There is Something About Mary Series – The Loving Acceptance of Sacrifice

Ponder:  Do you find it hard to break bad habits?

After the opening prayers of the rosary, we announce the first mystery and read the relevant Scripture passage slowly with attention, a lectino divina style of praying the scriptures.  Pause for a few moments of silence and then recite the indicated prayers (#5 below) while meditating on that mystery.  You may make a prayer request at the beginning of each decade or offer a Hail Mary for a specific person. 

Pray:  The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the pillar.

Christ is scourged by the soldiers at Pilates command.  Fruit of the Mystery: Putting to death our sinful habits and self-centered tendencies known as mortification.

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.  Mark 15:15

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, who was scourged for us (who scourged for my iniquities).  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Pray for us Mary, Mother of Sorrows, That we may accept sufferings and setbacks out of love for Christ.    

Amen

Reflect:  One sentence. “Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged” (John 19:1). Eight words. But it would have been enough to kill most people. Roman scourges would tear away flesh, and the victim would lose blood, weakening him for crucifixion.  The soldiers would avoid striking over the heart, to keep the victim alive and to maximize suffering.  The flesh on his back torn in a hundred places, blood dripping from each, small pieces of his divine body that had been ripped off scattered on the ground—the body of Christ. Still, this was almost nothing compared to what he was about to go through. As Pilate presents the scourged Jesus to the crowds, he says “Behold the man.”  Unknowingly, Pilate is calling attention to the fact that Jesus acquiesced to the will of His Father, even to the point of torture and death, which is humanity at its fullest and most free. In the spiritual life, mortification refers to voluntary actions by which we gradually “put to death” all our vices, sinful habits, and the self-centered tendencies that lurk beneath them. Spiritual writers use terms like sacrifice, self-sacrifice, and self-denial to refer to the same thing. Throughout the gospels, Jesus spoke about mortification as an absolute necessity for growth into Christian maturity.  Through Jesus’ suffering, he conquers sin and redeems humanity. 

Act:  Today I will seek God’s will and make the sacrifice to follow it out of love for Christ.