A Sunday Thought About the Holy Cross, The Seven Dolors, and the Agony in the Garden

Monday we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The day after comes the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary (also known as the Seven "Dolors" of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

Most of us have an idea of what Our Lord suffered on His Cross. As for the Seven Sorrows of the BVM, in case you need refreshing:

1. The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
2. The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
3. Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
4. Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
6. The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
7. The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)

Today, Sunday, might be a good day to spend some time thinking about these two special feasts. It will help us prepare for them and not let them slip by in the course of a busy week.

As we do, we might also recall Our Lord's Agony in the Garden. We might think of it as the time Our Lord "prepared" for His Passion. He did that. But we should remember too that it was, in every sense, the beginning of His Passion - the first step on His way to Calvary.

Here's something written by Fr. Daniel Considine, S.J. to help us deeply appreciate the suffering Our Lord experienced that night after the Last Supper:

“Our Lord’s agony was an anticipation of suffering: specially helpful in these days so full of subjective troubles. ‘My soul is sorrowful even unto death.’ A sadness of itself such as to produce death. His soul, generally in such peace and calm, was taken possession of by a suffering that was enough to take His life. What was the cause? The knowledge, the anticipation of His Passion. ‘He began to fear and to be heavy’ – a sickness of heart – agony – fear. Jesus was mortally sad. This fact ought to be of the greatest comfort and consolation to us. To find a parallel to our sufferings in the Blessed Son of God! It is a lifelong asset of consolation that can’t be prized too highly. If that most perfect soul of our Lord could, without grossest injustice, be so dimmed by sadness that there and then the soul might have parted from the body, what right have you or I to think our lot hard? Whatever our trial is, this thought ought to follow us all day, whether our trouble be physical or mental. When I am sad, I am undergoing the same experience as my Lord and Master. Much less is it wrong that I should undergo this sadness. It is the very best proof of love I can give Him, and if it knits me nearer to Him, I ought to look upon it as a gift from God. There are so many of us over whose life hangs a continual shadow. Our lives wrecked – everything gone wrong – got myself into such a mess – impossible that I can do anything for God. Jesus, in that mortal sadness, showed the depth of His love for us more than at any other time.”

As you can see, not only can we appreciate what Our Lord experienced, but we can learn a lesson about ourselves as well. Fr. Considine's reference to "these days so full of subjective troubles" springs from an understanding that technology and modern medicine have minimized many of the physical ills that plagued us for centuries - only to be replaced by an increase in psychological and emotional ills. And with this increase, many of us can slip into a kind of "woe is me" state of mind and heart. 

If you've been awake this past half century or so, you've seen the raw nerves that rattle so many people's emotional lives. Surely, you've witnessed or been subjected to the "drama" so many act out. You've seen the emergence of "snowflakes" who, when push comes to shove, simply can't deal with reality. Have you also experienced the legion of men, woman, and children offended by nothing more than mere thoughts and words exchanged in social media?

In addition to emotional ills, let's not forget the mental challenges displayed by recent generations. Ill-educated, propagandized, "socialized" and dumbed-down, so much of our younger population lacks any ability to think clearly and critically. They're easily swayed by emotions, led by the nose into self-destructive lifestyles. Could so many adults under 40 openly espouse socialism as the cure-all for our economic and social ills if they had an ounce of common sense and the ability to know and understand the unhappy state of societies that embraced socialism? Maybe worse, who would have imagined a mere 50 years ago the sort of sexualized and vulgar entertainment that further sucks out the brains and hearts of so many of us?

Anyway, we're a mental and emotional mess, aren't we?

Despite all this, Jesus remains Our Savior. And meditating on His Agony in the Garden, we find in Him someone Who understands whatever it might be that ails us at any given moment.

So instead of getting wrapped up in ourselves and our problems - physical, mental, emotional - turn instead to Him. Ask for the grace to get outside yourself. Shed your sensitive skin and put on Christ.

Something to think about on this Sunday.

Happy Sunday!