The Crowning with Thorns
The Crowning with Thorns is the third Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary. Soldiers dress Jesus in a robe, place a crown of thorns on him, and mock him as king. We honor the Lord whom they humiliate.
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Scripture
Matthew 27:27-29
Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Spiritual fruit: moral courage
The King is mocked
The soldiers place a crown of thorns on Jesus and mock him as king. The Gospel describes a robe, a reed, blows, and words of contempt. In this third Sorrowful Mystery, the true King receives humiliation from those who do not recognize him. The soldiers' gestures imitate the honors paid to a king, turning each into an insult.
Read Matthew 27:27–31 or John 19:2–5 alongside the account of the Crowning with Thorns. Christ remains the beloved Son of the Father while others attempt to degrade him. The prayer honors him as Lord while contemplating the contempt with which he is treated. It can also include someone whose faith or personal dignity has been ridiculed, asking for help for that person.
The fruit of moral courage
Moral courage helps us remain faithful when doing so carries a cost. Speaking up when someone is ridiculed may bring ridicule upon us as well. Objecting to a dishonest practice at work may be difficult when a job is at risk. Offer this decade for a situation in which you need such courage. Ask for firmness joined to charity, so that conviction does not become an excuse for harshness.
Humiliation can tempt us to answer with contempt of our own. Christ's example invites a different response. We can seek justice and defend a person's good name without allowing hatred to rule the heart. Resentment can persist long after an insult. This decade gives us time to bring it before Christ and ask for help in deciding how to respond, including whether to seek support from someone else.
Honoring Christ in prayer
The Rosary gives us a quiet way to remain before the King whose crown is made of thorns. As the Hail Marys continue, we return to the name of Jesus. His treatment by the soldiers gives us a particular concern to bring to him: how authority is used, especially over someone who cannot answer back.