Day 19: Sorrowful Mysteries

* The Sign of the Cross

*Novena Prayer:

My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart, and for this special favor which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: 

(Mention your request)

I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s Holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.

 I offer you this spiritual “Bouquet of Roses” because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.

*Hail Mary

* Recite the petition prayer as follows:

Hail Queen of the Most Holy Rosary my Mother Mary, Hail!  At your feet I gratefully kneel to offer you a Crown of Roses, blood red roses, to remind you of the passion of your divine Son, with whom you did fully partake in its bitterness--each rose recalling to you a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace.

O Holy Queen dispenser of God's graces and Mother of all who invoke you! You cannot not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding.  As you receive my gift, so you will receive my petition; from your bounty you will give me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly seek.

I despair of nothing that I ask of you.  Show yourself my Mother!

* Say:

(1) Apostle's Creed
(1) Our Father
(3) Hail Mary
(1) Glory Be
(1) Fatima Prayer

*The First Sorrowful Mystery

THE AGONY

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And he took Peter with him and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and distressed. Then said he to them: “My soul is sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me". And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying: "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Mathew 26:36-39

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Luke 22:44

In the forsaking prayer to the Father, Jesus found strength, trust, and an angel was sent to comfort Him. So Jesus will be our comforting angel. It is as He said to us: “Why do you worry in your difficulties? Be strong in me; look to your God in your most troubled hour, and you will be triumphant." Let us ask to forsake ourselves to God, to always do His will.

O most sorrowful Mother Mary, meditating on the Mystery of the Agony of Our Lord in the Garden, when, in the grotto of the Garden of Olives, Jesus saw the sins of the world unfolded before him by Satan, who sought to dissuade him from the sacrifice he was about to make: when, his soul shrinking from the sight, and his precious blood flowing from every pore at the vision of the torture and death he was to undergo, thy own sufferings, dear Mother, the future sufferings of his church, and his own sufferings in the Blessed Sacrament, he cried in anguish, "Abba! Father! If it be possible, let this chalice pass from me!” but, immediately resigning himself to his Father's will, he prayed, "Not as I will, but as you will!"

I humbly pray:

*Say:

(1)Our Father

(10)Hail Mary

(1)Glory Be

(1)Fatima Prayer

I bind these blood-red roses with a petition for the virtue of: TRUE CONTRITION FOR SIN

I humbly lay this bouquet at your feet.

*The Second Sorrowful Mystery

THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR

As soon as the morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. They bound Jesus, led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate. And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying: “Are you the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “You say so”.  Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.” Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed… "Then what do you want me to do with the man you call king of the Jews?" They said to him, "Let him be crucified!" And Pilate said," Why, what evil has he done?" But they cried out louder, saying, "Crucify him!" And so Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them, and delivered Jesus to be scoured and crucified.

Mar 15: 1-16

How many pains, how many torments, and how many wounds on the body of Jesus? How much blood falls to the ground, while His tormenters laugh, insult him, and gather their strength to hit the innocent body of Jesus again? Let us ask to accept every insult for the love of our Lord, and also a true regret for our sins.

O most sorrowful Mother Mary, meditating on the Mystery of the Scourging of Our Lord, when, at Pilate's command, thy divine Son, stripped of His garments and bound to a pillar, was lacerated from head to foot with cruel scourges and His flesh torn away until His mortified body could bear no more,

I humbly pray:

*Say:

(1)Our Father

(10)Hail Mary

(1)Glory Be

(1)Fatima Prayer

I bind these blood-red roses with a petition for the virtue of: PURITY

I humbly lay this bouquet at your feet.

*The Third Sorrowful Mystery

THE CROWNING WITH THORNS

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered the whole band of soldiers around him. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet military robe. Weaving a crown of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand.  Kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat upon him, and took the reed, striking him on the head. And after they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

Mathew 27:27-31

Think of the indignity, outrage, pain, and humiliation that Jesus suffered. They stripped Him of every dignity; He was treated as the guilt of our worst sins. He seems to say to us: “Why do you despair when you suffer? Is that the way you love me? Meditate about my passions and find in them great riches." Let us ask the gift of patience to accept all humiliations, thinking of how Jesus suffered for us.

O most sorrowful Mother Mary, meditating, on the Mystery of the Crowning of Our Lord with thorns, when, the soldiers, binding about His head a crown of sharp thorns, showered blows upon it, driving the thorns deeply into His head; then, in mock adoration, knelt before Him, crying, "Hail, King of the Jews!'

I humbly pray

*Say:

(1)Our Father

(10)Hail Mary

(1)Glory Be

(1)Fatima Prayer

I bind these blood-red roses with a petition for the virtue of: MORAL COURAGE

I humbly lay this bouquet at your feet.

*The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery

THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS

And as they led him away, they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, and on him they laid the cross, and they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women, who mourned and lamented him. But Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts which never nursed". ... And there were also two other, criminals, were led away with him to be executed

Luke 23: 26-32

Even if He had suffered just for you, Jesus would have accepted such pains; great is His love for you. Along the road to Calvary Jesus sees Mary, His Mother. Can we imagine the moment when their eyes met? Oh how her heart must have ached. Let us pray to Mary for the grace to always accept our cross, so that she and Jesus may bear it.

O most sorrowful Mother Mary, meditating on the Mystery of the Carrying of the Cross, when, with the heavy wood of the cross upon His shoulders, thy divine Son was dragged, weak and suffering, yet patient, through the streets, amidst the revilements of the people, to Calvary; falling often, but urged along by the cruel blows of His executioners,

I humbly pray:

*Say:

(1)Our Father

(10)Hail Mary

(1)Glory Be

(1)Fatima Prayer

I bind these blood-red roses with a petition for the virtue of: PATIENCE IN ADVERSITY

I humbly lay this bouquet at your feet.

*The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery

THE CRUCIFIXTION

Standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!" Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her into his own home.

John 19: 25-27

Jesus wishes to see us close to His Mother; He wishes that, like children, we keep our hand in the hand of Mary. That is what He wants. He asks us to look to the heavenly Mother, to depend on Her. He asks that we accept Our Lady as our true Mother, who will ignite in us a fervent love of Her Son. Mary, we trust in You, take us and put us in the refuge of Your Immaculate Heart, heal with Your humility our pride, that so often takes us far from God.

O most Sorrowful Mother Mary, meditating on the Mystery of the Crucifixion, when, having been stripped of His garments, thy divine Son was nailed to the cross, upon which He died after three hours of indescribable agony, during which time He begged from His Father forgiveness for His enemies.

I humbly pray:

*Say:

(1)Our Father

(10)Hail Mary

(1)Glory Be

(1)Fatima Prayer

I bind these blood-red roses with a petition for the virtue of: LOVE OF OUR ENEMIES

I humbly lay this bouquet at your feet.

*SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, really present in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, since I cannot now receive You under the sacramental veil, I ask You, with a heart full of love and longing, to come spiritually into my soul through the Immaculate heart of Your most Holy Mother, and abide with me forever; You in me, and I in You in time and in eternity, in Mary.

*PRAYER IN PETITION

Sweet Mother Mary, I offer you this Spiritual Communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon your brow.  O my Mother! Look with favor upon my gift, and in your love obtain for me (specify request).

O God! Who’s only-begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the reward of eternal life; grant, we ask you, that, meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise.  Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the divine assistance remain always with us.  Amen.

And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

Holy Virgin, with the loving Child, thy blessing give to us this day.

*HAIL HOLY QUEEN

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To Thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To Thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, Thine eyes of mercy towards us. And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Oh clement, Oh loving, Oh sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, Oh Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

*MEMORARE

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me.  Amen.

* PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits, who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

*The Sign of the Cross