Thoughts on the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery and a great video clip

After a recent surgery and a longer-than-expected recovery, I am finally able to run again.  I used my Rosary Workouts, walking for a decade then running for a decade until I can run a full Rosary, about 2-2.5 miles for me.  Today, I was almost able to run all five decades.  The last decade was particularly challenging, but I was glad that I was praying the Sorrowful Mysteries.  My mild discomfort was certainly nothing compared to Jesus' intense suffering during the Crucifixion.  As I ran that last half mile, I wanted to meditate during each Hail Mary to distract myself from my aching feet and tired legs.  I decided to meditate on the Seven Last Words of Christ:

1. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do! (Luke 24:34)
2. This day thou shall be with me in Paradise. (Luke 24:43)
3. Woman, behold thy son.... Behold thy mother. (John 19:26, 27)
4. My God, My God! why have you forsaken me? (Matt 27:26; Mark 15:34)
5. I thirst! (John 19:28)
6. It is finished. (John 19:30)
7. Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit. (Luke 24:46) 

I still had 3 Hail Marys to go and wasn't sure how to continue my meditations.  A great idea popped into my head (Thank you, Holy Spirit!), and I contemplated the thoughts and emotions of the the three people who stood at the foot of the cross-- Mary Magdalene, John and the Blessed Mother.

Mary Magdalene was a very close friend of Jesus', so much so that He appeared to her shortly after He rose from the dead.  How she must have wept with grief!  When she looked at Jesus' pierced and bleeding feet, did she remember how she perfumed them with fragrant oil and dried them with her hair?

John was also one of Jesus' most beloved companions.  When he watched the soldier pierce Jesus' heart with a lance, did he remember how he leaned against Jesus' chest during the Last Supper when the Sacred Heart still beat strong?

Then, there's Mary, her heart pierced by a sword, her grief unimaginable.  Yet she, probably unlike the other two, knew that her beloved Son would soon rise and triumph over death, the very definition of bittersweet.

I slowed to a walk, having run further than I had intended.  The Rosary is a powerful tool for spiritual and physical strength!

Note:  I've just ordered this book of meditations on the Seven Last Words of Jesus from Magnificat magazine.  I just discovered it today in a google search.  It would have been nice to have for Lent, but I'm sure it will come in handy during future Holy Hours.

In case you didn't know, the month of May is devoted to the Blessed Mother.  Each year, a wonderful group of young people creates a video to honor Mary called "May Feelings."  This year's video is especially good. 

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