Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
(John 19:1)
Reflection Prayer
Jesus, You were taken out by the soldiers to be scourged, beaten and tortured. Such injustice! But You did not fight back. Instead, the tears You shed were tears of pain—not just physical pain, but the pain of knowing the hearts of those who were torturing You.
You could see through their unjust and brutal behavior straight to their hearts. You could see their wounded hearts and their suffering. You could see the hearts of the bystanders who kept quiet, who knew who You were but did not speak up because of fear. The bystanders could only see the hatred and evil in the eyes of the soldiers who mocked You and beat You, but You saw their hearts.
You knew what You were enduring was not just for those who knew who You were, who proclaimed You the Son of God; You were enduring this for the soldiers, the chief priests, and all those in the crowd who mocked You. Your Heart had love even for them, and You knew it would take the greatest sacrifice in all of history to provide a way for even those who tortured You, denied You, and rejected You to be able, through repentance and surrendering themselves to Your mercy, to one day be healed and rest in Your Heart of mercy.
Jesus, You were tortured and beaten by the soldiers, yet You did not fight back because You saw their wounds. May all my suffering and hardships be offered up for all. May my only desire be to love with the love that comes from Your Heart, so I may see others as You do. Give me the grace to pray for those who wound others, that their own wounds be healed and they may reach eternal salvation.
*Reflection Prayer is taken from The Passion Suffered by the Heart of Jesus: Prayerful Reflections on the Stations of the Cross.
*Scripture passages in this meditation are taken from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE).