Day 160: Choose Your Side

Summary

Podcast Summary
The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) – Day 160: Choose Your Side
Date: June 9, 2026
Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR
Podcast by: Ascension

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the Second Sorrowful Mystery—the Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar—and explores its spiritual implications using Caravaggio’s masterpiece, "The Flagellation of Christ." Fr. Mark-Mary invites listeners to meditate on the reality of spiritual warfare, examine the characters within the painting as personifications of different responses to evil, and consider what it means to “choose your side” in the struggle between darkness and light.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Episode’s Focus

• Fr. Mark-Mary sets the tone for today’s meditation: the Scourging at the Pillar, guided by Caravaggio’s "The Flagellation of Christ." (01:00–02:55)
• The painting is described as a dramatic interplay of light and darkness—a fitting visual metaphor for the moral and spiritual conflict at the heart of the Passion.

2. Art as a Portal for Meditation

• Caravaggio’s Impact
  Fr. Mark-Mary offers admiration for Caravaggio as “one of my favorite artists… his expert use of light and darkness is perfect for communicating visibly what is happening here.” (03:09)
• Painting Description
  A vivid, contemplative walk-through of the artwork, focusing on the physicality of Christ and his tormentors, noting the interplay of stark light and deep shadow.
• The painting emphasizes the brutality of the event and frames it as a battle between good and evil, visible even in the color and composition.

3. Personification of Sin and Human Response to Evil

• Three Figures Around Christ
  Each tormentor in the painting is interpreted as a type of human response to evil:

  • The Hateful Aggressor (Right of Christ / Left to Viewer)
    “This man… acts from vengeance, giving expression to the darkness within. Just behold the depths to which humanity can fall.” (04:47)
    Represents sins of the flesh and passions—willful, brutal violence for its own sake.
  • The Indifferent Bystander (Left of Christ / Right to Viewer)
    “He is not corrupt enough to strike Jesus, but also not courageous enough to intervene…” (05:23)
    Represents sins of indifference, cowardice, and self-preservation: “His goal is to save himself at all cost, but in doing so he will lose his very self.” (06:22–06:27)
  • The Intentional Rebel (Bottom figure, facing Christ)
    “He is slowly, meticulously, knowingly preparing his weapon of torture while looking at Jesus dead in the face. It’s personal. It’s intentional.” (07:30–07:31)
    Represents rebellion and blasphemy—egotistical defiance of goodness, truth, and God.

• Jesus’ Contrasting Strength
  “Jesus—courageous enough, free enough, strong enough, humble enough to freely stand in their midst to receive their fury and their blows.” (08:24–08:36)

4. Spiritual Application: The Call to Choose

• The Battle Is Real
  Fr. Mark-Mary challenges listeners: “We cannot compromise with darkness. We cannot shake hands with sin. There is a war in our midst, and we must choose sides.” (08:42–09:01)
• Self-Examination
  He asks listeners to reflect:
  • “Are we sons and daughters of the proud demon, the Prince of Darkness?” (09:05)
  • “Or are we sons and daughters of the humble King, Light from light and true God from true God?” (09:11–09:21)
• Prayer to Leave Darkness
  Invitation to ask for grace: “Let us ask for the grace to repent of our sins, to leave the darkness and to truly live as sons and daughters of light.” (09:34–09:42)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Complicity in Evil:
  “He is not corrupt enough to strike Jesus, but also not courageous enough to intervene… His self-will and fear ties up Jesus’ ability to speak to him, to guide him.” (05:23–06:27)
• On Deliberate Evil:
  “It’s personal. It’s intentional. Like it’s not just a passive assent to evil… he himself is a proud rebel, a son of Satan himself.” (07:31–08:24)
• On Christian Identity:
  “We cannot compromise with darkness. We cannot shake hands with sin. There is a war in our midst, and we must choose sides.” (08:42–09:01)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:52–02:55: Introduction to Caravaggio and detailed painting description.
• 03:09–04:44: Artistic analysis and the interplay of light and darkness as a battle between good and evil.
• 04:44–08:36: Figurative interpretation of the tormentors and Christ—discussion of how each figure represents different types of sin and response.
• 08:42–09:42: Direct call to listeners: we must choose sides; prayer for grace to live as “sons and daughters of light.”
• 09:42–13:32: Rosary prayer (ten Hail Marys, Glory Be, blessing).

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Conclusion

Fr. Mark-Mary’s meditation on the Scourging at the Pillar urges listeners to honestly confront their own choices—do we stand with Christ, or do we, by action or inaction, side with the darkness? The Caravaggio painting becomes both a mirror and a signpost: shining light on the soul’s battle and inviting each person to choose, repent, and follow the path of the humble and courageous King.

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Notable Closing Blessing:
“Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco a poco, friends. God bless y’all.” (13:31–13:39)

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars with Renewal and this is the Rosary in Year podcast, where through prayer and meditation, the Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source

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of grace for the whole world.

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The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 160. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a year, visit ascensionpress.com rosary in a year or text R I Y to 33777. You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month, and it's a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to the Podcast in the Ascension app. There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full Rosary with myself and other friars. No matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap, follow or subscribe for your daily notifications. Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the second sorrowful Mystery, the

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scourging of our Lord at the pillar,

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with help from a painting entitled the Flagellation of Christ by the artist Caravaggio and now introduction to our artist and artwork. Caravaggio was born in the year 1571, he died in the year 1610, and he was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of his life, he moved between Naples, Malta and Sicily until his death, and his paintings have been characterized by art critics as combining a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, which had a formative influence on Baroque painting. This painting was done in the year 1607, and just a quick note on its style, it is the style is Baroque, and Caravaggio employed close physical observation with dramatic use of chiaroscuro that came to be known as tenebrism, and he made the technique a dominant stylistic element, transfixing subjects in bright shafts of light and darkening shadows. Now a description of the painting the muscular form of Christ's body leans and twists as he pushes to remain upright. Light reflects starkly off his bare skin as three tormentors flank him. A simple white cloth is wrapped around his loin behind him. His arms are bound with ropes to a sturdy marble column that rises up and out of the frame. The painting has a striking contrast between light and dark areas, emphasizing the conflict between goodness and evil. One man holds Jesus hair in his hand, a swatch of branches in the other. His face contorts and his layers of clothing fall from his shoulder due to

[B]

his vigor as he prepares to flog Christ.

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Another man stripped down to his waist, presses his foot against Christ's legs as he reaches for Christ's bound hands. The third prepares his weapon as he binds another switch for the flogging. I am yet to see a Caravaggio painting that I didn't love. You know, I certainly haven't seen them all, but he is definitely one of my favorites and probably my favorite artist. In the next couple of episodes, we're going to come across his work a couple more times. We see here in his work entitled the Flagellation of Christ, his expert use, right, of chiaroscuro, light and darkness and contrasting of it. And I do think it's perfect for communicating visibly what is in fact happening here. There is a battle taking place between good and evil, light and darkness, God and Satan and his host of fallen angels. And I must say that what stands out to me immediately, even more so than the beautiful Lamb of God being led to the slaughter, is the darkness, the evil depicted in the anger, hatred, violence and tragic intentionality of the Roman soldiers scourging the Lord. Now firstly, notice the hatred on the face on the man to Jesus rights,

[B]

the viewers left

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this man, who almost certainly up to this point had never met Jesus. This man who most certainly does not act to protect peace or to honor Caesar, like there's no noble intention here. He acts from vengeance, giving expression to the darkness within. Just behold the depths to which humanity can fall. And I see him kind of as a personification of sins of the flesh,

[B]

of the passions, right?

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He's vengefully acting out, seeking blood for blood's sake. On the opposite side of Jesus is a Roman soldier. And he's holding behind his back the tied hands of Jesus. Now, it doesn't look like he's necessarily acting in violence. He's not directly attacking the Lord or spitting upon him, but he is enabling it and in a very real way assenting to it. This man who is not corrupt enough to strike Jesus, is also not courageous enough to intervene. And I can see in him the sins of indifference, of cowardice, of an idolized self preservation. His goal is to save himself at

[B]

all cost,

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but in doing so he

[B]

will lose his very self.

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And he here ties up, right, Jesus body, Jesus hands, just as his self will and fear ties up Jesus ability to speak to him, to guide him. He is bound by cowardice and fear as Jesus hands are bound by rope. And then lastly, we have the Roman soldier at the bottom of the painting whose back is to us, but he alone like faces Jesus. And he is slowly meticulously knowingly preparing his weapon of torture

[B]

while looking at

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Jesus dead in the face. It's almost as if he is stooping low because he wants Jesus to see him. He wants to see what he is doing. It's personal. It's intentional. Like it's not just a passive assent to evil. Again, he is intentional and he is knowing. And he can be said to not just personify like sins of weakness in the flesh, but rebellion and blasphemy and direction of truth and light and goodness and God. He himself is a proud rebel, a son of Satan himself. And then we see Jesus

[B]

courageous enough, free enough, strong enough, humble enough to

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freely stand in their midst to receive

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their fury and their blows.

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My brothers and sisters, we cannot compromise with darkness. We cannot shake hands with sin. Right.

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There is a war in our midst,

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and we must choose sides.

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Are we sons and daughters of the

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proud demon, the Prince of Darkness?

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Or are we sons and daughters of the humble king,

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Light from light and

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true God from true God. Now, with Mary's help as we pray, let us ask for the grace to

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repent of our sins,

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to leave the

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darkness and to truly live as sons

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and daughters of light. Now with Mary, let us pray. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

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And lead us not into temptation, but

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deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with the Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with the. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with the. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with the. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with the. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God. Holy pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

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Amen.

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Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. All right. Thanks so much for joining me and

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praying with me today.

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I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco.

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Poco. Friends, God bless y'.

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All.