CHAPTER XIII Concerning the savage clamour of the Jews,—“Away with Him! Crucify Him!”
CHAPTER XIII
Concerning the savage clamour of the Jews,—“Away with Him! Crucify Him!”
I BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, perpetual Joy of Saints, for the great and insolent uproar with which the Jews raged against Thee, crying out in their fury:—“Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” Alas, how great was the savagery of those miserable Jews; how inhuman was the cruelty of the Priests and of the Pharisees, who felt no fear at putting Thee to death, who felt no compunction at shedding innocent blood! The heathen Judge is moved to some sort of pity; but the hearts of the Jews are hardened to yet more cruel malice. Pilate would discharge Thee, he seeks to release Thee, he declares that he finds no cause of death in Thee; but the Jews, forgetting all the good works Thou hadst wrought among them, will not listen to him, crying out again:—“If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar’s friend: for whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Caesar.”
Alas, with what utter falseness do they allege these things against Thee, Who never, either by word or deed, soughtest earthly honours; Who, when the people—whom, by working a miracle, Thou hadst fully satisfied with food—were anxious to make Thee a King, didst at once go forth alone to a mountain to pray, and to hide Thyself from them!
Nor are these lies enough for them; they go on to add still worse, seeking at any cost to force the Judge to put to death Him Who is very God. “We have a law,” they say, “and according to the law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” When the Governor hears these words, he fears the more, and asks:—“Whence art Thou?” And then he asks, “What is truth?” But there is no answer; for the Jews are instant in demanding sentence of death. At length, anxious for the favour of princes, and led astray from the path of justice by the impious wickedness of the Jews, the Governor yields to their iniquitous demand.
What a sad and wicked a thing it was that the words of execration, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” spoken of the Blessed Jesus, should have resounded through the streets of Jerusalem. Who of those who love Him would not have mourned and wept, had he heard those accursed crucifixion cries repeated against his most loving Lord Jesus. What, then, must the most tenderly-loving Virgin Mother have felt, when those dreadful shouts, those death-dealing words fell upon her ears; when that cruel doom, that tumultuous demand from the lips of all the people for the death of her Son upon the cross filled the air!
Weep with her, O faithful servant of Jesus, no matter of how little account thou mayest be, weep with her, and draw forth from the recesses of thy heart moans of sorrow and compassion. Try to think with what anguish the heart of the Mother of God must have been torn, when she heard her blessed Son claimed for the shameful death of the cross. He in Whose Ears ever resounds the Angelic Song, “Holy! Holy!” ringing through the courts of Heaven, has now to hear the accursed tongues of Jews acclaiming Him with these words: “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” He Whom, but a short while since, on the Feast of Palms, the children had hailed with songs of praise, has now to hear—O awful change!—their parents madly demanding His crucifixion, and shouting: “Not this man but Barabbas.”
O thou to whom the Passion of thy Lord is dear, lay seriously to heart the thought of this hour, shut close the ears of thy heart against profitless chatter about things of this world, and throw them open wide to hear this miserable outcry for the crucifixion of Jesus. Be sure, O faithful soul, that it will profit thee more to meditate on it, than to know all about the wonders of the stars. If Jesus be indeed dear to thee, thou wilt not quit this theme without a bitter sigh.
When, therefore, the world is against thee; when it overwhelms thee with reproaches; be not overmuch disturbed by the spiteful words or threats of thy enemies, but call to mind the boundless patience of the Lord Jesus, and the accursed words, which He was content to hear for thy sake; and let idle talk pass thee unheeded. Should even thy good actions be distorted, and many set themselves up against thee, cavilling at thy words, bear all this meekly; for thou art not more innocent than Christ, Who was assailed with shouts of “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Be warned beforehand, and know that in the way, along which God would have thee walk, thou wilt have to endure much opposition; and that thou wilt not have praise of God, unless thou hast been exercised by many sufferings for His sake. For it was He Who said to the friends whom He loved: “Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and shall reproach you, for the Son of Man’s sake.” Follow, then, thy sinless Jesus, rejected indeed by evil men on earth, but chosen of God the Father, and crowned with glory and honour in Heaven. Let not evil words, which are things of a moment, get the better of thee, for whom is laid up by God an eternal weight of glory.
Now, therefore, O most gracious Lord Jesus Christ, I invoke Thy boundless charity, and pray Thee to kindle in my heart the flame of great sorrow for Thy Sufferings, to make it aglow with such a fervent love of Thee, that it may be joy to me calmly to endure evil-speaking, and accusations, of whatever sort they be. Grant that I may not fear the threats and annoyances of men, but may strive with all my might to imitate Thee in bearing the reproach of the Cross. Arm me against the inordinate desires of the flesh; and grant that, by fitting correction, I may crucify its evil lusts; may wash away my past faults by abundant tears of contrition, and may never deliberately yield to any further assaults of the evil one. Finally, I pray that in every spiritual conflict, and in every trial that may be laid upon me, Thou wouldest succour and defend me from the snares of the enemy, by holding above me Thy life-giving Cross. Set up though It was to put Thee to shame, may It be to me an ever-present help; that so I may render to Thee with faithful lips the sacrifice of thanks and praise for victory won under its shadow!