|


Etching by Giovanni Demenico Tiepolo -- 1749
|
|
V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world
Jesus had now reached almost to the top
of Calvary; but, before He had gained the very spot where He was to be
crucified, again He fell, and is again dragged up and goaded onwards by
the brutal soldiery.
We are told in Holy Scripture of three falls
of Satan, the Evil Spirit. The first was in the beginning; the second,
when the Gospel and the Kingdom of Heaven were preached to the world; the
third will be at the end of all things. The first is told us by St. John
the Evangelist. He says: "There was a great battle in heaven. Michael
and his Angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought, and his angels.
And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And that great dragon was cast out, the old serpent, who is called the
devil and Satan." The second fall, at the time of the Gospel, is spoken
of by our Lord when He says, "I saw Satan, like lightning, falling
from heaven." And the third by the same St. John: "There came
down fire from God out of heaven, ... and the devil ... was cast into the
pool of fire and brimstone."
These three falls--the past, the present,
and the future--the Evil Spirit had in mind when he moved Judas to betray
Our Lord. This was just his hour. Our Lord, when He was seized, said to
His enemies, "This is your hour and the power of darkness." Satan
knew his time was short, and thought he might use it to good effect. But
little dreaming that he would be acting in behalf of the world's redemption,
which our Lord's passion and death were to work out, in revenge, and, as
he thought, in triumph, he smote Him once, he smote Him twice, he smote
Him thrice, each successive time a heavier blow. The weight of the Cross,
the barbarity of the soldiers and the crowd, were but his instruments.
O Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, the Word Incarnate, we praise, adore,
and love Thee for Thy ineffable condescension, even to allow Thyself thus
for a time to fall into the hands and under the power of the Enemy of God
and man, in order thereby to save us from being his servants and companions
for eternity.
Or this,
This is the worst fall of the three. His
strength has for a while utterly failed Him, and it is some time before
the barbarous soldiers can bring Him to. Ah! it was His anticipation of
what was to happen to me. I get worse and worse. He sees the end from the
beginning. He was thinking of me all the time He dragged Himself along,
up the Hill of Calvary. He saw that I should fall again in spite of all
former warnings and former assistance. He saw that I should become secure
and self-confident, and that my enemy would then assail me with some new
temptation, to which I never thought I should be exposed. I thought my
weakness lay all on one particular side which I knew. I had not a dream
that I was not strong on the other. And so Satan came down on my unguarded
side, and got the better of me from my self-trust and self-satisfaction.
I was wanting in humility. I thougth no harm would come on me, I thought
I had outlived the danger of sinning; I thought it was an easy thing to
get to heaven, and I was not watchful. It was my pride, and so I fell a
third time.
Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be to the Father...
V: Jesus Christ Crucified.
R: Have mercy on Us.
V: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of
God rest in peace.
R: Amen
The Stations of the Cross, John Henry Cardinal Newman
|