stand in speechless anguish with Mary and see Him die on the cross; to kneel with Magdalen and gaze in loving adoration on His dead body reposing in the arms of His poor afflicted Mother.
Our Lord extends a threefold invitation to us to meditate on His Passion. First, He asks us to consider how great were His sufferings, saying : " O all ye that pass by the way, come and see if there be woe like to My woe." Secondly, He invites us to compassionate His sufferings: " Have pity on Me, have pity on Me, at least you My friends." Thirdly, He asks for our love and promises love in return: " O all ye that labor and are burdened, come to Me and I will refresh you, and you shall find peace for your souls." God grant we may so meditate on Christ's Passion as to excite our pity for Him, and then our love, for pity is akin to love.
" O all ye that pass by the way, come and see if there be woe like unto My woe." Who is this who speaks? It is our elder Brother, our Saviour, our God. That Brother of ours, who, though born and reared in poverty, was still nurtured and brought up with all the care and tenderness of His young Mother, between whom and her Son there existed the fourfold love of a mother for her son, of a bride for her spouse, of a daughter for her father, of a saintly virgin for her God. That Brother, who, instead of harsh words and corporal punishments, received from His foster father naught but lowly homage. That Brother, who, up to a few months ago, had never passed from the gentle influence of His own
