"Then therefore, Pilate took Jesus, and scourged him" (John 19: 1).

There we have the second Sorrowful Mystery of the Holy Rosary. Our Lord was sentenced to scourging and had to put himself to this severe punishment. Scourging was the most terrifying, torturous and disgraceful penalty reserved according to Roman law exclusively for slaves. Jesus, Son of God, comforter of the afflicted, friend of the poor, Master of all creation, was not spared from it. The executioners were most cruel and it was miracle that Our Lord actually survived the scourging. He was stripped of His garments, scoffed and sneered at by the shameless crowd of servants and soldiers. His heart was painfully crying: "But I am a worm, and no man: the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people" (Psalm 22:7). Let us kneel before our Redeemer so cruelly treated and pray with compassion: "O Lord, You have suffered what was rightly due to me, for I have sinned but you did my penance!" Let us remind ourselves the endless sins and offences, in particular the sins against purity, chastity, every shameless behaviour. For all these sins Our Lord had to pay at the pilar of scourging: "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. " (Issias 53:5). Le us make the resolution to keep away from sin and from occasions of sin, because Our Lord was so cruelly punished for them. St Paul's words are very encouraging: "For the grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men; Instructing us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world" (Titus 2:11)