The Crown of Thorns

The Third Sorrowful Mystery

So Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He answered him and said, "It is as you say."

Luke 23:3

"And the soldiers led him away into the court of the palace, and they called together the whole band: And they clothe him with purple, and platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon him."

Mark 16:16,17

She was very guarded with her emotions when I met her at the clinic. If I had to guess her age, I would say she was either eighteen or nineteen years old. She had just broken up with her boyfriend of three months and she had been exceptionally nauseous for a while.

  She had come for a pregnancy test, and while we waited for the nurse to come in, we began to talk.
 
Being a pro-life clinic, we talked to her about her options for parenting and adoption, but it was easy to see her mind was closed to this. As the client advocate I was working with spoke to her further, I began to pray, begging our Blessed Mother to intercede on this baby’s behalf. Surprisingly, I began to tell her about a crisis pregnancy that I had had when I was only 16, a story I have told few people. I told her that even though it was a very difficult time for me at the beginning; it turned out to be such a wonderful blessing because that beautiful son of mine is now a father of two himself, and they are all joys of my heart. I also told her about my son in law, a big loveable guy, who had recently joined our family. He had been adopted and now, not only did my daughter get to experience the joy and love that his life offers, but my entire family and I get to share the joy of his life too!
 
The staff nurse came in and greeted the young woman warmly, and she began to talk to her about her pregnancy, her family, and her thoughts on keeping her baby. After the young girl’s responses, the nurse answered all her questions in detail. Things did not look promising; but, she did agree to an ultra sound.

As she reclined on the table, the nurse began the procedure. The image on the screen was very clear and the precious little heart was beating away. The nurse asked her if she would like to take a look and with wide eyed curiosity she said, “Yes". As she looked at her child’s image on the screen she smiled and when she left, she took the picture with her, along with some prenatal vitamins.
 
A few weeks passed and one afternoon while on my volunteer shift, the staff nurse asked me to give her a follow-up call, just to see how this young girl was doing. My anxiety level must have shot up 150%. I was scared to call, I don’t think I wanted to hear the worst.
 
But when I called her cell and she answered, I told her who I was and why I had called, her voice sounded happy and joyous. She said she had been thinking about us all and was planning on coming in to see us.
 

The opportunity never gave way for us to meet again, though she was always in my prayers. My prayer for her was for courage.


My Jesus, they crowned You with the crown of thorns after the scourging. They wrapped You in a scarlet military cloak and made a fool of You-those who were near You. For, Your friends were far away!

When hatred starts forging evil plans, then it is not likely to stop. It was not enough for them to have scourged You so murderously and now they go on mocking You and crowning You with the crown of thorns. But this time, to hatred and evil were surprised before You. You remained calm in all Your suffering. They saw in Your behavior that You understood even those who treated You like that. And even more: that You loved them and that You did not condemn them. But their wickedness had no limits. That is what happens when evil has affected a man or woman, a family, a community. Then it never stops destroying. Jesus, look upon all the offended and the humiliated, the scorned and the rejected. Redeem them with Your crown of thorns and under the grindstone of torturers and oppressors. Cleanse their heart of every hatred. Do not let them plan revenge and return evil with evil. Jesus, in Your name, let forgiveness spread. 1

1 Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M, Pray With the Heart