Jesus Carrying The Cross
Embracing Your Sufferings
Leads To Peace And Serenity
"Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened,
and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn
of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall
find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light".
-Matthew 11:28-30
In Carrying the cross, Jesus shows how embracing suffering is the only way to peace.
It is one of the most beneficial meditations on the rosary.
When you are praying
the rosary prayers you will find a greater appreciation for this sad event in Jesus'
life and come to understand how you must embrace your own crosses and sorrows.
When meditating upon Jesus Carrying the cross, it may be useful to look at a picture
or listen to some meditative music of this sorrowful event.
Be mindful as you say the rosary prayers that the fruit
of this mystery is patience and recall this scene as you meditate.
Jesus carrying the cross demonstrates the need to embrace suffering and carry your own cross as the only way to peace and serenity
It is the fourth of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary prayers.
As you meditate on this mystery you should feel a true sorrow for the sins you
have committed, for they too contributed to the emotional pain Jesus suffered.
After Jesus was mocked and crowned with thorns, He was stripped of the purple robe
and dressed in His own clothing.
This caused such torment for the wounds from the scourging were reopened and pained Jesus anew.
Jesus was then forced to carry His own cross to Calvary.
The journey was excruciatingly painful.
Jesus already weak from the torture He underwent stumbled and faltered along the way.
He fell many times and the weight of the heavy cross came crashing down upon His weary body.
Mary accompanied by John and Mary Magdalen followed Jesus as He carried His cross.
Mary wanted to look upon her Son.
The moment presented itself and there Mary was face to face with her Son, God made
Man in all His suffering.
Simeon's prophecy rang true at this moment when her heart was pierced with sorrow
as she beheld Jesus in such pain.
Seeing her brought much comfort to Jesus and gave Him renewed strength and courage
to carry on with His mission.
So Jesus continued on as best He could. But He was so weak and His wounds were to
immense that He could have expired on the way to Calvary. Seeing this, the
executioners picked a man from the crowd, Simon of Cyrene, and forced Him to
help Jesus for fear that Jesus would not make it to the place where He was to be crucified.
So Simon helped Jesus carry His cross.
Along the way there was a holy woman named Veronica. She was a follower of Jesus
and as she waited to see Him.
As He approached her, she removed her veil and wiped His bloody face. Her gesture
was so refreshing and loving that Jesus performed a miracle.
The image of His face was impressed upon her veil.
When Jesus finally completed His long and agonizing journey, the executioners
threw Him to the ground and stripped Him once again of His clothing and prepared
to crucify Him.
The Bible passages for Carrying The Cross were taken from the timeless Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible.
If you are looking for a more modern language version of the Carrying The Cross, our recommendation would be the
St. Ignatius Press Bible.
Most of what is recounted above about Carrying The Cross, can be found in various bible
verses like Luke 23:27-32, Mark 15:20-21, and John 19:17.
Return to Sorrowful Mysteries page
More Meditations
On The Rosary Mystery
Jesus Carrying The Cross...
You will find at different times in your life, different things will inspire you.
Something that you dismissed today may seem profound to you in a week, a month or even
in years to come.
Below you will find some more reflections on Carrying The Cross mystery of the rosary.
Return often to this page when you are praying the Sorrowful Mystery of the rosay - Carrying The Cross.
Make sure you bookmark this page so you can find it easily...
You can also contribute your own meditations on this Rosary mystery by going here...
Below are some meditations to think about as you pray...
Jesus wasn't afraid to carry His cross to His death. He embraced it because it
was the will of God the Father and because He was doing it to redeem fallen humans.
Don't be afraid of your own death.
If you imitate the lives Jesus and His mother you will be prepared for death
and you will embrace it with the hope of Heaven.
Jesus commanded us to follow Him and take up our own cross.
Embrace the suffering and trials of your daily life no matter how small and
think of them as though they are sent from Jesus from His own cross.
Jesus carrying the cross was so detestable an event on earth and yet in Heaven
it was the most glorious of events.
"Lead me into the path of thy commandments" -Psalm 118:35
The road to Heaven is like the road to Calvary...narrow.
To get there you must follow the footsteps of Jesus and follow His commandments.
Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry His cross.
You can be like Simon by helping your family and friends when they are weighed
down by sin, sorrow or pain.
"Bear ye one another's burdens; and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ." -Galatians 6:2
Isaac of the Old Testament is a typology of Jesus.
Isaac carried the firewood that would make the fire he was to be offered upon.
Jesus carried His own cross on which He was sacrificed.
Jesus had to be exhausted and overwhelmed by pain.
The heavy cross weighed down upon His bloody body that already was covered in wounds.
He had not eaten or slept and was weak from loss of blood and must have been extremely
thirsty.
All this added to the incredible suffering carrying His own cross caused.
And yet all the while He prayed for those who persecuted Him and lovingly embraced
His mission.
Mary was the first person to make the stations of the cross.
During Jesus' public life she is little mentioned.
She humbly stood aside so that all the focus could be upon Him.
But now that He was abandoned and led to death, she wanted to be near Him.
She wanted to partake in His suffering.
You can imitate the holy woman Veronica.
You too can refresh Jesus the way she did when she wiped His face when you do
good things for others.
The Catholic church calls these good deeds to others Corporal Works of Mercy.
They are to...
-
feed the hungry
-
give drink to the thirsty
-
clothe the naked
-
shelter the homeless
-
visit the sick
-
visit the imprisoned and
-
bury the dead
"And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold
water ... he shall not lose his reward." -Matthew 10:42
"And he said to all: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me." -Luke 9:23
Embracing your sufferings isn't just a suggestion, it is a command and it is
the only way to get to Heaven.
Prayer After Meditation Upon
Jesus Carrying The Cross...
Dear Lord Jesus, Thou truly art God, the creator of Heaven and Earth and Thou humbled
Thyself and became man and suffered the terrible and agonizing way of the cross for love of me.
Thank you for giving this example to me and showing me the way to peace in my own
life by embracing the sufferings that are sent to me.
I am sorry for ever having offended Thee by my numerous sins. I am miserable
when I call to mind the pain Thou experienced carrying Thy heavy cross for I
know that Thou did so in reparation for my sins.
I will try never to offend thee again.
Please grant me the grace to patiently accept all the sufferings Thou send me
and remind me that those sufferings are sent from Thy own cross and for my own good.
The burdens I undergo are very slight indeed when considering the tremendous
suffering Thou underwent on Thy way to Calvary.
Amen.
Visit the fifth Sorrowful Mystery page - The Crucifixion
Return to the third Sorrowful Mystery page - Crowning with Thorns
Return to our Rosary Mysteries page
More scriptural meditations on the rosary - Jesus Carrying His Cross here...
Catholic Mysteries Of The Rosary
Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary
The Joyful Mysteries are taken mostly from St. Luke's Gospel in the New Testament. They involve the joyful events of Jesus' childhood. The most joyful event in all of human history is the Incarnation or when God became man and dwelt among us read more...
Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary
What a gift the the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary are. Meditating on these
Mysteries of Light bring even deeper understanding of the public life of Jesus.
They fill in the blanks between Jesus' childhood and His suffering and death on
the cross. Therefore read more...
Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary remind you of how much Jesus
loves you. He suffered and died for you. "Greater love than this no
man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
-John 15:13. You are loved by Jesus read more...
Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
The Glorious Mysteries are the crown of Jesus' triumphs. How
exhilarating to know that Jesus is God and that He rose from the dead,
making you an heir to Heaven. Reminding yourself of these glorious
events as you pray the Rosary prayer will keep your faith alive and strong read more...
Return to our Origin of the Rosary page
Return to our Meditations on the Rosary page
Return to Catholic Rosary Prayers page
Return from Carrying The Cross page to our Home page
|
