Meditation for March 8, Jesus Is Mocked

A God derided, reviled, become a plaything, one whose words, actions, and very silence are misinterpreted.

A God and yet, the object of ridicule, whose very endurance of suffering provokes coarse gaiety from the bodyguard.

A God struck, scoffed, jostled about, defiled, berated-and all that with impunity.

But what are the Angels doing in heaven while man makes sport of their King? Are they unconcerned at seeing the Lord of lords reduced to such a state? Will they make no attempt to deliver the Master, to withhold those arms raised in madness, to stop those scoffers?

No! the prophecies must be fulfilled, the God Man must go to lengths such as these.

Blows are succeeded by ribald tirades and scurrilous language. Someone blindfolds Him and the taunts begin again: "Tell us who struck You! Here! This blow! Who gave it to you? And that one? Here, you are looking! That one, that's a good one, even better aimed."

Jesus blindfolded. . . . Ah! what must have been His thoughts? He saw all these stupid infamies.... He saw me. Was I in­creasing the number of these derisive blows, or was I making expia­tion by a love that nothing could make waver?

Who, then, will efface all the horrors of that mockery? Where in all the world are there enough acts of love to compensate for all those ignominies?

My soul, have you finally decided to really love Him?
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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)