The mysteries of the Rosary celebrate the three events that forever changed the destiny of mankind:
- the Incarnation, when Jesus came down from Heaven to share in our humanity
- the Crucifixion, when Jesus paid the price for our sins through his death on the Cross
- the Resurrection, when Jesus triumphed over sin and death, opening the gates of Heaven for us
This is the Good News that we are called to share with the world. Yet within this Good News there is sorrow, for the Son of God had to suffer in brutal, humiliating fashion because of our sins, our defiance of our Loving Father’s will. So in between our remembrance of the joy and glory of our Savior, in the Sorrowful Mysteries we reflect on our own sinfulness, but also on the infinite love Jesus showed for us through his Passion.
Where do we see ourselves in the story?
The Agony in the Garden
“He said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch.’” (Mark 14:34) Of the many Gospel stories that emphasize the humanity of Jesus, the Agony in the Garden is one of the most powerful.
“We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been similarly tested in every way, but without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) The gospels record that:
- Jesus got angry. (Mark 11:13-17)
- He got frustrated. (Mark 9:19)
- His “heart was moved with pity.” (Mark 6:34)
- He loved his friends, and wept when they were mourning. (John 11: 5, 33-36)
Before his Passion, he felt profound anxiety and terror, knowing what he was about to endure. Pope Benedict XVI describes the “primordial experience of fear” Jesus experienced at Gethsemane:
It was here that Jesus experienced the final loneliness, the whole anguish of the human condition. Here the abyss of sin and evil penetrated deep within his soul. Here he was to quake with foreboding of his imminent death. Here he was kissed by the betrayer. Here he was abandoned by all the disciples. Here he wrestled with his destiny for my sake. (1)
When we are feeling scared, or sad, or angry, it is important to remember that Jesus felt all these things too. He knows what we’re going through. We can pray to him with full confidence that he understands us, he empathizes with us, and he is there to help us. Jesus will never fail us if we turn to him in prayer.
And he desires for us to stay awake with him. He is infinitely joyful in Heaven, yet at the same time he is saddened by our sins, by all the needless suffering caused by our sins, by all the souls that are lost. He wants us to spend time with him in prayer, to ask his forgiveness, to offer our needs to him, but also just to be with him, to console him. To bring a smile to his face. What a great comfort it is to know the Lord shares in our humanity, and that he looks forward to us spending time with him in prayer!
Notes:
(1) Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011), 149, 154.
Image: The Agony in the Garden by El Greco. Downloaded from Wikipedia Commons.
