I think it was Anne Catherine Emmerich who said that it was Veronica, a friend to the holy family, that provided meals and shelter to Jesus during his days at the temple. She was said to have lived nearby and cared for him as a mother would.
So interesting, I never knew this. Little did Veronica know that she would be helping Jesus once again by offering her veil to Him on His way to Calvary.
I believe this is 'the' devotion for our times. It is so multilayered. Those who pray it will know what I mean. All the sorrows have profound meaning and can be applied to our time, to these days. When mediated upon properly (which I don't manage every single time I pray it) we are given little snippets of insight. Sometimes I might go for days with nothing new revealed. Then, all of a sudden, an insight is given.... Or even a number of insights are given. I used to write them down. I must re-start that habit again.
I am new to the devotion but I have already noticed this, many layers are revealed. So very simple, yet profound. Meditating on the sorrows opens the door to graces that specifically apply to your personal intentions. I do like your idea of writing down insights you are given, I must remember to do the same.
While praying this prayer and meditating on the third Sorrow, the thought came to me. Mary and Joseph lost Jesus through no fault, sin or negligence on their part. God however permitted this to happen so that Joseph and in particular Mary would storm heaven with their prayers, so as to find Jesus again. The mystery being that God would use the great merit of Our Ladies prayers, Her sufferings to win for us poor sinners the grace to find Jesus again after we lost Him through our sins and negligence. It was not a case of Jesus being disobedient rather it falls into the providence of God.
That's a beautiful insight and makes perfect sense. I'm always uncomfortable with interpretations that depict Jesus with human frailty such as thoughtlessness or even disobedience.
That's more or less what I think of when I pray the fourth Joyful mystery as well as praying the third Sorrow - that it's a message for all of us that Jesus is there waiting for us to find our way to him. And I always add the intention for lapsed loved ones and Ireland will find their way back to Jesus. There's a Catholic Devotions video on Youtube that I find very helpful. I'm too old to memorise new prayers, so I pray along with this. The religious art also helps keep me focused:
I agree with you, there is no shadow of disobedience on the part of Our Lord in the mystery of the "The Loss of the child Jesus in the Temple"
Many people aren't aware that our lady, Joseph and Jesus' lives were sacrifices throughout. Obviously people on the forum here will know to a degree. But typically, people just don't. I certainly didn't until I started this devotion. People think it was merely the passion that opened the gates to heaven. In fact, I believe it was many things. It was the entire lives of the holy family that went toward our (conditional) entry into heaven.. Take the Flight into Egypt for example; the holy family resided in that country for 7 long years. In so doing Mary and Joseph placed Jesus before their own families (as they left their families behind for Jesus' sake, to protect him from Herod's minions). As a sidenote, infanticide was a feature of the depravity of Herod (representing the elites of his day) too. Then, the holy family moved around that country, Egypt. Knowing hunger. Mary, waiting long-hours on Joseph to go find and undertake work, before he returned to her. Sometimes he didn't find work. And their destitution was the greater. They not only left their country behind. They left behind too, all the familiarities which come with nationhood... Friends. Culture. Food. Security. Language. Etc. Etc. All for Jesus. Few are aware of these great sacrifices. And when we delve into them in prayer we are shown the depth of their destitution. Moreover, we are also shown the many ways by which sacrificing earthly things in our own lives, is similar to and a reflection of the lives and times of the holy family. There is so much more. And that is just one of the sorrows.....
Thank you for these words. As I was meditating on the flight to Egypt this morning, I also thought about how terribly hard, and treacherous that journey must have been and how much they suffered. Just imagine setting out in the darkness of night into the wilderness with a new mother and infant in those days. Mary terrified for her Son, and St. Joseph responsible for their safety. Their faith in God was great, and they were blessed with many graces.
When I sit down and and think about it, there is so much. Father Isaac Mary Rayela does a great talk on the sorrows. I remember reading Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich's book, she went into detail on some aspects of the sorrows. She said that in one of her visions the holy family were accosted by a group of bandits on their way into Egypt but instead of robbing and killing them; they took them to their camp. They fed them. And Mary was given some water to bath Jesus. A woman there asked Mary could she bathe her child in the same bath water that Jesus used. Mary agreed. 30 odd years later. This was the thief to Jesus' right. Amazing stuff ..
