The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery
The Road to Calvary
1. Scourged, crowned with thorns, and derided, Jesus is finally
condemned to death. Burdened with the Cross, He sets out for the place
of execution in the midst of a crowd of enemies, blasphemers, and idle
speculators. Among them there is only a tiny group which sympathises
with Jesus, namely, Mary His Mother, the devout women, and the beloved Apostle, St. John.
The divine Redeemer goes forward laboriously beneath the heavy weight
of the Cross. He has already lost a large quantity of blood in
Gethsemane and during the scourging and crowning with thorns. His
strength seems to be failing, but love sustains Him. Looking feebly
around Him, He sees the mocking Jews, the indifferent and disrespectful
Roman soldiers, and a throng of curious spectators looking for something
to amuse them. Is there nobody else? Where are those whom He cured
miraculously, and those whom He comforted and forgave? Has nobody any
pity for Him? Suddenly the crowd falls silent. A woman, pale and
tearful, is approaching Him, supported by her friends. She defies the
commands of the soldiers and the scowls of the executioners, and comes
close to Him.
Here and there a murmur is heard: It must be his
mother, poor woman! Jesus and Mary gaze at one another. It would be
impossible for us to guess at the immense depths of love contained in
that loving exchange of glances. Neither utters a word, for no words
could express their anguish nor manifest their love. They look and
understand one another, offering themselves as a holocaust for the
redemption of wayward humanity.
Nevertheless, in this silent
meeting there was great consolation for the Heart of Jesus, for He had
found someone who loved and understood Him. Why do we not sympathise
with Him, too, and love Him with all our heart?
2. The moment
soon passes. The executioners urge Jesus forward once more towards the
place of execution. His strength is exhausted and He stumbles several
times beneath the weight of the Cross. Each time, however, He rises,
covered with blood and dust, and again embraces the Cross.
How
often we also fall! Sometimes, because of the weight of our cross, we
fall in discouragement or in despair. On these occasions let us look
towards the divine Sufferer and embrace our cross again, for it is the
ladder by which we must ascend to Heaven.
Sometimes it is sin
which causes us to fall. If we have yielded to the violence of
temptation, let us look towards Jesus just the same. He who loved us so
much on the way to Calvary and on the tree of the Cross is certainly
ready to forgive and comfort us.
3. The executioners realised
that Jesus had expended all His energy and became afraid that He would
not be able to reach the place of execution. For this reason they
compelled Simon of Cyrene, who was coming back from the country after
his work, to carry the Cross instead of Jesus. At first he probably
helped reluctantly, because he was tired and anxious to get home. When
he recognised Jesus, however, he took the Cross willingly and carried it
for Him.
What is our attitude to the cross which Jesus gives
us? He Who was innocence itself carried His burden with perfect
resignation and love. Why should not we who are so sinful carry ours
with similar dispositions, since we need so much to expiate our sins and
to show our love for Jesus?
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