Praying a Scriptural Rosary | Sorrowful Mysteries

A Scriptural Rosary is a traditional Rosary, supplemented by using biblical verses to help to you meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary as you pray. The passages from the Bible help to understand and illustrate these important scenes from the life of Jesus. Below are the biblical passages associated with a Scriptural Rosary for the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. There is also a Scriptural Rosary PDF of the Sorrowful Mysteries.

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays during Lent. The Sorrowful Mysteries recount all the sorrows of Jesus' Passion and death, they are:

• The Agony in the Garden
• The Scourging at the Pillar
• The Crowning with Thorns
• The Carrying of the Cross
• The Crucifixion and Death

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary with Scripture

The First Sorrowful Mystery - The Agony in the Garden

1. “Jesus came with them to Gethsemane and He began to be saddened and exceedingly troubled.” (Matt. 26:36-37)
2. “Then He said to them, "My soul is sad, even unto death. Wait here and watch with Me." (Matt. 26:38)
3. “And going forward a little, He fell on the ground and began to pray.” (Mark 14:35)
4. "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will but Thine be done." (Luke 22:42)
5. “And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven to strengthen Him.” (Luke 22:43)
6. “And falling into an agony He prayed the more earnestly.” (Luke 22:43)
7. “And His sweat became as drops of blood running down upon the ground.” (Luke 22:44)
8. “Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And He said, "Could you not, then, watch one hour with me?" (Matt. 26:40)
9. "Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation." (Matt. 26:41)
10. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt. 26:41)

The Second Sorrowful Mystery - The Scourging at the Pillar

1. Pilate addressed them a third time, "What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime." (Luke 23:22)
2. "Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him." (Luke 23:22)
3. “With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed.” (Luke 23:23)
4. “The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted.” (Luke 23:24)
5. “Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.” (John 19:1)
6. “So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.” (Luke 23:25)
7. “Though He was harshly treated, He submitted, like a lamb led to the slaughter.” (Isa. 53:7)
8. “He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins.” (Isa. 53:5)
9. “It was our infirmities that He bore, our sufferings, that He endured.” (Isa. 53:4)
10. “Upon Him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by His stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5)

The Third Sorrowful Mystery - The Crowning with Thorns

1. “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him.” (Matthew 27:27)
2. “They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him.” (Matthew 27:28)
3. “Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand.” (Matthew 27:29)
4. “And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" (Matthew 27:29)
5. “They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head.” (Matthew 27:30)
6. “And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him.” (Matthew 27:31)
7. “Lord, my God, I call out by day; at night I cry aloud in your presence.” (Psalm 88:2)
8. “You plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into the darkness of the abyss.” (Psalm 88:7)
9. “Why do you reject me, Lord? Why hide your face from me?” (Psalm 88:15)
10. “All the day they surge round like a flood; from every side they close in on me.” (Psalm 88:18)

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery - The Carrying of the Cross

1. "If anyone wishes to come after Me let him deny himself." (Luke 9:23)
2. "And take up his cross daily, and follow Me." (Luke 9:23)
3. “And bearing the cross for Himself, He went forth to the place called "The Skull." (John 19:17)
4. “And they laid hold of a certain Simon of Cyrene, and upon him they laid the cross to bear it after Jesus.” (Luke 23:26)
5. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me." (Matt. 11:29)
6. "For I am meek, and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29)
7. "And you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden light." (Matt. 11:29-30)
8. “Now there was following Him a great crowd of people, and of women, who were bewailing and lamenting Him.” (Luke 23:27)
9. Jesus, turning to them, said, "Do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." (Luke 23:28)
10. "For if in the case of the green wood they do these things, what is to happen in the case of the dry?" (Luke 23:31)

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery - The Crucifixion

1. “And when they came to the place called "The Skull,” they crucified Him.” (Luke 23:33)
2. “And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
3. “And one of the robbers crucified with Him said, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:39)
4. “And Jesus said to him “Amen I say to thee this day thou shalt be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
5. “And Jesus saw His mother and the disciple standing by, whom He loved.”  (John 19:26)
6. “And He said to His mother, "Woman, behold thy son." Then He said to His disciple, "Behold thy mother." (John 19:26-27)
7. “And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:27)
8. “And the sun was darkened, and the earth quaked, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” (Luke 23:45)
9. “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, “Father, into Thy hands, I commend My spirit." (Luke 23:45)
10. “And bowing His head, He expired.” (Luke 23:46)

How do you pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary with scripture?

You can pray a Rosary with scripture in a few different ways. The first is that when you are announcing each Sorrowful Mystery, recite a longer passage of scripture to help illustrate the scene you are meditating on. By doing this you would read the entire set of passages we have listed above.

Another way is to read only a verse or two before you recite each Hail Mary. They have been numbered above. By doing this you meditate on a single verse with each Hail Mary and paint the scene as you pray through the decade. Both are wonderful ways to pray the Holy Rosary with sacred scripture.

A Scriptural Rosary: The Sorrowful Mysteries PDF

Download the Free Printable Guide: The Scriptural Rosary, The Sorrowful Mysteries PDF. Download here.

Other Rosary Mysteries with Scripture

The Joyful Mysteries with Scripture

The Luminous Mysteries with Scripture

The Glorious Mysteries with Scripture

Additional Scriptural Rosary Resources

How to pray a Scriptural Rosary - Long Passages

How to remember the Mysteries of the Rosary

How to pray a Rosary to honor St Joseph

The Rosary Card - Built For Convenience

As you learn to pray the Rosary, check out our Rosary Cards. They are designed for convenience (same size as a Credit Card) and make it much easier to pray the Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet often. 

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Please let me know how your journey with the Rosary is going, I'd love to hear from you. Send me a message an email at: brennan@everydayprayerco.com

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