Excerpt from the fourth monthly theme in preparation for the Jubilee of the Families of the Precious Blood – Rome, July 1, 2025
Excerpt from the fourth monthly theme in preparation for the Jubilee of the Families of the Precious Blood – Rome, July 1, 2025
Blood of Christ crowned with thorns in those who, stripped of dignity, freedom, faith, culture, home, work, affection, family, are driven to madness and made insignificant not only in the body but also in the mind.
Fourth Mystery – The Crowning of Thorns
“And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him.” (Mark 15:17-19)
One can reflect upon this line from the Gospel of Mark, thinking it is easy to read past it and believe that it never would happen in our times. Sadly, we are fooling ourselves. Think for a moment of all those who are stripped of their dignity in our world today. Please take a moment and close your eyes and reflect upon the faces of those who are victims of war you have recently seen, those who are victims of discrimination and prejudice, and those who are persecuted because their faith and beliefs differ from those in leadership. Consider those who flee their countries due to violence and, when trying to immigrate, are treated inhumanely, as well as those who are victims of human trafficking. Reflect upon the images of all those who are without housing, those who are without food, and those who have no way to care for themselves or their families and have no possibilities in the future.
We see these people daily on the news, in newspapers, or on any media source that may be nameless to us, but they all have one thing in common. Like Jesus, they have been stripped of their dignity and made to feel worthless often for circumstances that are not remotely within their control. We have become inundated with these images thanks to our twenty-four-hour news cycle. This inundation may lead us to have feelings of exhaustion, frustration, sadness, and apathy because so many people in our world today are being stripped of their dignity, and we feel like our efforts are fruitless. We just don’t know where to begin.
Our spirituality and belief in the redeeming love given to us through the Precious Blood of Jesus gives us strength and compels us as an apostolic community to stand with all those who, like Jesus, face the loss of dignity every day. Each of us has been graced with this redemptive love. This love strengthens us to move forward with zeal, working for the day when no one is stripped of their dignity and everyone is recognized for the dignity of God’s mercy found within each of us.
We join together as part of a family of communities that embraces the need for apostolic work. Our spirituality calls us out to the world to share the love we are freely given through the Precious Blood of Jesus. In a unique way, our lay associates answer this call by sharing their faith and spirituality in their families, their workplaces, their communities, and the world.
As we begin this year of Jubilee, we will embrace a new title but one that is familiar to each of us. May we be “Pilgrims of Hope,” sharing the hope we find through the compassionate love offered to us in the Precious Blood of Jesus. Pilgrims are called to travel on a unique journey to a spiritual place. Like Pilgrims, Missionaries also commit to go on that journey. As we go forth on our journeys, let us be resolute and rededicate our efforts during this time of Jubilee to stand with all those who have been stripped of their dignity. May we continue to bring forth the kingdom of God where everyone is embraced and honored as a child of God.
To view this month’s program of spiritual preparation in its entirety, go to jubilee2025.cppsmissionaries.org.