The Sorrowful Mysteries - Meditations of Franciszek Blachnicki

The Agony in the Garden

Good prayer must have two qualities: first, it must be deeply humble and unpretentious. It must be based on the conviction that everything is grace, of which we are absolutely unworthy. The second quality is absolute submission to God's will, with a complete and sincere surrender of one's own will.

The Scourging at the Pillar

No human being can justly judge their neighbor, because only wasted graces are subject to judgment, and those are known to God alone. Do we know how much effort a neighbor puts into overcoming their flaws, or how deeply they grieve over their powerlessness? What remains for us is to constantly embrace everyone in love, just as they are. Recognizing our own powerlessness allows us to understand our neighbor.

The Crowning with Thorns

The greatest sin of us Christians, Catholics, members of the Mystical Body of Christ – the Church, is that each of us closes themselves off in their own small world, excludes from consciousness the affairs of the common good, the affairs of brothers and sisters, the Church, and the nation, thinking: ”let others worry about that.”

The Carrying of the Cross

The yoke that Jesus took upon Himself is us. He bears us gently and with humility, carrying our sins to the cross. Jesus can heal us in a single moment. And if He makes us wait, it is because we are then freed from the greatest temptation – self-satisfaction and rejecting Him. We must continually accept our weakness and rely anew on Jesus.

The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus

The greatest misfortune is not that we fall, but that we fail to pick ourselves up right away. Sins resulting from our weakness are in some way permitted by God's will, because the Lord expects us not to attempt to save ourselves on our own, but by believing in the power of His death, to draw upon His salvation through trust.