THIRTEENTH STATION
Jesus is taken down from the Cross and given to his Mother
Over the past few years whenever we come upon the season of Lent I always try to ask the Lord and what exactly is it that HE wants me to do for Lent. This is because a couple of years back there was a time I was doing so many devotions I was overwhelmed and exhausted. One day just before Lent a few years ago, when I was angsting over what else I should be doing, I was sitting in the chapel and suddenly the Lord told me to “stop it.” I was shocked. “Lord, you want me to STOP my devotions?” He replied, “you’re trying to earn my love but you already have it. You never lost it. Listen to me and I will guide your Lent.” I cried in thanksgiving, realizing once again that I was trying to save myself instead of letting Him be my Savior.
This began another turning point in my prayer. You see, I love Him so much I wanted to make all of these sacrifices, but I was doing it of my own accord, without consulting Him. That Lent became very fruitful for me because most of what I ended up doing (besides the Rosary which I commit to daily) was just sitting in the chapel talking to him. I let him guide my prayer. On certain days he would lead me to a particular devotion or scripture passage for that day, and other days we just sat; And He wrapped His arms around me. It was here in these intimate moments with my divine spouse that I felt the most revelation pour over me. I have noticed that many of us, myself included, who know the truths of the church and are actually trying to follow them, sometimes we do things out of fear instead of out of love and this fear brings about a spirit of control. This spirit will exhaust you and wear you out. Consult the Lord in all you do because this brings peace, not exhaustion. It also brings joy even and especially in the midst of the storm surrounding the church. The institutional church seems to be spiraling out of control with scandals and infighting, and yet, in the midst of it, I have never felt closer to God. This is because of surrender. I cannot control the scandals, nor punish for them, and so I just have to let go, pray, and trust. Jesus I trust in you. I feel 100% certain that God is a way better savior than me (lol). I will not lose my faith because of the scandal of men. I believe the Lord when He says;
Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,”says the Lord. Romans 12:19
This passage goes on to say;
Rather, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good. Romans 12:20-21
So who am I that I should doubt the Lord? I will continue to treat people with love (hopefully).
So here we are today, and I still just before starting Lent ask the Lord what He wants me to do. This Lent He wanted me to focus on the sorrows of His Mother, which I have spoken about before along with meditation on His Holy Face. The sorrows of His Mother who walked the path to Calvary with Him, this is a powerful devotion.
I have a peaceful place in my home where I go to pray:
I kneel in front of His Holy Face and I pray the Chaplet of Sorrows. Y’all can see the box of tissue on the floor, something I have needed quite a bit lately. This prayer has become immensely intense for me. I sometimes, in between each chaplet, cry and lament my sorrow to Christ and His Mother for the sins of the world. And Mary showed me something yesterday. She showed me herself standing at the foot of the Cross with John and the women. She showed me herself holding the Body of her Dead Son. She was saying a prayer. I recognized the prayer. “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of my dearly beloved Son, in atonement for their sins, and those of the whole world.” It was the prayer of mercy that Saint Faustina gave to us. It was as if she showed me she was the first to pray it, though she without sin, prayed it for us. She was making an offering of Him for us. In her humanity, in her pain, she still knew God’s plan was greater and she was offering for us because she was resting in the will of the Father. She shows us how. She made the offering for those who were immediately surrounding her, and for all of us. And Jesus, had given her to John just before He passed. A Priest at her side while Jesus made the perfect sacrifice, and she too offered Him for us. The way the church offers Him to us through the Priest at Mass. And it made me realize the church herself, because she is guided by the Holy Spirit, is resting in the will of the Father and the sins of men shall not prevail against her. And I wept.
Mary, our Mother, not only said yes to birthing Him, she said yes to giving Him back to the Father so we could be saved by Him. And I thought about the Mass and how I should want to offer all I have on the altar as well and how the church brings this opportunity to us. To give back to God what was His to begin with because by doing this it will help me love others the way that He does; the way that His Mother does. Myself, my spouse, my children, my home, my work, my finances, my fertility, they all belong to Him. None of it is mine. I should be making this offering on the altar too, placing all of that there, for His plan for all of it is greater than any plan of mine. Every single suffering and gift I have had, if I lay it on the altar and offer like Mary did, her son can bring resurrection to my life. I intellectually know this, but here with this devotion my heart was infused with this knowledge.
All of these devotions we have, they are connected to one another. The Chaplet of Sorrows connected me to Divine Mercy. The Sacred Heart, it is Divine Mercy. The Immaculate Heart brings us Divine Mercy. This is all linked to the Eucharistic Sacrifice. This Mercy wants to bring us everlasting life so give all of yourself at Mass, and no matter which devotion you do this Lent, make sure you let Him lead it because He will bring you Mercy, which brings you God’s peace.
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.
Veil of Veronica 
For the past couple of years, God has guided me to specific prayers and meditations for Lent. They come to me before Lent, and so from Ash Wednesday onwards, I have my Lent all set out, so to speak. But that didn’t happen this year. Almost every day this year, I have 48 hours of work crammed into 24 and that’s never a good way to listen out for God’s voice. No matter how much I banged at God’s door to hurry up and give me my Lent map, He continued to withhold it. Ash Wednesday came and went and still wasn’t sure what I was to do – until I bent my spirit in humility. Until I obeyed Him in some areas of my life.
Only then did God give me part of my map for Lent. I can sense I don’t have all of it and I was a little piqued about it. Then, I came here today, Susan, and found, Spirit of control. Exhaustion. Angst. Jesus, I trust in You. Let God lead your Lent.
They answer all my questions.
God Bless you Caitlynnegrace. Maybe he didn’t give you the map because he just wants you to rest with Him.
I think you’re right, Susan. It never occurred to me that Lent might be a time to rest. But it does make sense – I am awfully tired 😀 😀
I think resting in the Lord is actually where He wants all of us.
Susan…I agree…rest.be,listen to Him.I have come to this.Adoration is the best spot.just be and let Him love you and you return His Love back to Him.
As a mother of a grown daughter, I always long for times she can just spend with me … they are, unfortunately few and far between.
Imagine Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, wanting us to visit Him and keep Him company.
Amen.
There have been only a handful of times that I truly believe our Lord clearly answered me when I asked him for his help and guidance. Most times however I have so much trouble discerning what I should be doing and I don’t ‘hear’ his voice. I feel as if I’m deaf and not knowing how to approach him in a manner where other people say they sit in his presence, in his peace…I want to be able to experience this relationship. Pray for me.
It took me some time to start discerning what God was saying. Saint Paul tells us to take captive every thought. I started paying attention to my thoughts and asking where it was coming from. Both God and the enemy will try to speak to you though the enemy screams at you. Those negative thoughts that make you feel unloved, they are not God’s words. At the advice of my Spiritual Director I would go to the chapel and read scripture and pray, and then also just sit and talk to God. I would then record what popped in my head as a letter from God. Sometimes what popped in my head was lines from a song, sometimes from scripture, sometimes other things people said to me, sometimes an image. When I started to string together these thoughts it was usually a beautiful loving letter from God. I knew if it adhered to scripture and what the magisterium teaches then it was mostly likely from God. If it strayed from those teachings it wasn’t. Over time it became easier to discern. It’s a process God walks with us and it takes time. God loves you exactly where you are right now. God loves you no matter what. Just take some time to be silent with Him and listen. Sometimes God is silent because no matter what we choose He can bless it, and it’s in the silence when he wraps himself around us most. Don’t be mad, frustrated or impatient with where you are, just hand all of it to God and ask Him to work with you, and then PAY ATTENTION to your thoughts. And ask where they are coming from. The enemy will try to convince you that you’re worthless and that God couldn’t love you. Know that that is a LIE. I will definitely pray for you.
That was so beautiful, Susan, and so true.
Bobby,
God uses each person, as His body, for His purpose. Some are movers and shakers, others just do the mundane things in life with perfect love. But BOTH are accomplishing His will. A tree and a lion, though totally different in action, do the perfect will of God. For you and me, we live the mundane but Jesus said “Blessed are they we have not seen but still believe”. (John 20:29). We accomplish the will of God in unseen ways but, with great love, accomplish tremendous but hidden things for the Kingdom.
Even St Pio admitted that he was an enigma to himself. Though accomplishing great and lofty things, he still was not given a complete understanding of the awesome works of God He wrought through his hands. So be cheerful in your ignorance of how God is using you. We are all simpletons under His great light as if a hand could know what the mind is thinking!
So, as part of the body of Christ, be glad to be of service and you will grow in love and holiness even if just a simple tree standing still and unmoving for your part of the whole body for even the smallest tree can bear good fruit.
Amen.
Thank you both for your responses. They were very helpful and it gives me a place start. Sometimes I think I take on more upon myself in trying to do his will than what God expects me to at this time. I know I do not have to merit His love and that it’s a fait accompli because of who God is, our Father. I think my greatest fear is being complacent in my Faith and because of that I want to do too much thinking myself capable…yes…it’s pride I know. I will take your advice and start from scratch and see where it leads. Thank you again.
God Bless you!
This was so profound! May God continue to bless you eternally!
You too!
Susan, would you please post the Chaplet of Sorrows for us ? Much love and many blessings, in Her Sorrowful, Immaculate Heart…
To St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), Our Lady directly reveals the amazing graces granted by her Son for all those who daily pray seven Hail Mary’s while meditating on her seven dolors and tears:
1. “I will grant peace to their families.”
2. “They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries.”
3. “I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”
4. “I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.”
5. “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”
6. “I will visibly help them at the moment of their death—they will see the face of their mother.”
7. “I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.” Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
Begin with An Act of Contrition:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell;
but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
Amen.
The First Sorrow of Mary – The Prophecy of Simeon
Reading Luke 2:22-35.
When Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus in the temple forty days after his birth, Simeon received the Divine Child in his arms and praised God. He predicted that a “sword” (of sorrow) would pierce Mary’s soul.
Pray one Our Father
Pray Seven Hail Marys
The Second Sorrow -The Flight into Egypt
Reading: Matthew 2:13-15.
When King Herod ordered the death of all male children age two or younger, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt with the infant Jesus. The journey was a dangerous one and comforts were none. Instead of asking her son for a miracle, she knew it was the will of God and they lived in Egypt for seven years – strangers in a foreign land.
Pray one Our Father
Pray Seven Hail Marys
The Third Sorrow -The Child Jesus Lost in the Temple
Reading: Luke 2: 41-50.
When Jesus was twelve years old, he went with his parents to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. After losing the child Jesus on the return journey, Mary and Joseph searched for Him with agonizing sorrow for three days, finding Him at last in the temple.
Pray one Our Father
Pray Seven Hail Marys
The Fourth Sorrow – Mary meets Jesus carrying the cross
Reading: Luke 23: 27-29.
As Jesus made His way to Calvary, condemned to crucifixion, he met His dear mother. He was bruised, derided, cursed and defiled and her sorrow was absolute as Jesus dragged His own cross up the hill of His crucifixion.
Pray one Our Father
Pray Seven Hail Marys
The Fifth Sorrow – Mary at the foot of the cross
Reading: John 19: 25-30.
Mary stood at the foot of the Cross near her dying Son unable to minister to him as He cried out “I thirst.” She heard Him promise heaven to a thief and forgive His enemies. Mary watched her Son die a shameful death after three hours of pain on the Cross. She was devastated with grief and pain. Truly her heart has been pierced with a sword.
Pray one Our Father
Pray Seven Hail Marys
The Sixth Sorrow -Mary receives the body of Jesus
Reading: Psalm 130.
Jesus was taken down from the cross and His body placed in Mary’s arms. The passion and death are over, but for His mother, grief continues. Just as in the days of Bethlehem, she held him close to her heart but now His flesh was torn to pieces, gaping wounds covered His body, and the blood completely disfigured His adorable countenance! Mary herself was transfixed with such a sword of sorrow that her relatives and friends feared she would die of grief then and there. All who looked at the Mother of God in her sorrow were
stricken with ardent love and compassion.
Pray one Our Father
Pray Seven Hail Marys
The Seventh Sorrow – Mary witnesses the burial of Jesus
Reading: Luke 23: 50-56.
Mary wrapped the body of Jesus in the Holy Shroud which covered His Bloody wounds. The body of Jesus was laid in the tomb. As she bid farewell to her Son, her heart suffered so much anguish and grief.
Pray one Our Father
Pray Seven Hail Marys
Conclusion
Recite Three Haily Marys in remembrance of the tears shed by Our Blessed Mother. These are said to obtain true sorrow for our sins.
V. Pray for us, O most sorrowful Virgin.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of Thy passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favor, O Saviour of the world, Who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, forever and ever. Amen
Virgin Most Sorrowful, Pray for Us – Say 3 times.
This was posted in my blog post called “At the foot of the Cross.”