Ponder and Magnify: A Rosary Podcast

S1, E16 - The Rosary with Meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries, Week 5

• John and Jessica Helling • Season 1 • Episode 16

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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. We made it to week five of season one. This will officially be our last recording of the Sorrowful Mysteries with Imaginative Meditations for this season, so I hope you enjoy. I hope it's meaningful for you. Come, holy Spirit, just like the previous weeks, you'll be given something to imagine with each decade, each mystery that we're praying, but please follow the Holy Spirit's prompting if you're led to something different. Let's take a second to prepare ourselves for prayer. What are your joys in this moment? What sorrows feel heavy right now? Do you have any fears? What are you desiring right now? Who do you wish to pray for? Pause, as you need to really collect yourself, to bring your whole self to prayer 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 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. Though in deep agony, Jesus speaks with such trust in the Father, ready to let go of control completely. It is very difficult to simply will ourselves to trust more. Instead, it can be helpful to reflect back on where God has proved himself trustworthy before.

Jessica:

As we pray this decade, imagine a past suffering that you have experienced. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where Jesus was in your moment of greatest suffering. Maybe he was working through someone around you. Maybe he was there beside you, invisibly, attending to your heart. Maybe he was holding you, crying with you. Maybe he was present, protecting you from a further suffering you have not considered. Or maybe it is something entirely different from all of these. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you imagine how Jesus was attentive to you in a moment of previous suffering, and allow this to turn your heart to greater trust in the Lord. 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 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. Amen.

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. Pilate offered to give the crowd Jesus, the only thing that could truly satisfy all the longing of their hearts and bring them fullness of life. Yet the crowd considered something else to be better by their own estimations and preferred that.

Jessica:

Consider that at every single moment, the Father is offering to us the possibility for fullness of life through Jesus, through union with him, and how often we reject it for the sake of other things that seem better to us in a given moment. As you pray this decade, imagine yourself before Jesus, who is reaching out to you with such eagerness. He is unfazed by your past rejections as he relentlessly reaches to you. Now look down into your own arms, where you cling to all of those things that bring you a sense of temporary happiness. What do you need to set down in order to reach back out to Jesus and have your hand meet his? 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.

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. 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, amen. 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 hail, king of the Jews, and kept 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. Perhaps from a distance, if you saw the soldiers saluting Jesus and kneeling down before him and nothing else, you might think that the soldiers were worshipping him, but their hearts were elsewhere. We can be like the soldiers in this way, going through the motions of worshiping and serving the Lord without our hearts fully behind it, as we look for satisfaction elsewhere or cling to control and try to assert our own plans. As you pray this decade, ask the Holy Spirit to help you see if there are any areas of your life that you are resisting giving over to the Lord. See Jesus before you in his crown of thorns, with arms outstretched, inviting you to offer this over to him. He is not deterred, disappointed or disgusted by whatever it is you are holding on to. Hear his invitation, "Come, let me breathe new life into this for you. When you hand it over to him in surrender, you offer him true worship. If you are not able to hand it over yet, just stay next to him and trust in his loving patience with 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. 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, amen. 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 in 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. Imagine the soldiers growing impatience with Jesus as he struggled to carry his cross. They grabbed Simon to help carry the cross in order to speed things along. Consider where in your life you might be experiencing an impatience with someone as they carry their cross. We can become especially impatient if this suffering has seemed long with little change, or if the suffering causes the person to behave in ways we do not like. As we pray this decade, imagine this person carrying their cross on their back, as Jesus did. See how their legs shake beneath the weight of their cross as they try to walk. See how they are laboring to breathe as they move beneath this cross. Now see Jesus there. How does he participate in this scene? 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 the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said "I thirst. Jesus hung from his cross in complete service to humanity, without any bitterness or frustration over the suffering he had undergone for us. Consider how many opportunities in a given day you are given to be in service to another, whether it be a family member, a friend, a co-worker or a stranger. How easy it is to become annoyed by such opportunities. And yet, when we look to Jesus hanging on the cross, we realize Jesus does not invite us to something that he has not already done himself. He goes before us in every small daily death to self that we are invited to. Consider a recent interaction you had with someone where assisting this person felt like a chore rather than a joy. As we pray, imagine Jesus present in this moment. Feel his gentleness with you as you revisit it together. Instead of speaking to you, he simply extends his hand over your heart and fills it with his love for this person. Feel your heart throb and overflow in a new way. He is allowing you to feel a small glimpse of what he felt from the cross. 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. Amen 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, the 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, while 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 the gift of this rosary. Please count on my continued prayers for you and please, please, pray for us. What a gift this is. Praise be to God.