December 15, 2023, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries) | Prayer for Peace

Friends of the Rosary:

While imprisoned and tortured in a small Carmelite monastery's dungeon in Toledo, Spain, the 16th-century mystic Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591) wrote poetry filled with love and joy.

He vividly described the soul's journey from dark night to mystical union with the Absolute Being.

Saint John of the Cross endured much suffering, often at the hands of other Catholic prelates. It deepened his devotion to Christ's Passion.

He faced humiliation, suspicion, and mistreatment. His response was to embrace the crucifix and break a dependence on the things of this world.

When asked by Christ what reward he desired for his work, John famously replied, 'To suffer and be despised for Thee.'

Only at life's end, after years of unjust suffering, was he recognized as a holy man.

Saint John's life exemplifies that humiliation is often the path of the Cross. True endurance of life's hardships is possible only in communion with Christ Jesus.

Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!
St. John of the Cross, Pray for Us!

To Jesus through Mary!

+ Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

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