February 11

THE SUFFERINGS INFLICTED ON THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS BY THE INGRATITUDE AND THE INSULTS OF MEN

“The Son of Man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes and the ancients, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles. And they shall mock Him and spit upon Him, and scourge Him and kill Him” (Mark 10, 33-34).

First Prelude: Behold our Divine Saviour surrounded by His disciples, to whom He foretells all the circumstances of His painful death.

Second Prelude: O my Divine Saviour, grant me a burning love of Thee, that it may incite me to make reparation by prayer and sacrifice.

FIRST POINT

LOVE SHOULD INDUCE US TO MAKE REPARATION TO OUR LORD

A prophecy concerning the Son of Man is today being fulfilled, namely, that “He should be delivered to the Gentiles, maltreated and spat upon.” In these days of levity, the passion of our Divine Saviour is most painfully renewed by the sinful excesses of the children of the world. They challenge His justice, despise His goodness, abuse His favors. How many innocent hearts are led astray by bad example! How many are perverted by pernicious principles, and allured away from the Saviour! Is it, therefore, not the duty of the friends of Jesus to share these sufferings with Him, to visit and to console Him? He is exposed for adoration on our altars and asks especially us, His spouses, to render Him loving service. Kneeling in His holy presence we will think of those who, by their daily conduct, renew the dreadful proceedings that once were witnessed in the court of Pilate, of those who lacerate their Saviour with the scourges of intemperance and debauchery, who by their wicked plans, by pride and perversion, press the horrible crown of thorns into His sacred Head, of those who deride and ridicule Him by their sinful excesses! We will hear the touching complaint of the Saviour by the lips of the royal prophet: “I looked for one to compassionate Me, but there was none.” We will immolate ourselves to Jesus as victims of reparation, and offer ourselves to suffer willingly in His stead.

Let us, further, consider how deeply we are indebted to Him for having led us out of the sinful world and into His holy service. What would, probably, have become of us in the turmoil of this world, since, in spite of the many graces with which Jesus overwhelms us daily, even hourly, we are still so imperfect, so fickle, and so averse to mortification! Let us, then, implore pardon of our Divine Lord for our own ingratitude, and at the same time strive to atone for the misdeeds of our blinded brethren and beg enlightenment and conversion for them. Am I animated by a strong desire to console Jesus in as much as lies in my power, and to save the souls so dear to Him?

SECOND POINT

HOW WE SHOULD SEEK TO CONSOLE OUR LORD

During these days of licentiousness, the children of the world seek enjoyment in gayety and revelry, but instead of tasting the pleasures they crave, they are satiated with bitterness, with disappointments and discontent. What nobler, what loftier delights does not Jesus grant us in the adorable Sacrament of the Altar! He calls us to the companionship of the holy angels surrounding His Altar, the throne of His Love, where we may remain in His Divine Presence. The children of the world seek distractions in social intercourse, but how frivolous their conversations frequently are! Even the Holiest is not spared their taunts and jests. Shall we not, therefore, with redoubled fervor observe silence and recollection? Shall we not deem ourselves exceedingly happy, in being permitted to hold communion with Jesus in the seclusion of our hearts, to employ our tongue in the praise and glorification of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar and incessantly to offer Jesus acts of praise and thanksgiving, of love and adoration in reparation of all the outrages heaped upon Him by evil tongues, in particular, of all blasphemies?

Again, the children of the world seek pleasure in sensual gratification, sin through intemperance in eating and drinking, and risk all to gratify their lusts. Can we think that too much is required of us when for the love of Jesus, for the salvation of souls, we are asked to deny ourselves, to practice self-imposed mortifications? Oh, what deplorable sacrifices do not the children of the world often make! They sacrifice all they have—their precious time, health and vigor, even life itself—in order to enjoy a foolish, fleeting, sensual pleasure, for which they frequently forfeit the noblest, the highest good—their immortal soul. How weak is our love of Jesus, if we are not willing to sacrifice cheerfully the little things He requires of us, which would make us happy even here below and secure to us an eternal, all-surpassing glory.

What sacrifices will I make today to observe the rule of silence, to mortify my evil propensities, to suppress curiosity, and especially to struggle against the fault which is most opposed to my spiritual progress?

Affections: Prostrate before Thy Tabernacle, O Jesus, with profound humility and reverence we renew with our whole heart the promises of our love and oblation wherewith we long to repair the insults heaped upon Thee, especially during these days. The more the children of the world revile and insult Thee, the more we will praise Thee in the adorable Sacrament of the Altar. The more they despise Thy love, the more we will love and adore Thee, and immolate ourselves wholly to Thy love. The more they transgress Thy holy commandments, the better we will observe them, and rejoice Thy loving Heart by the practice of every virtue. The more the wicked mislead and ruin souls by bad example, the more we will seek to promote their salvation by prayer and good example. O holiest Heart of my Saviour, impart Thy spirit of zeal and love to us in such generous measure that here below we may glorify Thee in perfect love, and may be found worthy to rejoice with Thee in Thy kingdom for all eternity.

Resolution: I will strive zealously to make reparation of honor to Jesus by frequent acts of love, of praise, and of adoration.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Praised and blessed be the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar!”

Prayer: Soul of Christ . . .