LESSON
(Jeremiah 11:18-20) In those days, Jeremiah said: Thou, O Lord, hast
shewed me, and I have known: then thou shewedst me their doings. And
I was as a meek lamb, that is carried to be a victim: and I knew not
that they had devised counsels against me, saying: Let us put wood on
his bread, and cut him off from the land of the living, and let his
name be remembered no more. But thou, O Lord of Sabaoth, who judgest
justly, and triest the reins and the hearts, let me see thy revenge
on them: for to thee have I revealed my cause.
EXPLANATION
Jeremiah was unjustly persecuted, but showed only meekness to his
persecutors: so Christ silently permitted Himself like a meek lamb to
be nailed by His enemies to the hard wood of the cross. Learn from
this, Christian soul, to follow the example of the meek Lamb of God,
and silently bear all evils. In reference to the prophet's prayer for
vengeance on his enemies, St. Augustine remarks: "It is well
wishing, not vengeance, when the just rejoices that punishment comes
to the impious, for he has no pleasure in the sinner's destruction,
whose conversion he wishes, but he desires justice by which many are
converted."
At
that time, The feast of the Pasch and of the Azymes was after two
days; and the chief priest and the scribes sought how they might, by
some wile lay hold on him, and kill him. But they said: Not on a
festival day, lest there should be a tumult among the people. And
when he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, and was at
meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of
precious spikenard; and breaking the alabaster box, she poured it out
upon his head. Now there were some that had indignation within
themselves, and said: Why was this waste of the ointment made? For
this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred pence,
and given to the poor. And they murmured against her. But Jesus said:
Let her alone, why do you molest her? She hath wrought a good work
upon me. For the poor you have always with you, and whensoever you
will, you may do them good; but me you have not always. What she had,
she hath done; she is come beforehand to anoint my body for the
burial. Amen, I, say to you: wheresoever this gospel shall be
preached in the whole world, that also which she hath done shall be
told for a memorial of her. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve,
went to the chief priests, to betray him to them. Who hearing it were
glad; and they promised to give him money. And he sought how he might
conveniently betray him. Now on the first day of the unleavened
bread, when they sacrificed the Pasch, the disciples say to him:
Whither wilt thou that we go and prepare for thee to eat the Pasch.
And he sendeth two of his disciples, and saith to them: Go ye into
the city, and there shall meet you a man carrying a pitcher of water;
follow him, and whithersoever he shall go in, say to the master of
the house: The Master saith: Where is my refectory, that I may eat
the Pasch with my disciples? And he will show you a large dining-room
furnished; and there prepare ye for us. And his disciples went their
way, and came into the city; and they found as he had told them, and
they prepared the Pasch. And when evening was come, he cometh with
the twelve. And when they were at table and eating, Jesus saith:
Amen, I say to you, one of you that eateth with me shall betray me.
But they began to be sorrowful, and to say to him one by one: Is it
I? Who saith to them: One of the twelve, who dippeth his hand in the
dish with me. And the Son of Man indeed goeth, as it is written of
him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of God shall be betrayed. It
were better for him, if that man had not been born. And whilst they
were eating, Jesus took bread; and blessing, broke, and gave to them,
and said: Take ye, This is my body. And having taken the chalice,
giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it; and he
said to them: This is my blood of the New Testament, which shall be
shed for many. Amen, I say to you, that I will drink no more of this
fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it new in the
kingdom of God. And when they had sung a hymn, they went forth to the
mount of Olives. And Jesus saith to them: You will all be scandalized
in my regard this night; for it is written: I will strike the
shepherd, and the sheep shall be dispersed. But after I shall be
risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter saith to
him: Although all shall be scandalized in thee, yet not I. And Jesus
saith to him: Amen, I say to thee, to-day, even in this night, before
the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he spoke the more
vehemently: Although I should die together with thee, I will not deny
thee. And in like manner also said they all. And they came to a farm
called Gethsemani. And. he saith to his disciples: Sit you here,
while I pray. And he taketh Peter, and James, and John with him; and
he began to fear, and to be heavy. And he saith to them: My soul is
sorrowful even unto death: stay you here, and watch. And when he had
gone forward a little, he fell flat on the ground: and he prayed
that, if it might be, the hour might pass from him: and he saith:
Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee, remove this chalice
from me, but not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and
findeth them sleeping. And he saith to Peter: Simon, deepest thou?
Couldst thou not watch one hour? Watch ye, and pray, that ye enter
not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak. And going away again, he prayed, saying the same words. And
when he returned, he found them again asleep, (for their eyes were
heavy) and they knew not what to answer him. And he cometh the third
time, and saith to them: Sleep ye now, and take your rest. It is
enough, the hour is come; behold the Son of Man shall be betrayed
into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go. Behold he that will
betray me is at hand. And while he was yet speaking, cometh Judas
Iscariot, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with
swords and staves, from the chief priests, and the scribes, and the
ancients. But he that betrayed him had given them a sign, saying:
Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he, lay hold on him, and lead him
away carefully. And when he was come, immediately going up to him, he
saith: Hail, Rabbi; and he kissed him. But they laid hands on him,
and held him. And one of them that stood by, drawing a sword, struck
a servant of the chief priest, and cut off his ear. And Jesus
answering, said to them: Are you come out as to a robber with swords
and staves to apprehend me? I was daily with you in the temple
teaching, and you did not lay hands on me. But that the Scriptures
may be fulfilled. Then his disciples leaving him, all fled away. And
a certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth cast about his
naked body; and they laid hold on him. But he, casting off the linen
cloth, fled from them naked. And they brought Jesus to the
highpriest; and all the priests and the scribes and the ancients were
assembled together. And Peter followed him affar off even into the
court of the high priest; and he sat with the servents at the fire,
and warmed himself. And the chief priests and all the council sought
for evidence against Jesus that they might put him to death, and they
found none. For many bore false witness against him, and their
evidence were not agreeing. And some rising up, bore false witness
against him, saying: We heard him say: I will destroy this temple
made with hands, and within three days I will build another not made
with hands. And their witness did not agree. And, the high-priest
rising up in the midst, asked Jesus, saying: Answerest thou nothing
to the things that are laid to thy charge by these men? But, he held
his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high-priest asked him, and
said to him: Art thou the Christ the Son of the blessed God? And
Jesus said to him: I am. And you shall see the Son of Man sitting on
the right hand of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of
heaven. Then the high-priest rending his garments, saith: What need
we any further witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What think
you? Who all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to
spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say to
him: Prophesy; and the servants struck him with the palms of their
hands. Now when Peter was in the court below, there cometh to him one
of the maid-servants of the high-priest; and when she had seen Peter
warming himself, looking on him, she saith: Thou also wast with Jesus
of Nazareth. But he denied, saying: I neither know nor understand
what thou sayest. And he went forth before the court, and the cock
crew. And again a maid-servant seeing him, began to say to the
standers-by: This is one of them. But he denied again. And after a
while, they that stood by said again to Peter: Surely thou art one of
them, for thou also art a Galilean. But he began to curse and swear,
saying: I know not this man of whom you speak. And immediately the
cock crew again. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to
him: Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he
began to weep. (Chap. XV.) And straightway in the morning the chief
priests holding a consultation with the ancients and the scribes, and
the whole council, binding Jesus, led him away, and delivered him to
Pilate. And Pilate asked him: Art thou the king of the Jews? But he
answering, saith to him: Thou sayest it. And the chief priests
accused him in many things. And Pilate again asked him, saying,
Answerest thou nothing? Behold in how many, things they accuse thee.
But Jesus still answered nothing; so that Pilate wondered. Now on
the festival day he was wont to release unto them one of the
prisoners, whomsoever they demanded. And there was one called
Barabbas, who was put in prison with some seditious men, who in the
sedition had committed murder. And when the multitude was come up,
they began to desire that he would do as he had ever done unto them.
And Pilate answered them, and said: Will you that I release to you
the king of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had
delivered him up out of envy. But the chief priests moved the people
that he should rather release Barabbas to them. And Pilate again
answering, with to them: What will you then that I do with the king
of the Jews? But they again cried out: Crucify him. And Pilate saith
to them: Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more:
Crucify him. And so Pilate being willing to satisfy the people,
released to them Barabbas, and delivered up Jesus, when he had
scourged him, to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away into the
court of the palace, and they called together the whole band; and
they clothed him with purple, and platting a crown of thorns, they
put it upon him. And they began to salute him: Hail, king of the
Jews. And they struck his head with a reed: and they did spit on him,
and bowing their knees, they adored him. And after they had mocked
him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own garments on
him; and they led him out to crucify him. And they forced one Simon,
a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of
Alexander and of Rufus, to take up his cross. And they bring him into
the place called Golgotha, which being interpreted is, the place of
Calvary. And they, gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh; but he
took it not. And crucifying him, they divided his garments, casting
lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third
hour, and they crucified him. And the inscription of his cause was
written over: The King of the Jews. And with him they crucify two
thieves, the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And
the Scripture was fulfilled which saith: And with the wicked he was
reputed. And they that passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads,
and saying: Vah, thou that destroyest the temple of God, 'and in
three days buildest it up again, save thyself, coming down from the
cross. In like manner also the chief priests mocking said with the
Scribes one to another: He saved others, himself he cannot save. Let
Christ the King of Israel come down now from the cross, that we may
see and believe. And they that were crucified with him, reviled him.
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole
earth until the ninth hour; and at the ninth hour Jesus cried out
with a loud voice, saying: Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabathani? Which is,
being interpreted: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And
some of the standers-by hearing, said: Behold, he calleth Elias. And
one running and filling a sponge with vinegar, and putting it upon a
reed, gave him to drink, saying: Stay, let us see if Elias will come
to take him down. And Jesus having cried out with a loud voice, gave
up the ghost. (Here all kneel and pause.) And the veil of the temple
was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the centurion who
stood over against him, seeing that crying out in this manner he had
given up the ghost, said: Indeed this man was the Son of God. And
there were also women looking on afar off, among whom was Mary
Magdalen, and Mary the Mother of James the Less and of Joseph, and
Salome; who also when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered
to him, and many other women that came up with him to Jerusalem. And
when evening, was now come, (because it was the Parasceve, that is,
the day before the Sabbath,) Joseph of Arimathea, a noble counsellor,
who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, came and went in
boldly to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. But Pilate wondered
that he should be already dead; and sending for the centurion, he
asked him if he were already dead. And when he had understood it by
the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And Joseph buying fine
linen, and taking him down, wrapped him up in the fine linen, and
laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and he rolled a
stone to the door of the sepulchre.
–
Goffine’s
Devout Instructions
