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Rediscover the Rosary – Sorrowful Mysteries: The Scourging at the Pillar

While we each have an overwhelming desire to be treated as a unique human being, we often ignore other people’s humanity and treat them according to the function they play in our lives. Do you treat the person who serves you at a restaurant as a person or as a server? Ever wonder what is going on in that person’s life? His grades might be suffering because he has to work so many hours just to pay for school and doesn’t have enough time to study. She might have just had a miscarriage. He might have just found out that his dad has cancer. But most of all, like we all do from time to time, she might just

be having a bad day for no particular reason.

Today: Consider this: Who is the one person you have loved more than any other in your life? Jesus loved the man who scourged him more than that. Jesus loved that man more than you and I have ever loved anyone.

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Rediscover the Rosary – Sorrowful Mysteries: The Crowning with Thorns

The world believes that suffering is meaningless and should be avoided at all costs. God believes that suffering has value. There is a whole continuum of suffering. At one end you have something as common as inconvenience. At the other end you have something as horrible as the death of a child. By going deep into the smaller forms rather than running from them, by embracing the lesser forms of unavoidable suffering, we allow this hideous aspect of life to strengthen our will so we can choose what is good, true, and

right in the moments of our lives—but this spiritual practice of embracing suffering prepares us for greater suffering that may be in our future.

Today: Put it all together! Pray the full Rosary today.

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Rediscover the Rosary – Sorrowful Mysteries: The Carrying of the Cross

The Scriptures invite us deeper and deeper into every story each time we read or ponder them. Let’s consider Judas for a moment. Is he just the villain of the Gospel? Have you ever learned anything from him? Have you ever considered it from his point of view? Are you like Judas in any way? Every sin leaves behind so many unanswered questions. Whatever the reason Judas betrayed Jesus and broke his heart.

Today: The Scriptures invite us deeper and deeper into every story each time we read or ponder them. Reflect on Judas’s story today. Is he just the villain of the Gospel? Have you ever learned anything from him? Have you ever considered it from his point of view? Are you like Judas in any way?

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Rediscover the Rosary – Sorrowful Mysteries: The Crucifixion of Jesus

What was Jesus hoping to achieve by dying on the cross? What were the dreams that gave him courage and the perseverance to go through with it? I suspect his hopes and dreams were many and beautiful. Let’s consider one. He hoped his life and death would change what people placed at the center of their lives.

Today: As you pray the Rosary today, reflect on what is at the center of your life. Is it Jesus, or something else?

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Rediscover the Rosary – Glorious Mysteries: The Resurrection

God does his greatest work in the midst of our greatest darkness. It is when our hearts are broken that God does some of his best work. They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn, and it is in these darkest hours that God is often preparing to do his greatest work.

Today: Spend time in the classroom of silence reflecting on these questions: What part of your life needs resurrecting today? Are you attached to the dysfunction and self-destruction? Or do you want Jesus to resurrect that part of your life?

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Rediscover the Rosary – Glorious Mysteries: The Ascension

What does it mean to ascend? It means to rise. Christians are called and challenged every day to ascend above situations. The opposite of ascend is descend. The world encourages us to descend into the-worst-version-of-ourselves. But every day we are called to ascend and become the-very-best-version-of-ourselves.

Today: As you pray the Rosary, place yourself there with the disciples as Jesus bids them farewell and sends them out to change the world.

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Rediscover the Rosary – Glorious Mysteries: Pentecost

We all need what I like to call a Pentecost Moment, that moment when things finally click into place and the genius of Catholicism makes sense to us. But our transformation doesn’t occur in a single moment. That is just the beginning, the jolt that gets us to see that we are sleepwalking through life and awakens us to all the possibilities. Now we need daily conversion to chase the selfishness from our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls. But we

resist this ongoing transformation into the-very-best-version-of-ourselves. We resist the very things that will make us happy. This is the great paradox of our lives.

Today: Reflect on what is holding you back from surrendering once and for all to God. What are you afraid of?

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Rediscover the Rosary – Glorious Mysteries: The Assumption

What’s keeping you from just giving everything to God? It’s hard to do when you are still in love with your sins, when you are obsessed with what other people think about you, when you like to be the one in control. Are you ready to surrender once and for all to God? How would your life be different if you did?

Today: Pray the Rosary and focus on how you can surrender to God.

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Rediscover the Rosary – Glorious Mysteries: The Crowning of Mary Queen of Heaven

God invites us to look at everything in the context of eternity. Context is a beautiful thing, because it shows us the true value of things. A billionaire cares little about his money if his five-year-old son has cancer. That’s context. When the doctor tells you that you have only six months to live, you very quickly develop clarity around what matters most and what matters least. That’s context. Context gives us the clarity we need to make great decisions.

Today: Consider these questions: Are you more passionate and enthusiastic about the things of this world or the things of the next world? Are you more passionate about accumulating things in this world than about caring for the less fortunate, relieving the suffering of the poor, and working to eradicate injustice?