The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery ~ The Crucifixion

There are four sets of rosary mysteries. This Fifth Sorrowful Mystery - The Crucifixion - completes the third set. Responding to the invitation of Pope Francis to pray the rosary through the month of October, next week, we will end both month and meditation with the Glorious Mysteries. 

The photograph above is of the mosaic in the curved apse in the 12th century Roman Church of San Clemente. It depicts the Cross as the Tree of Life.

Our Father...

This mosaic image depicts the crucifix not as an instrument of death and defeat but as a tree of life. "The Wisdom of God is a true tree of life to all that lay hold of her." Proverbs 3:18. Get the image: At Calvary, the tree of God's wisdom was planted in the earth. And what is this wisdom? We must not get lost in any vague or false mystical talk - it is God's idea or vision for us of how to love God and other people.

Hail Mary...

Under the arms of the cross we see Jesus' Mother and the disciple John. Jesus is at work until his last breath, entrusting his mother and the disciple to each other's care. Mary is the first disciple. Jesus is telling us we are to take each other in. Disciples belong to each other as family. The people knocking on the door of the nation's southern border are disciples of Jesus as much as all the folks who sit next to us at Sunday Mass. While some would want it to be otherwise - it's not about politics.

Hail Mary...

Look! Instead of the usual INRI sign on the top of the cross, there are a dozen doves roosting on both horizontal and vertical bars. And there are numerous birds throughout the larger scene. Maybe they are looking for a place to call home. Following Jesus, who is a tree of life, there is invitation and room for everyone. Oh Jesus, that we would allow your tree of life to be home - truly!

Hail Mary...

Christianity didn't invent the mark of the cross. Some ancient alphabets have a cross or X as a letter. A person who can't sign his or her name leaves a simple X. A bird in full flight, with wings extended, is a cross in the sky. But the Christian has new insights: the Cross is the love of God planted here; its points extending north, south, east and west. The love of God, encompassing every living thing.

Hail Mary...

Notice under the tree-cross there is the lamb with a nimbus, who is Christ Risen. On either side there are sheep - six and six. We don't always need to say, "Oh, that must be the twelve apostles." The sheep reference may well be that Gospel flock of one hundred that the Lord is so protective of. He doesn't want ninety-nine, but his full one hundred. (Matthew 18:12-14).

Hail Mary...

Though this church apse is full of life: streams of water, stretching branches, twining vines, flying birds and drinking deer, it is also a place of tears. "At the cross her station keeping; stood the mournful mother weep..." The bishop-martyr, Oscar Romero said: "There are many things that can only be seen trough  eyes that have cried." 

Hail Mary...

Now it is reported that in those countries where abortion is legal, 98% of pregnancies with potential disabilities are terminated. "Potential disabilities!" Under the Tree of Life mosaic, can I weep for that?

Hail Mary...

A group of mothers, all of whom had teen-aged children whose lives were shredded by addictions, said that they would give their own lives to save the lives of their children. St. Juliana calls Jesus, "Our Mother."  

Hail Mary...

Everything Jesus said and did, but especially his self-gift at Calvary, gave expression to the words of St. Paul: "Make love your aim." 1 Corinthians 14:1

Hail Mary...

The great Tree of Life mosaic in the San Clemente Church is an experience of light and more light. Many nations of the world have veered off into shadow. May the followers of Jesus help to lead humankind back to a path of light.

Hail Mary...

Glory be to the Father...

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery ~ Jesus Carries the Cross

We are praying our way through the Rosary Mysteries in solidarity with the Pope's request in turbulent times. The painting is by Titian: Christ Carrying the Cross.

Our Father...

In images of Jesus carrying the cross, Jesus is usually looking at a specific person: his mother, Veronica, Simon or the women of Jerusalem. But here, Titian has Jesus looking directly at us - each of us individually and all of us collectively. 

Hail Mary...

More often than not, Jesus is depicted wearing pretty clean clothes as he walks the Calvary way. But not here - Titian's Jesus is wearing a very dirty tunic. He carries all of human dirty-ness. Some people can't think of sin beyond our third grade examination of conscience. Maybe Jesus is looking into the big-desked offices where contracts are signed for weapons that will be used to burn and blow up children. Jesus carries that dirt.

Hail Mary...

In the top left corner we see Simon of Cyrene, who helped Jesus to carry the cross (Mark 15:21). He is a quiet presence, coming out of shadow. His eyes are fixed on Jesus. The Gospel tells us that Simon was "pressed" into carrying the cross. Titian seems to have softened that. Conversion brings change: a change of mind; a change of heart.

Hail Mary...

Ancient Cyrene is thought to be in Northern Africa. A recent newspaper article reporting on the lucrative business presence of China in Africa is titled: Chinese Bring Investment, and Racism, to Nairobi. Why does this hateful attitude towards Africa and its descendents persist? It is very wrong. An African man helped the anguished Jesus.

Hail Mary...

We're told that helpful Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. It seems that later these sons became esteemed Christians. We might wonder if and how their father's Good Friday witness impacted them, and here we're thinking about it more than 2000 years later. St. Maximilian Kolbe, the martyr of Auschwitz said, the smallest acts of kindness ripple to eternity.

Hail Mary...

The account of Jesus walking to Calvary is filled with emotion. It invites us to wonder: how did Simon feel about the Romans forcing him into service? It's probably safe to say he was surprised. Mother Teresa said, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." There are the small and daily events that surprise and delight us, but there are also the surprises of God's presence and new direction that might shock us.

Hail Mary...

It was common practice to offer pain killing drugs to men going to execution. The women Jesus met along the road likely offered more than tears. The soldiers offered Jesus drug-laced wine at the top of the hill. We live in an intoxicated nation: drunk on power, pornography, alcohol and food overdose, shopping. Is it unreasonable to think that here, Jesus is inviting us to a new depth of sobriety?

Hail Mary...

Only love explains why Jesus would accept this kind of suffering. I am left silent. But it was Jesus who taught us that love sums up all that religion has to teach us. Love is Jesus' new commandment. It is the characteristic that must mark or distinguish his followers.

Hail Mary...

There are extra biblical accounts that tell us about events that might have happened along the Calvary way. We learn of Veronica who tried to clean and dry the face of Jesus. As the world goes, that doesn't sound like such a big deal. But Mother Teresa also taught us, "Do small things with great love." 

Hail Mary...

Jesus is surrounded by brutality. We're told later that most of his friends ran away. How awful is that. But might we consider Simon and Veronica to be new friends? We learn in the crucifixion scene that Mary and John stayed near, and Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were present at least for Jesus' burial. The world can be a friendless place.

Hail Mary...

Glory be to the Father...

The Third Sorrowful Mystery ~ The Crowning With Thorns

Jorg Breu l'Ancien ~ Jesus Crowned withThorns

Our Father...

Sometimes young people who have gotten themselves into trouble say in self defense: "We were just having fun." But these cruel men have gone way beyond anything  that could be called fun. The royal thorn-crown, the genuflecting, the ridiculous cloak are all fake. Bullying is nothing new. The world is full of bullies who will not go away. I pray never to get laughs off of someone else's vulnerability.

Hail Mary...

There is a powerful scene in Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ. Mary (somehow perceiving) is wandering around a courtyard. She stops and presses her face and hands to the pavement. The camera moves down through the ground to the prison cell where Jesus is chained. He looks up to the ceiling. Is this just melodrama? I would say instead: deeply human.

Hail Mary...

When the mocking thugs were finished with Jesus, perhaps his deepest pain was loneliness. The world is filled with loneliness: the asylum seekers who are told to go away, patients in hospitals and nursing homes, children and parents separated from each other, city wanderers, people forgotten in apartments. And there are those who, like Jesus, sit in prison cells. God sees.  

Hail Mary...

We might recall the strange story of Abraham being told to sacrifice his son, Isaac. (Genesis 22:1-19). He is obedient, but just before taking the boy's life, an angel holds back the father's knife and a ram is discovered with its head caught in the thorns. For Abraham's obedience, the ram will suffice. But now Jesus wears the thorns around his head. There are to be no more animal sacrifices. Jesus, in his self-gift, made in  love for us, satisfies every dark claim against us. Everything is new.

Hail Mary...

The thorns of the crown go deeply into Jesus' head. They seem to invade and punish the mind of Jesus where his thoughts of light originate. But do the thorns also somehow amend the worst thoughts of our world: the thoughts of self aggrandizement; ethnicity; the greedy thoughts that abuse the planet and every living thing; the demonizing, hateful thoughts of others; even the non-thoughts which are our personal blind spots?

Hail Mary...

In the ancient world, kings and planets wore crowns. Now Jesus wears his crown of thorns. He rules a new kind of kingdom. "The King of Love my Shepherd is..." Christians sing. Buddhism might use the word compassion: A kingdom of compassion. That I might wish everyone happiness and to be freed of suffering. 

Hail Mary...

The brutes in this painting are working hard, pressing the thorn-crown into Jesus' head with long sticks, so they don't get stuck themselves. There are people like that - they cause pain and sadness from a distance. They then lie, distract or defend to keep blame from attaching itself to them. 

Hail Mary...

This genuflecting guy in the ill-fitting underwear, who is making stupid faces at Jesus - he might be one of the spitters the Gospel mentions. There is physical spitting but also verbal spitting. Ugly. Bishop Untener asks: The men who spit at Jesus turned their rejection of him into a physical act, and that we must remember the other Gospel scene where Jesus mixed his saliva with dirt, making a mud paste to heal the blind man's eyes (John 9:1-41). Is this ugly spitting of the soldiers the world's way of repaying Jesus for that act of mercy?

Hail Mary...

In Lent we sing, "O Sacred Head surrounded by crown of piercing thorn..." I won't be expected to wear a thorn-crown. But God might otherwise stick, poke or prod me with some new idea about Himself. God might puncture some old much-protected idea I have about the meaning of my life or about how I perceive other people. Whatever it is, once I meet Jesus wearing the crown of thorns, it can't be business as usual.

Hail Mary...

Through this long night of abuse, the Gospels record no word of Jesus. He did not curse or threaten. What were his thoughts? The people making all the noise were the brutish guards. Social media airwaves are filled with people objecting and complaining about everything - much of it about unimportant things in a world of great suffering. Sometimes we're silently tolerant of terrible injustices. Our priorities are way off. 

Hail Mary...

Glory be to the Father...

The Second Sorrowful Mystery ~ The Scourging at the Pillar

Our Father...

The Flemish painter, John-Paul Rubens (1577-1640), created this image titled The Flagellation of Christ. We might more typically call it The Scourging at the Pillar. It is said of St. Kateri Tekakwitha: She prayed more with her eyes than with her lips.

Hail Mary...

This is a rough scene. Scourging was a prelude to crucifixion, but sometimes it so weakened the man he was unable to walk to the place of execution. Here the scourging of Christ seems to be more than just a cruel piece of Roman law, but rather a great unleashing of humankind's angry hatred towards God.

Hail Mary...

In the Genesis account, we were created by God and placed in a wondrous and harmonious paradise. It doesn't take long though before the story becomes violent and brother murders brother. One anonymous source says: "If God lived in a house on earth today - all his windows would be broken." 

Hail Mary...

The tough guy on the left is using a whip with a piece of metal attached to the end. Someone actually thought how to "enhance" a tool so that it would do more damage. Depravity runs deep in humankind. These kinds of things happen still. Americans have a short memory when it comes to shameful things. Have we already forgotten Abu Graib?

Hail Mary...

This awful scene happens at night. One major newspaper reported at the start of this month that many hundreds of migrant young people have been shuttled at night to a tent city in the Texas desert. At night.

Hail Mary...

A young man in the background is mocking Jesus with a pretend salute. Bullies mock, even in school playgrounds. But it's especially sad when the mockery is performed by persons of authority, influence and leadership. These people are supposed to bring out the best in us. But this is probably an ignorant boy in Ruben's painting. He lives at the bottom of the pile, so he uses mockery to enhance his stature. 

Hail Mary...

At the bottom right in the painting we see a dog entering the room. Dogs are often included in paintings depicting Gospel events. A dog is symbolic of faithfulness and loyalty. Oh Jesus, though everyone else might turn against you, my soul will stay true. 

Hail Mary...

Our country feasts on violence. People watch reality television hoping to see a fight in a restaurant - fists and curses flying. Before watching a movie we're exposed to half a dozen previews of fireball explosions, crashes, bleed outs and murders. We use images of burning cities as movie entertainment. And while we don't have a corner on violence, around the world we are thought of as a violent nation. We can defend that, or pray for our conversion.

Hail Mary...

This Gospel scene is found only in Western art; it doesn't appear much in Byzantine or Eastern iconography. We might think the gruesome depictions of Jesus' torture are unnecessary. Or contemplating his prison grief, our souls might be awakened and made sensitive to creation's sorrow and pain. 

Hail Mary...

An arm reaches into the scene holding a bunch of dried sticks - another weapon to be used against Jesus. The bully on the right steadies himself by stepping on Jesus and grins as he holds his own weapon high above his head, the better to increase momentum. But there can be weapons in our hearts and in our minds. Do I want to be a non-violent person?

Hail Mary...

Glory be to the Father...

The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Taking of Christ in the Garden

Of course, the First Sorrowful Mystery is The Agony in the Garden. But there is a sub-scene taking place in that Gospel event which the Italian master, Caravaggio, has painted and which offers us opportunity for contemplation. The painting is titled: The Taking of Christ. It is the moment of Judas' betraying kiss and Jesus' arrest.

Our Father...

This scene is filled with movement, emotion-laden action, the tensions of light and dark, violence and surrender. Like much of human life. I might simply pause in silence and wait for some feeling response to rise up before praying the prayer.

Hail Mary...

There are seven figures in this painting. All are seen in profile except the face of Jesus. It makes for a crowded scene - like the political and Church scenes playing out today on newspaper pages, television and computer screens. Caravaggio has painted no background - only darkness. Does this suggest the drama is played out everywhere: betrayal, violence, power abuse?

Hail Mary...

There is a billowing blood-red cloth, umbrella like, over the head of Jesus. This portends the suffering which begins in the garden. Jesus is leaning away from Judas, almost as if he is going to fall down for the sadness of the betrayal. But his hands are prayerful, without a retaliatory weapon. His brow is furrowed, knowing the pain of being turned against and the sad horror of violence.

Hail Mary...

The eyes of Jesus are full of grief. All this clanking metal, gathered to take away the one who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Maybe Jesus' eyes are sorrowful too because he feels the strong grasp of Judas' left hand, which could be the grasp of friendship, but also the phony kiss. So many people in the world have sorrow-filled eyes.

Hail Mary...

Some say the fellow on the far left is the apostle John. The Gospel tells us the apostles were scattered in fear that night. He seems to be running right off the edge of the canvas. This disciple is wearing a tunic, but there was also that un-named man who dropped the sheet he was wrapped in and ran off naked into the night. Like someone who has forfeited his or her baptism relationship with Jesus - for fear.

Hail Mary...

At the same time there is a man on the far right moving into the scene. Caravaggio has painted himself into the painting as a young man. It's only moon light that illumines this night time event, but this fellow is holding up a lantern. He doesn't seem to be part of the meanness. We get the feeling he is perhaps straining to see - even standing on tip-toe. I want to see the face of Jesus. I want to hold up the light of my Baptism candle, however fragile the flame. 

Hail Mary...

You'd think Caravaggio would have placed the face of Jesus right in the center. But no, the over-stated arm of the arresting soldier gets all that attention. We talk a good game, but the world is infatuated with all things military. Imagine what we could do for the world's children if we placed our energies and resources at their service. And as November approaches, all these rallies and pandering for the votes of veterans and military people. Jesus is pushed to the side. Caravaggio seems to understand. 

Hail Mary...

On the other hand, the soldier's shiny, metal arm leads us to Jesus. Caravaggio isn't showing off his talent, but maybe the metal serves as a kind of mirror. Do I dare to look closely; I will see my self. The reflection invites an Examination of Conscience. The nation needs an examination of conscience; so does the church. Remember the 1960's bumper sticker, "My country, right or wrong." That's idolatry. Idolatry is a betrayal.

Hail Mary...

There is a lot of arguing going on these days in the art world over whether or not this painting was really created by Caravaggio. Of course, all the wrangling comes down to money: "Is the picture as valuable as we thought? Will people still pay to see it if its a copy?" Let the artists knock themselves out over it. The only question I need to ask is: "Am I the real deal, an authentic image? Or am I a Christian look-alike; a wanna-be?" 

Hail Mary...

One scholar, musing on this painting, ends by calling it a "secular event." How sad is that - to miss the painting's spiritual content. I must be still now and consider the painted scene. Look at what the world has done: we have arrested the All Good One and given him a fake kiss. 

Hail Mary...

Glory be to the Father...

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery ~ Jesus is Crucified

This arresting image is titled The Martyrdom of Jesus of Nazareth. It was painted by the 19th century French painter Aime Moret. It is so different from the stereotypical crucifix we know, many of us will say, I've never seen anything like it before. Jesus is looking up instead of down. His  feet are nailed to the sides of the cross instead of being placed one over the another on a little slanted platform. Pilate's condemnation sign is beneath instead of over Jesus' head. Jesus is not only nailed to the cross but tied. Jesus is as naked as we dare, and his left arm is dislocated. We shouldn't get lost in any of this, as if in a debate, but rather in silence simply contemplate Jesus put on a great sorrowful exhibition.

The crucifixion of Jesus is a great mystery. And how strange it is that the central image of our faith is a crucified man. Some Christians say Jesus is risen and shouldn't be shown on the cross. Of course Jesus is risen and has vanquished death, but the crucifix says, "Look at what the world's sin has done." The crucifix matters.

And this crucifix in particular is a kind of sign post for our weary world. In Jesus crucified God is stretched in every direction to discover us in love.  God is stretched into the farthest reaches of our minds and our personal stories. God has  stretched himself into the past of human history, full of obstacles and barriers, and into the future. God stretches down into the depths of our mistakes and to the heights of our consciousness: our worst and best thoughts. God has stretched to left and right where we find each other.

Our Father, Who art in heaven...

The title at the bottom of the cross, Jesus of Nazareth: King of the Jews, summarized the official charge against Jesus. Written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek, it could have been read by the whole world gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover. Little did Pilate know that he was making an act of faith. Jesus is King for the whole world.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Jesus was born to reign as King of my heart. His knowledge, his truth, his love far surpass my own. It is said that there will never be a man so known and loved throughout the world as Jesus. I want to be part of that loving.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

All of the apostles except John abandon Jesus now and have gone away. But good women-friends stay with Jesus as he dies on the cross. Undoubtedly their presence consoled him. Pope John Paul II called women, Sentinels of the Invisible.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

At the start, Mary said yes to the angel of the Annunciation. Now she stands beneath the cross of Jesus. She stands! It is the posture of strength and readiness.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

From the cross, Jesus gives Mary to the care of John. He tells John to take Mary as his own mother. But the ideas of Jesus are never small; he intends that I find in Mary the place of mother-nurturing love too and that I take up my own place in God's new family.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

In The Passion of the Christ, Mary approaches and kisses the crucified feet of Jesus, her son. She is an associate in his sacrifice of love. Mary-like, I must step up to what needs to be done, though it will require the suffering of love.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

On the cross, Jesus cries out that he is thirsty. He is dehydrated surely, but he is all the more thirsty for my love. I must be silent now for a moment and hold this thought before offering the prayer.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Jesus appears to have lost the battle; his body is mangled. There is no one to cheer for a victory. All the teaching about a kingdom seems to be failed. But there will be a Resurrection-Victory won by obedience. This is very hard for people to understand today: obedience to God.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

The Passover lambs, remembering the Exodus, were being sacrificed while Jesus suffered on the cross. Now there is a new heart-to-heart understanding between God and us. It is sealed, not in animal blood, but the Blood of Christ's own self-gift - a gift that is like the bleeding of a mother when giving birth to her child.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

The soldier wants to be sure that Jesus is dead. He pushes a spear into the side of Jesus, and blood and water pour out. The Church is born with these new streams of Baptism and Eucharist. Look how far God will go to enliven, cleanse, restore and nourish us!

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Glory be to the Father...



Lavender ~ Mary's Drying Plant

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery ~ Jesus Carries His Cross

This is bronze sculpture was created by Australian artist Peter Schipperheyn. Notice that Jesus is surrounded by darkness. It's as if he is carrying his cross into the darkest night, the darkest human night, but he is shiny and bright.

"O Christ our saviour, shed your light upon the path I have to tread, that I may keep it without stumbling and without faltering and come in the end to see you face to face in the heavenly kingdom. Amen."

The face of Jesus is very beautiful. He is perhaps resting in the peace of what he has set out to do, which is to love the world to the very end. One monk defines love as yielding self-interest for the good of the other. In the film The Passion of the Christ, as Jesus begins the walk to Calvary along with the two thieves, the taunting begins at once with one thief shouting at Jesus, "You fool, why do you hug your cross?" Today we might hear:

• "You fool, the baby is Down Syndrome; why would you keep the pregnancy?"
• "You fool, why do you even care about them?"
• "You fool, what's in it for you?"
• "You fool, they don't even know what minimum wage is."
• "You fool, no one will ever know."

Our Father, Who art in heaven...

Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, helped Jesus to carry the cross to Calvary. Years later these sons of Simon became esteemed Christians. Maximilian Kolbe, the martyr of Auschwitz said, the smallest act of kindness ripples to eternity.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

While Jesus bore the real burden of the cross, he is pleased for my cooperation and contribution. Like Simon, I help Jesus to carry the cross by patiently accepting difficulties and challenges and in my solidarity with others in their own sorrow and disappointment.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Saint John tells us that Jesus carried the cross on his own shoulders. There is no part of Jesus' journey to Calvary that is without sacrifice. Discipleship is walking with Christ to the changing of my heart. It is no part-time or weekend event.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

There is a moment when a mother holds her newborn and their eyes lock onto each other for the first time. It is an occasion of recognition and identification. Likely Jesus and Mary experienced that gaze again as they met in silence on the Calvary road. And I can share that occasion with Jesus too, when I generously carry my own small and great crosses alongside him.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Simon wasn't looking to help Jesus carry the cross. He was just coming home from work in the fields. God speaks through the Prophet Isaiah: I went to those who were not looking for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. Jesus knew me and loved me, long before I had any thoughts of him.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Small things matter to Jesus, like the little coins the widow put in the temple collection box. An extra-biblical account tells us that Veronica made the small gift of her towel to dry the wounded face of Jesus. Mother Teresa said, It's not how much you give, but how much love you put into the giving."

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Only love explains why Jesus is accepting such suffering for us. And in contemplating this love I am left silent. But Jesus himself taught us that love sums up the law and the prophets. Love is the new commandment and the mark that distinguishes the disciples of Jesus.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Fear has overcome the people who followed Jesus, who heard his teaching and witnessed his miracles. They have run away now. Oh, I know what a spoiler fear is. I must never allow fear to ruin my friendship with Jesus.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

The women who are crying on the road to Calvary were there also to give Jesus drugs to dull his pain. The soldiers will do the same at the top of the hill. But Jesus refuses. He chooses to be conscious. The price to get us back is very great.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Surrounded by brutality, Jesus encounters a few friends as he carries the cross: the crying women, Veronica and Simon. I must learn from them. No one should be without a friend. Do I have eyes, but not see?

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Glory Be to the Father....

   



Our Lady's Mantle



The Third Sorrowful Mystery ~ The Crowning with Thorns

Someone might want to debate whether or not this painting is a great work of art, but that's not really important. More often than not, the crown of thorns Jesus wears is a rather modest, well-proportioned, even tidy  circle of thorns. But this crown is totally out of control. I suspect it is a more accurate depiction of what Jesus had put on his head. The soldiers who held Jesus in custody were bored, ignorant, young toughs. We know that unspeakable things happen in prisons. In Jesus suffering, God has descended into the world's depravity.

This crown of thorns is heaped up on the head of Jesus. The world encircles, mocks and punishes the mind of Jesus - the mind that thought: "Blessed are the peacemakers," "Forgive seventy times seven times," "Little girl, get up," "Woman, your faith has saved you," "Has no one condemned you...Neither do I," "Lazarus, come out!"

Our Father, Who art in heaven...

In a bitterly sarcastic way the soldiers proclaim Jesus to be King. But I will amend that mockery and embrace the crowned Jesus as my King, surrendering myself to his rule of justice, mercy and forgiveness.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Jesus is dressed like a king in a sadistic game: faded royal robe, thorn-crown, reed-scepter, mock bowing, blindfolding and spitting. But the Book of Revelation says: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth, wisdom, might, honor and glory and blessing.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

In Jesus Christ, God has a human face, which now seems hardly human at all: beaten up, bloodied, swollen, broken, unrecognizable. Pilate has to announce to the crowd who this man is. Jesus stands in solidarity with all human sufferers, especially those who remain lost or unidentified.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Jesus is innocent and Pilate knows it. Jesus leads the procession which winds all throughout history: a long procession of innocent people who suffer torture, mockery, unjust imprisonment or execution, exile, the sick untended. Father forgive!

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Jesus is bound through this prison scene. Powerless, he is unable to wipe the blood and sweat from his eyes. I ask God's forgiveness for all the sins of ingratitude heaped against God. And seeing Jesus alone in the prison cell, I am assured that God knows and stands with me in my own painful losses.

Hail Mary, full of grace...
 

Saint Jerome tells us: while Jesus is bound, his death will set us free. The crown of thorns Jesus wears will win for us a crown in the Kingdom. That while Jesus is wounded, these wounds will heal us.

Hail Mary, full of grace...
 

The crowning with thorns was not an official part of execution but the meanest invention of cruel soldiers. I'm sorry for any way in which I have touched cruelty and the furious anger that has left someone else shamed, afraid or discouraged.
 

Hail Mary, full of grace...

I desire to enter this scene: the prison cell of Jesus. He and I are there alone. He is exhausted. I bring him the cup of water he told us mattered. In his debased loneliness I speak to him, sharing his sorrow and absorbing his light.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

In this prison scene Jesus is dressed and undressed several times. Jesus amends the sins of nakedness before God: rape, torture, child abuse, child pornography, adultery, sexual slavery.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

In the film The Passion of the Christ, Mary, by some inner sense, finds the exact spot over the subterranian prison cell where Jesus is chained for the night. She presses her face to the floor in love, knowing he is there. I want this Marian sense too: always to know where to find Jesus in love and friendship.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Glory be to the Father...

Carnation ~ Mary's Love of God



The Second Sorrowful Mystery ~ The Scourging at the Pillar

 

Father Karl Rahner, S.J. wrote that angels are the entourage of Jesus. Angels filled the night sky when Jesus was born. Angels ministered to Jesus at the end of his desert-fasting and in the Garden of Gethsemane. Angels announced Jesus' Resurrection to the Myrrh-Bearing Women and called the apostles to attention at the Ascension.

In this image five angels surround Jesus.We see the wounds of his hands, side and head clearly. The wounds of his back are hidden from us, but the angels have seen and know. They have covered Jesus' back to comfort him. The cloth is white on the outside and blood-red underneath.

G.K. Chesterton wrote, Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair. We can read the account of the Scourging at the Pillar in Matthew 27:27-31

Our Father, Who art in heaven...

Pilate has Jesus beaten and whipped severely, hoping this will satisfy the people's lusts. Am I a compromiser? Then I am no better off than Pilate, who couldn't stand by Jesus bravely.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Pilate doesn't believe that Jesus is guilty. He is a coward, intent on saving his own skin: his safety, power, position. He hands Jesus over to death. How far do I go, Pilate-like, to protect myself?

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Scourging was an official part of a man's execution. It was used to weaken a criminal and speed up his death. Here, a prophecy is fulfilled, and Jesus suffers alongside those who endure every kind of violence and degradation.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

This scourging at the pillar officially begins the process of Jesus' crucifixion. It has a saving value. And Jesus expects me to carry my own cross alongside him. Often his cross-carrying is fearsome. But I can't have Jesus without the cross.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

The exhausted Jesus is abused by furious soldiers who are sadistic bullies. Some men died from this beating. I must simply look and not turn away. Oh Jesus, that I would be less fearful of what God asks of me.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

This scene is all about power. Jesus asks me to divest myself of power, except love's power, which washes feet and shares burdens.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

There is a great loneliness in this scourging scene. No friends, no family nearby. Jesus understands what it is to be all alone. I might consider those who suffer the loneliness of slavery, prison, hospice, exile, refugee camp, orphanage.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

We have turned God's paradise into a human slaughterhouse. And am I to think that we don't deserve punishment for all of this blasphemy? But God spares us the punishment as Jesus takes it upon himself in love. How ridiculous, some might say. The things of  love are often incomprehensible, aren't they?

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Pope Paul VI said that the world's great sin is that it has lost all sense of sin. We're afraid to announce sin anymore - it might hurt someone's self-esteem. But it was my sin that tied Jesus, whipped Jesus, crowned him with thorns, spat at him, gave him vinegar to drink and nailed him to the cross. Pride has to be dropped to understand this.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

In silence I stand with those who watched Jesus being shredded with sharp whips. This is reason for me to hate sin and to love virtue. And I will imitate these virtues of Jesus: getting free of resentment, anger and harsh judgments, and the opening of my heart.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Glory be to the Father...



Wild Strawberry ~ Fruitfulness of Mary



The First Sorrowful Mystery - The Agony in the Garden

The apostles are sleeping in the darkness somewhere, a stone's throw, from Jesus. The full Passover moon and the angel keep Jesus company in his grief. Jesus is wearing red, so we can find him in the night's darkness, but also to signify his bleeding for us. Doesn't the Red Cross have a saying: Give the gift of life; give blood. Here Jesus' gift of life-blood is beyond our comprehending.

This consoling angel appears with a towel over the left arm, a towel to absorb Jesus' blood, sweat and tears. Until the 1960's the priest wore a vestment at Mass over his arm called a maniple. It signified a handkerchief or waiter's towel. The maniple was eliminated in the name of modern simplicity. But in putting it on, the priest was reminded to take the world's tears and sufferings with him to the altar.

The account of the Jesus' prayer and arrest in Gethsemane can be found in Matthew26:36ff; Mark 14:32ff; Luke 22:39ff and John 18:1ff  ~  (ff means and what follows).

Our Father, Who art in heaven...

The gospels tell us that when Jesus prayed in the garden, he knelt. Kneeling says silently, God, you are God, not I. The humility of Jesus!

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Jesus asked the apostles to pray with him in the garden. He knows they will be tempted to lose faith in him when they see him arrested and abused. But they fall asleep. And I?

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Jesus is God; equal to the Father. But as a man he needs to pray. In his terrible sorrow and suffering, Jesus speaks to the Father in intimacy. He see everything he will suffer. He sees the world's sin. I want to kneel next to Jesus, reassuring him of my repentance and love.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

The sensitivity of Jesus: he feels the world's abandonment and rejection. He sweats blood. Oh Jesus, sensitize me to the world's sorrow, to the pain of other people.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Not my will, but yours be done. Jesus is utterly abandoned to the Father. His human will is in harmony with God's will. Is there some of this harmony in my own prayer, especially times of difficulty and suffering?

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Judas twists up the sign of respect and affection, the kiss, into a sign of betrayal. But Jesus is gentle and calls him friend. And Jesus calls me friend too. Oh, that I would be a friend to Jesus in truth.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

The garden quickly becomes a place of chaotic violence. But Jesus is in control. An arresting soldier has his ear cut off. Jesus restores and heals him. Imagine: healing an enemy!

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Jesus goes to the cross in obedience to the Father. He does not allow violence, even in his own defense. This is very difficult for us today. I might begin drawing near to the non-violent Jesus by recognizing and dropping even one of my clutched defenses.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

So often we think in self-pity, I'm having such a hard time of it. Then pray: May the will of God, who is just and loving, be done and fulfilled in me above everything else.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

As there were angels at Bethlehem and in the wilderness where Jesus was tempted, now I see an angel who comforts Jesus in the loneliness of the night-time garden. God's consolation and help are near to me always. Many people feel this deeply!

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Glory be to the Father...

Lily of the Valley ~ Mary's Tears