Prayer Thread - Meditation on the Second Sorrowful Mystery: Jesus is Scourged

The whip travels in a descending arc,
three thongs carrying weights of lead
double headed cargo
to increase the impact.

The hand that wields is
the rough and calloused hand
of a soldier doing a duty,
unknowing,
uncaring
of whose back it was in front of him.

Perhaps as he swings,
he thinks of all the looks of disdain,
the women who turn away,
the men who spit when he passes
and they think he does not see,
this strange people
with their strange hates
and strange language
and strange god,
and in retalliation,
he swings harder.

Yet his hand is not alone
on the braided leather of the handle,
his hand,
shadowed by every hand,
my hand,
my arm swinging the leather,
my sin adding to the agony
of that blow,
my darkness slapping against his skin,
causing him to gasp for breath
as it bites
my weakness the lead gouges digging.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. John 19:1

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:4, 5

By His Stripes

Let me never forget, O Lord,
how you offered yourself for the soldier's whip,
the slapping and blows
of anger and mocking,
and by the blood you shed,
and the death you died,
you wrought our salvation.

And yet we hold the whip still in our hands,
the flagellum with it's biting teeth
flailing through the air
to land with its sickening slap
on your bloodied back
each time we choose to hurt,
to have the final word,
to force,
to gloat,
to ignore,
to deny.

Teach us, O Lord,
to heal instead of harm,
to bless instead of curse,
to love instead of hate,
to see you always in the face of the stranger,
the downcast,
the needy,
the empty.

Instead of the whip,
send us the tears of true repentence,
that with you help,
we may go and sin no more.

Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman executionand only women and Roman senators or soldiers (except in eases of desertion) were exempt. The usual instrument was a short whip (flagellum) with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals . Occasionally, staves also were used. 8, 12 For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions. The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the lictors and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim.

Medical Aspects of Scourging

As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim's back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and Subcutaneous tissues. Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross.

From A Study on the Physical Death of Jesus Christ by William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI. http://www.frugalsites.net/jesus/

Prayer: O my Jesus, teach me always to remember what depths your love went to, how you would undertake this death of shame and misery for the likes of me. Help me Lord, to appreciate your love for a sinful and suffering mankind, and help me, in gratitude for the endless sea of your love and mercy, to be willing to take up my cross and follow you, however and wherever you call.

O Jesus, whose loving heart is big enough to hold the whole world, teach me to love thee more!

Amen.

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Lent/default.asp
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/

Praying Lent This Year

Lent offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to a way of life, rooted in our baptism. In our busy world, Lent provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon our patterns, to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we've done and failed to do, and to be generous to those in need. We offer resources here to assist our entry into this wonderful season, from our preparing to begin Lent to our preparing to celebrate the holy three days following Lent..

For centuries, the Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharist have guided our Lenten reflection. Inspired by these ligurgies, we offer a simply daily prayer for each day of Lent and the Easter Triduum. Each day, we share the Opening Prayer text for that day's liturgy. This prayer is simple and, in many cases, memorable. It alone could be repeated several times throughout the day. We also offer a link to the readings of the day, a brief meditation, a link to the Daily Reflection for that day, followed by a link to Intercessions from the Liturgy of the Hours. Each daily prayer concludes with a spontaneous prayer we composed, as an example of the type of prayer each of us might pray, in our own words, for that day. We imagine that some will have the time and desire to use all of the resources here. Others may only have time for the resources and the Daily Reflections. Visit the Site Index below to see what is available and what will be added throughout Lent.

May Our Lord grant us all the graces we need and desire.

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