"And kneeling down He prayed." - "And being in an agony, He prayed the longer." - Luke 22:41,43
As we devoutly recite the first decade of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary, let us strive to conjure up in our minds the picture of Jesus praying! Try to see Him kneeling on the cold ground, His elbows resting on the hard dew-damped rock, His sacred hands folded in supplication, His upturned eyes gazing piteously towards heaven, His fevered lips moving in fervent prayer. It is night. He is praying alone. The pale beams of the moon pierce the foliage and fall upon His wan face, and disclose to us the agony He is enduring. His disciples are asleep; His friends have deserted Him; one, and only one true and loyal heart is beating in love and sympathy and suffering with His - the heart of His blessed Mother! Will not that picture aid us in our effort to recite with more than ordinary devotion this first decade of the sorrowful mysteries?
O come unto the Olive Grove
And see where Jesus kneels:
The anguish of His Sacred Heart,
A sweat of blood reveals.
To comfort Christ an angel came,
And brought his God relief;
We, too, by love and pray'r may try
To soothe His bitter grief.
Thursday - The Luminous Mysteries
Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And you, Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl the world for the ruin of souls. Amen. – Pope Leo XIII
To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation, and having implored the help of thy most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. Through that charity which bound thee to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which thou embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg thee to graciously regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with thy power and strength to aid us in our necessities. O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness; and, as once thou rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by thy constant protection, so that, supported by thy example and thy aid, we may be able to live piously, to die holy, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.
- text taken from The Rosary Devotions for Every Day by Father Mark J Smith, SJ, International Catholic Truth Society, 1924; audio is from Rosary Army