By His Wounds, We Were Healed

As we enter into the Most Holy Week on the worldwide Christian calendar, I cannot help but be drawn to one of the most dramatic scenes in the suffering of Jesus for our cause.

The powerfully emotive scene that has been offered to us for centuries as the Second Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary is the Scourging at the Pillar. The Prophet Isaiah wrote many years before the arrival of Christ on earth about the “faithful servant” whose “wounds heal us.” In the Scourging at the Pillar, we see an innocent man get physically and emotionally abused for no crime he committed. Underlying his abuse was a desire to save the guilty, so that they may have life and have it to the fullest.  

Several years ago, I heard a story about a young woman who had a mother with a disfigured face and body due to severe burns. The young woman was ashamed of her mother’s appearance and avoided introducing her to any of her friends. Throughout life, the mother had shielded her daughter from the story of how she became disfigured. One day, she revealed to her daughter that when the young woman was a baby, the mother’s small house caught fire. The mother risked her welfare to rescue her daughter who was lying in her bed. She was able to get her daughter out safely, but it came at a great cost to her own body—this was the story behind her disfigured body. The wounds of the mother saved the daughter; her disfigurement gave life to the girl.  

When we think about Jesus in this Holy Week, especially in the Scourging at the Pillar, we cannot fail to appreciate how his wounds save us and give us life. Inviting Jesus to be part of our families, especially through family prayer is like asking him to walk ahead of us, behind us, and on our sides, to save us from any danger. Inviting the Lord’s presence through family prayer is like shielding ourselves from any form of harm or danger. If your family desires protection, healing, and salvation, invite the Lord to walk with you through family prayer. As the Lord teaches us, “There is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus desires to do the same for you and your family.   

May the Lord who has been with you as an individual and as a family,
no doubt through a lot of difficult seasons, find a place in your heart
and your family, especially during this Easter Triduum.
May His wounds heal and save you so that you may have life and have it abundantly.