50 — JESUS PERSECUTED

Passion Sunday

Presence of God. — O Jesus, introduce me into the mystery of your Passion, associate me with it, that I may then participate in your Resurrection.

Meditation

1 — Today begins “Passion time”, a time especially consecrated to the memory and loving contemplation of the sorrows of Jesus. The veiled crosses and pictures, the suspension of the Gloria in Mass and in the responsories of the Divine Office, the absence of the Psalm “Judica me” at the beginning of Mass, are all signs of mourning with which the Church commemorates the Passion of the Lord. In the lessons of the Divine Office, St. Leo Pope exhorts us to participate “in the Cross of Christ, that we too may do something that unites us to what He has done for us, as the Apostle says: ‘if we suffer with him, we shall be glorified with him’”. It is not therefore only a question of meditating on the sorrows of Jesus, but of taking part in them, of carrying his Passion in our heart and in our body (cf. II Cor. 4, 10), because only thus shall we be able to participate in its fruits. Behold why, in the office of the time, the Church repeats with greater insistence the invitation: “when you shall hear the voice of the Lord, close not your hearts”. In these days the voice of the Lord makes itself heard not by means of words, but through the eloquent testimony of facts, through the great fact of the Passion, which is the most convincing mystery of his infinite love for us. Let us open then our heart to the sublime lessons of the Passion: let us learn how much he has loved us and how much we ought to love him again; let us learn that also to us, if we wish to follow him, it is necessary to suffer, it is necessary to carry the cross with him and behind him. And at the same time let us open our heart to the most lively hope because in the Passion of Jesus is our salvation. St. Paul in today’s Epistle (Heb. 9, 11-15) presents to us the majestic figure of Christ, High Priest who, “through his own blood, has entered once for all into the sanctuary [that is into heaven] obtaining for us an eternal redemption”. The Passion of Jesus has redeemed us, has reopened to us the house of the Father; the Passion of Jesus is the reason of our hope.

2 — In today’s Gospel (Jn. 8, 46-59) we have a passage of the bitter hostilities of the Jews, a clear prelude to the Passion of Jesus. Those hardened hearts in no way wish to admit the mission of the Savior and they strive in a thousand manners to counteract his teachings, to denigrate him before the people, presenting him as a liar, one possessed; finally, their livor reaches the point that they decide to stone him: “then they took up stones to cast at him”. The death of Jesus is already decreed by the Jews, but, the hour fixed by the Father not having come, “Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple”.

This gospel passage permits us to consider the conduct of Jesus before his persecutors: meekness, zeal for their souls, disinterest of self and total abandonment in God. St. Gregory the Great writes: “Consider, dearest brethren, the meekness of the Lord. He, who had come to remit sins, said: ‘Which of you shall convince me of sin?’ He, who in virtue of his divinity could justify sinners, does not disdain to show by reasoning that he is not a sinner” (BR.).

Follow the calumnies: “you are a Samaritan and have a devil”. The divine Master responds, but always meek and only so much as is necessary to testify to the truth: “I have not a devil, but I honor my Father and you have reviled me”. And meanwhile, through the debate, he ceases not to instruct and to enlighten minds to seek to snatch them from error; always unmindful of self, he thinks only of the good of souls. Thus, precisely in this painful circumstance, Jesus gives us precious teachings: “He who is of God, hears the words of God. If any man shall keep my word, he shall not see death for ever”. From the mouth of the persecuted Master let us gather these warnings and preserve them in our heart with jealous care. Even today the world is full of his enemies, of those who combat his doctrine, of those who despise his Passion. At least let us believe in him and let us be his faithful friends.

Colloquy

“Be praise to you, most merciful God who, we being miserable, exiled, prisoners and condemned, have willed to redeem and raise us through the Passion, the sorrow, the disdain and the poverty of your Son. I run then to your Cross, O Christ, to sorrow, to disdain and to poverty and with all my forces I desire to transform myself into you, O passioned God-Man, who have so loved me as to wish to suffer a shameful and horrible death, and this solely to save me and to give me example to suffer, for love of you, adversities. It is perfection and true sign of love to conform myself to you, Crucified, who for my faults have willed to die pitilessly, giving yourself entirely a prey to torments. O my passioned God, only by reading in the book of your life and death shall it be given me to know you and to penetrate your mystery. Grant me then a profound spirit of prayer, a prayer devout, humble, attentive, made not only with the mouth, but with the heart and with the mind to be able to understand the lessons of your Passion!

“In this book I see your infinite goodness and pity for which you have preferred to take upon yourself our condemnation, our disdain and sorrow, rather than to leave us in so miserable a state. I see your infinite goodness, diligence and care that you have had in saving us and leading us back to the heavenly fatherland. I see the infinite wisdom with which, in an ineffable manner, you have redeemed, saved and exalted us through mercy, without doing any injustice to justice. And thus you have known how to make it so that, while you died painfully, you gave life to all things and destroyed common death.

“Moreover, in the book of the Cross I see your infinite meekness for which, being You cursed, you cursed not, nor did you revenge yourself, but rather forgave and acquired heaven for your very crucifiers” (cf. Bl. Angela da Foligno).