Meditation & Mental Prayer: Catholics Talking To God.
Meditation & Mental Prayer: Catholics Talking To God.
Carmelite Meditation on the Rosary: 2nd Sorrowful Mystery The Scourging at the Pillar
Using St Teresa of Avila's seven step meditation process we enter into mental prayer. This episode focuses on the scourging at the pillar and the great suffering Jesus suffered of our sins.
For the wickedness of my people have I struck him.
Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.
Isiah 53:4
This is the Meditation and Mental Prayer Podcast, Catholics talking to God. Today I want to give a special welcome to our listeners in Texas.
Our meditation today is on the 2nd Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
We begin again with a list of the 7 steps of St Teresa’s way of mental prayer.
St Teresa tells us that she often used a pious book to help her focus her attention on her meditation. We will use a few sentences from the visionary Anne Catherine Emmerish.
Having quickly listed the 7 steps for any new listeners as the bell tolls We will enter into our meditation of the 2nd Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary.
The Scourging at the Pillar.
the 7 Steps:
1. The preparation which is the placing of ourselves in the Presence of God.
2. The reading of a passage from scripture or a pious book.
3. Meditating and reflecting on the passage.
4. Colloquy. Prayer.
5. Thanksgiving.
6. Offering,
7. Petition.
Step 1
Enter into the Presence of God
You might find it easier to close your eyes for this step. Be aware of how the presence of God is all around you. Say: “In you my God I live and move and have my being. I salute you Lord present here in this room with me. I salute you in heaven.
I recall the words of Holy Scripture: “Then therefore, Pilate took Jesus, and scourged him.” (John 19:1)
Step 2
The Reading
The Second Sorrowful Mystery “The Scourging at the pillar”
An excerpt from Anne Catherine Emmerich
The night had been extremely cold, and the morning was dark and cloudy; a little hail had fallen, which surprised every one, but towards twelve o’clock the day became brighter, and the sun shone forth.
The two fresh executioners commenced scourging Jesus with the greatest possible fury; they made use of a different kind of rod,—a species of thorny stick, covered with knots and splinters. The blows from these sticks tore his flesh to pieces; his blood spouted out so as to stain their arms, and he groaned, prayed, and shuddered.
Two fresh executioners took the places of the first two, who were beginning to flag; their scourges were composed of small chains, or straps covered with iron hooks, which penetrated to the bone, and tore off large pieces of flesh at every blow. What word, alas! could describe this terrible—this heartrending scene!
Mary His Mother had fainted and now came to herself for a time, and saw her Divine Son all torn and mangled, being led away by the archers after the scourging: he wiped his eyes, which were filled with blood, that he might look at his Mother, and she stretched out her hands towards him, and continued to look at the bloody traces of his footsteps. I soon after saw Mary and Magdalen approach the pillar where Jesus had been scourged;
they knelt down on the ground near the pillar, and wiped up the sacred blood with the linen which Claudia the wife of Pilate had sent them.
Step 3:
Meditation and reflection on the passage:
“he wiped his eyes, which were filled with blood, that he might look at his Mother, and she stretched out her hands towards him, and continued to look at the bloody traces of his footsteps.”
I read this sentence over and my mind was silent. The scene becomes very real.
Those first few words: “he wiped his eyes, which were filled with blood…” I realise that some of the strokes from the whips had lashed around his face and seared His tender skin. One gash high on His fore head was open and oozing.
The blood trickled down into His eyes. His hands being chained he could only close His eyes.
They had finished beating Him and so they unchained His hands from the pillar. He had heard His mother’s cry of anguish when she had seen the brutality of the scourging, so Jesus knew where She was among the spectators.
As they forced Him to His feet Jesus wiped his eyes and turned to where He knew His mother was.
He looked at Her. What did the silent look convey?
It was between Mother and Son. Between God and the woman. It is not our place to know.
She stretches out Her arms to Him.
She watches Her son being pulled away and is left looking at the bloody footprints across the floor.
She can’t breathe, she can’t speak. The pain of a mother watching Her son being viciously beaten and is helpless.
Step 4:
Colloque or Prayer
Lord i want to pray to you now directly, personally this is the part of my meditation when Saint Teresa would bid me move closer to you in love.
But as I read these words of description of your suffering I cannot lift my heard to look at you. I feel so ashamed.
I don't remember any sin that makes me feel this way. I don't remember anything I did wrong.
It seems that my sins big and small have dissolved into my soul and they are part of me: the fallen me.
This is who I am before you my Lord and Saviour.
This is who I am before Your dear Mother who suffered so much that terrible day.
This is who I am before the beautiful saints in heaven. A miserable worthless creature.
Suddenly I understand King David’s heartfelt cry
“Against Thee alone have I sinned, have mercy on me, O God. All day long I cry to Thee, O Lord. I stretch out to Thee my hands.”
Your mother reached out her arms to you Jesus; is there a possibility that you could ask her to reach out her arms for me.
No. maybe not. Perhaps she means me to do as she did and reach out my arms to you.
Yes now I see my sins. My rejections of you in the past.
I'm deeply sorry for these unhappy decisions in my life that make me turn my back on the holy life you offered me.
I lift my arms and reach out to you now but its still hard to lift my head. I love you lord and I know that you want me to take responsibility for my behaviour and so I will look at you and I will let you look at me.
Look into the eyes of my soul Jesus. Tell me what it lacks in love for you.
And so our eyes meet.
I didn’t expect you to look at me with love. I didn't think your eyes would be so soft when you look at the likes of me.
You do know lord that I hurt other Christians by giving them bad example, that I helped destroy your church that came from the wound in your side?
Yes I see you do.
And yet still you want to love me.
Silently - directly -personally love me.
This is too much for me to bear as I think of your flesh being cut to pieces.
I think I’ll finish now and come back another day.
Suddenly Jesus reminds me of - A little verse of scripture from Isaiah:
“But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.”
These lashes, this terrible flogging. The pain. Seeing your Mother’s anguish: I should have suffered all this but Father God chose to inflict it on you instead. You didn’t really want to suffer this but in the garden you accepted your Father’s will.
How can I ever thank you enough for what you have done for me.
Step 5:
Thanksgiving:
Jesus, thank you lord for suffering for me. Thank you for staying there at the pillar while reprobates like me lashed you with my sins.
Mother Mary, Dearest Mother of Jesus. Mother of God. Thank you for agreeing to God’s will for you that day.
Thank you for co-operating with God’s plan for salvation. My salvation.
Thank you for your part by co-operating with God’s plan for Redemption.
Thank you.
Thank you Dearest Mother for the great privilege of being invited to consider and meditate on the life of Your dear Son through the mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
Holy Spirit thank you for the wisdom and understanding you give to your holy people like Anne Catherine Emmerich, who kept herself pure and holy and listened so attentively to your inspirations.
Thank you lord that in me you show three of the most beautiful
of your divine attributes. Forgiveness Mercy and Love.
Step 6:
Offering
To-day Jesus I will really try to chain myself to God’s Will for me. I will endeavour not to complain about the petty irritating incidents that I suffer throughout the day.
I offer you now that part of my mind that is entrenched in judging others and blaming others for these problems.
I will “go against the self” as often as I remember when faced with those chores I want to put off until later. As a penance I will do them immediately.
I offer you every ace or pain I might endure today. With St Paul I will say:
“and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church:”
Step 7:
Petition
In my petition today lord I ask for grace to keep on keeping on.
To follow those bloody footsteps and all that it means to me and to You.
Mother of God, chosen Co-redemtrix of God’s world show me how to offer everything to Jesus as you taught the little children of Fatima.
This is the end of the meditation.
God Bless.