Mary's Way of The Cross 4 of 5

Beads of Joy 03-25-10

Mary's Way of The Cross (4 of 5)
©2010 James Dacey, Jr. SFO

Lent 2010 - Day 37
Hello Everyone,

This has been a very long week of tears. The journey we call the Stations of The Cross continues today with our dear mother by our side. The pain she must be experiencing just seems to be worse each step we take. Every station bears a new challenge for all of us. Her Son, our Lord is being beaten to death as he walks. Why doesn't anyone step in and defend Him, I keep asking myself that as I follow. Jesus healed and cured so many, did He not have so many followers that no one should have been able to touch Him. I know He had to die to save us, but seeing Him suffer so greatly just eats away at my insides. I can't help but cry so much as I witness the violence of my sins taken upon Him. He is almost dead and yet they keep hitting Him, they keep kicking Him , why oh why don't they let Him have any dignity at all, is this world that cruel? Or is it that our sins are that cruel? I know it's our sinfulness that has killed Him, He had to take upon Himself our wrongs so that he can make them right before God. I pray for strength as we continue.

10th Station - Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

Think about this: Now they further humiliate Him. Not only have they beaten Him almost to death, and His skin is all teared apart. Now they rip off his garments pulling with it skin and scabs and making Him suffer the humiliation of being made bare before everyone.

Mother Mary: Oh Mother.. Why do they keep offending your Son? Why don't they leave His clothes on, they refuse to allow Him to have any dignity at all even in His death. Why are they so cruel to Him. Hasn't even one solider come to know Jesus for who He is, why won't he step forward and at least defend His dignity as He gets closer to His death. Oh mother, now we can see the rest of His torn body, Jesus has so many cuts and tears all over Him. His body is covered in blood top to bottom. I can see many places pouring and pumping out blood. STOP !!!!!!!!!!!!! Please stop, you are killing my Lord, I can't take this anymore, I stand here and watch those who hate Him, kill Him, with no conscience or concern for Him. STOP !!!!!!!!!! Do you soldiers not have a single spec of conscience for what you are doing? Why must you humiliate such an loving, caring Savior? Why must you offend Him before everyone? Haven't you offended Him enough? Please STOP. At least allow Him to die with some sort of dignity. He has healed and cured so many, why are you treating Him like this? Please mother help me to understand, I see your tears, I know you are crying inside, please help me embrace His will like you have.

-Our Father... -Hail Mary... -Glory Be...


11th Station - Jesus is Nailed to The Cross

Think about this: After this very long walk, Jesus' body is all torn apart, He is bleeding horribly and His garments have been removed. Now the soldiers stretch out His arms and nail Him to the cross.

Mother Mary: Oh No Mother !! I knew that this would come to this. OH NO, PLEASE DON'T !!! I can't watch this, there are three soldiers holding hammers and long nails. They are going to nail His hands to the ends of the cross and His feet at the bottom. STOP, OH PLEASE !!!!!!, you are killing Him. I know, I know, He has to do this in order to defeat death for us, but Lord, they are so cruel to You. Your body is all teared apart, blood is everywhere. Blood is even squirting out as they hammer your body to the cross. Lord please help me to understand, even more so then I already do. Please mother stay with me throughout my life, so that I to can be strong like you. Mother you are crying even more now than before. Oh mother, please tell me what you are feeling. How can I comfort you? How can I show you how much I care about you and your Son? Mother you are the closest to Jesus, the blood that flowed through your body, flows through His. The blood we see now splattered all over throughout this walk is part of you. Your suffering must be so deep, so painful. But why are you crying? I know what you're saying. These tears are of Joy knowing that He is about to defeat death for all of us. And by following Him, I am comforting you. Thank You Mother.

-Our Father... -Hail Mary... -Glory Be...


12th Station - Jesus Dies on The Cross

Think about this: It is finished ! Jesus has died upon the cross, the cross He carried, the cross He is nailed to, the cross His blood is covered in. The defeat of death is near.

Mother Mary: I know mother even though we know He is about to defeat death, we can't help but cry for Him. We knew He was going to die at the end of all this. We knew that after bleeding as much as He did, that it wouldn't take much for Him to die. We also knew that He had to die, but mother all of us are crying even more. I think the reality of His death is here now for all to see. We can plainly see His limp body, having been drained of the blood and water by the solider, that He is indeed dead. Oh mother, why, why, why, wasn't there some other way that God could have done this? God sent us His only Son, someone so many have fallen in love with, someone who cared so much about us. And those who hated Him killed Him before us. We must stand strong together now, we must wait for His return. Jesus promised that in three days, he'd rebuild the temple. We know He is coming back, our tears turn into tears of Joy now. We are crying, but we are crying knowing that He will rise and defeat death, and death will never ever have a hold on any of us ever again.

-Our Father... -Hail Mary... -Glory Be...


This Weeks Challenge: Meditate on the Stations with our dear sweet Blessed Mother. Think of how she must have felt as a mother.


Your brother in Christ Jesus & His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr SFO