Theological Foundations new file

73 Life in Christ Passion and impels them to deep reflection and transformation of their lives. Thus, by showing Christ praying in the garden of Gethsemane, he encourages them and all of us to pray and to surrender to God’s will in the face of increasing temptations and difficulties. Christ called before the tribunal of the high priest gives us an example of love, gentleness and goodness. Christ standing before Herod teaches that it is better to remain silent, even to the detriment of one’s reputation, than to speak and sustain spiritual damage. The flogged Jesus encourages us to disci- pline our body in honor of His suffering and in order to avoid offending Him, as well as to be ready to fulfill His will in everything. The scene of His crowning with thorns encourages us to despise ourselves, to bear any afflictions and mortifications, to restrain our greed and lust, to clear the field of our heart of the thorns of sins and to sow the flowers of virtues there. When the Savior is walking the way of the Cross, a reli- gious should join Him, just as the Blessed Mother did, and be willing to help Him to carry the Cross, just as she was, even though she could not. But a religious can willingly carry a spiritual cross. Jesus Christ stripped of His clothes and all covered with blood teaches a religious to renounce the love of self, his own will, his judgement and bad habits. Finally, when Jesus is hanging on the Cross, when He entrusts His disciple to His Mother, and the Mother to the disciple, when he calls upon His Father and gives His spirit up into the Father’s hands, His imitator should con- template the pain that the Blessed Mother felt and the tears shed by the beloved disciple, by Magdalene and other friends of the Lord, and to shed abundant tears himself. After all, Jesus Christ was put to death for his sins. Because of him, the Blessed Mother, along with the disciples and friends, had to bear inconceivable pains. 59 If Father Stanislaus’s disciples are to imitate the Crucified Christ, they should, first of all, turn their attention to His spirit of sacrifice and self- denial. “What kind of virtue would you then acquire, if you should joy- fully practice only those things which happen to be to your liking? Meanwhile, if you want to be a hero, you should imitate the heroic deeds of the Savior whom you have accepted, surrendering your will to Him