[ Recite 1 Our Father - 10 Hail Marys - 1 Glory be to the Father ]

You loved me enough, dear Jesus, to take upon Your bleeding shoulders the wood of Your Cross. My love for You is wanting for I find physical pain difficult to bear, sorrow oppressive and tragedies cruel.

You have asked that I take whatever the Father permits in my life and follow in Your footsteps, and yet I often think the Cross was meant only for You and not for me.

I thought Redemption meant freedom from pain, but I know now, as I see this heavy beam on Your back, that Your Redeeming Cross gave value to my pain. Your footsteps in the coarse ground cushioned the path for my feet. Your Cross cut a ridge in the earth for my cross to rest in.Your Presence cleared the air of hopelessness and showed me the way. Your acceptance took away the curse and bestowed a blessing.

Help me, my Jesus, to carry my cross with joy, ever keeping my eyes on the Father's Will. Grant that I may not waste time deciding which cross comes from You and which comes from my neighbor. Let me accept all from You, realizing that some crosses correct me, some release me, some prevent me from a life of sin, others are redemptive, and still others lead to repentance.

May our cross be one cross, dear Jesus, that together we may glorify the Father and save souls.


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