Chapter 38: Concerning the savage clamour of the Jews,— Away with Him! Crucify Him!

I BLESS You, and give thanks to You, O Lord Jesus Christ, perpetual Joy of Saints, for the great and insolent uproar with which the Jews raged against You, 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 You 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 You, he seeks to release You, he declares that he finds no cause of death in You; but the Jews, forgetting all the good works You had wrought among them, will not listen to him, crying out again: — "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend: for whosoever makes himself a king, speaks against Caesar"

Alas, with what utter falseness do they allege these things against You, Who never, either by word or deed, sought earthly honours; Who, when the people — whom, by working a miracle, You had fully satisfied with food — were anxious to make You a King, did at once go forth alone to a mountain to pray, and to hide Yourself 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 are You?" 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 you may be, weep with her, and draw forth from the recesses of your 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 you to whom the Passion of your Lord is dear, lay seriously to heart the thought of this hour, shut close the ears of your 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 you more to meditate on it, than to know all about the wonders of the stars. If Jesus be indeed dear to you, you will not quit this theme without a bitter sigh.

When, therefore, the world is against you; when it overwhelms you with reproaches; be not overmuch disturbed by the spiteful words or threats of your enemies, but call to mind the boundless patience of the Lord Jesus, and the accursed words, which He was content to hear for your sake; and let idle talk pass you unheeded. Should even your good actions be distorted, and many set themselves up against you, cavilling at your words, bear all this meekly; for you are 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 you walk, you will have to endure much opposition; and that you will not have praise of God, unless you have been exercised by many sufferings for His sake. For it was He Who said to the friends whom He loved: "Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and shall reproach you, for the Son of Man's sake." Follow, then, your 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 you, for whom is laid up by God an eternal weight of glory.

Now, therefore, O most gracious Lord Jesus Christ, I invoke Your boundless charity, and pray You to kindle in my heart the flame of great sorrow for Your Sufferings, to make it aglow with such a fervent love of You, 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 You 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. You would succour and defend me from the snares of the enemy, by holding above me Your life-giving Cross. Set up though It was to put You to shame, may It be to me an ever-present help; that so I may render to You with faithful lips the sacrifice of thanks and praise for victory won under its shadow!