Passage

Pilate, a cowardly and irresolute judge, had many times uttered these words full of lowliness: "I find no crime in Him, therefore, I am going to have Him scourged and set free." The Jews shouted more and more furiously: "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Pilate, however, wanted his will to prevail, and he had Jesus scourged in the Roman manner. Then the bailiffs, beating and pushing Jesus with sticks, led him into the square, in the midst of the tumult and popular anger. To the north of Pilate's palace, at a short distance from the guardhouse, there was a pillar destined for the prisoners to suffer, and tied to it was the penalty of scourging. The executioners, armed with whips, rods, and rope, placed them at the foot of the mass. They were six burly men, of less stature than Jesus, they had belts around their hides, and their chests were covered with leather or coarse cloth; their arms were bare. They were malefactors from the border of Egypt, condemned for their crimes to work in the canals and in the public buildings, and the most wicked among them did the office of sayons in the Praetorium. These cruel men had already tied to the pillar and whipped to death some poor condemned men, they looked like savages or demons, and were half drunk. They punched the Lord with their fists, dragged him with ropes, although he allowed himself to be led without resistance, and brutally tied him to the stone. This pillar was alone, and did not serve as a support for any building. It was not very high; a tall man, extending his arm, could have reached the top. At half height there were rings and hooks. It is impossible to express with what barbarity those furious men dragged Jesus; they tore off the mantle of Herod's derision and pulled him almost to the ground. Jesus trembled and trembled before the pillar. He stripped Himself of His garments with swollen and bloody hands. While they beat Him, He prayed in the most tender way, and turned His head for an instant towards His Mother, who was full of pain in the corner of one of the sides of the square, and who fell unconscious in the arms of the holy women who surrounded her. Jesus embraced the column; the executioners tied his hands, raised high, to an iron ring above, and stretched out his arms so far that his feet, tied tightly to the bottom of the column, barely touched the ground. The Holy of Holies was thus violently stretched out upon the column of the malefactors; and two of those furious men began to scourge his sacred body from head to foot. Their whips or their rods seemed to be made of flexible white wood; it may also be that they were oxen's sinews or straps of hard white leather.

The Savior, the Son of God, true God, and true Man, trembled and writhed like a worm under the blows. His sweet, clear groans were heard like a prayer amid the noise of the scourging. From time to time, the cries of the people and of the Pharisees buzzed like a thunderous tempest, and covered their piteous groans, alternating with the most pious benedictions; they cried, "Let Him die! Crucify Him!" for Pilate was still talking to the people. And when he wanted to say a few words in the midst of the popular tumult, a trumpet sounded in demand of silence. Then again could be heard the rustling of the scourges, the sobs of Jesus, the imprecations of the executioners, and the bleating of the Paschal lambs washing in the pool of sheep. That bleating accentuated a very tender spectacle; they were sad voices that joined the groans of Jesus.

The Jewish people were at some distance from the column; the Roman soldiers occupied different points; many came and went silently or proffering insults; others were moved, and it seemed that a ray of Jesus touched them. I saw young men, monsters of infamy, almost naked, preparing fresh rods near the guard's body; others were fetching hawthorn sticks. Some bailiffs of the prince's priests were giving money to the executioners. They also brought them a pitcher containing a thick, reddish drink, and they drank until they were drunk. After a quarter of an hour, the executioners who scourged Jesus were replaced by two others. The body of the Savior was covered with black, livid, and reddish stains, and his blood was running on the ground. The insults and mockery could be heard on all sides.

The second executioners threw themselves with the rage of hungry wolves on Jesus; they had another kind of rod; they were of thorn with knots and points. The blows wounded the whole body of Jesus; the Blood leaped at a distance, Jesus groaned, prayed, and shuddered. Many strangers passed through the square, mounted on camels, and went away full of horror and sorrow when the people explained what was happening. They were travelers who had received the Baptism of John, or who had heard the sermons of Jesus on the mountain. The tumult and cries did not cease around the house of Pilate.

Other new executioners beat Jesus with straps, which had iron hooks at the ends, with which they tore off his flesh in strips. Ah, how can I describe this tremendous and painful spectacle! However, their rage was not yet satisfied; they untied Jesus, and tied him again with his back to the pillar. Unable to support Himself, they passed ropes over His breast, under His arms, and below His knees, knotting His hands behind that rack of martyrdom. Then they fell upon him. One of them struck Him in the face with unspeakable fury with a new rod. The Body of the Savior was all sore. He looked at His executioners with eyes full of Blood, and seemed to ask them for mercy; but they redoubled their wrath, and the groans of Jesus grew fainter and fainter.

The horrible Flagellation had lasted three quarters of an hour, when a foreigner of the lower class, a relative of the blind Ctesiphon, cured by Jesus, rushed upon the column with an iron that had the figure of a razor, shouting, mad with indignation: "Enough! Do not strike this innocent man until he is dead." The executioners stopped in surprise; he quickly cut the ropes tied behind the column and went to lose himself in the crowd, Jesus fell almost senseless at the foot of the column, over a pool of blood, The executioners left him, and went to drink, calling the servants who were in the body guard weaving the crown of thorns.

During the Flagellation, I saw many times Angels weeping around Jesus, and I heard their prayer for our sins, which was constantly going up to His Father, amidst the blows that were struck upon Him. When He was lying at the foot of the pillar, I saw an Angel present to Him a luminous thing that gave Him strength. The soldiers returned and beat him with kicks and sticks, telling him to get up. Having stood up, they did not give him time to cover his flesh; they threw his clothes over his shoulders, and with them he wiped off the Blood that flooded his Face.

They led him to the place where the princes of the priests were seated, who cried out, "Let him die! Let him die!" and turned their faces away in disgust. Then they led him into the inner court of the guard, where there were no soldiers, but slaves, constables, and rabbles—in short, the dregs of the people.

As the city was in turmoil and extremely agitated, Pilate sent for reinforcements of the Roman garrison at the citadel of Antonia. This troop, put in good order, surrounded the guard. They could talk, laugh, and mock Jesus, but they were forbidden to leave their ranks. Pilate thus wanted to restrain the people. There were a thousand men.

Visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich

Today's Meditation

Evil Around Jesus 

There were one thousand men experiencing the horrific scourging of Jesus, full of mockery and evil thoughts and looks. The presence of evil was unequivocally there, as if you could even smell it. The inhumane hatred towards our Lord is inimaginable; it should make us tremble and move our hearts to be in suffering along with him.

JESUS SUFFERING WAS NOT IN VAIN

His suffering was not in vain whatsoever, he decided willingly to go through all that suffering out of love for you! Remember that we had read before that he knew every little detail of what would happen to him from the moment of his agony in the garden. He knew, and he did not back down. He chose to love us all the way, even until death.

OUR LOVE DEMANDS SUFFERING

One of the most important things that we must be conscious of is that we come into marriage expecting that everything will be roses and laughs but also suffering will be involved. Our Lord showed us that love demands suffering due to the existence of sin. Jesus’s scouring is a blunt demonstration that evil does not care how much it can put us through darkness and suffering, and along the way, he showed that he was praying all the way, that he was not alone, but that God the Father was with him, so much so that God the Father sent his angels to console him, to give him encouragement to continue through his path to Calvary.

Our Marriage through scourging

Our marriage will also be at times in the stage of scouring due to our own iniquities, the economy, or health issues, and the way we should go through that stage is in prayer and remaining in Agape love for God and each other, know that God will be all the way with you both. Do not be like one of the Romans to Jesus, acting selfish and uncharitable toward your spouse; rather, be as the angels and those who were suffering along with Jesus. Stay close to him in prayer, no matter how hard it gets for you.

Today's Questions

How do you both suffer anything close to Jesus scouring in your marriage? If so, did you live it well, if not how could it have been different?

Today's Challenge

Stay close to Jesus today in prayer through the day contemplating all his suffering through the scourging he has taken out of love for your salvation.

Don't Forget

Pray together the HOLY ROSARY every day (sorrowful mysteries only)

Pray OVER EACH other every day

Let's Pray

Jesus, in Thy cruel scourging in which Thou shed Thy Blood most painfully and abundantly, offering it to Thine Eternal Father in payment for our impatience and our wantonness, how is it, then, that we do not curb our wrath and self-love? Oh! let us henceforth try to be more patient in our trials, to cultivate self-control, and to bear in peace the injuries that men do to us.

O Jesus, Thou art the Love and Life of my soul. I find true peace and real happiness only in Thy love, in Thy service, and in the imitation of Thy virtues. I offer myself to Thee; do what Thou willest with me; henceforth my motto shall be, "All for Jesus!"

Amen.

Dedicate to Jesus one HOLY HOUR of Adoration per week