541 part v: daily meditations Once this was said, those cruel lions assailed the meekest Lamb: some pulled His hair; others violently seized His arms; some bound His hands; others cast Him down to the ground; others lifted Him up, the Lord of incomprehensible majesty, and led Him cruelly bound to Annas. With a devout spirit, join the Savior of the World as He walks inside the walls of the hostile city. Look at the cruelty with which He is pushed; how insolently He is drawn here and there; with what cruelty He is hustled to the Cedron River; with what ferocity He is dashed against the stones there; finally, with what wickedness He is placed before Annas, harassed with groundless accusations, and struck by the cruel hand of a most impudent soldier (cf. Jn 18:13-14, 22). O night, obscured by so many evil deeds of the Jews and lit up by so many virtues of the Savior of the world! On one side rise betrayal, ill will, brutality, and ingratitude; on the other shine innocence, love, gentleness, and beneficence. May you, detesting the vices of the Jews, imitate the virtues of the Savior! 2. Together with the most innocent Son of God, enter the house of the high priest Caiaphas and there, by the grace of the Savior, patiently listen to the many false witnesses, abominable lies, and blasphemies (cf. Mt 26:57, 59-61; Mk 14:53, 56-59). Then go into the filthiest prison, full of muck, plunged in deep darkness, foul and horrible, and see the Emperor of the whole universe sitting here, abandoned by friends, disciples, and relatives, surrounded by a pitiless pack of wicked soldiers, from whom He would receive no consolations, but insults; no compassion, but torments. Indeed, some of them spit in His face, brighter than the sun; the others harass Him with sneers; some strike Him with their fists and slap with their hands; moreover, they all beat Him with various instruments, and constantly throwing dirt on Him for the whole night, they do not let Him rest even for a little while (cf. Lk 22:63-65). Yet, a more painful injury than all these befell the Savior, a more cruel sadness descended upon His soul, when that Prince [f.177v] of the Apostolic Senate, that Ruler of the lands, that
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==