Jesus, the image of the invisible God, the equal of His Father, the splendor of His Glory.
Jesus, the reflection of the pure, noble countenance of Mary, Jesus whose Adorable Face will be for all time the object of fervent contemplation.
Jesus, struck by the vulgar hand of a sneering brute whose only object in striking the Innocent One is to gain the good graces of a vile judge....This hand...this cheek...this blow! The Master of all....The last of the servants!
But Jesus sees beyond the figure of the man who raises his hand. As St. Jane de Chantal said: "The blow came from above." Beyond the hand of this servant, Jesus recognized and adored the hand of His Father. Are there no other blows but those given on the cheek? Certain shameful actions, certain preferences for creatures, are these not insults--not merely to the face of Christ but to His own adorable Person?
I have been chosen, by an inconceivable predilection, in preference to so many others, and how many times have I failed to love, turning my back on the invitation of the Good Master, forgetting to respond to His many attentions with a little love - and simply because it may cost me a trifle. Is this cowardice not as stinging as any slap in the face?
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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
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