’ invitation to renounce ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. Pray for us Dearest Mother Mary that we will not seek an ‘easy way’ into heaven (which does not exist), but rather believe in Jesus your Son who is the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life.
