Chapter 16

Showing Your Love for God

IN THIS CHAPTER

check Looking at the most popular Catholic devotions

check Praying more than the minimum requirement with novenas and litanies

check Taking time out with pilgrimages and retreats

check Getting a grip on your rosary beads

If you’re Catholic, you know you need to participate at Mass weekly, believe in Jesus, obey the Ten Commandments, and confess your sins when you fall short of God’s glory. So isn’t that enough? Do you really need anything more? The answer to both questions is yes. Those are the actions required of every Catholic, but we encourage you to do more. Devotions are a way of going the extra mile to express your personal love for God.

Whether practicing devotions privately at home, in a small group, or in the form of a pilgrimage or retreat, Catholics believe that devotions act like spiritual vitamins to supplement the primary and main form of divine communication — the Mass. This chapter explains how Catholics show their love for God through devotions.

remember Devotions are optional — Catholics can take ’em or leave ’em — but attending Sunday Mass or the Saturday Vigil Mass is mandatory since the Commandments require the weekly worship of God. Missing Sunday Mass without a legitimate excuse is a grave sin.

Going Beyond Your Basic Duty

Devotions refer to a wide variety of prayers, both long and short, such as the Rosary and novenas, as well as various religious practices that Catholics engage in, such as making a pilgrimage or a retreat. Devotions are generally less official than the Mass, and many different devotions are available so that individuals can find the one(s) to suit them and their personal spirituality.

Knowing when and where to pray devotions

Unlike sacraments, which are formal, sacred celebrations of the whole Church that need to take place on sacred ground, devotions can be done anywhere — in church, at home, or outside. Sacraments were instituted by Christ whereas devotions are classified as sacramentals, meaning they were created by the Church. The Seven Sacraments confer sanctifying grace to the soul, meaning they make it holy. Sacramentals, on the other hand, confer actual grace to the soul, which encourages and enables the person to do good deeds.

Devotions are prayed alone or with others. They’re done outside of the Sacred Liturgy — in other words, not during Mass, except for the Litany of Saints on special occasions. They can, however, be said in any public setting, such as a cemetery or a prayer gathering.

Separating devotions from Mass

tip Just like some people think that the Second Vatican Council (see Chapter 10) threw out Latin (which it didn’t), some people think that it got rid of or discouraged devotions. Not true. Vatican II didn’t pooh-pooh devotions. What it did say was that the separation between the Sacred Liturgy — the Mass — and all forms of public and private devotion must be clear and distinct. No gray area.

Sure enough, Pope Paul VI asserted in his encyclical Marialis Cultus (1974) that Catholics shouldn’t say the Rosary during Mass. But praying the Rosary before Mass as a preparation or after Mass as a thanksgiving is allowed and highly encouraged. (See the “Praying the Rosary” section later in this chapter for the Rosary how-to.)

Likewise, the Stations of the Cross, a traditional Lenten devotion, should never be celebrated during adoration of the Holy Eucharist or in the middle of Mass, but it can be said before or after Mass. (See “The Way of the Cross” section later in this chapter.) And adoration of the Holy Eucharist should be separate from Mass to differentiate the two.

Devotions to the Virgin Mary and the saints are also subordinate and auxiliary to the Mass. Of course, plenty of Masses honor the Virgin Mary and the saints. Even though the names of Mary and the saints are mentioned in the Mass, as in the Eucharistic Prayer (see Chapter 10), they’re still secondary. References to God are primary; Mary and the saints are honored, but God alone is worshipped and adored.

Running the Gamut of Devotions

To get up close and personal with God, Catholics practice a wide variety of devotions. In this section, we cover some of the most popular ones. Your local Catholic bookstore should have a wide variety of booklets containing novenas, litanies, and other devotions. We recommend checking out the catalog section of EWTN’s website (www.ewtn.com).

Praying novenas to the saints

A novena (from the Latin word novem, meaning nine) is a traditional prayer that’s said for nine consecutive days. The practice is based on the concept that nine days passed from the day of Christ’s Ascension into heaven (40 days after Easter) until the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (50 days after Easter). According to Scripture, the apostles, based on Acts 1:14–2:4, accompanied by Mary, prayed during those nine days in the upper room, where the Last Supper took place. And the Church considers that event the first novena.

Novenas are merely short prayers to a particular saint, requesting that the saint pray to Jesus for the person. The prayers are often said nine days before the feast day of the particular saint so that the novena ends on the actual day that the saint is believed to have gone to heaven, which is called the saint’s feast day. The hope is that after praying for nine days, some special spiritual blessings will be given by God through the intercession of the particular saint that the novena is addressed to. (For more on the saints, see Chapter 18.)

Novenas can also be prayed anytime for a special need, such as in desperate and seemingly hopeless cases. Whenever you find yourself or someone you care about in a desperate or seemingly hopeless situation, consider doing what some Catholics do — pray a novena to St. Peregrine, Patron of Cancer Patients, or to St. Jude (see Chapter 21), Patron of Hopeless Cases, such as the Prayer to St. Jude that follows:

Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Make use, I implore you, of that particular privilege given to you, to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly [state your request] and that I may praise God with you and all the elect forever. I promise, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.

Loving litanies

A litany, from the Greek lite (meaning prayer), is a long prayer often prayed antiphonally, meaning one person recites the first part and the rest of the group responds. For example, the leader says, “Holy Mary, Mother of God,” and the people respond, “Pray for us.” The leader then says, “St. Michael,” and the people respond, “Pray for us.” And so on until the end of the litany.

The Litany of the Saints is the one litany that’s actually allowed to be used during Mass on certain occasions. Before the Baptism of catechumens at the Easter Vigil, as well as at the Ordination Mass of a deacon, priest, or bishop, you may hear the chanting of the Litany of Saints. Otherwise, litanies are prayed outside of Mass as a private devotion or publicly after Mass on the feast day of the particular saint.

The Contemporary Litany of the Saints, which follows, incorporates some recent saints relevant to U.S. Catholics. The leader’s text is in Roman type, and the responses are italicized; at the asterisk, the people respond, “Pray for us.”

Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

St. Michael, *

Holy angels of God, *

St. John the Baptist, *

St. Joseph, *

St. Peter and St. Paul, *

St. Andrew, *

St. John, *

St. Mary Magdalene, *

St. Stephen, *

St. Ignatius of Antioch, *

St. Lawrence, *

St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, *

St. Agnes, *

St. Gregory, *

St. Augustine, *

St. Athanasius, *

St. Basil, *

St. Martin, *

St. Benedict, *

St. Francis and St. Dominic, *

St. Francis Xavier, *

St. John Vianney, *

St. Catherine of Siena, *

St. Teresa of Jesus, *

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, *

St. John Neuman, *

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, *

St. Katharine Drexel, *

All holy men and women, *.

Lord, be merciful, Lord, save your people.
From all evil, Lord, save your people.
From every sin, Lord, save your people.
From everlasting death, Lord, save your people.
By your coming as man, Lord, save your people.
By your death and rising to new life, Lord, save your people.
By your gift of the Holy Spirit, Lord, save your people.
Be merciful to us sinners, Lord, save your people.
Guide and protect your holy Church, Lord, save your people.
Keep the pope and all the clergy in faithful service to your Church, Lord, save your people.
Jesus, Son of the living God, Lord, save your people.
Christ, hear us, Christ hear us.
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer, Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Let us pray: God of our ancestors who set their hearts on you, of those who fell asleep in peace, and of those who won the martyrs’ violent crown: We are surrounded by these witnesses as by clouds of fragrant incense. In this age, we would be counted in this communion of all the saints; keep us always in their good and blessed company. In their midst, we make every prayer through Christ who is our Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

Looking at statues and icons

Catholics have been accused of being idol worshippers because they use statues and icons — paintings on wood of the Byzantine tradition — in church and at home. But unlike the pagan Romans and Greeks, who actually worshipped false gods, Catholics use statues and icons the same way that others use photographs.

Most people have photos of their loved ones — living and deceased — in their wallets and purses, on their desks, and in their homes. The pictures are nothing more than reminders of those people. Neither the images nor the people are worshipped. Likewise, Catholic statues and icons are merely religious reminders of friends and servants of God whom Catholics admire for their holiness, loyalty, and obedience to God. Catholics don’t worship a statue any more than they worship the saint it represents. If you see a Catholic kneeling before a statue, she isn’t worshipping it or the person it represents. Kneeling is merely a posture of prayer, and the Catholic is praying to God through the intercession of that particular saint.

Actions like hanging icons or religious pictures on the wall and placing statues of the saints on shelves or on front lawns are nothing more than honoring the memory of heroes who have gone before us. Like the statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln in the nation’s capital, which are reminders of the country’s heroes, Catholics honor past generations of religious heroes by memorializing them in stone or wood.

More than decoration but never an object of worship or adoration, statues and pictures of the saints are meant to remind and encourage the living on earth to imitate the holiness of the holy people who went before them. No specific prayers are said; Catholics just display the image as they would a beloved relative or friend.

Making pilgrimages

Like all devotions, pilgrimages are optional. Jews, Muslims, and Christians all make pilgrimages, religious journeys to visit a holy place. For Muslims, it’s Mecca, and many Protestant and Orthodox Christians as well as Jews and Catholic Christians make pilgrimages to the Holy Land, visiting the sites mentioned in the Bible. While on the way and during the pilgrimage, people say prayers and hope to have a spiritual renewal. The journey is like a revival but at a more individual, personal, and low-key level.

technicalstuff The fact that Christian pilgrims were prohibited from access to the sacred shrines in the Middle Ages was the original and first of the motivations for the Crusades. But the Crusades deteriorated into an opportunity for some ruthless and ambitious men to seize wealth, land, and power at the expense of many innocent men, women, and children — Jewish, Muslim, and Christian.

technicalstuff When the Holy Land was too dangerous for pilgrimages (sound familiar?), St. Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) erected the Christmas crèche (nativity scene) and the 14 Stations of the Cross in the church so people could imagine they were at the actual place and still pray. To this day, Catholic churches still have the 14 stations on the walls of their churches and still display the nativity scene at Christmastime. (For more on St. Francis, see Chapter 21.)

Catholics like to visit the Holy Land to see where Jesus was born (Bethlehem), grew up (Nazareth), and was crucified and resurrected (Jerusalem). They also make pilgrimages to Rome to see St. Peter’s Basilica, where St. Peter is buried, and the Vatican, where the pope lives. See Chapter 22 for more on holy sites.

Going on a retreat

Because many Catholics don’t have the time or money to make a pilgrimage to many of the holy places, they often make an annual retreat instead. It can last a week (five to seven days) or be a weekend event at a retreat center. The retreat is a time away from work, school, family, and friends. No radio or TV, no computers or Internet, no cellphones or tablets. Retreats are opportunities for Catholics to get away from the stress and anxiety of the world and just spend time praying, meditating, reflecting, and renewing. Retreats may also give Catholics a chance to go to confession, because priests are often available on-site for that purpose. Priests, deacons, and bishops are required by canon law to make a five-day retreat every year. Some of the different types of retreats that are offered are as follows:

  • Private retreats are one on one, between a retreat director and the person.

  • Group retreats include a number of people at the same time.

    Group retreats can be of two varieties:

    • Silent retreats are almost completely speechless. Nothing is said — even at meals — except the prayers and responses at Mass and the talks of the retreat master.
    • Preached and directed retreats offer some interaction among fellow participants.
  • Days of recollection are like mini-retreats. They last a day or less and often take up only the morning and/or afternoon. They occur more frequently than retreats, which are annual. Days of recollection often occur every month or at least quarterly.

Priests and nuns of various orders run retreat houses. In addition, many Catholic organizations sponsor retreats.

Wearing sacred gear

Catholics often wear special religious articles, such as medals and scapulars, as a type of personal devotion. Medals are small metal disks ranging from about the size of a dime to the size of a 50-cent piece, worn around the neck by a chain. Scapulars — coming from the Latin scapula, meaning shoulder — are worn around the neck and have two pieces of cloth: One piece rests on the chest and the other on the back. (A scapular can be either the garb worn by priests and members of a religious order or devotional items worn by lay members that look more like necklaces.) These items aren’t considered good luck charms or magical amulets. Catholics don’t believe that medals and scapulars prevent sickness or stop you from sinning. And they’re not a get-out-of-hell-free card. Catholics use them as mere reminders to stay close to God and to try to imitate the sanctity and holiness of the saints. They’re just tangible symbols of the faith, such as a crucifix.

A Catholic can wear various medals, like the Miraculous Medal (first worn by St. Catherine Laboure in 1830), the St. Christopher (patron saint of travelers) Medal, the St. Michael the Archangel (patron saint of police officers) Medal, or the St. Luke (patron saint of physicians) Medal. A Catholic can also wear any one of several kinds of scapulars, the most famous being the Brown Scapular that’s associated with the Carmelite Order of Priests and Nuns. It has a picture of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on one side and a picture of St. Simon Stock on the other. Other scapulars include the Black Scapular of the Servite Order, the Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception, the Red Scapular of the Precious Blood, and the Purple Scapular of St. Joseph, just to mention a few.

Praying the Rosary

Before Christianity, Hindus strung beads and used them to help count their prayers. Buddhists, Taoists, and Muslims have also used prayer beads to assist them in their private devotions. Hebrews used to tie 150 knots on a string to represent the 150 Psalms of the Bible.

According to pious Catholic tradition, in the 13th century, Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to St. Dominic de Guzman, gave him a rosary, and asked that instead of praying the Psalms on the beads or knots, the faithful pray the Hail Mary, Our Father, and the Glory Be. Fifteen decades made up the original Dominican Rosary, but it was later abbreviated. A decade refers to ten Hail Marys preceded by the Our Father and ending with a Glory Be. Today, most Catholics use the five-decade Rosary. (For more on St. Dominic, see Chapter 18.)

How to pray the Rosary

Want to know how to pray the Rosary? (Take a look at Figure 16-1 to help you follow along.)

  1. Start at the crucifix, and pray the Apostles’ Creed.

    I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

  2. On the next large bead, say the Our Father (the Lord’s Prayer).

    Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

  3. On the following three small beads, pray three Hail Marys.

    Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

    tip The first part of the Hail Mary is lifted from the Bible. The Archangel Gabriel announces to Mary, “Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with you,” (Luke 1:28), and St. Elizabeth said to her cousin Mary, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” (Luke 1:42).

  4. On the chain, pray the Glory Be.

    Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

  5. Then announce the first mystery for that day of the week or season.

    (See the next section, “Meditating on the mysteries,” for an explanation of which mystery you should announce.)

  6. On the large bead, start the first decade and pray the Our Father.
  7. On the ten beads after that, pray ten Hail Marys.
  8. On the chain, pray a Glory Be.

  9. Many Catholics add the Fatima Prayer after the Glory Be and before the next mystery.

    O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen.

    If you followed the preceding steps, you’ve just completed the first decade of the Rosary. Now, repeat Steps 5 through 9 four more times to finish the next four decades, continuing with the second mystery in the appropriate list (again, see “Meditating on the mysteries”), then the third, and so on.

  10. Then, at the end of your Rosary, say the Hail Holy Queen. (Saying this isn’t obligatory, but it’s customary.)

    Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

    Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

    Let us Pray, O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation; grant we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

image

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

FIGURE 16-1: How to pray the Rosary.

Meditating on the mysteries

While saying the prayers of the Rosary, Catholics meditate on what are called the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. But saying the mysteries is really no mystery at all, because each so-called mystery refers to a different passage in the life of Christ or Mary, His mother. Each decade (an Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be) recalls a different mystery.

JOYFUL

The Joyful Mysteries are prayed on Mondays and Saturdays, and they remind the faithful of Christ’s birth. Each decade corresponds with a different mystery. Starting with the Annunciation for the first decade, try meditating on these scenes sequentially with each decade that you say (they may also be said during the whole Christmas season):

  1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26–38)
  2. The Visitation (Luke 1:39–56)
  3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1–21)
  4. The Presentation (Luke 2:22–38)
  5. The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41–52)

LUMINOUS

Pope John Paul II added on the Mysteries of Light, also known as the Luminous Mysteries, in 2002. Pray the Rosary and recall these Mysteries of Light on Thursdays (they may also be said during season of Advent):

  1. The Baptism in the River Jordan (Matthew 3:13–17)
  2. The Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1–11)
  3. The Preaching of the Coming of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14–15)
  4. The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–8)
  5. The Institution of the Holy Eucharist (Matthew 26:17-29)

SORROWFUL

The Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed on Tuesdays and Fridays, and they remind the faithful of His Passion and death (they may also be said during the entire season of Lent, the 40 days before Easter):

  1. The Agony of Jesus in the Garden (Matthew 26:36–56)
  2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26)
  3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27–31)
  4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:32)
  5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33–56)

GLORIOUS

The Glorious Mysteries are prayed on Wednesdays and Sundays, and they remind the faithful of His Resurrection and the glories of heaven (they may also be said during all of Easter season):

  1. The Resurrection (John 20:1–29)
  2. The Ascension (Luke 24:36–53)
  3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1–4)
  4. The Assumption of Mary, the Mother of God, into heaven
  5. The Coronation of Mary in heaven

These last two mysteries are inferred by Revelation (Apocalypse) 12:1; Jesus Christ was the source and center of these miraculous events in that He did them to His mother; she did not do them alone. What Christ did for His mom, He will later do for all true believers at the end of time.

Both the divinity and humanity of Jesus are presented in these mysteries. Only God could be born of a virgin, rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven, and yet only a man could be born, get lost, be found, suffer, and die. Meditating on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries helps Catholics confirm that Jesus is both divine and human. Contemplating the time when Jesus was crowned with thorns, scourged with whips, and nailed to the cross — meditating on Jesus’s Passion — convinces the prayerful that those sufferings are real, and only a real man could feel such pain and agony. Yet reflecting on His Transfiguration, Resurrection, and Ascension reminds believers that only God can transfigure, rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven. By praying the Rosary, the faithful reaffirm that Jesus is true God and true man, one divine person with two natures — divine and human.

remember Just as Pope Paul VI did, Pope John Paul II reminded the faithful that the Rosary is Christocentric — it focuses on Christ and is more than a Marian (of Mary) devotion.

Saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet

The Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet may be prayed at home, in church (as long as it’s not during Mass), alone, or in a group. Our Lord presented the Divine Mercy Chaplet to St. Faustina Kowalska in a vision during the 1930s, but it didn’t gain much fame until the late 20th century. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is said using rosary beads (see Figure 16-1), but it doesn’t take as long as a Rosary, because the prayers are shorter. Make the Sign of the Cross and then:

  1. Optional: Begin the Divine Mercy Chaplet by saying this prayer on the first large bead after the crucifix:

    You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

    Then say the following three times in a row:

    O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus, I trust in You.

  2. Say an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and the Apostles’ Creed on the three small beads.

    (See Steps 1 through 3 in the “How to pray the Rosary” section, earlier in this chapter, to pray the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Apostles’ Creed.)

  3. Then, on the large bead before each decade, say

    Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

  4. Then, on the ten small beads of each decade, say

    For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

  5. Conclude the chaplet by saying the following three times:

    Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

The Way of the Cross

Another popular devotion is the Way of the Cross. All Catholic parishes have what are called the Stations of the Cross, which are depictions of Christ’s Passion and death. Often on Friday evenings during Lent, you can find a parish that’s open with Catholics saying prayers in unison before each of the 14 stations that follow:

  1. Jesus is condemned to death (Luke 23:24).
  2. Jesus takes up His cross (John 19:17).
  3. Jesus falls the first time (by inference from Stations 2 and 5).
  4. Jesus meets His sorrowful mother (by inference from John 19:25–27).
  5. Simon of Cyrene helps carry the cross (Matthew 27:32).
  6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus (not recorded in Scripture).
  7. Jesus falls a second time (not recorded in Scripture).
  8. Jesus meets the holy women of Jerusalem (Luke 23:27–31).
  9. Jesus falls the third time (not recorded in Scripture).
  10. Jesus is stripped of His garments (John 19:23).
  11. Jesus is nailed to the cross (Mark 15:24).
  12. Jesus dies on the cross (Mark 15:37).
  13. Jesus’s body is taken down from the cross and laid in the arms of His mother (Luke 23:53).
  14. Jesus’s body is laid in the tomb (Matthew 27:60).

Again, this devotion and all devotions we explain in this chapter aren’t required like going to Mass every Sunday or obeying the Ten Commandments. But praying the Way of the Cross reminds Catholics of the supreme sacrifice Jesus made, offering His life to save us from our sins. This devotion helps promote appreciation for what Jesus did and encourages believers to carry their own crosses in life by enduring unavoidable suffering.