The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: Jesus Carries His Cross

As we come to the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, we reflect on the passage, “Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.” (John 14:27)

“He was counted among the wicked.” (Is 53:12)

Jesus kissed and embraced His cross for love of us because by His holy Cross He would become one with us in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the gift of Our Lord’s Passion. With Mary, we unite ourselves with Jesus and offer to Him all our sufferings in mind and body, in heart and soul.

We are never given more than we can carry or bear, and as Simeon helped

 Jesus carry His Cross, so Jesus Himself helps us carry ours. “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.” All trials purify us and lead us into a deeper union with Jesus. We offer Jesus all our sufferings for the salvation of souls, even the sufferings we bring upon ourselves.

This is the triumph of the cross: all suffering has lasting and redeeming value when offered to Jesus Who glorified all human suffering by His holy Cross! Three times He fell on His way to Calvary to teach us never to get discouraged, for here in the Blessed Sacrament He makes a divine success out of all our failures when we humbly surrender them to the redeeming love of his Sacred Heart.

Like fire that transforms everything to itself, here in the Blessed Sacrament Jesus transforms everything to good in the fire of His divine love, drawing good out of evil, drawing a greater good out of a greater evil, consuming even our very faults and failures (like straw thrown into a burning furnace) and using them to make us more humble and to bring us even closer to His divine Heart. “In my weakness, I find my strength.”

Blessed Sacrament Prayer:

Jesus, during this mystery we embrace our cross for love of You Who kissed and embraced Your Cross for love of us. With Your grace, help us to fulfill our daily duties in life. We renew our Baptismal vows and ask You to prepare our hearts for a worthy confession where You wash away our sins in Your Blood. We beg you, Jesus, to pour out from Your Eucharistic Heart an abundance of strength and consolation upon all of the depressed and discouraged in the world, especially those who have fallen into despair and who are in most need of your encouragement. 

This selection is taken from Come to Me in the Blessed Sacrament, Fr. Vincent Martin Lucia, Apostolate for Perpetual Adoration, P.O. Box 46502, Mt. Clemens, Michigan 48046.