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| Prayer Before and Prayer After |
BARABBAS IS PREFERRED TO JESUS
“And Pilate calling together the chief priests and the magistrates, and the people, said to them: ‘You have presented unto me this Man—and behold, I having examined Him find no cause in this Man, in those things wherein you accuse Him—nor Herod neither. But you have a custom that I should release one unto you at the Pasch; will you, therefore, that I release unto you the King of the Jews or Barabbas?’ Then cried they all again, saying: ‘Not this Man, but Barabbas.’” (Luke 23, 13-15) (John 18, 39-40).
First Prelude: With tenderest compassion and profound reverence, behold Jesus, standing silently before the populace, who desire His death and prefer to Him a vile criminal.
Second Prelude: My Blessed Saviour, give me grace to love Thee with a true and constant love, that I may prefer Thy Divine pleasure to creatures and to my natural tendencies.
First Point
THE AFFRONT OFFERED JESUS
Behold my soul, thy Saviour and King, thy Bridegroom standing before the populace. His Sacred Countenance, though disfigured by painful blows and spittle, is full of majesty. His lips are silent, His Heart prays, offering Himself to the heavenly Father as a Victim of purest love. Pilate had repeatedly told the Jews that he found no cause to condemn Jesus, but swayed by the impetuosity of the high-priests in demanding His death, he sought for a means of liberating the innocent One without incurring the displeasure of the Jews! It being customary at the Pasch to set free one of the prisoners which they would choose, he gave them the choice between Jesus and Barabbas, the greatest criminal, who was then in prison.
Oh, the unspeakable love of God, Who gave His only begotten Son to redeem the servant! Barabbas, the malefactor and criminal is a picture of sinners, who by every sin rebel against God, the Supreme Lord. By mortal sin every sinner murders his own soul, and not seldom by his bad example the souls of many others. We, too, as often as we commit sin are guilty of robbery in the presence of the Most High, particularly by abusing God’s gifts in order to offend Him.
Let us ponder this unparalleled humiliation of our dear Lord. He, the Son of the Most High, to Whom is given all power in heaven and on earth, must see a vile creature, not only placed on a level with Him, but in unpardonable blindness, even preferred to Him. Ah, believing in such an awful mystery, must I not be pierced with compunction and love! What should ever have become of me had not Jesus in unspeakable love, abased Himself so profoundly? Let us dwell on this thought a moment and thank Jesus for His infinite compassion which redeemed us from everlasting death, and restored to us the liberty of the children of God.
We must further rejoice that by embracing cheerfully the sacrifices inseparable from our sublime vocation, we have a means of immolating to Him in return our life, which He bought for us at such a dear rate. Which sacrifice would Jesus have me make today as a slight return for His infinite love?
Second Point
THE SIN OF THE BLINDED POPULACE
A few days ago, on Palm Sunday, the same people, beside themselves with joy and exultation and waving olive branches had cheered our Lord with the “Hosanna,” desirous of making Him their King. And now—oh, the instability of human kind! the same people even prefer to Him the vilest criminal, and with a wild impetuosity clamor for the ransom of Barabbas. Should we not justly despise the judgments of men, and with unflinching fidelity serve God, Whose love alone is unchangeable? How often, alas, do we resemble the Jews by our instability and inconstancy! How often have we suffered idleness, lack of mortification, or sinful affections to deter us from the once recognized good. Have we not during the time of meditation clearly discerned the holy Will of God and the necessity of self-restraint? We promised obedience to His holy inspirations, but, how soon were we moved by difficulty or mere human respect to prefer the gratification of our natural tendencies to the honor of God and our true welfare!
O my Divine Saviour, with true compunction I humbly confess that I have grieved Thy Sacred Heart by my instability and inconstancy. I have renewed the pain Thou didst feel at sight of the ungrateful people. Give me grace to repair my past infidelity by redoubled zeal in the practice of virtue.
Affections: O Spotless Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world, how incomprehensible was the shame heaped upon Thee when Pilate dared to compare Thee, the infinite Sanctity and Majesty, with Barabbas, the most wretched of criminals! Yet how much greater was Thy abasement when the whole people preferred him to Thee! Thus, my dear Saviour, to restore fallen man to the image of His Creator Thou wouldst suffer such abasement. Thus Thou wouldst, likewise, atone for my ingratitude, my folly, and faithlessness in esteeming the sweet yoke of Thy love but lightly and choosing rather what might effect my destruction. Pardon my blindness and infidelity, O Jesus. I renounce all affection for creatures, that I may possess Thee alone. Thou shalt henceforth be the sole object of my love.
Resolution: In all my actions, I will be prompted by the desire to please God alone.
Spiritual Bouquet: “You are not your own for you are bought with a great price.” (I Cor. 6, 19-30).
Prayer: Take, O Lord…
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