TENTH MEDITATION
Meditation on the Passion of Christ
Transcripts
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
St. Ignatius of Loyola: pray for us.
Introduction
Preparatory Prayer①: “The preparatory prayer is to ask grace of God our Lord that all my intentions, actions and operations may be directed purely to the service and praise of His Divine Majesty”.
Composition of Place: We can imagine the way from garden of Gethsemane at the foot Mount of Olives, to the house of Annas and of Caiaphas; the soldiers of the temple bring Jesus tied as a criminal.
Petition: In the Passion it is proper to ask for sorrow with Christ in sorrow, anguish with Christ in anguish, tears and deep grief because of the great affliction Christ endures for me.
Corpus of the Meditation
A. THE ECCLESIASTICAL TRIBUNAL
I. Jesus is Taken to Annas’ House
Matthew 26, 57; Luke 22, 54; John 18, 13-14; 18, 19 - 24.
Palace of Annas and Caiaphas. 00:00 - 03:00
Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
Annas: greedy, rich and diplomatic. The Sanhedrin was composed of 71 members, plus the high priest: 72. The members of the Sanhedrin were distinguished according to their category:
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The “high priests” or “princes of priests”: probably the representatives of the 24 priestly families; the majority were Sadducees;
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The “scribes”: doctors of the law; most of them were Pharisees and lay people, there were some Sadducees; it was a very popular faction; the “elders”: those who have a good position and name in society.
Caiaphas, the one who –without being aware-, prophesied about the death of Jesus. He condemned Jesus before the judgement, for that reason Jesus didn’t say a word to him; besides:
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According to the Talmud one’s testimony against oneself has no value;
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and also they didn’t care about the truth of the case, but only to condemn him.
II. Before Caiaphas’ Tribunal
Matthew 26, 57; 26, 59 - 66; Mark 14, 53 - 64.
Palace of Annas and Caiaphas.
00:00 - 03:00. Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
Their testimonies were contradictory, that is, they didn’t fulfil the requirements of the Law about the validity of testimonies. Two witnesses showed up saying that they personally heard Jesus saying He was going to destroy the Temple made by human hands, and in three days build another, not made by human hands. Their testimonies lack validity because they had no proof. But Jesus kept silent. He taught us that silence makes patience perfect and beautiful.
“I put you on oath by the living God to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God”. An oath by the living God obliged the person to answer (cf. Leviticus 5, 1). There was a popular conviction that the high priest would point out who the Messiah of Israel was.
Caiaphas asked two questions:
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If He was the Messiah;
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If He is the Son of God;
He asked these questions not because he planned to admit this fact, but because he prepares the legal cause for condemning Jesus.
'I am,' said Jesus; it means: I am the Messiah and the Son of God. By the confession of this truth the Catholic Church was founded on Peter, and by considering this truth to be a blasphemy, the Synagogue of Caiaphas finished.
III. The humility of a Glorious God
Matthew 26, 67 - 68; Mark 14, 65; Luke 22, 63 - 65.
Palace of Caiaphas.
00:00 - 03:00. Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
The soldiers wanted to mock him, to humiliate him:
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They mocked him;
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Beat him (ἐκολάφισαν [ekolaphisan] = with closed hand);
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Hit him (ἐράπισαν [eraphisan] =it may be with open hand or with a stick);
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Spit on his face (according to the Law, that was extremely humiliating; Numbers 12, 14; Deuteronomy 25, 9);
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They blindfolded him and questioned him, saying, 'Prophesy! Who hit you then?';
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and also saying: 'Prophesy to us, Christ (Messiah)! Who hit you then?';
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They would plucked his beard and hair (Isaiah 50, 6: “I have offered my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; I have not turned my face away from insult and spitting”).
IV. Peter’s Triple Denial of Jesus
In these three denials there are three faults:
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Peter contradicted Jesus: “Peter said to him, 'Even if all fall away from you, I will never fall away.' Jesus answered him, 'In truth I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will have disowned me three times.' Peter said to him, 'Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (Matthew 26, 33-35);
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Peter considered himself more important than others: “Even if all fall away from you, I will never fall away”; Peter trusted too much in himself instead of praying more: he slept at the Gethsemane garden.
The four Evangelists wrote about the triple denial, they didn’t hide this shameful act of Peter, is it a warning for us that too high self-esteem is bad?
“At that instant, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the Lord's words when He had said to him, 'Before the cock crows today, you will have disowned me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly”. Not without a cause the Lord permitted such a weakness in the one who was to be appointed as the fundamental rock on which the Church was going to be built: we learn not to trust too much in ourselves, not to distrust God’s mercy in spite our weaknesses.
V. Second Meeting of the Sanhedrin
Matthew 27, 1 - 2; Mark 15, 1; Luke 22, 66 - 71; 23, 1.
Palace of Caiaphas
06:00 - 08:00. Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
According to the Mishna, in order to impose death penalty, there were certain requirements that needed to be observed:
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The process has to take place during daytime. The sentence has to be given also during daytime.
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The execution of the sentence must take place at the next day of the sentence.
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The process cannot take place during a feast or its vespers.
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The witness for the prosecution have the serious obligation of saying the truth.
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The witness for the defence – always there has to be one - give testimony before the witness for the prosecution gives testimony.
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No one can be absolved or condemned when he testifies about himself.
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Votes begin with the young to the old, so that the votes of the elders may not influence the votes of the young.
Regarding Jesus’ judicial process, there was a complete violation:
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His process begun at night;
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The sentence was given in the same day.
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It took place on Sabbath’s vesper and Passover Feast.
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The witnesses are all false.
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There are no witnesses for the defence.
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The sentence is given because of the testimony of Jesus.
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The (first and co-active) vote is given by Caiaphas.
B. THE CIVIL TRIBUNAL
I. Jesus before the Governor
Matthew 27, 11; John 18, 28-32.
Palace of Caiaphas.
06:00 - 08:00. Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
The Lord now is before the civil jurisdiction. “It is not allowed to us to sentence anybody to death”. The Sanhedrin could only judge and sentence to death, but not execute the sentence. They didn’t enjoy the ius gladii ("the right of the sword", referring to the legal authority of an individual or group to execute someone for a capital offence), because the Romans had taken this right away from the Jews, or because they were about to celebrate Passover and so they could not execute the sentence, or because they couldn’t sentence somebody to the Cross: it was not in their Law to use this kind of sentence.
They didn’t enter the governor’s place… because they fear becoming impure. They are about to commit suicide and they are afraid of becoming impure! Hypocrisy!
II. The Accusation of the Sanhedrin
Luke 23, 2.
Praetorium ②.
06:00 - 08:00 approx. Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
The Sanhedrin had to present accusations that could fall under the civil Law. The three accusations they brought were:
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Jesus revolts③ the people. False: He had never spoken anything in secret.
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He advises not to pay taxes to the Caesar. False: He said give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.
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He says to be and wants to be (an earthly) king. False: “Jesus, as he realised they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, fled back to the hills alone” (John 6, 15).
III. Secret Interrogatory
Matthew 27, 11; Mark 15, 2; Luke 23, 3; John 18, 33 - 38.
Praetorium. 06.00-08.00 approx.
Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
Pilate interrogates Jesus. “My kingdom is not of this world”. He didn’t say “my kingdom is not in this world”, since it is in the world (and it is the Catholic Church), but instead He said “my Kingdom is not of this world”, that is, it is not of earthly origin, it is not limited by time, since its origin is in Heaven, from where He came down, to give it form thru preaching and faith, to rescue it from the power of the enemies thru death on a Cross, to sanctify it with the Sacraments, to make it beautiful thru grace, to make it live thru the Spirit, because this Kingdom is not about material things, but about despising them to walk towards eternal life. He, who gives the eternal Kingdom, does not take away the earthly kingdoms.
IV. New Accusation of the Sanhedrin
Matthew 27, 12 - 14. Mark 15, 3 - 5. Luke 23, 4 - 7. John 18, 38.
Praetorium.
06:00 - 08:00 approx. Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
Seeing that Pilate found no guilt in Jesus, they came with the accusation of: “inflaming the people with his teaching all over Judea and all the way from Galilee, where he started, down to here” (Luke 23, 5). Jesus kept silent: “to the governor's amazement, he offered not a word in answer to any of the charges” (Matthew 27, 14).
Pilate is a bad judge, a coward man. He knows the truth: “Pilate then said to the chief priests and the crowd, 'I find no case against this man’” (Luke 23, 4), but he didn’t want to defend the truth. He is famous because he washed his hands, thinking that he could just ignore the crime he was committing.
V. Jesus before Herod
Luke 23, 8 - 12.
From Pilate to Herod.
08:00 - 09:00 approx. Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
Herod was very happy to see Jesus. He made a lot of questions. But Jesus said nothing to him. Not even a single word, because Herod was a vicious and dishonest man, he despised the truth and was curious and ambitious.
Jesus taught us to hold these “lords” in little esteem; they frequently speak about God and want others to speak to them about God, not in order to find spiritual benefits, but only out of the curiosity that wants to know all, and out the vanity of showing they know all, and out of their position or office by which they want to dominate everybody.
The Pharisees reminded Herod that Jesus was that child his father wanted to kill when the assassination of the innocents; this was the man who praised John the Baptist; John the Baptist, who was killed by his father, the same John the Baptist who called his father “fox④” (Luke 13, 32).
VI. “I shall have him flogged and then let him go”
Luke 23, 13 - 16.
From Pilate to Herod.
08.00-09.00 approx. Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
Neither Pilate nor Herod found Jesus guilty. Pilate couldn’t or didn’t want to free Jesus as innocent, so he tried to free Him as guilty, by having him scourged.
VII. Barabbas is Freed
Matthew 27, 15 - 18. Mark 15, 6 - 10. Luke 23, 17; 23, 19. John 18, 39 - 40.
From Pilate to Herod.
08.00 - 09.00 approx. Friday 7, April. 30 A.D.
Pilate thought the chief priests would choose Jesus, since Barabbas was a thief and an assassin. But their evil blinded their minds.
“At this they shouted: 'not this man, but Barabbas'” (John 18, 40). They don’t even say the name of Jesus, but instead out of hatred and contempt use a pronoun “this”. They not only compare Him with Barabbas, now they even consider Him less important than a thief and assassin. With this, the Lord taught us to give no importance to the judgement of men when with good conscience and right intention we desire and want to please God only.
Colloquy
We can finish with a colloquy with our Lord. With a dialogue I will speak with Him. And, I can renew my petition: sorrow with Christ in sorrow, anguish with Christ in anguish, tears and deep grief because of the great affliction Christ endures for me.
Also, I can reflect on myself and ask… What have I done for Jesus? What am I doing for Jesus? What will I do for Jesus?
Footnotes:
① SE 46.
②This name is derived from the Latin prætorium, in later Greek πραιτώριον. Originally prætorium signified the general's or prætor's tent in Roman camps; then it was applied to the military council sitting there in judgement, and later to the official residence of the provincial governor, a palace or castle. In the Gospel (, Matthew 27:27 [Vulgate Version]) it denotes the building Pilate occupied at the time of Christ's Passion.
③ To fight in a violent way against the rule of a leader or government.
④ Catena Aurea, On Luke 13, 32: “Beda: Because of his deceitfulness and tricks He calls Herod a fox, which is an animal full of craft, hiding itself in a ditch of traps, having a disgusting smell, never walking in straight paths”.