Jesus Carries His Cross

Today we enter The Easter Triduum, the most important days in Jesus' suffering and our redemption from sin. If you can, please make the time to attend Mass this evening as the church remembers the washing of the feet and the last supper. Tonight, Jesus will find Himself in agony in the garden because in the next 24 hours, He will be put to death. Join Him in His suffering.

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery:
Our Lord Carries His Cross to Calvary

"Bearing His own cross, Jesus went out of the city to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew: Golgotha." - John 19:17

Imagine our beaten, bleeding, crying Messiah walking through the streets toward His death, with His cross on His back. Can you see all the people laughing at Him? Some are crying. Some don't even care. His body must ache so badly after all He's been through. He hasn't even had anything to eat or drink. I don't even know how He managed to keep walking, but He did. He persevered because what He was going through, the cross He was carrying, was the work of God.

Our first reaction when we are given a cross to bear is that we don't want to and we don't deserve it. However, after sin entered the world, no one ever guaranteed us that life would be blissful and happy. On the contrary, while on earth we will deal with pain, suffering and all kinds of hurt and evil. That's why Jesus died, so that after death, we can enter Heaven and finally live in peace. But since we're still on earth, we need to bear the crosses we carry - caring for sick relatives, living with disease, dealing with financial trouble, coping with addictions, and doing the will of God by being good to others even when they don't deserve it. You see, it is ONLY in suffering, that we acquire strength and we grow. Those who don't suffer never build character. If we accept our lot in life and ask God for help, He will help us carry that cross and we grow closer to Him, earning our entry into Heaven.When I think of Jesus in His passion, I only feel sorry for the pain He was going through, but I know that during His passion is actually when He was the strongest! We don't look at suffering with the eyes of the body, but with the eyes of the soul which tell us that here, we are with God and we are more than conquerors against anything the devil throws at us. Pick up the cross you may be telling God to remove from you, and in the Name of Jesus Christ, carry it in victory for your God and for your soul.

Today's Prayer:

Mary, mother of God, pray for us so that we may see that it is only through suffering that we grow stronger in spirit and faith. Pray so that the Lord takes away our fears and we may join Him in His walk to Calvary.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

O, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls into Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.

Crowned With Thorns

The Third Sorrowful Mystery:
Our Lord is Crowned with Thorns

"The Roman soldiers took Jesus into the palace of the governor and the whole troop gathered around him. They stripped him and dressed him in a purple military cloak. Then, twisting a crown of thorns, they forced it onto his head, and placed a reed in his right hand. They knelt before Jesus and mocked him, saying, 'Long life to the King of the Jews!' They spat at him, took the reed from his hand and struck him on the head with it." - Matthew 27:27-30

The thought that comes into my head as I read this is, is this how a king dies? During His ministry, Jesus was a powerful speaker; He was charismatic, He had great power, yet, when He needed to defend Himself, He remained quiet, accepting the humiliation. He must have been so tired and out of it at this point. A fever must have kicked in from the scourging and He probably couldn't see with the blood pouring into His eyes from the crown of thorns. One thing is certain though, the man who walked on water, expelled demons, and raised people from the dead could have saved His life if He wanted to, but He chose to accept His fate because those who do the will of God never turn back, even in the face of suffering and humiliation.

With the crown of thorns on His head, He was mocked for what He believed in, for what He stood for. All the good He had done for others meant nothing to those Roman soldiers, but Jesus saw beyond that. How about you? What is your reaction when you are mocked, when you are put to shame, when you are put in situation where people don't understand you and what you believe so they decide to verbally or even physically attack you instead? Do you get angry and attack back? Even if it's joking around, we can get defensive. Or do you keep your eyes set on Jesus and remember that it is the Lord who created you, the Lord who you listen to, and no one can take what is right and virtuous away from you? Remember this as people question your faith and the good you do. Those who don't understand God will never understand you. Being called names, being made fun of because you want to pray and follow God's will may be painful and uncomfortable at times, but Jesus already paid the price with blood so that you won't have to. If you are made to wear such a crown for your belief in Jesus Christ, accept it with dignity and pride.

Today's Prayer:

Mary, mother of our Lord, pray for us so that we are never ashamed of demonstrating our faith proudly for all to see that we belong to the Lord.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

O, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.

An Exercise of Your Faith - Jesus Walks On Water

"And having sent the people away, He went up the mountain by Himself to pray." - Matthew 14:23

This message will be different than the rest and not intended to be read quickly, but to be read when you have time to think about it. We all want to be closer to God and have deeper faith and the only way to achieve this is through meditation. Meditation is not easy because our minds get noisy and it's easy to lose focus of what you're trying to reach. I picked a passage that will serve as a great backdrop for a meditation session. God gave us our imaginations and as we begin to create the following images in our minds, He will be there to guide us through and give us the blessings we need to see Him more clearly.

The passage I have chosen is of Jesus walking on water. He had been away at the mountain praying all night and then made His way over to the apostles who were on a boat. Just as Jesus was at the beginning of this passage, alone praying by Himself, so should you be when you do this exercise.

Matthew 14:23-31

"At nightfall, He was there alone. Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves for the wind was against it.

At daybreak, Jesus came to them walking on the lake. When they saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But at once Jesus said to them, 'Courage! Don't be afraid! It's me!' Peter answered, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you walking on the water.' Jesus said to him, 'Come.' And Peter got out of the boat, walking on the water to go to Jesus. But, in face of the strong wind, he was afraid and began to sink. So he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus immediately stretched out His hand and took hold of him, saying 'Man of little faith, why did you doubt?'"


Now, instead of Peter, it is you sitting on a chilly night on a boat while you wait for Jesus to come to you. The winds have picked up and are pushing against you for what seems like hours, just like the trouble and sorrows in your life that seem endless. Finally, when you thought you couldn't hold on any longer, you see Jesus, radiant in white, coming to you, walking on the water but with His eyes fixed on going to help you in your time of need. Holding on to your faith, but yet still afraid, you call out to the Lord and ask Him to help you get to where He is, and instead of doubting, you want Him to fill you with strength and faith so that you too can walk with Him. Jesus smiles at you, motions with His hands and says, "come." But it's not easy, you try but your problems bring you down. You fall back into the same addictions. Your financial situation brings you down and you can't think about anything else but your own worries and your own fears…and then you take your eyes off of Jesus and start to sink. But when you realize you need His help and despite the storm, you cry out to the Lord to be saved. Lovingly, Jesus is right there to pull you up by your hands and save you. Now He's holding you in His arms and you feel His embrace, His love for you, His care, His mercy, and He looks at you in the eyes and asks you, "why did you doubt?"

You will have your own answer to give to Jesus at this point, but the idea is to close your eyes and envision this, envision Him saving you in this storm and continue the dialogue with Him.

Today's prayer is that you take 20 minutes to practice this exercise in meditation and meet with the Lord who is waiting to save you on the boat and carry you through the storm to where He is.