Chapter 30: The fell seizure and leading away of the Lord Jesus

I BLESS You, and give thanks to You, O Lord Jesus Christ, Hope of the Saints, and their strong Tower in every distress, for the violent seizure of You by Your hateful enemies; for the insolent laying upon You of the sacrilegious hands of those who sought to hold You; for the fierce looks they cast upon You; for the threatening shouts of the soldiers; for their rough and cruel binding of You; for their rude and ungentle holding of You fast; for their hasty and disorderly leading away of You; for the contumely and the violence with which they dragged You along; when, with wild tumult, You were hurried away by vile and worthless scoundrels to Your death; while the disciples, who were so dear to You, either fled, or with eyes full of grief and sorrow looked upon You from afar.

O King of Kings, O Lord Who rule over all Your creatures, and alone among mortals are free, how could You bear to be thus violently seized by evil hands, and to be led away in such contumely and disgrace, by men whom You had Yourself created, and to whom You had always done good? Alas! how grievous was the crime committed against You, how audacious the insult to Your sovereign Majesty, when You, the Deliverer of souls, were bound with a malefactor's cord; when You, Who were altogether free from sin, were led away a prisoner, as if You had been the vilest of robbers! But You, my most loving Jesus, supreme Author of all virtues, did will to endure all these things most patiently for our sakes, that so You might set us an example of perfect meekness, and might fulfil that most plain of the prophecies of Isaias: "He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before His shearer, and He shall not open His mouth. He was offered because it was His own will."

Compassionate, then, O my soul, your most loving Lord God, an ill-used prisoner, enduring of His own free will all these things because of your sins. Groan deeply, and let yours eyes be wet with tears of sorrow, at the thought of the Only-Begotten Son of God being treated with such indignity for your sake. See what those most insolent dogs, the wicked Jews, are doing. They hold Jesus captive, they lead Him bound before Annas, and before Caiaphas the High Priest: but when He is seized He does not resist; when He is bound He does not complain; when He is led away He does not struggle with His captors; when He is being dragged along He utters no ill-word; but He goes meekly on, is quiet as a lamb, follows His captors as One Who is guiltless, bears everything as One Who is humility itself.

I pray You, then, O my God, that the thought of the bitterness of the grievous restraint thus put upon You may sink deep into my heart; may often rouse me, and chiefly at the hour of Matins, to fervour in the Divine Office; may drive from me all listlessness; and may make me constant, active, and watchful, in praising You, that so I may at least make some return for Your love, and for the hardships endured by You, Who, for my sake, at night-time were born, and at night-time were betrayed, were seized, and were bound with cords. At night-time, therefore, O Lord, will I ever remember Your Holy Name, calling to mind what great things You have suffered for me, the chief of sinners.

May Your painful bonds win for me true liberty, may they hold me back from unprofitable wandering abroad, and by strong discipline keep me ever in Your service. May I not find it hard to overcome and get rid of self; and may I with a willing heart follow along the path of obedience the injunctions of my superiors, not shrinking from being led whither I would not, provided only that the command be such as is pleasing to You. May I never be found rebellious, quarrelsome, insolent, or noisy; but always kind, tractable and sober-minded; that so I may walk in the way of Your commandments, and with humble devotion may observe the rites and ceremonies of Holy Church. Bow You down my neck to observe the rules of my Order, and bind my hands to fulfil the holy toil assigned to me. May roaming and idleness ever be distasteful to me; stiff-necked and self-willed as I am by nature, may an austere life, and the subdue of my own inclinations be made to me my greatest happiness; and may I have grace to bring my own inner life, at least in some small measure, into conformity with the example which You did set, when You were bound, and held captive.