The Sorrowful Mysteries

(Tuesdays & Fridays)

1. Agony in the Garden
(Sorrow for Sin)

[Matthew 26:36-57] 36: Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsem'ane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go yonder and pray." 37: And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zeb'edee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38: Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." 39: And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." 40: And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41: Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42: Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, thy will be done." 43: And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44: So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. 45: Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46: Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand." 47: While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48: Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him." 49: And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Hail, Master!" And he kissed him. 50: Jesus said to him, "Friend, why are you here?" Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51: And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 52: Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53: Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54: But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" 55: At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56: But all this has taken place, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. 57: Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Ca'iaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.

[Mark 14:32-53] 32: And they went to a place which was called Gethsem'ane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I pray." 33: And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34: And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch." 35: And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36: And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt." 37: And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38: Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 39: And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40: And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer him. 41: And he came the third time, and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come; the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42: Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand." 43: And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44: Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him and lead him away under guard." 45: And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, "Master!" And he kissed him. 46: And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47: But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48: And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49: Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled." 50: And they all forsook him, and fled. 51: And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him, 52: but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. 53: And they led Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes were assembled.

[Luke 22:39-54] 39: And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40: And when he came to the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 41: And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42: "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." 45: And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46: and he said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation." 47: While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; 48: but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?" 49: And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" 50: And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51: But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. 52: Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53: When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." 54: Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house.

2. Scourging at the Pillar
(Purity)

[Matthew 27:15-26] 15: Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16: And they had then a notorious prisoner, called Barab'bas. 17: So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Barab'bas or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18: For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19: Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream." 20: Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people to ask for Barab'bas and destroy Jesus. 21: The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barab'bas." 22: Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified." 23: And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified." 24: So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25: And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" 26: Then he released for them Barab'bas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

[Mark 15:6-15] 6: Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7: And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barab'bas. 8: And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he was wont to do for them. 9: And he answered them, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" 10: For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11: But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barab'bas instead. 12: And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?" 13: And they cried out again, "Crucify him." 14: And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him." 15: So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barab'bas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

3. Crowning with Thorns
(Courage)

[Matthew 27:28-31] 28: And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, 29: and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30: And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31: And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

[Mark 15:16-20] 16: And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the praetorium); and they called together the whole battalion. 17: And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him. 18: And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 19: And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him. 20: And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

[John 19:1-20] 1: Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. 2: And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; 3: they came up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and struck him with their hands. 4: Pilate went out again, and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no crime in him." 5: So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!" 6: When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him." 7: The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God." 8: When Pilate heard these words, he was the more afraid; 9: he entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave no answer. 10: Pilate therefore said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" 11: Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin." 12: Upon this Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; every one who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar." 13: When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gab'batha. 14: Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" 15: They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

4. Carrying of the Cross
(Patience)

[Matthew 27:31-34] 31: And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32: As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyre'ne, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross. 33: And when they came to a place called Gol'gotha (which means the place of a skull), 34: they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

[John 19:16-22] 16: Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. 17: So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Gol'gotha. 18: There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19: Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." 20: Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21: The chief priests of the Jews then said to Pilate, "Do not write, `The King of the Jews,' but, `This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" 22: Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

5. The Crucifixion
(Perseverance)

[Matthew 27:38-54] 38: Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39: And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40: and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41: So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42: "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43: He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him; for he said, `I am the Son of God.'" 44: And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 45: Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46: And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" that is, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 47: And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "This man is calling Eli'jah." 48: And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink. 49: But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Eli'jah will come to save him." 50: And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51: And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; 52: the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53: and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54: When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe, and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

[Luke 23:33-49] 33: And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34: And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35: And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" 36: The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, 37: and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" 38: There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." 39: One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40: But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41: And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." 42: And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43: And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." 44: It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45: while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46: Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. 47: Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, and said, "Certainly this man was innocent!" 48: And all the multitudes who assembled to see the sight, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49: And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance and saw these things.

[John 19:23-30] 23: When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; 24: so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfil the scripture, "They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." 25: So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag'dalene. 26: When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" 27: Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. 28: After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), "I thirst." 29: A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30: When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.