Even the heart of Pilate was touched when he saw our Lord covered with blood and wounds, and insulted as a mock king. He thought that the Jews would equally be moved at the sight, and thereby demand the liberation of Jesus whose death they had been clamoring for. With this intention he presented Jesus to the people and said, “Behold the Man” (Jn 19:5).
Our Mother, the Church addresses these words to every faithful soul to have a tender compassion for the sufferings and humiliations of our Lord. God the Father also directs them to us, that our hearts may ardently love his Son, so shamefully treated for love of us. We ought to cry when we know our sins brought all this upon Jesus.
When Pilate exposed Jesus to the multitude, he thought it would be unnecessary to plead for him; there would be a general cry for pardon and mercy. He only said, ‘Behold the Man’.
This would have happened if the people had not been excited by the implacable hatred of the priests and doctors. Their pride and self-love had been wounded.
They had sworn to get the life of Jesus. Pilate, to his surprise, received only an outcry of rage -- “Crucify him, crucify him!” (Jn 19:6).
Here is an example of how far passions, especially wounded pride, can go. It blinded these clear-headed men to their own interests. It stifled all sense of justice and the fear of God in their breasts.
Passion never stops to reason. Its victims are obstinately blind. May God spare us any examples in our days to confirm this truth!
The real crime of Jesus in the eyes of the priests and doctors was that he had exposed their hypocrisy. He had set them aside by the superiority of his teaching, the sanctity of his life, and the renown of his miracles. But they took good care to hide this motive.
They were not willing to expose the base passion of envy which possessed them. Such are the workings of our passions. We do not see the true motives of our actions, and we focus on the imaginary faults of others. In reality, wounded self-love is the foundation of it all. May God save us from becoming victims of this passion!
Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp145-7
Jesus meets His mother
“And there followed him a great multitude of people, ... women who bewailed and lamented him.” (Lk 23:27) We do not learn that all the multitude shared these holy women’s compassion. Perhaps the majority, apart from the enemies of Jesus, were merely curious, quite indifferent to the fate of their Lord about to die for them.
A great multitude still follow in spirit the various phases of our Lord’s passion during this holy season of Lent. We can do so with more leisure. But are we, like these holy women, touched with love, compassion, and contrition at the thought that Jesus is about to die for our sins and for our sake?
There is no mention of our Blessed Lady, but we may piously believe, in accordance with universal tradition, that the Son and Mother met upon the road. St John says explicitly that Mary stood by the cross when Jesus reached the end of his journey. Who can express the feelings of the heart of this most loving of mothers?
Moving through the crowd, she stood face to face with her divine Son, disfigured, crowned with thorns, covered with wounds and blood. Surrounding soldiers and executioners insulted him; and dragged him to death.
God willed that our Blessed Lady should be thus afflicted so she might have the largest share in the passion of her Son and in our redemption. Thus, she deserves to accumulate more merit and richer treasures of sanctity than all who have lived or shall live.
Do not, therefore, murmur nor be discouraged if God sends us much suffering and tribulation; but believe he does it to increase our love and merit.
“Jesus, turning to them, said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me, but weep for yourselves and your children’.” (Lk 23:28) Here let us admire the greatness of our Lord’s tenderness to others. He forgets his own sufferings in his care for them.
He warns them of evil days to come, and to prepare for these by tears and penance.
How different is our Lord’s conduct from ours! When we are suffering in body or mind, we often forget what we owe to others. We think that every one ought to be interested in us and pity our condition.
If we look at our Lord, we shall be more generous, less occupied with ourselves, more attentive to those around us. We must never let others suffer through us.
Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp155-7
Jesus stripped of His garments
Many mysteries are associated with the place our Lord chose for consummating his sacrifice: where God commanded Abraham to offer up Isaac; where the Jews used to execute great criminals; and according to tradition, where Noah buried Adam’s head. The Hebrew word ‘Golgotha’ signifies ‘chief’ or ‘head’.
The special mention of Golgotha, by the four Evangelists, instead of the latinized Greek ‘cranium’, the place of Calvary, tends to confirm the tradition according to Tertullian, Origen, St Athanasius, and most of the Fathers.
Let us meditate on these mysteries. The sacrifice of Jesus should inspire us with love and gratitude to him and his eternal Father who thus fulfilled the symbolic sacrifice of the great patriarch, Abraham.
Our Lord’s choice of the execution place for criminals should remind us that he suffered for us criminals, for each one of us. Lastly, his dying where lie the ashes of our father Adam should show us how his death destroys the empire of death; gives us a right to life eternal.
It was customary to give those condemned to death wine mixed with myrrh to strengthen them or to numb their senses. By refinement of cruelty, gall was mixed with the wine given to our Lord. He took and tasted it; but, as the Gospel says, he would not drink.
Why did our Lord taste this bitter draught, but refuse to drink it? 1) To suffer in the sense of taste which his executioners could not touch; 2) to expiate our intemperance with the use of food; and 3) to encourage us, after his example, to mortify our taste or at least to tame our appetites, never to exceed the bound of temperance.
However, he would not drink in order not, in any degree, assuage the sufferings he willed to endure to the fullest.
The Roman law ordered that those condemned to be crucified should be stripped of their garments, adding shame to their torments. Thus, Jesus was undressed. The weight of the cross and his frequent falls made his garments adhere closely to his body. Their removal opens his wounds and causing him fresh agony.
Why did our Lord will to suffer this fresh martyrdom? To teach and encourage us, by his example, never to evade whatever shame or suffering in his service will entail even if we should become a laughing-stock to the world.
This renunciation must be absolute at least in affection. Jesus Christ says, “If any man will follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Lk 14:27).
Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp159-62
• Feast of the miracles of Our Lady, at Cambron, near Mons, in the Low Countries. — Locrius. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com)
• Miracles of Our Lady (Cambron: near Mons, Belgium). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)
• Feast of the Miracles of Our Lady. Cambron, near Mons, Belgium. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)
• Our Lady of the Valley, Sicily (1040). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html)
• Our Lady of the Valley. 1040. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)
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