Rosary, SORROWFUL Mysteries

Second Decade: The Scourging at the Pillar

The Flagellation of Christ
Jaume Huguet (1450s)
oil on wood, Large: approximately 3.5 feet high by approximately 7 feet wide
Currently located in the Louvre, Paris, France

After celebrating a Passover meal with the Apostles, Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. While He was there, God permitted Jesus to see all He was going to suffer. Then Judas Iscariot and a band of soldiers, the tribune of Pharisees, and the Jewish guards came to arrest Jesus. They took Him to a priest named Annas in the Temple. During the Liturgy of the Word on Palm Sunday (Mark 14: 1 through 15: 47) and again on Good Friday (John 18: 1 through 19: 42), you will have the chance to read the events that happen next: the questioning of Jesus before Annas in Annas' house, Jesus' trial in the Temple before Caiaphas, His first trial before Pontius Pilate in the prætorium, His questioning before Herod in the Jerusalem palace, and finally His second trial before Pilate.

We are called to meditate on Jesus' Scourging at a pillar inside the prætorium as we pray the second decade of the Sorrowful Mysteries. The scene in the artist Jaume Huguet's painting is crowded and full of earthly and heavenly action. Let's take a slow and close look.

The first thing we see is Jesus in the center of the painting. His arms are tied around a pillar in the room, and His hands are bound at the wrists. His knees are bent, and His chest and right shoulder are leaning against the pillar.

Do you remember what a halo is? Point to Jesus' halo. Do you see the cross shape inside of His halo?

There is a white cloth with blue stripes around our Savior's waist. This is a prayer shawl that Jewish men cover their heads with when they pray. We know that Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane right before He was arrested. We also know that Jesus' suffering is a prayer that He offered to God the Father for our redemption.

Two soldiers take turns scourging Jesus. What is in the soldiers' hands? What are they doing? Can you guess what scourging means? Christians like us feel very sad when we see what happened to Jesus. It's ok to feel sad; as a matter of fact, feeling sad means that you care about Jesus and that you love Him. But then we need to feel confident: Jesus knew that He was being punished for our sins. Jesus knew that by dying He would open the Gates of Heaven so that we would be able to go there after our deaths to be with God forever. Jesus is passionate about getting you into Heaven, so for Him, this punishment is worth it.

​Remember, too, that we know about Jesus' Resurrection. He died, but He rose from death, and He is alive now in Heaven.

There are three small angels whom God sent to minister to our Lord-- can you point them out?

The angel near Jesus' Head is wiping His Face.

​The two angels on the floor are holding bowls. They were sent to collect Jesus' Precious Blood. We never want that to spill on the ground.​

Jesus is surrounded by crowds on His left and on His right. Look at the crowd on the left. Find the two two men who have halos. Good news! There were holy men in the crowd, watching Jesus, praying with Jesus, loving Jesus! They are Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. They are Jesus' friends! Both men were members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council. Joseph is the man who got permission from Pilate to remove Jesus from the Cross; he is also the one who found a tomb for Jesus. Nicodemus brought the one hundred-pound mixture of myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus' Body for burial; he helped Joseph of Arimathea to wrap Jesus with burial cloths and place his body in the tomb. These two are saints who love Jesus very much.

Caiphas the high priest is part of the crowd on the right; he sits on his chair. He holds a stick called a scepter, and he's pointing it toward Jesus like he is encouraging the attack on our Savior by giving instructions or commands.

There are many more people in the crowd besides these three men. Most of them are some of the chief priests and scribes of the Temple. Many of these men were present when the Child Jesus spoke in the Temple. 

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ABOUT THE FRAME

The painting is bordered by a frame that has four small pictures in each corner. Three of these pictures show animals, and one is a man. These four pictures are symbols of the four Gospels, each of which focus on a different event in the life of Christ:

MATTHEW
This Gospel is always symbolized as a man, sometimes with wings, because God came into the world as a human being.

Catholics believe that Jesus is 100% divine and 100% human. Chapter 1 of St. Matthew's Gospel emphasizes and explains Jesus' human nature. It starts by tracing Jesus' family tree.

In the New Testament, Jesus is called "The Word." Christmas Day is Jesus' birthday. Jesus is God who lived among us. The name for when Jesus was born as a human is incarnation, which means "Word made flesh" in English.

All this explains why a man is the symbol for St. Matthew's Gospel.

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MARK
This Gospel is always symbolized as a lion, sometimes with wings, because God is omnipotent, which means He is Almighty, all-powerful.

St. Mark's Gospel focuses on God's power, which we call omnipotence ("om-NIP-po-tense"). Mark's Gospel opens with St. John the Baptist coming out of the desert and "roaring" the announcement of God. The stories of St. John the Baptist and of all martyrs teach us Christians that we must be courageous, a characteristic of lions.

We call lions "kings of the jungle" -- St. Mark's Gospel reminds us that, because we are sons and daughters of the King of the Universe, we are royalty. 

​Finally, Jesus rose from the dead and came out of His tomb at His Resurrection, showing His unlimited power. 

All this explains why the lion was chosen to symbolize the Gospel of St. Mark.

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LUKE
This Gospel is always symbolized as an ox or bull, sometimes with wings, because God's final covenant with man was His own sacrificial death.

St. Luke writes a detailed account of the sacrificial death of our Savior. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people-- Jesus' people, and God's Chosen People-- used bulls and oxen as "tabernacle offerings." This type of offering used to worship God visually emphasized that sin has terrible consequences, and the only remedy for sin is the shedding of blood. Jesus shed His Precious Blood for us, to atone for our sins.

St. Luke's Gospel also reminds us Christians that we must be prepared to sacrifice in all ways. ​

All this explains why the ox symbolizes the Gospel of St. Luke. 

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JOHN
This Gospel is always symbolized as an eagle because we believe that Jesus ascended into Heaven.

Every Sunday at Mass, Catholics say a list of things we believe, including: "For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again, in fulfillment of the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father." St. ​John's Gospel is symbolized by the eagle because, from John 1 to the end of Revelation, we are carried on eagle’s wings to the throne of heaven.​
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Additionally, Christians are called to higher aspirations. God helps us with the guidance of His commandments and the Holy Spirit.

All this explains why an eagle is the symbol for St. John's Gospel.

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First Sorrowful Mystery: Agony in the Garden
Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning of Thorns
Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Fifth Sorrowful Mystery

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Now, with The Scourging at the Pillar in our imagination,
​let us pray.

​For families with very young children, or for families new to the Rosary, simplify by only praying the Sign of the Cross, the Lord's Prayer, and the Hail Mary. These prayers are inside the front and back covers of your child's workbook. Follow the graphic:

For families ready to push it forward, add in one new prayer each week until you have a complete decade. Follow the outline:
Hold the Crucifix in your right hand. Make the Sign of the Cross properly, using the right hand only.

Still holding the Crucifix, state what you believe as a Catholic by saying the Creed.

Move to the first bead. Pray one Our Father.

Move to the next beads. Pray the Hail Mary three times, once on each bead.

Move to the next bead and pray one Glory Be.

Stay on the same bead. Announce the Mystery by saying these words: The Second Sorrowful Mystery, The Scourging at the Pillar. On Palm Sunday, Jesus was cheered and welcomed into Jerusalem. Within one week, the people turned against Him and cheered for Jesus to die. Pilate ordered Him to be whipped. God, His Father, allowed this punishment because He knew how many people commit sins with their bodies. Jesus took on the punishment for our sins so that we have the chance to go to Heaven. We recognize this Sacrifice, and we ask for Jesus' help with battling temptations of the body: lust, greed, and gluttony. Jesus, help us to become pure and loving. Jesus, help us understand that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
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Stay on the same bead. Pray one Our Father.

Move through the next ten beads, praying the Hail Mary on each one.

Move to the next bead. Pray one Glory Be.

Stay on the same bead. Pray the Fatima Prayer.

Make the Sign of the Cross using the Crucifix. AMEN!

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Lenten Application

Hi Parents!

Sometimes parenting is hard. (!!! obvious!!) As people of faith, even our beliefs can be difficult to talk about with our children. How do we appropriately explain the sixth commandment about adultery to our elementary school aged kids? How are we going to appropriately explain the tortures and crucifixion Christ endured to our elementary school aged children, or sensitive older children? Sin is ugly; explaining it is awkward and hard.

How do you feel showing this art of our Savior's tortures and death to your kids? Do you hesitate? Why? When--at what age-- do you think it is appropriate​ to begin talking to your kids about this? It should be at around age 5 or 6 if you want your child to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion at age 7 or 8, right?

We are praying the Sorrowful Mysteries during Lent. My hope is that no one avoids this prayer at this time because they are nervous about bringing the images to their children. While my own children -- 16 and 18-- have not yet seen Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ, they have meditated on other forms of art showing our Redeemer's experiences since a young age. Let's address how to confidently and lovingly share the Greatest Story Ever Told to your "young children" (pre-K and Kindergarten through third grade, depending on the individual) and "older children" (fourth grade through late teens, depending on the individual).

How to explain the Passion and Resurrection to a Young Child

The events of the Triduum are powerfully disturbing, even for adults.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that parents are "the principal and first educators of their children" (read paragraph 1653). You know more than anyone how to discuss these events with your child because you are most keenly aware of your child's developmental readiness. Remember that when kids ask questions ("How are babies made?"), we often read way too much into it. It is usually best to allow them to take the lead in the discussion (by you asking them questions) so that you know what their objective is and what exactly they are searching for. Your children's curiosity and need for information will probably be satisfied sooner than you anticipate. You can see that I model asking kids questions in my art meditations in these posts.

It's impossible to talk about Jesus' Resurrection without talking about His death, and it's impossible to talk about His death without talking about His crucifixion. So how do you explain the Passion and Resurrection to young children? First, use language and experiences that your children will understand. Jesus didn't do anything bad ever, but He was still punished. Jesus accepted this mission to help us get into Heaven. That's why we call Jesus "our Savior." Savior sounds like save. Save means the same thing as rescue. From Adam and Eve through the lives of people living at the same time as Jesus, no one got into Heaven. Jesus rescued all faithful human beings from the time of Adam and Eve all the way to us and beyond. He rescued us from Hell and made it easier for us to get into Heaven. This is why we love Him so much. This is why it's so important to learn to be thankful and to express our gratitude to Him. This is why we pray to meet Him one day. This is how we know that we need to always try our best to be good.

Second, sticking with historical facts helps. When Jesus lived in the Holy Land thousands of years ago, people who did bad things were hung on crosses as their punishment. Sometimes their hands and feet were tied to the cross but other times nails were used. It hurt a lot. Even the worst pain we've ever felt doesn't match the pain the crucified experienced, and certainly not the pain Jesus endured with His additional tortures.

The graphic detail provided in the real story isn't necessary to convey Jesus' act of love and sacrifice. Again, if you allow your kids to take the lead in the conversation about the fine art, you will notice that they can see that He was treated badly; young kids might also understand the concept of being treated unfairly or even getting punished for something they didn't do. Also remember that "death" is an abstract concept that their young minds don't fully understand yet, so there is a lot in fine art presentations that children don't even "see."

How to explain the Passion and Resurrection to Older Children, Tweens, and Teens

If we've been doing our jobs correctly as parents and catechists, our older children, tweens, and teens know what sin is. They know that they have a choice and can either avoid sin or participate in sin. The challenge now is teaching them that they need to be held accountable for their choices, accept responsibility, apologize, and make up for their sins. They are also moving toward an understanding that God lives outside of time, so when we say "Jesus died for your sins," yes, Jesus really did. The journey of understanding all of this shows growth and maturity.

While praying the Rosary, the Mystery is announced. You will notice that within each announcement, I use words that will help older kids start moving toward accountability. I use words like "commit sins with their bodies" or "sins of thought and pride." As we move toward maturity, we realize that we are the ones who cut Jesus' skin, who penetrated His Head, Hands, and Feet. Our sins did that. The Divine Mercy Chaplet, which we will study after Easter, provides interesting meditation on our participation in each of Jesus' wounds; I quote two meditations below, and invite you and your teen to read the entire meditation linked here.

The Second Decade of the Chaplet 
​During the second decade, we reflect on the wound that pierced His right hand. We venerate the wound that He endured. In faith, we accept the awesome truth that out of His love for us, Jesus made reparation for the actual sins committed by the right hand. Examples of this include those who have struck out at others in rage, stolen things, or violated the sacred personhood of another. 

The Third Decade of the Chaplet 
​On the third decade, we reflect on the wound in Jesus' left hand. .... His willingness to take upon Himself all the punishment due to our indifference toward sin. The left hand also serves as a metaphor for being insensitive to the needs of others who now may have to forgive us. Our indifference to the beggar or the plight of another person also needs atonement. Our sins of omission or insensitive mistreatment of others cry out to heaven for justice. In addition Jesus endured the suffering due to the sins of indifference against those who were abandoned, either in the womb or through someone's unwillingness to care for them. 

Older children and tweens will understand the scenario in this video; some will be ready to take the step in maturity:

The gravity and the glory of the Cross: wow. What a juxtaposition. But, you know? There's balance there. Let's always focus on finding that balance. Keep coming back to (and repeating) that we sin and, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation--not just whispering that you are sorry and not just "having faith" that God forgives us-- our sins will always be forgiven. Keep coming back to (and repeating) that Jesus has risen from the dead and that He is alive!

Blessings,
Mary Acevedo, Director of Religious Education