March 8th Fast

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JMJ

"Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him.  They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him.Weaving a crown out of thorns,  they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"They spat upon him  and took the reed and kept striking him on the head.  And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him."  (Matthew 27: 27-31)

 The Crowning of Thorns: a Passion passage that is familiar to all Christians, but perhaps too familiar.  If and when we do meditate on it do we think to ourselves, "How ignorant the Roman soldiers were to think they were mocking the true of King of Kings?"  Or do we wonder, "why didn't Christ command legions of angels to silence the pompous pagans?"  Or do we delve deeper into this extraordinary scene of humility and ask if we are seeking to imitate it in our own lives?  Do we realize that Christ suffered this specific torture for our sins of pride?  

What is being a Christian if not one who declares he is a follower, and therefore imitator of Christ?  And if we are to imitate Him, we must first know him through Scripture and prayer.  In his classic work, Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis de Sales said:

"Prayer opens the understanding to the brightness of Divine Light, and the will to the warmth of Heavenly Love--nothing can so effectually purify the mind from its many ignorances, or the will from its perverse affections. . .  But especially I commend earnest mental prayer to you, more particularly such as bears upon the Life and Passion of our Lord.

One may think he does not know how to meditate, but then he realizes that he is constantly meditating on his accomplishments, his anxieties, his frustrations, the faults of others, on the difficulty of his situation in life, etc.  His pride (and laziness) prevents him from meditating on anything other than himself, and all things related to him.  But as St. Francis de Sales said:

"If you contemplate [Christ] frequently in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with Him, you will grow in His Likeness, and your actions will be moulded on His."

 The greatest of sins is pride, and so the greatest of virtues is humility.  If pride be the poison then humility be the antidote.  Yet to grow in humility, one must, like Our Lord, (willingly) undergo humiliations.  Erosion of the ego is the only way to become a truly humble soul.  To be satisfied that only God knows we are doing His will is a worthy and necessary goal.  St. Josemaria Escriva said,"To truly love another is do something without expecting to be thanked."  Not only did Christ do the will of His heavenly Father without expecting gratitude in return, but also by accepting derision in its place.  Too often, we hear that people seek affirmation they need outside the home, outside their vocation.  But why do we search for affirmation beyond the peace that comes from doing God's will? 

 "It is better to be rebuked by a wise man, than to be deceived by the flattery of fools." (Eccl. 7:6)

We must be like our heavenly Father so that those we love never seek that fortifying love outside our families:

 "The Lord is sweet to all; and his tender mercies are over all His works. . . The Lord lifteth up all that fall and setteth up all that are cast down." (Ps. 144:9, 14)

But we also must be like His only Son, Our Lord and His beloved Mother, by saying yes to God's will each day, whether other's are aware or not.  Let us spend time with Our Lord and Our Lady in our thoughts, let us turn to them in our need, and so let us walk with them on the way to Calvary, crucifying our pride to the cross, and embracing the humble yet privileged vocation of a true Christian.