the suffering christ 776 come, whom the holiest kings greatly desired to see — who for your salvation, instruction, consolation, and glory was sent down from Heaven, is it Him you so irreverently, impudently, and ungratefully despised? Do you rejoice when He, with unheard of cruelty, is lashed on His whole body, is torn apart, and is pulled to pieces with the most dreadful whips, as if He was the most vicious evildoer? Alas, is it permissible for you to whip the Son of God? No one said these words when our most merciful Savior suffered at the pillar. Scarcely anyone could be found who was moved by pity for Him, and no one who would weep over Him. Indeed, as many as were present, absorbed by this horrible spectacle, displayed such a cheerful countenance, as if wanting to testify that by His wounds they were particularly invigorated. The scourged Jesus, predicting this beforehand through the mouthpiece of the prophet-king, said: “But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; cripples whom I did not know slandered me without ceasing” (Ps 35:15). And undoubtedly they cried: “Aha, we have our heart’s desire! […] We have swallowed him up” (Ps 35:25). Therefore, while the Chosen People take this wicked delight from the cruel and nearly lethal scourging of Christ our Lord, at least we, who are adopted into His family, should groan in compassion over such a deadly scourging of His, and should sigh with the most devout Bishop of Hippo: “Lord Jesus, when I see You all scourged, I do not desire (my own body) to be without scourges.”20 It is a consolation for the miserable to have allies in their suffering. Whenever I see You bleeding, I would desire to pour out an ocean of tears. When I see You wounded from top to bottom, I consecrate to You most humbly all the blows of my afflictions, disasters, pains, toils, sorrows, temptations, insults, injuries, and any adversities whatever, annoyances, hardships, mortifications, even all the anxieties of duties and all worries, all pricks and all wounds of my soul and my heart. From this moment on, I desire to be bound with you to the pillar: If You would unite me to You 20 This text was not able to be found in the works of St. Augustine.
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