The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
The Sorrowful Mysteries focus on the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ—the suffering He endured to redeem humanity from sin. These mysteries are traditionally prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays, and throughout the season of Lent.
As you pray each decade, try to be present with Christ in His suffering. See the blood, feel the weight of the cross, hear the jeers of the crowd. Let these meditations deepen your gratitude for the price Christ paid for your salvation and strengthen your resolve to carry your own crosses with grace.
The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46
"Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here, while I go over there and pray.' And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled... And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."
Meditation
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knows exactly what awaits Him. He sees every sin of humanity—past, present, and future—and the horrific suffering required to redeem them. His anguish is so great that He sweats blood. Yet He prays, "Not my will, but yours be done." His disciples fall asleep, leaving Him alone in His agony.
Fruit of the Mystery: Sorrow for Sin / Contrition
Jesus suffered this agony because of our sins. Ask for the grace of true contrition—genuine sorrow for offending God and a firm resolve to sin no more.
Pray: 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be, Fatima Prayer
The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Matthew 27:26; John 19:1
"Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him."
"But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." — Isaiah 53:5
Meditation
Jesus is stripped and bound to a pillar. Roman soldiers beat Him with leather whips embedded with bone and metal. His flesh is torn open, His blood pours onto the ground. Though He has the power to stop it, He endures every lash for love of us. "By His stripes we are healed."
Fruit of the Mystery: Purity / Mortification
Jesus suffered in His body to heal the wounds caused by our sins of the flesh. Ask for the grace of purity in thought, word, and deed, and the strength to mortify sinful desires.
Pray: 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be, Fatima Prayer
The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns
Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20
"And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' and struck him with their hands."
Meditation
The soldiers mock Jesus as a false king. They weave a crown of sharp thorns and press it into His head, causing blood to stream down His face. They put a purple robe on His torn back, place a reed in His hand as a mock scepter, and kneel before Him in ridicule. The King of the Universe accepts this humiliation in silence.
Fruit of the Mystery: Courage / Moral Courage
Jesus endured mockery and humiliation with dignity. Ask for the grace to bear insults, rejection, and ridicule for the sake of truth and righteousness.
Pray: 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be, Fatima Prayer
The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Luke 23:26-32; John 19:17
"So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha."
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." — Luke 9:23
Meditation
Weakened by blood loss and exhaustion, Jesus carries the heavy wooden cross through the streets of Jerusalem. The crowd presses in, some mocking, some weeping. He falls under the weight. Simon of Cyrene is forced to help. Jesus meets His mother, whose heart breaks at the sight of her Son. Step by painful step, He makes His way to Calvary.
Fruit of the Mystery: Patience in Suffering
Jesus carried His cross without complaint, showing us how to bear our own sufferings. Ask for the grace to accept your daily crosses with patience and to unite them with Christ's saving work.
Pray: 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be, Fatima Prayer
The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion
Luke 23:33-46; John 19:25-30
"And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him... And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'... It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour... Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!' And having said this he breathed his last."
Meditation
Jesus is nailed to the cross and raised up between two criminals. For three hours He hangs in agony, gasping for each breath. He forgives His executioners, promises paradise to the repentant thief, and entrusts His mother to John. Finally, He cries out "It is finished" and gives up His spirit. The Son of God dies to give us life.
Fruit of the Mystery: Salvation / Final Perseverance
By His death, Jesus opened the gates of heaven. Ask for the grace of final perseverance—to remain faithful until death and to receive the salvation He won for us on the cross.
Pray: 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be, Fatima Prayer
Concluding Prayers
After the five decades, pray the Hail Holy Queen and the closing prayer.
Hail Holy Queen: Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope...