"Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings." (Psalm 17:8)

Meditation: No enemy can stand against such a protective Father.

"Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied." (Psalm 17:15)

Meditation: Those who do what is right and just in this life, will see the Lord face to face in the next. 

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Here is the 13th excerpt from my book, Rosary Poetry: Poems on the life of Jesus Christ. Enjoy!

The Crowning with Thorns⁶

Soldiers dragged Jesus to the palace hall,
Where they aimed to mock Him as a false king.
They stripped and cloaked Him in rags of purple,
Color of royals, now shame it would bring.

Holding a reed-scepter in His right hand,
Crowned with a circlet of thorns, out of breath,
Enduring the pain of needles on nerves,
He'd suffer from the thorns until His death.

Submissive, like a sheep led to slaughter,
He only sighed bitterly from the hurt.
Though blood bathed His face, drenched His features red,
Naught would stop Him or His mission avert.

Striking His sacred head hard with a reed,
The soldiers sought to make the thorns sink more.
Saluted, slapped, taunted and spat upon,
He was treated with scorn, one to abhor.

Bleeding, bowed, He was brought before Pilate,
Who, facing the crowd, said, "Behold the Man!"
To see Him so punished, one would judge Him
The most wicked criminal in the land.

⁶de Liguori, St. Alphonsus. The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ. Brooklyn, NY: Redemptorist Fathers, 1927. 89-95. Print.

Copyright © 2010 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact This book is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge for the glory of God, in deep appreciation for the mercy and grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.