Good Friday The Garden of Gethsemane Prayer

  http://www.jesusiam.com/agony.html   

John 8:28 So Jesus said, 

"When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he.

Passiontide awakes every response to Jesus. Many believed in Jesus and some openly mocked him when he warned them about their sin of unbelief.

Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit that we may have power to be his witnesses of Christ's Cross.

Moving quickly from controversy, on the Mount of Olives Jesus suffers his agony for all souls.

This Prayer speaks in the language of the Sacred Heart. (Imprimatur: local Bishop. 1963. San Giovanni Rotondo 1965, may suggest St. Padre Pio source).

PRAYER TO JESUS, AGONISING ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

My soul is sorrowful even unto death. Stay here and watch. (St. Mark XIV-34).

O Jesus, through the abundance of Thy love, and in order to overcome our hardheartedness, Thou pourest out torrents of Thy graces over those who reflect on Thy most Sacred Sorrow in the Garden ofGethsemane, and who spread devotion to it. I pray Thee, move my soul and my heart to think often, at least once a day, of Thy most bitter Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, in order to communicate with Thee and to be united with Thee as closely as possible.

O Blessed Jesus, Thou, who carried the immense burden of our sins that night, and atoned for them fully; grant me the most perfect gift of complete repentant love over my numerous sins, for which Thou didst sweat blood.

O Blessed Jesus, for the sake of Thy most bitter struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane, grant me final victory over all temptations, especially over those to which I am most subjected.

O suffering Jesus, for the sake of Thy inscrutable and indescribable agonies, during that night of betrayal, and of Thy bitterest anguish of mind, enlighten me, so that I may recognise and fulfil Thy will; grant that I may ponder continually on Thy heart-wrenching struggle on how Thou didst emerge victoriously, in order to fulfil, not Thy will, but the will of Thy Father.

Be Thou blessed, O Jesus, for all Thy sighs on that holy night; and for the tears which Thou didst shed for us.

Be Thou blessed, O Jesus, for Thy sweat of blood and the terrible agony, which Thou dist suffer lovingly in coldest abandonment and in inscrutable loneliness.

Be Thou blessed, O sweetest Jesus, filled with immeasurable bitterness, for the prayer which flowed in trembling agony from Thy Heart, so truly human and divine.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee all the past, present, and future Masses together with the blood of Christ shed in agony in the Garden of Sorrow at Gethsemane.

Most Holy Trinity, grant that the knowledge and thereby the love, of the agony of Jesus on the Mount of Olives will spread throughout the whole world.

Grant, O Jesus, that all who look lovingly at Thee on the Cross, will also remember Thy immense Suffering on the Mount of Olives, that they will follow Thy example, learn to pray devoutly and fight victoriously, so that, one day, they may be able to Glorify Thee eternally in Heaven. Amen.

PROMISES TO DEVOTEES OF 

THE AGONY OF JESUS ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Again and again calls of My Love flow from My Heart. They fill the souls in which the fire of love lights up and sometimes even sets ablaze the heart. It is this, the voice of My Heart, which travels and also reaches those who do not want to hear Me, and who, therefore, do not notice Me. However, inside of them I speak to all, and My Voice will speak to all, because I love them all.

He, who knows the Commandment of Love is not surprised that I cannot help knocking at the door of those who resist Me, and forced me, so to speak, by their rejection, to repeat My loving invitation to them.

Why, what else can My calls be, full of flowing love, than the will of love of a loving God. Who wants to save His Creatures? However, I know very well, that not many wish to follow My generous invitation, and that even the few who do accept, must strive hard to receive Me.

Well then! I shall show even more, generosity (as if I had not been generous enough up to now), and I shall do this by giving all of you a precious Gem of My Love. I have decided to open a dam, in order to let flow the torrent of My Graces, which My Heart can no longer hold back.

Look what I have to offer you in return for a little love from you:

1. To all those who remember My Agony, with love and devotion, at least once a day; forgiveness of all sins and the certainty of salvation for their souls in the hour of their death.

2. Total and everlasting repentance to those who will have a Mass celebrated in honour of My AgonisingSuffering in the Garden of Gethsemane.

3. Success in spiritual matters to all those, who impress on others, love and devotion to My Agonies on the Mount of Olives.

4. Finally, and in order to prove to you that I want to break open a dam of My Heart so as to let flow a flood of My Graces, I promise those who spread this devotion to My agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the following three graces:

a Total and final victory over the worst temptation to which they are subjected;

b. Direct power to save poor souls from purgatory;

c. Great enlightenment and strength to fulfil My Will.

All of these, My precious gifts, I will definitely give to those who carry what I had said, and who, therefore, remember and venerate with love and sympathy. My great, incomprehensible Agony on the Mount of Olives.

_______________________________

On following years, a Guest has attended Nunraw Retreat in Lent, and loved to obtain and distribute copies of this Prayer Leaflet.

Pope's Easter Vigil Homily

Happy, 

Nunraw Abbey Liturgy

Paschal Time, Eastertide. 

ZENIT

Pope's Easter Vigil Homily

(March 31, 2013)  

Pope Francis' "Urbi et Orbi" Blessing

(March 31, 2013)  

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

30th March 2013

Easter Even: The Resurrection Faith – Evelyn Underhill

Contemplating life's  puzzle...

I am writing to you at the moment in the Christian year when, as it were, we pause and look back on the richest cluster of such spiritual facts ever revealed to man. Paschal Time, to give its old name to the interval between Easter and Ascension, marks the end of the historical manifestation of the Word Incarnate, and the beginning of His hidden life within the Church. But the quality of that hidden life, in which as members of the Body of Christ we are all required to take part, is the quality which the historic life revealed. From the very beginning the Church has been sure that the series of events which were worked out to their inevitable end in Holy Week sum up and express the deepest secrets of the relation of God to man.

That means, of course, that Christianity can never be merely a pleasant or consoling religion. It is a stern business. It is concerned with the salvation through sacrifice and love of a world in which, as we can all see now, evil and cruelty are rampant. Its supreme symbol is the Crucifix—the total and loving self-giving of man to the redeeming purposes of God.

Because we are all the children of God we all have our part to play in His redemptive plan; and the Church consists of those loving souls who have accepted this obligation, with all that it costs. Its members are all required to live, each in their own way, through the sufferings and self-abandonment of the Cross; as the only real contribution which they can make to the redemption of the world.Christians, like their Master, must be ready to accept the worst that evil and cruelty can do to them, and vanquish it by the power of love.

For if sacrifice, total self-giving to God’s mysterious purpose, is what is asked of us, His answer to that sacrifice is the gift of power. Easter and Whitsuntide complete the Christian Mystery by showing us first our Lord Himself and then His chosen apostles possessed of a new power—the power of the Spirit—which changed every situation in which they were placed. That supernatural power is still the inheritance of every Christian and our idea of Christianity is distorted and incomplete unless we rely on it. It is this power and only this which can bring in the new Christian society of which we hear so much. We ought to pray for it; expect it and trust it; and as we do this, we shall gradually become more and more sure of it.

Evelyn Underhill

Letter to the Prayer Group, Eastertide 1941, from The Fruits of the Spirit 
 The illustration, Completing life’s puzzle by: Doug Burke is via Seed Resources.    

 I hope you have enjoyed these extracts from the writings of Evelyn Underhill, who died in 1941. If they have whetted your appetite for more, may I suggest you do not begin, as I did, by plunging into ‘Mysticism‘, which is hard going in parts if you are not yet a mystic yourself. I suggest that this anthology of her writings, Lent With Evelyn Underhill, which was first published in 1964, and edited by G P Mellick Belshaw, would be a better introduction to her work, as would one of the other anthologies.   http://www.layanglicana.org/blog/2013/03/30/easter-even-the-resurrection-faith-evelyn-underhill  

Holy Thursday 'On the washing of the feet Holy Week Year 1

Night Office

After missing the 2nd Reading, I heard a comment with the monks later and prompted to my curiosity.

The heading, "The Angels stood at.." the washing of the feet prompted to further search,and provides the fuller version in a Web Site (below).

The Links are rewarding.

Select Sunday>The Center for Liturgy Sunday Web Site Home>theWord>Thoughts from the Early Church

http://liturgy.slu.edu/Triduum_Easter2011/theword_journeyt.html  

Second Reading:  

From a homily by Severian of Gabala (Homily On the washing of the feet 15-21)

The angels stood at his side in awe, but the disciples were seated with him,
full of confidence

Thoughts from the Early Church Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper April 21, 2011 Reading I: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14  Responsorial Psalm: 116:12-13, 15, 16bc, 17-18Reading II: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Gospel: John 13:1-15 Commentary: Severian of Gabala

To the end Jesus showed his love for them. The whole visible world proclaims the goodness of God, but nothing proclaims it so clearly as his coming among us, by which he whose state was divine assumed the condition of a slave. This was not a lowering of his dignity, but rather a manifesting of his love for us. The awesome mystery which takes place today brings us to the consequence of his action. For what is it that takes place today? The Savior washes the feet of his disciples. Although he took upon himself everything pertaining to our condition as slaves, he took a slave’s position in a way specially suited to our own arrangements when he rose from the table. He who feeds everything beneath the heavens was reclining among the apostles, the master among slaves, the fountain of wisdom among the ignorant, the Word among those untrained in the use of words, the source of wisdom among the unlettered. He who nourishes all was reclining and eating with his disciples. He who sustains the whole world was himself receiving sustenance. Moreover, he was not satisfied with the great favor he showed his servants by sharing a meal with them. Peter, Matthew, and Philip, men of the earth, reclined with him, while Michael, Gabriel, and the whole army of angels stood by. Oh, the wonder of it! The angels stood by in awe, while the disciples reclined with him with the utmost familiarity! And even this marvel did not content him. He rose from the table, as Scripture says. He who is clothed in light as in a robe was clad in a cloak; he who wraps the heavens in clouds wrapped round himself a towel; he who pours the water into the rivers and pools tipped some water into a basin. And he before whom every knee bends in heaven and on earth and under the earth, knelt to wash the feet of his disciples. The Lord of all creation washed his disciples’ feet! This was not an affront to his dignity, but a demonstration of his boundless love for us. Yet however great his love was, Peter was well aware of his majesty. Always impetuous and quick to profess his faith, he was quick also to recognize the truth. The other disciples had let the Lord wash their feet, not with indifference, but with fear and trembling. They dared not oppose the Master. Out of reverence, however, Peter would not permit it. He said: Lord, are you going to wash my feet? You shall never wash my feet! Peter was adamant. He had the right feelings, but not understanding the full meaning of the incarnation, he first refused in a spirit of faith, and afterward gratefully obeyed. This is how religious people ought to behave. They should not be obdurate in their decisions, but should surrender to the will of God. For although Peter reasoned in human fashion, he changed his mind out of love for God. (Homily on the Washing of the Feet in A. Wenger, Revue des Etudes Byzantines, 227-229) Severian (c.400), bishop of Gabala in Syria, was a strong opponent of Saint John Chrysostom and took part in the intrigues that led to his condemnation by the Synod of Oak. According to Palladius he was also responsible for the transfer of the exiled Patriarch from Cucusus to Pityus. which resulted in his death. Severian is important as an exegete of the strict Antiochene school. He had some popularity as a preacher. (top of page)

---

Journey with the Fathers
Commentaries on the Sunday Gospels - Year A, pp. 50-51.
Edith Barnecut, O.S.B., ed.
To purchase or learn more about
this published work and its companion volumes,
go to http://www.newcitypress.com/

Back

Art by Martin Erspamer, O.S.B. (formerly Steve Erspamer, S.M.) from Religious Clip Art for the Liturgical Year (A, B, and C). Used by permission of Liturgy Training Publications. This art may be reproduced only by parishes who purchase the collection in book or CD-ROM form. For more information go to:http://www.ltp.org/

Ecce Homo - Jo,s Sojourn in Holy Land

Arch - Ecce Homo, Via Dolorosa, (the dark dome)
Church of the Condemnation & Imposition of the Cross - white domes (right)

Arch - Ecce Homo, Via DolorosaFrom: Donald ...

Subject: Fw: Holy Land 1st 2nd 3rd Chronicle
To: "Jo... "
Date: Thursday, 28 March, 2013, 20:06

Holy Thursday. Chapel of Repose. ...

Dear Jo,     

Thank you , keeping us to follow up with your Sabbatical Holy Land travels.

I am thrilled to trace your pathway remebering the loved for holy places.

You are not distracted by the usual IT technology, 

Chapel of Repose, Nunraw Abbey

In fact it is possible now to download pictures from everywhere.

Let me check, if easily 

Your .....

Donald.

http://www.domdonald.org.uk 

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jo ...
Sent: Monday, 11 March 2013, 13:20
Subject: Holy Land

Dear N... and all,                   Peace from Jerusalem! Having had a wonderful first week here in Jerusalem, I am repacking my cases to move to Ecce Homo tomorrow afternoon. My good angel, Sr. Emmanuella,and I have managed to see a lot of the holy sites in the Old City and I begin to know my way around.

On Sunday, I went alone to the 8.30am Laudes and Solemn High Mass at the Holy Sepulchre which was a lovely experience but hard to describe in a few words! The Coptics and others were worshipping nearby so it was "pandemonium" but,after a while,the voices seemed to blend and it became more like singing in tongues.Praise the Lord! Entry of  Holy Sepulchre    The 4 Srs.from Bethlehem made a quick visit here yesterday and invited me to stay with them sometime. Sr. Maria G. sends her love to the Srs.she knows. Christina got through to me on Skype this morning and I heard her speak a few sentences.However, we could not see each other and my speech was jumbled and we were soon cut off - the usual story!! I hope that all keep well and have a truly blessed Easter. I will try to keep in touch from Ecce Homo. Much love to each and all, Jo.  ...

                                                            

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jo ...
Sent: Sunday, 17 March 2013, 16:21
Subject: Ecce Homo-15th,16th

Dear N... and all, Today the site is a museum that teaches about the history of Jerusalem's Old City.These are some of the largest fortifications in Jerusalem and the tower itself is higher than the Temple Mount.    What have we been up to these last few days?

Friday 15th:  8.30 am saw us off to David's Citadel and up, many many steps, we went to the top ramparts from which we had a spectacular view of the whole of the Old City. The young guide pointed out all the important holy places and explained the history and geography of Jerusalem as we made our way down the different floors and studied the various exhibits. Very interesting! In the afternoon, it was back to the classroom for the next two lectures on the Book of Exodus. It was good to sit down and rest the weary legs and enjoy Fr. Walter who has a good sense of humour! Jewish families invite us to join them for their "Shabbat Meal" on Friday evenings.This is an arrangement by an organization promoting Jewish and christian friendship. Heinz, an Australian religious teacher, and I set off by taxi for our host family- an elderly couple and son whose warm welcome made us immediately feel at home.I had felt a bit apprehensive but there was no need! After chatting for a while the husband explained what they usually do and then proceeded to read from Proverbs on" the virtuous woman" in appreciation of his wife. Before the meal, they sang a long prayer, a bit longer than our usual Grace!! We drank some wine and then had a delicious meal served by the woman and helped by her husband. It was all very natural and relaxed with plenty of conversation about our lives,Judaism, etc. They sang a long prayer at the end followed by Psalm 126 and Heinz and I read the same psalm in English from his i pod. Mobile phones can be very useful!!! It really was a delightful experience! May God bless them. Sat. 16th ; This was a sit-down day as we had two lectures (1 hour each) in the morning and the afternoon. However, at 6 pm, we walked over to the Western (Wailing) Wall for the end of the Jewish Sabbath. It is always uplifting to see so many people praying with such earnestness. It is another story at 4.15am when the Muslims blare out their call to prayer!! The others tell me about it but I have yet to hear it !!! God bless and much love to all, Jo.        Ecce Homo Scripture Course, year of 2003/4 Donald (Scot), Emma (Philippines), Auxilia (India), members in class. ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Jo ... Sent: Wednesday, 27 March 2013, 18:37 Subject: Ecce Homo cont. Dear N... and all, It's Wed. of holy week and already we are practising singing,etc. for the ceremonies. March 19th....We started the day with two interesting lectures on PASSOVER JUDAISM                     by a Jewish lady and at 11.30 we departed for BETHLEHEM.

Our first stop was THE SHEPHERD'S FIELD. In this Franciscan enclosure is a large cave and above it is a small chapel in the shape of a star. At one side is an alcove where animals would be kept in winter and in such would Jesus have been born.

Our second stop was The CHURCH of the NATIVITY, after a picnic lunch in Manger Sq. We entered the very low door and found a large queue waiting to visit the Grotto which is revered as the birth place of Jesus marked by a large star which pilgrims kiss.We finally got down the stairs only to find a guide rushing the pilgrims through so they had no time to pray!! When we got to the bottom step, he suddenly stopped us and a few minutes later an orthodox priest came through to incense the grotto! Then the guide started rushing us through again! I am very glad that I am going back again but it was disappointing for the others.

After a time for shopping, our bus took us to Chapel of the Divine Child BETHLEHEM UNIVERSITY (run by the De la Salle Brs) where we had a grand tour, watched a video about the university,admired their beautiful Chapel and then had a discussion with several of the Palestian students. They were lovely young people and they shared with us their difficulties and hopes. We were surprised to hear that 76% of the students are girls. Wed. 20th.....In the morning, we had three further lectures on "EXODUS" and in the afternoon on "JEWISH CHRISTIAN RELATIONS TODAY"  from THE DOCUMENTS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH by one of the Sion Srs. In the evening, there was another excursion through another famous tunnel but I decided to give it a miss and rest.  Obama arrived so roads were blocked off and traffic disrupted for a few days. That is all for now. Have a WONDERFUL EASTER! Much love and union in prayer, Jo.

Maundy Thursday 28 March 2013 Evening of the Lord's Supper

Priestly Life in Christ (Magnificat com Meditation of the Day)

I am now facing the last chapter of my life and I do not know what awaits me. I know, however, that the light of God exists, that he is Risen, that his light is stronger than any darkness, that the goodness of God is stronger than any evil in this world. And this helps me to go forward with certainty. May this help us to go forward, and at this moment I wholeheartedly thank all those who have continually helped me to perceive the “yes” of God through their faith.

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT  XVI

The Altar of the Chair in the Vatican Basilica
Friday, 4 November 2011

[Video]Photo Gallery

 Priestly Life in Christ

There are certain conditions to ensure growing harmony in priestly life with Christ. I would like to emphasize three of these, which emerge from the Reading that we have just heard: aspiration to work with Jesus in spreading in the Kingdom of God, pastoral duty freely given and the attitude of service.  

First, in the call to the priestly ministry we meet Jesus and are drawn to him, struck by his words, his actions, and his person. It is to have the grace to distinguish his voice from so many other voices and to respond like Peter: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:68-69). It is like being touched by the radiance of Goodness and Love that shines from him, feeling enfolded and involved to the point of wishing to stay with him like the two disciples of Emmaus — “Stay with us, for it is toward evening” (Lk 24:29) and to proclaim the Gospel to the world. God the Father sent the Eternal Son into the world to bring about his plan of salvation. Jesus Christ established the Church so that it might extend in time the benefits of Redemption. The vocation of priests is rooted in the Father’s action realized in Christ, through the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Gospel minister is the one who lets himself be seized by Christ, who knows how to “stay” with him, who enters into harmony, into an intimate friendship with him, so that all is done “not by constraint but willingly” (1 Pet 5:2), according to his will of love, with great interior freedom and profound joy in the heart.

In the second place, we are called to be administrators of the Mysteries of God “not for shameful gain but eagerly”, St Peter says in the Reading of this evening’s Vespers (ibid.). One should never forget that one comes into the priesthood through the Sacrament of Orders and this means exactly opening oneself to the God’s action by choosing daily to give oneself up for God and for one’s brethren, according to the Gospel saying: “You received without pay, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). The Lord’s call to the ministry is not the fruit of special merit but a gift to be received and responded to by dedicating oneself not to one’s own plan but to God’s, in a generous and disinterested way, for he sends us out according to his will, even if this might not correspond to our idea of self-fulfilment. To love with him who loved us first and gave all of himself and to be open to allow oneself to become part of that act of full and total love for the Father and for every human being, fulfilled on Calvary. We must never forget — as priests — that the only legitimate ascent to the ministry of the pastor is not that of success, but of the Cross.

In this logic, being a priest means being a servant also through an exemplary life. Be “examples to the flock” is the Apostle Peter’s invitation (1 Pet 5:3). Priests are stewards of the means of salvation, of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, not to dispense them according to their own will, but as humble servants for the good of the People of God. It is a life profoundly marked by this service: by care for the flock, by faithful celebration of the liturgy, and by ready concern for all brothers and sisters, especially for the poorest and most needy. In practising this “pastoral charity” modelled on Christ and with Christ, wherever the Lord may call you, every priest can completely fulfil himself and his vocation.

  + + + 

  

COMMENT: Mocking of Christ by Annibale Carracci

ART
http://payingattentiontothesky.com/2011/05/17/reading-selections-from-the-humiliated-hero-by-elizabeth-lev/ 

« Fra Angelico | The Mocking of Christ 1437-1446

A Reading Selection from The Geometry of Love by Margaret Visser »

Reading Selections from The Humiliated Hero by Elizabeth Lev

May 17, 2011

Annibale Carracci's 1603 oil painting of the Mocking of Christ

Elizabeth Lev is an American-born art historian who lives and works in Rome. She teaches Art History at Duquesne University’s Italian campus and also is on the faculty at the University of St. Thomas’ Catholic Studies program in Rome. Her first biography, The Tigress of Forli: The Remarkable Story of Caterina Riario Sforza, is coming out this year from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Press.

Humility But Not HumiliationWe all like our heroes to be humble, but humiliated is another matter. Superman can lose his powers, Batman can take a beating, but even the most die-hard fans balk at seeing their idols ridiculed rather than respected. The same holds true with the Passion of Christ. The history of art has meticulously explored every moment of Christ’s Passion, with particular emphasis on the Last Supper, the Betrayal by Judas and the Crucifixion. Yet other passages describing Christ’s suffering, for example the Mocking of the Christ, have been eschewed by most artists and patrons although the episode is mentioned in all four of the Gospels.

. . .

. . .

Sixteenth Century Catholic RomeBut while sixteenth century Catholic Rome understood the value of one’s good name, artists such as Annibale Carracci, Orazio Gentilleschi and Domenico Zampieri invited the faithful to transcend their desire for worldly recognition in search of Heavenly favor. Their meditations on the Mockery of Christ yielded profoundly searching images designed both to disturb and inspire their viewers. Annibale Carracci’s 1603 oil painting of the Mocking of Christ stands out for its intensity and intimacy as only three faces are represented, unlike the throngs that usually encircle Christ. His tormentors remain in shadow as one affixes the crown of thorns to Christ’s head while wagging a finger under His nose. The other man stands behind Christ, his helmet glinting in the darkness as he summons the other soldiers to watch.

Christ’s head is at the heart of the canvas, not tall and majestic, but bent low towards the soldier. Jesus responds to the accusatory finger by lifting His bound hands towards the man in a gesture of friendship and brotherhood. Christ’s face, blood spattered and exhausted, nonetheless glows with a warm radiance. He responds to the taunts with an expression of such love that the viewer is taken aback on witnessing this astonishing example of charity.

If the figures could speak, one imagines that the soldier leaning towards Christ would be spitting and laughing as he hailed the “King of the Jews,” while at the same time Jesus, weakly clasping his persecutor’s shoulder, would whisper “I am doing this for you because I love you.” Annibale’s version of the Mocking of Christ is more than a realistic narrative; it is a call to greatness of spirit.

The Modern AgeThe images of the mockery again receded in the modern age, as man’s dominion over the earth progressed by leaps and bounds. Even in Mel Gibson’s meticulously rendered “Passion of the Christ,” where the viewer is not spared a single second of Christ’s physical torture, relatively little time is dedicated to deriding Christ. The tone of the movie emphasizes the heroic-that Jesus could stop the events at any time but doesn’t, and the determination of Christ as He carries the cross to Cavalry. It is always clear that it is Jesus’ free choice to be at the mercy of the crowds. The pathetic, ridiculed Jesus, dejected and forlorn, is difficult to hold in our heroic imagination.

But perhaps it is in this modern age, the era of man who splits atoms, clones living beings and walks on the moon, that the example of the all-powerful Christ, who embraced the humiliation of jeers, taunts and slaps is the most needed to overcome our pride and our fear of rebuke, calumny and scorn. In times of testing, we may hope that recollection of the humiliated Christ will enable us to say with Paul, “Therefore I am content with weakness, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10.