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)