“And so Pilate being willing to satisfy the people released to them Barabbas, and delivered up Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified” (Mark 15, 15).
First Prelude: Behold our Divine Saviour standing before Pilate awaiting His sentence.
Second Prelude: O my Saviour, let me penetrate into the sentiments of Thy Sacred Heart and realize how painful for Thee was the shame of condemnation.
First Point
The Suffering of Jesus at His Condemnation
Contemplate the immeasurable pain of our Blessed Saviour Who, having been publicly repudiated by His people, now hears the death sentence from the lips of the weak, unjust and pagan judge. In obedience to His heavenly Father and out of incomprehensible love of us poor, sinful creatures, He accepts the sentence. He sacrifices His infinitely precious life, to raise us from the death of sin to a life of grace and glory. Let us praise the love of the Father, Who sacrificed His Son to redeem the servant, but let us also recognize the severity of Divine Justice, that demanded such atonement.
We love the title “Spouse of Christ.” Let us then accept with tranquillity slights, contempt and injustice that we may bear resemblance to our Divine Exemplar. Our love for our Saviour, however, must lead us further and impel us to take humiliations upon ourselves willingly in the place of others. O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto Thine.
Second Point
The Silence of Our Lord
With imperturbable peace Jesus hears the terrible sentence and is silent. With a single word He could have silenced His accusers, but He does not utter it. The love which moved Him to deliver Himself into their hands, keeps Him silent and humble now. This marvelous silence of the Eternal Word exhorts us almost irresistibly to imitate it. If we find it repugnant to our nature in all humility to hold our peace when unjustly accused, let us be mindful of our Saviour before the tribunal of Pilate. By His silence He merited grace for us to control our unbridled tongue, to accept a reproof quietly, to forget an injury. By such courageous self-denial we learn to speak to God and to listen to Him.
Daily and hourly the Holy Spirit leads reticent souls into the retirement of holy recollection and confidential intercourse with God. O my Saviour, let me learn more and more to love and practice holy silence.
Affections: Sweetest Jesus, Who wast so patiently delivered up to the will of Thy enemies, deliver me not to my perverse will, I implore Thee. Be Thou, O Lord, the director of my will. From Thy example let me draw courage to overcome myself and in humility and silence to bear the just, as well as the unjust, accusations of others. Grant that according to Thy example I may accept willingly from the hands of the heavenly Father all the sufferings of life as well as the sentence of death which hangs suspended now in order to give Thy Sacred Heart the consolation of pronouncing a mild sentence upon me in the hour of my death.
Resolution: Out of love for our suffering Saviour I will not excuse myself today on any occasion.
Spiritual Bouquet: “O Jesus, be not my Judge but my Saviour.”
Soul of Christ, be my sanctification.
Body of Christ, be my salvation.
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins.
Water of Christ’s side, wash out my stains.
Passion of Christ, my comfort be.
O good Jesus, listen to me.
In Thy wounds I fain would hide,
Ne’er to be parted from Thy side.
Guard me should the foe assail me.
Call me when my life shall fail me.
Bid me come to Thee above,
With Thy saints to sing Thy love,
World without end. Amen.
(300 days’ indulgence; 7 years; plenary if said after Communion, once a month—Pius IX, Jan. 9, 1854)
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