Mortification

It's not that I didn't have hard times in my life to write about. It's that because of a strong resilience, I can usually move on. But there was a period — roughly ten to twelve years — where everything came at once. Both parents died. A bullying situation at work stretched across most of those years. And through all of it, my faith deepened in ways I was only dimly aware of at the time.

Looking back now I can see it clearly: that was God molding me. The losses, the difficulty, the stripping away of comfort and certainty — none of it was random. It was preparation. Without that period I wouldn't be where I am today, able to look back and see how it changed me, able to write about something because I actually lived it.

St. Paul speaks of putting to death the things of the flesh and living by the Spirit. I understand that differently now than I did before those years. It isn't only a spiritual discipline — it is the work of an entire life, shaped by everything God allows to cross our path.

What Mortification Actually Means

Mortification is closely related to the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. It requires a voluntary abstinence from pleasures or comforts — a discipline of not overindulging in something that gives us pleasure. It can take many forms, both internal and external.

Internal mortification includes anything we take in or consume — fasting from food, from coffee, from chocolate, from anything we habitually reach for. The most common form most people think of is abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent. But mortification isn't only a Lenten practice. Fasting before receiving Holy Communion, or before prayer, is a form of it too.

External mortification includes anything we say or act on — fasting as repentance for something we did, or choosing inconvenience for the sake of another. Anytime we do anything that costs us something but serves someone else, we are practicing mortification.

The Scourging at the Pillar

Jesus is brutally whipped by Roman soldiers. This scene is so hard to write about. As many stood by and watched — how many stand by and watch today when someone is being beaten or abused? Even bullying is not welcoming to the receiver, and the person being bullied most likely feels trapped.

I experienced adult bullying in my job, and my coworkers stood idly by doing nothing — in fear of their own jobs. Adults. I was told that if only I would not instigate the boss, they would stop. This is no comparison to our Lord being whipped, His flesh being torn. No, not at all. But the Lord was standing next to me through those years, strengthening me every single day.

The Sorrowful Mysteries and all the mysteries are a fabric of our daily life — with an added solution: God. If you want to deepen your practice of mortification through the Stations, one of the most profound experiences I have had was in Garabandal, Spain — climbing and navigating rocks on that mountain. The physical challenge took me out of my comfort zone completely, and God used it to deepen me spiritually in ways I am still discovering.

A Little About Fasting

Fasting centers on three things: self-discipline, spiritual focus, and penitence. When deciding whether to fast, it's important to watch your health needs first. Begin with a partial fast — limiting your food intake at one meal. If you have the courage to skip a meal entirely, that is the next step. A complete fast involves no food or drink except water for a specified time.

Try not to be showy about fasting — others shouldn't even need to know you are practicing. It's not about complaining how hungry you are or announcing what you're doing. It's like charity: you give, and no one else needs to know about it.

Fasting can be very rewarding to our spiritual development. Set time aside to read, pray, or meditate on the Agony, the Scourging, the Crowning, the Carrying, and the Crucifixion. Let the fast and the mystery deepen each other. Don't forget to write in your spiritual journal as you go — so you can measure where you have come from and where you are now.

Challenges and Rewards of Mortification

The physical aspects of mortification can be very difficult to endure — I know this from my own experience. Practicing mortification monthly, weekly, or even daily takes real willpower and discipline. Sometimes family members who are not involved in faith may not support you in it. These are real obstacles and there is no point pretending otherwise.

And yet the rewards are equally real. God is with us through every effort and will grant the grace needed to overcome. We try to purify our souls — but God does the work. We simply make the space and show up. Through that, individuals can learn patience, humility, self-control, and — as was true in my own case — obedience. Virtues you cannot acquire any other way.

The most profound thing about mortification is what it opens up: a deeper closeness to God. Not because we earned it, but because we made room for it.

Carry this discipline into the Rosary and let the Mysteries deepen what you have found here.