A golden treatise of mental prayer/A meditation for Wednesday: how Christ was offered up to Caiphas; of St. Peter's denial; and of his scourging
A MEDITATION FOR WEDNESDAY.
This day thou shalt consider, how Christ our Lord was offered up to Caiphas the high priest; what torments he endured there all that night; how St. Peter denied him; and last of all, how cruelly he was scourged.
Consider, first of all, how he was led from the house of Annas to the house of Caiphas; it is worth thy pains to follow him thither; for there thou shalt see the mighty sun of justice eclipsed; there thou shalt behold that divine face, upon which, the angels themselves delight to gaze, deformed with the filthy spittings of the Jews; for our Blessed Saviour standing in the midst of them, was conjured by the high priest in the name of his Father, to speak out what he was. He answered as beseeming himself; but they, who were unworthy of such an answer, blinded with the splendor of this great light like mad dogs, rushed upon him, vomiting up the bitter gall of their whole malice against him.
They began, whole troops of them to buffet him, to beat and kick him, they spat upon his divine face, and threw the very filth of their noses upon it. Others hood-winked his eyes with a dirty linen cloth, smiting him upon his cheek, and would in mockery have him prophecy who it was that struck him. O admirable and unheard-of patience, and humility of the only begotten Son of God. Oh, behold that face, which the angels of heaven do contemplate with incredible joy, besmeared with their sordid and filthy spittings.
Men, when they spit, commonly turn themselves to some foul place, somewhat remote from the sight of others. In this palace was there no place found more contemptible therein to cast their spit and filthy drivel, than the sacred face of Jesus Christ? O man, that art but dust and ashes, canst thou choose but be stirred up to humility, and contempt of thyself, at so rare an example?
Consider, moreover, what torments our Blessed Saviour suffered all that night, how the officers that kept him, afflicted him, that sleep should not close his eyes, derided the supreme Majesty of God, and loaded him with many injurious contumelies.
Weigh with thyself, my soul, that now thy spouse is made the white and mark, receiving upon himself all the darts of injurious contumelies that the mischievous Jews could shoot at him. O cruel night, O unquiet night, in which thou Blessed Jesus could rest no more by reason of anguish and affliction, than others who took pleasure to torment thee. The night was ordained for the rest of all creatures, that the members and senses wearied with the labor of the day before, might then take some repose. But the wicked soldiers that kept thee, spent it in tormenting thy senses, they did bind thy body, vexed thy soul, fettered thy hands and (eet with manacles, buffetted thy cheeks, spat upon thy face, blinded thine eyes, so that all thy senses, when they should have been refreshed, were afflicted.
Oh! how far did these matins differ from those, which, at the same lime, the blessed angels did sing in heaven? they cried holy, holy, and the Jews cried, he is guilty of death, crucify, crucify him. O angelical spirits which understand both cries, what could you imagine or think, when you saw the inhuman cruelty wherewith he was handled on earth, whom in heaven you adored with such great submission and reverence'? did you not wonder to see him suffer all these extreme torments, to expiate the sins of those who inflicted them upon him? who hath ever heard of such immense charity, that for this reason one should suffer death, to heal the grief, and cure the wounds of his murderers?
The fall of St. Peter, that great pillar, did not a little increase the anxiety of this tedious night; that he, whom he entirely loved amongst the rest, whom he chose to present at his glorious transfiguration, to whom he committed the primacy of his holy church, whom he ordained to be head and prince of the Apostles, that he, I say, should before his face, and in his presence, deny him, not once, but thrice, adding blasphemies and oaths, that he knew not the man. Tell me, Peter, did this man seem to thee so ungodly and wicked, that in future times thou didst fear, it would be a disgrace unto thee to confess him now? didst thou not consider that thou didst first pronounce the sentence of condemnation against him, before he was adjudged by the high priests, when thou didst not esteem him so much as worthy of thy acknowledgment? couldst thou do a greater injury to Jesus Christ?
But Christ, sorrowful for this great fault of St. Peter, turned himself, and cast his eyes upon him, that with his gracious countenance, he might reduce this wandering sheep into the sheepfold of his mercies. O admirable aspect, secret indeed, but full of signification, which St. Peter knew right well, and well understood of what force and efficacy it was. The crowing of the cock had little availed to bis compunction and conversion, had not the countenance of Christ our Saviour been adjoined; whose eyes did speak and work that stupendous change, the certainty of which, not only the flowing tears of St. Peter, but of our Blessed Saviour himself, did sufficiently testify.
After all these injuries, consider what Christ suffered, when he was bound to be scourged at the pillar, for the judge, when he saw that he could not pacify the fury of those infernal monsters, thought good to advise them, to beat him with rods and whips, whereby his whole body might be torn, hoping that way to mollify their obstinate and obdurate hearts; that when they saw him so torn and mangled, they would cease further to desire his cruel death.
Enter now, my soul, in spirit, into the house of Pilate, and have tears in readiness, for thou wilt have need of them, if thou shalt diligently consider what was done there.
Behold, how inhumanly these abject and infamous rogues despoiled our Blessed Saviour of his garments. Mark the humility of Christ, how he suffered himself to be stripped, not so much as opening his mouth, nor uttering any word against their injurious behaviour. See his sacred body bound to the pillar with many ropes, in such a fashion, that on every side they might have room to torture him.
Consider, how the Lord of angels, stood alone in the midst of his cruel enemies, without any advocates, or procurators, that would defend his cause, yea, altogether without any one man, who, at leastwise, afar off, would so much as compassionate the bitterness of his torments. Dost thou not hear the noise of rods and whips, wherewith they loaded, tore, and rent the delicate flesh of Jesus, adding stroke upon stroke, and wound to wound? dost thou not see his whole body in one short moment of time, with the vehemency, and often reiterated blows, to be covered, as it were, with one ulcer, his skin to be drawn from the flesh, and blood from his whole body, from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, to flow down upon the earth? especially, is it not dreadful for thee to behold the place between the shoulders, whereupon, almost the whole force of the blows did light?
Consider, how Christ, the Saviour of the world, after that extreme cruelty of his tormentors, went up and down the palace all torn and cut, seeking and gathering up his garments, not finding one amongst those inhuman rascals, that would show unto him the least act of humanity, in washing or refreshing his wounds, or lend their hand to help him to put on his clothes. All these things are worthy of our diligent consideration, that thereby we might stir up our souls to due compassion of his miseries.