The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns

The following is the tenth of twenty monthly reflections about the Mysteries of the Rosary as they relate to family life.  The mysteries will not be necessarily chronological but presented as they interact with the liturgical year.

            As a parent of multiple children, I am well aware of the challenges of encouraging good behavior during Mass.  It was no different during my own childhood.  My older brother and I went through a phase, even after we had passed the age of crying and outbursts, when we were less than charitable towards each other.  This included jostling for position in the pew each time we sat down, “accidentally” knocking someone’s songbook to the ground, and my brother’s personal favorite, an extra firm grip if we happened to be holding hands during the Lord’s Prayer.  No other time in my life have I prayed the line “deliver us from evil” with such gusto!  One particular day, as my family climbed back into the car, my dad said to my mom, “I think we need to have a surprise party when we get home.”  A surprise party?  I thought that perhaps my brother and I had gotten so good at our antics that my dad had not noticed us this week and wanted to have a party for our seemingly good behavior.  Well, the surprise was on me.

            Instead of a day filled with games, cake, and ice cream, our “surprise” was to spend time at home in prayer equal to the time that we were misbehaving in Mass.  Obviously, that particular lesson has certainly stayed with me, and I was thinking about it this week during the Feast of Christ the King and reflecting on our rosary mystery this month.  God is a God of surprises, and it is jarring to consider that Jesus, who we proclaim King of the Universe, first accepted a crown of thorns.  The Roman governmental authority of the day meant it to be a source of pain and mockery, but Jesus transforms it and all the symbols of his Passion as something that we now reflect upon and revere.  It is also telling that the kingship of Christ endures while the Roman reign has long ended.  Indeed, any form of human government is ultimately subject to divine authority.

            Leading up to and during his walk to Calvary, Jesus surprised many people, and they responded in various ways.  His disciples were caught off-guard and hesitant when their master began to perform a servant’s work and wash their feet.  Judas and Peter heard their deeds foretold to them, but instead of accepting Jesus’ warnings, they carried them out.  Pontius Pilate and especially his wife seemed to struggle greatly with the idea of prosecuting what seemed to be an innocent man, but their hesitation was not enough to put a stop to the injustice.  Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service unexpectedly as Jesus labored heavily under the cross, and he accepted his task well.  The Good Thief rebuked the other man abusing Jesus from the cross, and he was surprised to accept Jesus’ mercy at the hour of death.

            How open are we to the unexpected movements of God in our lives?  Do we accept such surprises with an open or hardened heart?  Sometimes God’s will aligns with our plans, but other times it can be completely the opposite of what thought would happen.  I have heard more than one priest or vowed religious claim that the most difficult vow to live is not chastity but obedience.  Following Jesus means that sometimes, like on the road to Calvary, we will have to go where we do not want and do what we would rather not.  Yet, it is precisely Jesus’ example that gives us the promise of something greater on the other side of our earthly suffering.
            My own sense is that the only way I have been able to be truly receptive to God’s movement in my life is by cultivating a strong life of prayer. In times where I have not achieved this, God’s surprises have had the power to blow me far off-course, but in times where prayer has been consistent, things come more as a gentle breeze redirecting my efforts towards a different goal. Of course, like a younger brother having the life squeezed out of his hand, nothing spurs us to prayer faster than sheer desperation!