21. PRAYING THE LIFE OF JESUS: THE FIFTH SORROWFUL MYSTERY - THE CRUCIFIXION

APPETIZER: By embracing in his human heart the Father's love for all people, Jesus "loved them to the end", for "greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." In suffering and death his humanity became the free and perfect instrument of his divine love which desires the salvation of men.  Indeed, out of love for his Father and for each human being, whom the Father wants to save, Jesus freely accepted his Passion and death: "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." (CCC 609)  Christ's death is both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of humanity through "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", and it is the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores human beings to a right relationship with God through the "blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins". (CCC 613)  It is by loving us to the end that Christ's sacrifice finds its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction.  Jesus  knew and loved each one of us  when he offered his life.  No man, not even the holiest, was ever able to take on himself the sins of all people and offer himself as a sacrifice for them all. The existence in Christ of the divine person of the Son, who at once surpasses and embraces all human persons, and constitutes himself as the Head of all mankind, makes possible his redemptive sacrifice for all. (CCC 616)

MAIN COURSE:  There is a lot of theology rolled into today's Appetizer, each one of which could fill a whole book on its own!  But let's take a closer look at a few of the most astounding (to me) ingredients in this "recipe for our salvation" and see what they are telling us.

1.  Embracing in his human heart the Father's love for all people.  Is this how we think about God the Father? Do we really let it sink into our heads and our hearts that, as St. John tells us, "God is love"? (see 1 John 4:16) Note that St. John does not say "God is loving" as if it is simply one of the Lord's characteristics. Love is not simply what God does, it is what God IS. And it is how he acts towards us always. And what is love?  It is the decision to always do what is best for others no matter what the cost is to self.  

2. Indeed, out of love for his Father and for each human being, whom the Father wants to save, Jesus freely accepted his Passion and death.  A most fundamental thing to never forget about the Passion and Crucifixion is that Jesus, God the Son, was freely embraced his saving mission out of love.   It was his only and complete motivation in his human life. He did not act from a sense of patriotism for Israel against the Romans. Nor was it a grandiose offering of self to become the Hero of Israel. Jesus went forth to his Passion as the Servant of Love whose heart beats as one with the heart of the Father; a heart beating with love for every single human being: past, present and future.

3. Jesus  knew and loved each one of us  when he offered his life. This is an incredible truth to ponder!  Do we realize that, because he is God as well as human, Jesus saw each one of us, knew each one of us, loved each one of us and offered himself up for each one of us individually and personally during his Passion? During the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, while enduring his scourging and crowning with thorns, as he stumbled and fell through the streets of Jerusalem on the way to Golgotha, for the three hours that he was torturously nailed to the wood of the cross...he saw ME, he knew ME, he kept loving ME, he did it for ME. And he did all this as if I was the only person in the world who stood in need of salvation.  I wonder how often we really stop and realize this truth?

4. It is by loving us to the end that Christ's sacrifice finds its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction.  This brief sentence contains term that are considered in theology the four results or effects of Jesus' crucifixion. Heres a brief explanation that really does not do justice to their fullest meaning.

Redemption means "to buy back". When we redeem something (for example, a coupon) we turn it in and receive something in exchange. And so theology says that Jesus exchanged his life for ours as a sacrifice for our sins. He redeemed us from sin and death, from the kingdom of darkness and evil. This si why Te New Testament tells us that we were purchased by the blood of Christ: "He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins." (Ephesans 1:7)

Reparation means "to make amends for wrong that has been done".  Reparation is an active form of apology, of saying "I'm sorry" in a tangible meaningful way. As the perfect human being Jesus was able to, in effect, say to God  the Father on behalf of the human race: "We're sorry for what our ancestors did in the Garden of Eden, We're sorry for all he sins by which we have abused your love for us."  Jesus' total love and humble obedience, since it was joined to his divinity and was therefore infinite, made complete reparation for the selfishness and disobedience of Adam, Eve, and all of us sinners.

Atonement is very much the same as reparation, however, it carries with it a sense of reconciliation. You can even see this in its word structure: at-one-ment. You see reparation can indeed make amends for wrongs done, but in and of itself it does not guarantee healing of a broken relationship. Atonement accomplishes this goal. By his Cross Jesus made us one: one with God and one with each other in Christ. Atonement is reparation that brings about unity.

Satisfaction means meeting the conditions necessary to set things right. We don't really use this word much in this sense in American English anymore but we do experience it.  Think about when you really try your hardest to make up to a person whom you have offended, and then ask, "Are you satisfied? Did I do enough?"  The crucifixion of Jesus is called a "saving death" because by it he "did more than enough" to make up for how the human race has treated (and when we sin still treats)  the God who loves us.

I am going to end this week's Bitesize lesson with a question that many people often have: Did Jesus HAVE to suffer and die in order for us to be reconciled to God?  Theologians, Bible scholars, and regular everyday believers have been asking this almost since the beginning of Christianity.  What we have to remember in all this is that God is God, and he could have done anything he wanted.  Be that as it may, there are basically two "camps" in this debate. One side vehemently upholds the "satisfaction" terminology while the other emphasizes that of "atonement".  The former hold fast to the Old Testament practice of blood-sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins.  The latter, on the other hand, put the focus on Jesus' love for and obedience to the Father as being the all-sufficient cause for the healing the sinful wound of human nature and obtaining forgiveness of sins.  

But the truth, really, is found in a third group, the middle ground, which sees no problem with combining both concepts.  As a matter of fact this is where most believers can be found because their position is firmly grounded in the  Church’s teaching that “Jesus atoned for our faults and made satisfaction for our sins to the Father.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 615) Notice how both terms of each side of the debate are contained in that teaching! Thus, we are free to prefer either way (without denying the other) as long as we hold to what is true and revealed to us by God and which we profess every Sunday: "For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again..." (Nicene Creed)

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking during the day.

Saint Quote: “In difficult moments, I will fix my gaze upon the silent Heart of Jesus stretched on the Cross, and from the exploding flames of His merciful Heart, will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.” (St. Faustina Kowalska, d. 1938)

From our Catholic Tradition: Prayer Before a Crucifix. The following is a long-standing prayer in Catholicism and is traditionally recited before a crucifix or after Holy Communion while gazing upon the crucifix in church.

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus
while before Your face I humbly kneel,
and with burning soul,
pray and beseech You
to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments
of faith, hope, and charity;
true contrition for my sins,
and a firm purpose of amendment.

While I contemplate,
with great love and tender pity,
Your five most precious wounds,
pondering over them within me
and calling to mind the words which David,
Your prophet, said to You, my Jesus:

"They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones."

Amen.

Scripture Quote to Memorize: "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I live life trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

20. PRAYING THE LIFE OF JESUS: THE FOURTH SORROWFUL MYSTERY - THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS

APPETIZER:  "The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the “one mediator between God and men”. But because he was God become human, Christ has united himself to every human  person and given us “the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the mystery of his death and resurrection". He calls his disciples to “take up the cross and follow him”, for “Christ also suffered for us, giving us an example so that would enable us to follow in his steps.” In fact Jesus desires to associate the saving power of his cross with all who open themselves to its blessings.  Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven." The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes. (CCC #618, #2015)

MAIN COURSE: Let's unpack a little bit of the CCC quote above because it uses quite a bit of theological official Church speak.  Basically, it is telling us that God the Son became human so that he could save or redeem us AS ONE OF US and not as some far-off distant God who has lived experience of who we are and how we live. It is also informing us that Jesus wants us to participate in our own salvation. Taking up the cross and sacrificing ourselves out of love for God and others like Jesus did is not a "spectator sport" for Christians. The Cross (which has some to symbolize sacrificial love) is at the very heart of any genuine Christian spirituality. 

This is why it has become the #1 symbol of Christianity. We begin and end our prayers with the Sign of the Cross.  We begin our Christian lives at baptism with the Sign of the Cross bering traced upon our foreheads. We end of lives on earth with this same Sign of the Cross being made over us in death at our  funeral. We bless our food and our holy objects with he Sign of the Cross. We enshrine our homes with the Sign of the Cross,  hanging it upon our walls. We often proclaim our relationship with Jesus by wearing the sign of the Cross as a silent ever-present profession of faith. But for all of these things to be genuine expressions of faith and not simply superstitious objects or actions, the Sign of the Cross that we exhibit outwardly must be a reflection of the spirituality of the Cross that we cherish inwardly. 

The spirituality of the Cross is rooted in the Great Commandments Jesus gave us: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ (Mt 22:37-39).  Did you notice the ordering of love that Jesus himself gives us? We must love God first, others second and ourselves and then show this "ordering of love" in our daily lives and actions. This is precisely what Jesus did in the Passion which we are pondering in these Sorrowful Mysteries. 

The spirituality of the Cross is nourished by prayer and the sacraments.  We cannot find power in and of ourselves to keep loving and living unselfishly like Jesus did. This is impossible for human beings to do without the help of God's grace. So we turn to God for this help which he freely and willingly bestows upon us through our personal prayer and by our devout mindful reception of the Sacraments, particularly Reconciliation and Eucharist. The proof that human beings can be successful in sacrificial love with God's grace is shown to us in the lives of the saints. They give countless examples of ordinary Christians like us, in every walk of life and every age group, successfully living and loving like Jesus to the best of their ability.

The spirituality of the Cross finds a genuine expression in one's life by Christian asceticism.   Christian asceticism is intentional self-denial and penitential practices embraced for the sake of growing in love. Also called "penance", it is NOT some sort of self-punishment, or a stoic self-conquering goal. Its sole reason is growing in love. It we are not people of prayer and penance, then we are not living as authentic Christians in our everyday lives.  Without a daily commitment to some expression of prayer and penance, we are not walking the way of the Cross with Christ.

The spirituality of the Cross is at the heart of every Church-approved message which the Blessed Mother has brought to us from Heaven.  Now, it is true that no one is obliged to believe in  the reality of the visions or heed any of the messages given through what are called "private revelations". They are called "private" because these things happen to individuals and can even be influenced by a genuine visionary's emotions and psychology. This is a solid teaching of the Church.  We are, of course, obliged to believe in and follow what is called "public revelation" which means the Scriptures and official Teachings of the Church. This is called "public" because God has chosen o reveal these things to us for our salvation through his Beloved Son. 

But be that as it may, when we examine the genuine visions of Mary her messages always contain some form of calling us to prayer and penance. At Lourdes she called for "penitence" three times and had St. Bernadette pray the rosary each time she came. At Fatima Our Lady brought her "peace plan from Heaven" which centered upon offering up our daily duties in a sacrificial spirit and asking us to pray the rosary daily. At Beauraing and Banneux (both in Belgium, 1930's) she asked that we "pray always" and that we "always be good" (which is a childlike way of describing self-denial for the sake of others). At Kibeho in Rwanda in the 1980's (and now approved by the Church) the Blessed Mother of the Word (as she called herself) begged for prayers in reparation for sin and penances to make up for those who keep offending God. We can see in these examples how the spirituality of the Cross  is central to all authentic forms of Christian devotion.

History of the Symbol of the Cross: Whether hung on  a wall, worn around the neck, or tattooed on the body the  Sign of the Cross takes two basic forms (although each form has a myriad of variations): a plain Cross or a Crucifix (that is, a cross with the body of Jesus on it). People mistakenly think that these two different styles represent the two main branches of Christianity - Protestant and Catholic.  But that's not entirely true. Both forms are 100% Catholic since both forms were in use long before the splintering of the Church during the 16th century Protestant Reformation. And many of the Liturgical-based Protestant denominations (such as Episcopalian and Lutheran) use the crucifix as well.  The difference is found simply in meaning and in preference. 

The plain Cross is the original ancient symbol.  As far as it being displayed in art or in any 3-D form, this did not happen until at least the 4th-5th century AD.  We have to remember that the cross to those first generations of Christians was the horrid sign and reminder of Roman execution.  However, the use of the Sign of the Cross as a sacred gesture was used among Christians from about the year 200AD onwards. At first people simply made the small crosses such as we trace upon ourselves during the Gospel at Mass today. Later on it became the larger more common Sign of the Cross with which we are so familiar. At the time of the Protestant Reformation some of the protestors adopted the plain Cross simply as a way of distinguishing themselves from the Catholics. But many Catholic saints of that time also adopted the plain Cross as their main symbol, such St. Teresa of Avila, who made it the official Cross of her Discalced Carmelite religious order because she said that the plain Cross reminds us of penance and that we should take up our Cross with Jesus.

The Crucifix started to be used after Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire.  The Christian-friendly Emperor Constantine outlawed the capital punishment of crucifixion out of respect for Christ.  Since it was safe to display one's Christian faith and since crucifix was no longer a tortuous punishment, church decor and religious art began to make use of it. Interestingly, the first Crucifixes were not gory replicas of Jesus' death but showed him victorious and triumphant upon the Cross, often dressed like a high priest or king. But as the centuries moved on and Christian meditation upon and devotion to the Passion increased, both paintings and sculptures began to show a more realistic rather than symbolic Jesus upon the Cross. In most of Europe where nudity itself did not have a sinful stigma (has it had in the UK and USA) it was even common to show the full reality of Roman crucifixion by having a nude Christ upon the Cross instead of a body covered with a loin cloth. The Romans crucified their victims nude for maximum public humiliation.

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking during the day.

From our Catholic Tradition: The Stations of the Cross.  From the earliest days of Christianity, pilgrims journeyed to Jerusalem to walk in the footsteps of Christ's Passion the road to Calvary. Tradition holds that the Blessed Mother herself led the example by making daily visits to the sites of her Son's sufferings, death and resurrection following his ascension into Heaven. More than 2,000 years later, however, Christians are still honoring the Passion of Jesus and being inspired to "take up the cross" through penance by praying a devotion that has come to be known as the Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross.  

Born out of widespread devotion to the Passion of Christ in the 12th and 13th centuries, this devotion began to develop and spread throughout the Catholic world through the ministry of the Franciscan Friars who were granted custody of the Christian shrines in the Holy Land in 1342.  When it became dangerous for Christians to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem because of the hostile Muslim takeover of the Holy Land, the Franciscans (and then others) began to erect the Stations of the Cross in parish churches as a substitute for the actual pilgrimage.  The is why the Stations have the unique requirement of having to be walked while praying.

The Stations of the Cross take the 5 Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and expand upon them for our meditation.  It quickly became the custom to pray the Way of the Cross on Fridays of the year and in some places daily during Lent. 

The Stations are a mix of Gospel events and pious stories from Christian tradition as follows:

1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus carries His cross
3. Jesus falls for the first time
4. Jesus meets His mother, Mary
5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. Jesus falls for the second time
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
9. Jesus falls for the third time
10. Jesus is stripped of His clothes
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus is taken down from the cross
14. Jesus is placed in the tomb

Quotes from Our Catholic Tradition

“In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross” (Tertullian, c. 250 AD)

“Let us then not be ashamed to confess the Crucified.  Be the cross our seal, made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in everything; over the bread we eat and the cups we drink, in our comings and in our goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are traveling, and when we are at rest” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, cd. 386 AD) 

Prayer to Memorize: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you; because by your holy Cross you have deemed the world!

Scripture Verse to Memorize: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34)

19. THE LIFE OF JESUS - THE THIRD SORROWFUL MYSTERY - THE CROWNING WITH THORNS

APPETIZER: Jesus exercises his kingship by drawing all people to himself through his Passion and Resurrection. Christ, King and Lord of the universe, made himself the servant of all, for he came,as the Gospel of  St. Matthew tells us,  not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  The People of God shares in the royal office of Christ and carry out their royal dignity by a life in keeping with its vocation to serve with Christ.  For the Christian, to reign is to serve Christ particularly by serving the poor and the suffering, in whom the we recognize the image of our poor and suffering Lord...in this way the Christian fulfills his or her royal mission. (see CCC#786)

MAIN COURSE:  The crowning with thorns per se was not a usual part of the Roman torture process of those condemned to death. However, humiliating and degrading the prisoners was a part of this process and so the soldiers chose to focus on Jesus' claim to be  king.  You might recall that during his interrogation before Pontius Pilate Christ declared that he was, indeed, a king, but one whose kingdom was not of this world. To the soldiers this was utter nonsense of course and they most likely thought of Jesus as an extremely deluded and troubled man. But that would only make their  inhumane mockery of him even more intense! On one hand...who can blame them? (I mean blame their misunderstanding..not excuse their cruelty!)  Living after the Resurrection and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, we know so much about Jesus that they did not know.  We cannot help but look back on his being crowned with thorns and see in it a mockery of his true royal status as the Messiah.

But this third Sorrowful Mystery reminds us that the Kingship of Christ is not defined by human standards of worldly power.   If it was, Jesus would have called upon his legion of angels to defend him and out an end to those soldiers! In the earthly political sphere, a royal ruler has dominion over his or her subjects and exercises supreme authority over them...and quite often lets them know it! They are on top of the social ladder and have others at their beck and call. But Jesus himself told us that this was not his way.  He said that the one who is greatest is the one who serves the others with generosity and self-forgetfulness.  He washed the apostles' feet as a concrete example of how they were to lead others. He himself had not come to be served but to serve others and to give his very life for us.  

And he also told us to go and do the same! Wait a minute...let's ponder that. He told us to do the same? Does this means that we somehow share in his kingship, his royalty? Yes it does. And yes we do!  We share in Jesus' royal status and we also share in the other two indispensable aspects of his mission: his ministry as prophet of God and his role as the high priest of God. This three things are called the Triple Mission or Triple Office of Christ as Prophet, Priest and King.  

And all three of these important roles in his mission as Savior were mocked by the Roman soldiers during this torture of the crowning with thorns. 

• They insulted Christ the Prophet when they blindfolded him and said, “Prophesy to us! Who hit you that time?” (Luke 22:64) 
• And they blasphemed against Christ the Priest when they pretended to do him homage, genuflecting before him in mockery (see Mark 15:19). 
• Lastly, they ridiculed Christ the King by dressing him in a purple cloak and by forcing upon his head the cruel crown of piercing thorns.

So, how do we participate in this Triple Mission of Jesus?  How does this come about? At Baptism a human being becomes a Christian, which means "an anointed one" (recall that the name Christ means "anointed one').  Through the power of the Cross and the gift of the Holy Spirit who is conferred though holy anointing with Chrism (special holy oil) the new Christian becomes forever a participant in Jesus' mission as prophet, priest and king. It comes part of our mission on planet Earth. So the important next question is this: How do we carry out our participation in this mission of the Savior?

We fulfill the role of prophet by sharing God's Word.  This is why Pope Francis constantly remind us that we should read from the Holy Bible daily, especially the Gospels. How can we fulfill our mission as prophets if we are not familiar with the Word of God? We are to share this Word with others first of all by our behavior. Nothing is more powerful that the example we give others. Then, we should be able converse simply about the Good News of Jesus and what it means to trust in him as Lord and Savior.

We fulfill the office of priest by worshipping to God.  It surprises many Christians to find out that they are priests. A priest by definition is someone consecrated to God to offer him worship. Every Catholic has been consecrated with chrism at Baptism to function as a priest  We call this the baptismal priesthood. It is different from, but complementary to, the priesthood that men receive who have been ordained to lead us in our sacramental worship. Theirs is called the ministerial priesthood. We baptismal priests offer worship to God by dedicating our daily lives to him as a spiritual offering and by praying and interceding for the needs of others.

We fulfill the role of king (royal-servant) by placing ourselves in service to others. As noted above, to exercise royalty in the Kingdom of God means to become a servant. Christian authority is to be carried out in a spirit of self-forgetfulness, humility, mercy and justice towards others. This was the whole attitude and example of Jesus' life. He told us that when we come before God at judgment upon our death, our eternity will be decided upon according to how we have responded to the needs of the poor, the vulnerable, the needy and the suffering (see Matthew 25:31-46).

By being faithful to our baptismal vocation as Christians who are prophets, priests and royal-servants we make reparation for the insults and injury that Christ suffered when these three aspects of his mission were mocked and ridiculed.  By living these responsibilities we also leave our mark on the world by doing good in that little slice of life that is ours to influence. Those with whom we live, work and socialize will be better off for having come into contact with us if we have a Christ-like heart and a Christ-like mind motivating our words and behavior. Such a life proclaims, without boasting or  bragging, that we indeed the "King's kids", members of the Royal family of Heaven.

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take away with you for your snacking during the day.

Vatican II Quote: "The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, in order that through all those works which are those of the Christian man they may offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the power of Him who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. Therefore all the disciples of Christ, persevering in prayer and praising God, should present themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Everywhere on earth they must bear witness to Christ and give an answer to those who seek an account of that hope of eternal life which is in them." (Lumen Gentium #10)

Catechism of the Catholic Church Quote:  "Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the Church "a kingdom, priests for his God and Father." The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ's mission as priest, prophet, and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the faithful are "consecrated to be . . . a holy priesthood."(CCC #1546)

Saint Quote: "Jesus Christ is the one whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and established as priest, prophet, and king. The whole People of God participates in these three offices of Christ and bears the responsibilities for mission and service that flow from them." (Pope St. John Paul II, d. 2005)

From Our Catholic Prayer Tradition: It has long been a custom for us to unite our daily life spiritually to the life of Jesus when he lived on earth and to also unite ourselves to the offering which the Risen Lord continues to make of himself to God the Father daily in the Eucharist.  This is known as the Daily Offering, or sometimes because it is said at the beginning of one's day it is called the Morning Offering. It is a prayer-from that has long been promoted by the Jesuits and the Apostleship of Prayer (aka the Pope's Daily Prayer Network). There are many forms for this prayer to take. Below is a contemporary version that focuses on our baptismal vocation as priests, prophets and kings (royal servants).

A Christian’s Daily Offering as Baptismal Priest, Prophet and King

Heavenly Father, I offer You everything I do this day: my prayers, works, joys and  sufferings; my time with family and friends; my hours of relaxation; as well as my difficulties and problems which I shall try to bear with patience.  I join these, my gifts, to the Eucharistic Gift of himself which Jesus, Your Son, raises up to You today at every Holy Mass.  Grant, I pray, that, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, my life this day may give witness to your Word and be of service to those I meet. Through, with and in Christ the Prophet, Priest and King, may my life help to consecrate the world to you. Amen.

From our Catholic Art Tradition: One of the most ancient forms of religious art in the Eastern Church are icons. These are very highly stylized symbolic representations of Jesus, Mary or  any one of the saints. They seem very foreign to the artistic sensibilities of the Western Church but at the same time they seem to often have a kind of mystical appeal.  The icon below is that of "Christ Priest, Prophet and King".  You can see the symbolism as follows: Jesus is dressed in liturgical vestments (Priest); he holds the open book of the Word of God (Prophet); and he is wearing a crown (King). 

Scripture Verse to Memorize: "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)

18. THE LIFE OF JESUS: THE SECOND SORROWFUL MYSTERY - THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR

APPETIZER:  The Paschal mystery of Christ's cross and Resurrection stands at the center of the Good News that the apostles, and the Church following them, are to proclaim to the world. God's saving plan was accomplished "once for all" by the redemptive death of his Son Jesus Christ. The Church remains faithful to the interpretation of "all the Scriptures" that Jesus gave both before and after his Passover: Jesus' sufferings took their historical, concrete form from the fact that he was "rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes", who handed "him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified". Faith can therefore try to examine the circumstances of Jesus' death illuminated by other sources, the better to understand the meaning of the Redemption. (CCC #571-573)

MAIN COURSE:  The Gospels tell us that at the Praetorium, Jesus was severely whipped (also called flogged or scourged).  The quote in the Appetizer above tell us that we can learn from other sources what this meant for Jesus.  So, let's do that for a moment.

Historical sources inform us that for scourging, a man was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post. Then the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim's back, buttocks and legs with full force. Iron balls on the whip would cause deep contusions, and cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for shock. 

Medical experts have also studied the Passion. They concluded that the severe scourging, with its intense pain and extensive blood loss, left Jesus in a pre-shock state. The physical and mental abuse he endured - in addition to having food, water and sleep withheld from him, put Jesus into a most serious and most likely critical condition. 

While interesting professional studies give us a better appreciation of and insight into what Our Lord suffered in this Passion from historical and medical sources, they do not answer the bigger questions: Why? What Does This Mean? What Was it For?  This is where the reliable source of the Sacred Scriptures comes to our enlightenment. The Bible is not an infallible teacher of Roman torture techniques nor of medical pathological forensics, but it IS such a source, the primary source actually, for our understanding of religious Truth. And the fundamental religious truth that the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary help us to ponder is that of redemption (as the CCC Appetizer quote above calls it) or in more popular lingo, salvation.

And a good definition is salvation is this: being put back into a right relationship with God.  It begins with faith in Jesus Christ (God reaching out to us) and is made real in our lives by our reception of Baptism (Us reaching back out to God).  In other words, we Catholics believe that we have to DO something (receive baptism and then live it out in our lives) to cooperate with this grace from God.  This immediately puts the Catholic understanding of salvation at odds with the definition of it as typically used by our Protestant brothers and sisters. Now, BOTH Catholic and Protestant belief agrees that we humans are saved (that is, put back into this right relationship with God) by grace alone. And we both agree that grace is God's free generous merciful action towards us, reaching out to us out of love.  

But we differ significantly on how that is actualized in our lives. In popular Protestant Christianity salvation is said to be brought about by faith (trust) alone.  In other words, God reaches out and we just accept it.  This initial acceptance or consent on the part of the individual is all that is thought to be required. This viewpoint magnifies the truth that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation since it is a totally free undeserved gift. But then it kind of just abandons the lived reality of what happens after we first respond to this gift of grace. In other words, it says, "If I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and trust in him, I am saved and nothing more is necessary." This is why it is called "salvation by faith alone." 

The Catholic Christian understanding agrees 100% that salvation is a totally free gift.  But we say that "we are saved by grace alone, not by faith alone.” We don’t believe that faith alone saves us. Following Scripture, we believe that accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior must be shown in our behavior.  This is the ancient and ever-valid teaching of the Bible. The New Testament Letter of St. James, the cousin of Jesus, teaches this need for good works to accompany our faith: My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you? Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”—if you don't give them the necessities of life? So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead. But someone will say, “One person has faith, another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.” (James 2:14-18)

We Catholics, following Scripture,  believe strongly that God's free gift and invitation to live in a right relationship with him means that we are to be personally, actively, involved in living out the invitation to salvation. But here's the thing: we even see our ability to do this as a free grace from God! He enables us to carry out acts of love, unselfish giving of ourselves like Jesus, solely by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit whom he has given us. It is a grace, a gift and not limited to just the first "yes" that we give to Jesus in accepting him as Lord and Savior.  The way different Christians express this in speech also reveals their particular theology of salvation. An Evangelical Protestant will say, "I AM saved once for all by Jesus Christ." Done. Complete. End of story. A Catholic Christian will say, "I am BEING saved by Jesus Christ each day that I live." Dynamic. Ongoing. Personally Involved.

As we saw in the quote from St. James, faith expressed through good works is the original and authentic understanding of salvation in Christianity.  The Protestant view did not come about until the 16th century.  The point in saying this is NOT simply to prove who is right and who is wrong - and leave it at that. The reason we do so is so that people can know what the Bible and the Church started by Christ actually teach about salvation. In this way people can learn what this means and how they are to receive and live it.  Their very happiness - here and hereafter - depends upon this!  

Of course, some people ask why do we need salvation? What are we being saved from? It might help to know that an alternative English translation for the word salvation (salus in Latin) is health or healing. In this light we can see that salvation means that the human person is healed of the spiritual wound caused by the ancient or original sin that separated humanity from a right relationship with God. I am sure you will recall that in the beginning when God created the human race we did not have this alienation from him. But we freely chose it. Or, more precisely, the first two humans, whom we call Adam (which simply means "man") and Eve (which means "mother") chose it on behalf of the human race that would descend from them. God gave them a choice: to live in union with him or to live life on their own terms apart from him. 

With the encouragement of Satan (who had already chosen to depart from life with God) the first humans chose autonomy from their Creator. And so the original gift of immorality and of intimacy with God was no longer part of the human experience. This is why we say that salvation puts us BACK into a right relationship with God. It returns us to where we were originally meant to be from the beginning. By accepting this free gift of salvation the individual Christian is saying in effect, "I do not agree with Adam and Eve's choice. I chose to live in union with God." And it was precisely to enable us to return to our origins (and give us even more grace and blessings than we had in the beginning) that God became human as Jesus of Nazareth. 

How this is connected to the Passion of Christ? To answer this we have to go to the Old Testament, particularly to the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Hundreds of years before Jesus, this prophet foretold that a "Suffering Servant" would come like a lamb to the slaughter to be sacrificed for the spiritual good of the people.  This Suffering Servant would heal the rift and return us to a right relationship with God. This prophecy was fulfilled in the Passion of Christ which was his ultimate act of love offered to God for our salvation.

THE PROPHECY OF THE SUFFERING SERVANT

But because of our sins he was wounded,
    beaten because of the evil we did.
We are healed by the punishment he suffered,
    made whole by the blows he received.

All of us were like sheep that were lost,
    each of us going his own way.
But the Lord made the punishment fall on him,
    the punishment all of us deserved.

“He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly;
    he never said a word.
Like a lamb about to be slaughtered,
like a sheep about to be sheared,
    he never said a word.

He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die,
    and no one cared about his fate.
He was put to death for the sins of our people. 

(Isaiah 53:4-8)

DOGGIE BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking throughout the day.

Prayer of Repentance and Salvation: I confess with my lips that You, Jesus, are Lord and Savior. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead and You that You are alive forevermore.  I believe that You have sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within me at baptism when You released me from the ancient sin and restored me to a right relationship with God the Father.  Come, Lord Jesus, and dwell within me by grace and faith and let this faith be shown as a light for all to see in the good works you will accomplish in me and through  me. Amen.

Saint Quote: Our Savior’s passion is a healing remedy for us, as the prophet Isaiah teaches when he cries out: “But for our sins he was wounded, for our iniquities he was bruised; upon him fell the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his wounds we are healed.” (St. Theodore of Cyr, d. 466AD)

Scripture Verse To Memorize: "He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole and by his wounds we were healed." (Isaiah 53:5)