The Scourging at the Pillar

The Second Sorrowful Mystery:
Our Lord is Scourged at the Pillar

"Then Pilate set Barabbas free, but had Jesus scourged, and handed Him over to be crucified." - Matthew 27:26

Just a few hours before this, Jesus was before the Jewish elders, questioned before the high priest Caiaphas. They demanded answers from Him, but all they were really looking for were reasons to hand Him over to the romans. They made fun of Him and spit at Him, while Jesus accepted what was happening. Then, He is before Pilate, who didn't really want to crucify Him, but had no choice since the crowds were asking for Jesus' death. So, they took our Lord and tied Him to a pillar. The roman soldiers took turns whipping His back. The whips had pieces of bone attached to the ends that were designed to rip away at pieces of flesh and bone upon contact. There was our Lord, an innocent man, our God, tied to a pillar while His body was mutilated. I can imagine that they missed His back a lot of times and instead, the whips ripped away at the sides of His ribs, probably His face, His arms, His legs. And He accepted all of this because at the end, you and I could ask God for forgiveness with a repented heart, and He will forgive us. No longer would we die, but we will have eternal life.

If He wanted to, Jesus could have resisted, ordered the angels to save Him, or made it so He didn't feel pain, but He didn't. You see, how could we ever serve a God who doesn't know what it is like to suffer the things we suffer? Jesus knew this and wanted to show His love by accepting this fate. We can't ever say God doesn't understand our hurt. Sometimes it can feel like people are killing us when we discover betrayal, deceit, or that someone has said horrible things behind our backs. It can feel like the air was sucked right out of us and pieces of our heart were torn out - well, each time Jesus was spit at, betrayed, with each lashing tearing away at His flesh and muscle, He is right there with you in your suffering… and not because He has to be, but because He wants to be.

Today's Prayer:
Mary, you watched in great sorrow as your son was beaten and put to death for our sins. Please pray for us so that this Holy Week does not pass without our fully realizing how much God loves us and how much we need Him every day of our lives.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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.

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

It Is Your Responsibility

"He then asked for water and washed his hands before the people, saying, "I am not responsible for his blood. It is your doing." - Matthew 27:24

Pilate lives in history as the man who handed Jesus over to be killed. We even announce it in our creed each week, although Pilate washed his hands of Jesus' death. And if you think of it logically, it really wasn't his fault so much, right? He tried to let Jesus go, but ultimately the people wanted Him crucified, right? After all, Pilate wasn't even a Jew and didn't want to get involved in their affairs. This is wrong. Today, as I prayed the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary and thought about Pilate, I saw so many of us in his shoes. Pilate did have a responsibility! Although he didn't want to be involved in Jewish affairs, as a leader he was called to serve justice and he should have defended an innocent person. So many times, many of us let the weak and defenseless get abused because we don't want to get involved. So many times we wash our hands from helping someone, of being there to support someone. Many of us act like Pontius Pilate and we don't even see it. He's a villain in the story of Jesus, but we do the same thing to others when we pass up a chance to come to their defense! From now on, look to see who you can serve. Who are the little people around you that need your protection and your help? Don't wash your hands of anyone's problem if you can be a blessing to that person.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I realize that I act like Pilate sometimes when I don't stand up for the innocent. Strengthen my Spirit and make me more willing to serve others in need. In Your Name we pray, amen.