The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary are a series of meditations on the events surrounding Jesus’ Passion and Death, including:
Below, you’ll find Scripture passages for each of these mysteries. For a quick refresher on how to pray the Rosary, read this guide.
A different set of mysteries is prayed each day of the week:
Monday Rosary: Joyful Mysteries
Tuesday Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries
Wednesday Rosary: Glorious Mysteries
Thursday Rosary: Luminous Mysteries
Friday Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries
Saturday Rosary: Joyful Mysteries
Sunday Rosary: Glorious Mysteries
The Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed on Fridays—the day we remember Jesus’ Passion and Death—as well as on Tuesdays.
Ecce Homo by Wenceslas Cobergher, circa 1576–1634
There are many reasons to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries, including:
1. Growing in faith and holiness
2. Receiving special graces and Our Lady’s protection
3. Gaining deeper insight into the events surrounding Jesus’ Passion and Death
The Sorrowful Mysteries are perfect to pray with throughout the Lenten season. However, it’s fitting to remember Our Lord’s Passion and Death anytime of year, especially on Fridays.
Christ Carrying the Cross with the Virgin and Saint John by Luis de Morales, circa 1570
Since Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima, praying the Rosary daily has become a popular devotion throughout the world. Here are some creative ways to make this prayer a part of your day, even with a busy schedule:
Don’t be daunted by the length of the Rosary—devoutly praying just a decade of the Rosary is better than halfheartedly rushing through the prayer (or not praying at all). Start small, be consistent, and gradually build your habit of praying the Rosary every day.
The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane by Francesco Trevisani, 1740
“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.’ He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.’”
Matthew 26:36–39
Flagellation of Christ by Matthias Stom, circa 1640–1650
“When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.’ And the whole people said in reply, ‘His blood be upon us and upon our children.’ Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.”
Matthew 27:24–26
The Crowning with Thorns by Caravaggio, circa 1602/04
“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head.”
Matthew 27:27–30
Christ on the Way to Calvary by Titian, circa 1560
“Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha.”
John 19:16–17
Crucifixion by Andrea del Castagno, circa 1471
“When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.’... It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit’; and when he had said this he breathed his last.”
Luke 23:33–34, 44–46
Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary on CathtolicTV’s YouTube channel, recorded at beautiful sacred locations from around the world. Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us!
All Scripture quotations in this article are taken from the New American Bible.
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