Episode 3026: One Hour with Jesus - The Triumph of the Cross - 6th Week of Lent

Week 6: The Sorrow of Our Lady & The Triumph of the Cross
Theme: Walking with Mary to the foot of the Cross. Preparing to rejoice in the Resurrection.
(Palm Sunday – The Beginning of Holy Week)
Theme: The Hour Has Come: Walking with Christ to Calvary
OPENING PRAYER: Prayer of Surrender
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, As You entered Jerusalem amidst the cheers of crowds, You knew the Cross awaited You. I stand today with open hands and a heart willing to walk with You. Strip me of pride and worldly ambition, That I may see the glory not in acclaim, but in sacrifice. O Mary, Mother of Sorrows,
Take me by the hand and lead me with you to the foot of the Cross. Help me to watch, to weep, to wait, and to love. May I never flee from Calvary but find my rest in Christ’s wounds. Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
INTRODUCTION: THE HOUR HAS COME
Palm Sunday begins with celebration and ends in sorrow.
It is the day the Church sets her face like flint toward Calvary. Christ enters Jerusalem not as a conquering king on a horse, but as the Suffering Servant riding on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy (Zech 9:9).
This is the paradox of our faith: triumph through suffering, life through death.

As we begin Holy Week, we must not stand far off.
We must walk with Christ and with His mother to the foot of the Cross. This is not a week for spectators but for lovers of Christ.
Let us reflect in three movements.
PART I: THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY & THE COMING PASSION
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
(Matthew 21:9)
Palm Sunday reveals the fleeting nature of human praise.
As Venerable Fulton Sheen once said:
“The palm branches will become scourges, the Hosannas will become Crucify Him.”
The crowds welcome Him one day and condemn Him days later.
We are not so different. Every time we choose sin, we echo their betrayal.
Contrast Between Palm Sunday and Good Friday
• On Palm Sunday, He is clothed with garments; on Good Friday, He is stripped.
• On Palm Sunday, He is surrounded by cheering crowds; on Good Friday, by jeering mobs.
• On Palm Sunday, He is exalted by men; on Good Friday, lifted on a Cross.
Application: Are we seeking the comfort of Palm Sunday or the courage of Good Friday?
Do we rejoice only when it is easy to follow Christ?
This week, Christ does not invite us to comfort, but to follow Him to Calvary.
PART II: THE SEVEN LAST WORDS – MEDITATION FOR HOLY WEEK
Let us now meditate on the Seven Last Words of Christ from the Cross,
with Our Lady standing beneath Him.
1. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
Even in agony, Christ intercedes for sinners.
Mary, the Mother of Mercy, watches her Son forgive those who nail Him.
Reflection: Who do I need to forgive before Easter?
2. "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
Christ extends mercy to a repentant thief.
Mary hears her Son promise heaven to one more soul.
Reflection: Do I believe in the power of repentance? Do I delay my conversion?
3. "Woman, behold your son… Behold your mother." (John 19:26–27)
Christ gives us Mary.
St. Louis de Montfort teaches: “Those who do not have Mary for a mother do not have God for a Father.”
Reflection: Do I walk with Mary daily? Do I let her form me at the foot of the Cross?
4. "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)
In His humanity, Christ feels the desolation of sin.
Mary stands silently, trusting amidst the darkness.
Reflection: In my suffering, do I still trust in God?

5. "I thirst." (John 19:28)
He thirsts for souls. He thirsts for you.
Mary knows His thirst and offers her suffering in union with His.
Reflection: What do I thirst for? The world—or God?
6. "It is finished." (John 19:30)
The work of redemption is completed.
Mary’s role as Co-Redemptrix reaches its climax.
Reflection: Do I finish the tasks God gives me with faithfulness?
7. "Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit." (Luke 23:46)
Christ surrenders all.
Mary, whose “Fiat” began His earthly life, now receives His final surrender.
Reflection: Can I surrender everything to God like Christ and Our Lady?
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PART III: FOLLOWING OUR LADY TO THE FOOT OF THE CROSS
St. Louis de Montfort said:
“Mary’s greatest joy is to form saints at the foot of the Cross.”
If we wish to be saints, we must go where she goes:
To Calvary.
Mary did not shield herself from the horror of the Passion.
She embraced it, as Simeon foretold: “A sword shall pierce your own soul also” (Luke 2:35).
St. Bonaventure urges us:
“He who desires to go on advancing from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, should meditate continually on the Passion of Jesus.”
Application:
• Spend Holy Week walking the Way of the Cross.
• Meditate daily on the Seven Last Words.
• Unite your sufferings with Our Lady’s for the salvation of souls.
• Prepare to enter Good Friday not with despair but devotion.
CONCLUSION: FROM SORROW TO TRIUMPH
The Cross is not the end.
Palm Sunday leads to Good Friday,
But Good Friday leads to the empty tomb.
Mary, the Sorrowful Mother, becomes the Joyful Queen of Heaven.
Christ, the Crucified, becomes the Risen King.
But we must walk the entire path with them.
Let this Holy Week be unlike any other.

CLOSING PRAYER – Prayer of Thanksgiving & Resolution
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ,
We thank You for the gift of the Cross.
You turned the tree of shame into the tree of salvation.
May our hearts never flee from Your wounds,
But find in them healing, hope, and new life.
O Mary, Mother of Sorrows,
Teach us how to suffer with love,
How to hope in darkness,
And how to wait with confidence for the Resurrection.
We resolve today to remain at the foot of the Cross,
To reject the praise of the world,
And to embrace the silence of Holy Saturday with you.
May we rise with Christ at Easter because we have died with Him this week.
Through your prayers, lead us to the triumph of the empty tomb.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“Let us not merely stand at the foot of the Cross let us die to our self there, so that with Mary we may rise with Christ and live only for Him.” Now tell everyone you meet “ There is a man on the Cross”!