more than He loves His Son, in that He delivered Him up so that we might be saved! And the Incarnate Son of God Himself gave up all for us, and sought out sufferings which He would endure, to prove to us the excess of His Love by the very excess of His Sufferings! Nothing could better reveal the love of God for us than the Sufferings and Death of the Son of God. Even the angels in heaven, on whom God has so lavishly poured proofs of His love, if they wish to contemplate the highest possible proof of God’s goodness, must cast down their glances to this earth of ours, where the Creator suffered for the creature, and He who was offended died on the Cross for those who had offended Him. St. Paul writes thus with reference to Christ’s Passion: “Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us, an oblation and sacrifice to God, for an odour of sweetness” (Eph. 5, 2). What has been said may be briefly summed up thus: The divine justice could have been satisfied with a lesser expiation, and thus the chalice would have been removed from our Lord; but that which would have satisfied the divine justice was not sufficient to satisfy the divine love which knew no measure in its desire to draw us away from sin, and move our hearts to a grateful love in return.
Application. It was for you that Jesus endured His agony and shed His Precious Blood on the Mount of Olives. The Eternal God suffered for you, ungrateful, sinful creature that you are! Will you not for the future try to love Him more, and serve Him better?
Think what grief of soul your sins caused your Divine Saviour! And yet you pay so little heed to your sins, and have so very little sorrow for them. Reflect on the number and grievousness of your sins, confess your ingratitude and indifference, and ask our dear Lord — for the sake of His bitter agony — to instil into your heart a great hatred of sin. Let us now kneel down and make a good act of contrition!
Chapter LXX.
JESUS IS APPREHENDED AND BOUND.
(Mat. 26, 47 — 56. Mark 14 43—49. Luke 22, 47 — 54. John 17, 3 — 12.]
WHILE Jesus was yet speaking, Judas[1] came with a great crowd of soldiers[2] and servants from the chief priests and ancients. Now the traitor had given them a sign, saying:
- ↑ Judas. He came in the capacity of leader of the troop (Luke 22, 47), the strength of which was out of proportion to its purpose; but the enemies of our Lord were determined that Jesus should not escape by any neglect on their part. The troop consisted of the Temple guard, and the armed servants of the High Priest and the Sanhedrin.
- ↑ Soldiers. “With swords and lanterns". They carried lanterns to make sure that Jesus should not escape them in the darkness of the night.
