Chapter 32: The arraignment of the Lord Jesus before Annas, the Priest

I BLESS You, and give thanks to You, O Lord Jesus Christ, Guide of our life, and Author of our salvation, for Your first arraignment before Annas, the Priest, where You were questioned about many things, and in return for Your meek and truthful answer, were rudely smitten on the cheek.

I praise and magnify You, my glorious King Jesus Christ, for the dishonour thus done to You, and for the shameful blow which You did receive from the hand of an insolent servant, when in return for Your answer he gave You a heavy blow upon Your face, saying: "Answer You the High Priest so?" And even after all this You did not fail, O most gentle Jesus, undisturbed in mind or speech, meekly to make answer to him again, saying: "If I have spoken evil, give testimony of the evil; but if well, why smite you Me?" O most vile and impious servant, how was it that you did not fear to strike the Face of Your Creator, deserving of all love, with your guilty hands! How unspeakable, my adorable Jesus, was the virtue of meekness which shone forth in You, when, instead of avenging so insulting a blow with immediate chastisement, You did calmly expostulate with him who struck You!

Bethink you now, O Christian, and say whether, for love of Jesus, you could endure a slap in the face. You who can not bear a hard word without losing your temper, how could you bear to be smitten on the mouth? You do grieve over the uncalled for violence offered to your Lord; but much more sad, surely, is it that you should be so little able to endure, for Christ's sake, even trivial wrongs. You make grand resolutions, your ideals are lofty; but the first reproachful word upsets you, and you find yourself weaker than you had thought yourself to be. Flee then to Jesus, and pray Him more earnestly than ever before to give you the virtue of patience.

O good Jesus, You strength and stay of the troubled soul, teach me to bear, with an even mind, blame and reproach; teach me, when complaints are unjustly made against me, not angrily to fight against them, but rather to get the better of them by meekly holding my peace; or, if speech be needed, may my words be such as to make of my adversaries friends. Put a right and loving word into my mouth in the presence of those that set themselves against me; and, when the hand of the wicked is lifted up against me, give me, O most gentle Jesus, for my impregnable shield, modest and imperturbable calmness of mind.