Ponder and Magnify: A Rosary Podcast

S1, E13 - The Rosary with Meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries, Week 4

• John and Jessica Helling • Season 1 • Episode 13

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The mission of the Ponder and Magnify Podcast is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. Tune in to join us in praying the Rosary with meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries intended to engage your imagination as you pray! Praise be to God!

Jessica:

Hello and welcome to the Ponder and Magnify podcast, where our mission is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the Rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. I am so happy that you are here. Today, we're going to be praying the Rosary while meditating on the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. Before each decade, you'll be given something to imagine related to the mystery that we're praying. However, if the Holy Spirit leads your imagination to something different, follow whatever He leads you to think about. Before we start, I also just want to encourage you to take a moment and pause and reflect on what you're bringing to prayer. What are your joys in this moment? What is weighing heavy on you right now? Do you have anything that you currently fear? What are you desiring? Who do you wish to pray for? Pause, as you need to really take the time to bring this all to the forefront of your mind. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen, Jesus, we ask you to speak directly into our present circumstances. Mary, thank you for praying with us and for us. Now, Holy Spirit, please anoint the gift of our imagination so that we might come to encounter Jesus more deeply through it. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen, Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen For an increase in faith. Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen For an increase in hope. Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen For an increase in love. Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen, glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen, o my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy, amen.

Jessica:

The first sorrowful mystery is the agony in the garden, a reading from the Gospel of Mark. Jesus said Abba, father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will, but what you will. While Jesus was experiencing this great agony in the garden, scripture tells us that His disciples could not stay awake to attend to Him. At a surface level, Jesus appeared to be in agony and completely alone and yet, through prayer, Jesus experienced a deep, sustaining union with the Father. The Father suffered greatly at Jesus' agony, as a loving Father suffers when their own child is in pain. Though the Father would not interfere with the freedom of humanity to reject Jesus and crucify him, the Father attended to Jesus at every moment, fortifying and armoring him with everything He needed, continually reminding him of the restoration to come. Jesus' suffering would not be in vain and it would not be the end.

Jessica:

As we pray this decade, consider that in every given moment, there are realities beyond what the eye can see. As you are now, imagine the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary and your guardian angel all around you. Try to imagine where they all are positioned around you and how they are attending to you. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Jessica:

Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen, o my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.

Jessica:

The second sorrowful mystery is the scourging at the pillar, a reading from the Gospel of John. Pilate said to Jesus what is truth? When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them I find no guilt in him, but you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? They cried out again Not this one, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged While the crowd urged on Jesus' scourging and crucifixion, Pilate would perhaps have been anguished to see whom he considered to be an innocent man suffer. Pilate could see that Jesus was innocent, while the crowd could not, because Pilate went directly to the source of truth to ask what is truth.

Jessica:

Bring to mind a circumstance of your life right now that feels muddled.

Jessica:

Perhaps you do not know how to feel about something within this circumstance or how you should act.

Jessica:

Imagine yourself eye to eye with Jesus. See the lines around his eyes move as he smiles when he receives your glance. Tell him about your circumstance. Even though He already knows every detail, He delights in hearing it from you. Ask Him to share with you how He sees it. As He is talking, notice how, swirling all around you are, things competing with Jesus trying to offer you a false truth about the situation. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Allow Mary to wrap her mantle around you and Jesus as you receive from Him, so she can block out all that is competing with His voice. Make every effort to look into his eyes and hear His voice, knowing that the Holy Spirit will be your aid.

Jessica:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Jessica:

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen, hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee.

Jessica:

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Jessica:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen, glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen, o my Jesus. Forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy, amen.

Jessica:

The third sorrowful mystery is the crowning with thorns, a reading from the Gospel of Mark. The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort. They clothed Him in purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on Him. They began to salute him with, "Striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him, they knelt before him in homage and when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes and led him out to crucify him. It was misunderstanding that led the soldiers to mock Jesus. The soldiers assumed they understood all of Jesus' internal inner workings and all the motivations behind his behaviors. In their assumptions, they considered themselves justified to treat Jesus the way they did.

Jessica:

Consider the person that challenges you most in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you how you have made assumptions about their motivations in order to make sense of their behaviors. As we pray this decade, imagine yourself conversing with Jesus about this person who challenges you. Ask Jesus for his perspective on the person's behaviors. See how Jesus is ready to defend you and protect you from all that is unjust and, at the same time, help you to consider the wounds in the other that underlie their behaviors.

Jessica:

Jesus wishes for you to live in the freedom that comes with releasing your assumptions, so that you may be saved from acting like the soldiers.

Jessica:

How great is his love for you.

Jessica:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Jessica:

Thy kingdom come.

Jessica:

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jessica:

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Jessica:

Amen Hail Mary, full of grace.

Jessica:

The Lord is with thee.

Jessica:

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, jesus.

Jessica:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Jessica:

Amen Hail Mary, full of grace.

Jessica:

The Lord is with thee.

Jessica:

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Jessica:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Jessica:

Amen Hail Mary, full of grace.

Jessica:

The Lord is with thee.

Jessica:

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Jessica:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Jessica:

Amen Hail Mary, full of grace.

Jessica:

The Lord is with thee.

Jessica:

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, jesus.

Jessica:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Jessica:

Amen Hail Mary, full of grace.

Jessica:

The Lord is with thee.

Jessica:

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.

Jessica:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Jessica:

Amen Hail Mary, full of grace.

Jessica:

The Lord is with thee.

Jessica:

Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Jessica:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Jessica:

Amen Hail Mary, full of grace.

Jessica:

The Lord is with thee.

Jessica:

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Jessica:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Jessica:

Amen Hail Mary, full of grace.

Jessica:

The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. The fourth sorrowful mystery is the carrying of the cross. A reading from the Gospel of Mark. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes and led him out to crucify him. They pressed into service a passerby, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. They brought him to the place of Golgotha, which is translated place of the skull. They gave Him wine drugged with myrrh, but He did not take it. Realize that, being fully God, Jesus possessed the power to end his suffering in an instant, and yet he subjected his power to those who were trying to kill him, allowing them to have power over Him. At the very least, Jesus could have taken the wine drugged with myrrh to dull his pain, but He refused. Jesus was not interested in escaping his suffering. He did not like the pain, but he saw it as an opportunity to make an offering for the sanctification and salvation of souls. His desire for the good of others was greater than his desire for comfort for himself. As you pray this decade, consider the cross you've been given to carry at this time. God wishes to begin to redeem this cross with an invitation to use this suffering as an offering for your intentions. Imagine yourself talking with Jesus about how to form an intention for your suffering based on the desires of your heart at present. Allow Him to help you assign a purpose to your suffering and the intention you come up with together, so that you can suffer with confidence that the pain you feel is not in vain. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen, o my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. The fifth sorrowful mystery is the crucifixion, a reading from the Gospel of John Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there, whom he loved. He said to his mother Woman, behold your son. Then he said to the disciple Behold your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished in order that scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said I thirst Woman, behold your son. Jesus was directing Mary's attention to the Apostle John, giving Mary permission to see John and relate to him in the same way she saw Jesus and related to Jesus. John was not meant to replace Jesus for Mary, but to give her an opportunity to grow and extend and multiply her maternal love. Jesus claims every soul as part of his body. So in loving John, Mary experienced the satisfaction of loving Jesus himself. Consider that Jesus claims you, too, as part of his body. Whether or not you reject this notion, this is how Mary sees you. You are precious to her as Jesus is precious to her. She loves you because He loves you. As we pray this decade, imagine Mary tenderly mothering you in the way that brings you the most consolation in this moment. Maybe she is before you, ready to receive all that you need to talk about. Maybe she's holding you as you cry, gently brushing the hair from your face. Maybe she is taking the time to just be with you as you two do an activity together that you love. Maybe she is rocking you, reassuring you of how wonderful you are. Whatever image feels right, allow it to reveal to you how deeply you are loved by God, our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen, hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Holy Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen, hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen, glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen, o, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry poor, banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping. In this valley of tears, turn then, most gracious, advocate thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O Clement, o, loving O Sweet Virgin Mary, pray for us, o Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life. Grant we beseech thee that, by meditating on these mysteries of the most holy rosary of the blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for this time of shared prayer. Count on my continued prayers and please, please, keep praying for us. We're feeling the fruits of those prayers. So thank you so much. Praise be to God.