Meditation for Thursday
The Sufferings of Jesus during the Night in the House of Caiphas
“And the men that held Him mocked Him and struck Him. And they blindfolded Him and smote His Face. And they asked Him, saying: ‘Prophesy, who it is that struck Thee?’ And blaspheming, many other things they said against Him” (Luke 22, 63-65).
First Prelude: Behold Jesus in the midst of the brutal soldiers and servants, who maltreat Him most shamefully.
Second Prelude: Heart of Jesus, satiated with shame and sorrow, let me realize the value of humiliations, that henceforth I may not fly from them, but for love of Thee embrace them courageously.
First Point
THE INSULTS HEAPED UPON JESUS DURING THE NIGHT
Having pronounced the death warrant, the high-priest abandoned our Blessed Lord to the caprice of the guard and the servants. These vile creatures spat upon Him and disfigured His Sacred Countenance, into which the angels delight to gaze. The prophet Isaias had foretold, and Jesus Himself emphasized especially this phase of His passion, when He said to His disciples: “And they shall mock Him and spit on Him and scourge Him and kill Him, and the third day He shall rise again” (Luke 10, 34).
Jesus willed to endure such insults and to be degraded in the most abject manner to atone for our pride. These inhuman brutes blindfolded and buffeted Jesus and struck Him in the face. Christ’s inexpressible patience goaded on His executioners all the more. His meekness incensed them, His silence provoked their rage. Their stripes were multiplied, the shameful mockery was ever again renewed, and so this inhuman treatment was continued throughout the entire night.
What the innocent Lamb of God suffered in the midst of the rabble till break of day is so appalling that the Evangelists could not prevail upon themselves to detail it. Who would even attempt to depict the contemptible and shameful abuses heaped upon our suffering Saviour at the hands of these godless monsters, goaded on by the pharisees!
With all the angels and saints, prostrate before Him, let us profoundly adore our despised and outraged Saviour, as the Supreme Majesty, Who thus abased Himself to the lowest depths of humiliation, to teach us the malice of pride. Let us offer His abasement and shame to the heavenly Father, to obtain the grace of profound humility and invincible meekness, that in humble recognition of our sinfulness we may accept with loving resignation the wholesome chastisements of the heavenly Father.
Second Point
WHY DID JESUS WILL TO SUFFER SUCH INHUMAN TORMENTS?
Jesus willed to take upon Himself such insults and expose Himself to such maltreatment above all, to make atonement for our sins. He Himself once revealed to St. Angela of Foligno: “For your vanity and love of self I suffered my countenance to be disfigured and dishonored, by a blow on the cheek. Because you misuse your eyes to contemplate the vain things of the world, and take complacency in them, I have wept the most bitter tears and suffered my eyes to be blindfolded, bathed them in My Precious Blood which flowed from My forehead. Because you so readily listen to flatteries and vanities, I permitted false accusation, calumnies, condemnation, ridicule and blasphemies to come upon Me. To atone for your sins of the tongue, I held My lips sealed, and prayed from the depths of My Heart for My malicious enemies.”
Oh, let us remember that we also contributed to the sufferings of Jesus during this painful night. If feelings of anger against those who so shamefully insulted and ill-treated our Divine Lord well up in our hearts, let us direct them against ourselves, because our sins, more than the inhuman rabble and the unjust judges, were the cause of the untold sufferings of Jesus. Even now, yet, Jesus is frequently insulted, dishonored and ridiculed in the Sacrament of His Love. We, however, will strive out of grateful love and deepest veneration to make reparation of honor and console Him by acts of praise and adoration. Should an opportunity to suffer slightly with and for Him be offered us occasionally, let us think of the love of Jesus, and rejoice that we can, at least in some measure, requite such infinite love. How many graces, what consolation, should such a practice not insure for us!
Affections: O my Jesus, I see Thee endure the greatest insults and reviling for love of me, and I blush for shame that I am too weak, too cowardly to endure even the slightest insult for love of Thee. Thy Divine Heart is satiated with the most bitter humiliations that I may learn from Thy example to conquer my impatience and sensitiveness, silently and patiently to embrace the trials which Thy love imposes on me. O my Divine Saviour, give me Thy holy love; it alone can strengthen and encourage me to endure trials and sufferings with composure, even with a holy joy, in union with Thy sacred passion.
Resolution: For the love of Jesus, maltreated and shamefully outraged, I will courageously combat all sensitiveness.
Spiritual Bouquet: “I am the reproach of men and the outcast of the people” (Ps. 21, 7).
Prayer: Soul of Christ . . .
The Sufferings of Jesus during the Night in the House of Caiphas
“And the men that held Him mocked Him and struck Him. And they blindfolded Him and smote His Face. And they asked Him, saying: ‘Prophesy, who it is that struck Thee?’ And blaspheming, many other things they said against Him” (Luke 22, 63-65).
First Prelude: Behold Jesus in the midst of the brutal soldiers and servants, who maltreat Him most shamefully.
Second Prelude: Heart of Jesus, satiated with shame and sorrow, let me realize the value of humiliations, that henceforth I may not fly from them, but for love of Thee embrace them courageously.
First Point
THE INSULTS HEAPED UPON JESUS DURING THE NIGHT
Having pronounced the death warrant, the high-priest abandoned our Blessed Lord to the caprice of the guard and the servants. These vile creatures spat upon Him and disfigured His Sacred Countenance, into which the angels delight to gaze. The prophet Isaias had foretold, and Jesus Himself emphasized especially this phase of His passion, when He said to His disciples: “And they shall mock Him and spit on Him and scourge Him and kill Him, and the third day He shall rise again” (Luke 10, 34).
Jesus willed to endure such insults and to be degraded in the most abject manner to atone for our pride. These inhuman brutes blindfolded and buffeted Jesus and struck Him in the face. Christ’s inexpressible patience goaded on His executioners all the more. His meekness incensed them, His silence provoked their rage. Their stripes were multiplied, the shameful mockery was ever again renewed, and so this inhuman treatment was continued throughout the entire night.
What the innocent Lamb of God suffered in the midst of the rabble till break of day is so appalling that the Evangelists could not prevail upon themselves to detail it. Who would even attempt to depict the contemptible and shameful abuses heaped upon our suffering Saviour at the hands of these godless monsters, goaded on by the pharisees!
With all the angels and saints, prostrate before Him, let us profoundly adore our despised and outraged Saviour, as the Supreme Majesty, Who thus abased Himself to the lowest depths of humiliation, to teach us the malice of pride. Let us offer His abasement and shame to the heavenly Father, to obtain the grace of profound humility and invincible meekness, that in humble recognition of our sinfulness we may accept with loving resignation the wholesome chastisements of the heavenly Father.
Second Point
WHY DID JESUS WILL TO SUFFER SUCH INHUMAN TORMENTS?
Jesus willed to take upon Himself such insults and expose Himself to such maltreatment above all, to make atonement for our sins. He Himself once revealed to St. Angela of Foligno: “For your vanity and love of self I suffered my countenance to be disfigured and dishonored, by a blow on the cheek. Because you misuse your eyes to contemplate the vain things of the world, and take complacency in them, I have wept the most bitter tears and suffered my eyes to be blindfolded, bathed them in My Precious Blood which flowed from My forehead. Because you so readily listen to flatteries and vanities, I permitted false accusation, calumnies, condemnation, ridicule and blasphemies to come upon Me. To atone for your sins of the tongue, I held My lips sealed, and prayed from the depths of My Heart for My malicious enemies.”
Oh, let us remember that we also contributed to the sufferings of Jesus during this painful night. If feelings of anger against those who so shamefully insulted and ill-treated our Divine Lord well up in our hearts, let us direct them against ourselves, because our sins, more than the inhuman rabble and the unjust judges, were the cause of the untold sufferings of Jesus. Even now, yet, Jesus is frequently insulted, dishonored and ridiculed in the Sacrament of His Love. We, however, will strive out of grateful love and deepest veneration to make reparation of honor and console Him by acts of praise and adoration. Should an opportunity to suffer slightly with and for Him be offered us occasionally, let us think of the love of Jesus, and rejoice that we can, at least in some measure, requite such infinite love. How many graces, what consolation, should such a practice not insure for us!
Affections: O my Jesus, I see Thee endure the greatest insults and reviling for love of me, and I blush for shame that I am too weak, too cowardly to endure even the slightest insult for love of Thee. Thy Divine Heart is satiated with the most bitter humiliations that I may learn from Thy example to conquer my impatience and sensitiveness, silently and patiently to embrace the trials which Thy love imposes on me. O my Divine Saviour, give me Thy holy love; it alone can strengthen and encourage me to endure trials and sufferings with composure, even with a holy joy, in union with Thy sacred passion.
Resolution: For the love of Jesus, maltreated and shamefully outraged, I will courageously combat all sensitiveness.
Spiritual Bouquet: “I am the reproach of men and the outcast of the people” (Ps. 21, 7).
Prayer: Soul of Christ . . .
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