From Abbe Dom Prosper Gueranger’s Liturgical Year

We have reached the crux of the entire penitential season of Lent on the Second Day of the Easter Triduum. This day is necessary for there are no shortcuts to salvation; there can be no glory, no resurrection without the passion and pain of the cross. We, His friends for He has called us such, ought to compassionate our Savior by spending this day with Him in His agony to make reparation for our sins which scourged and nailed Him to the cross. Let us follow Him and walk with Him to the very last step of Calvary, fearing no rebuke from man, but realizing when push comes to shove, we had better be ready to stand with His Blessed Mother, His beloved disciple John, Mary Magdalene, and the few dear women who are the mother of the apostles John and James.

“Here, the Christian prostrates himself before his Savior, and says to Him with a heart full of compassion and veneration: ‘Yes! My Jesus! Thou art King of the Jews! Thou art the Son of David, and therefore our Messias and Redeemer! Israel, that hath so lately proclaimed Thee King, now unkings Thee; the Gentiles scoff at Thy royalty, making it a subject for keener insult; but reign Thou must, and over both Jews and Gentiles: over the Jews, by Thy justice, for they are soon to feel the scepter of Thy revenge; over the Gentiles, by Thy mercy, for Thine apostles are soon to lead them to Thy feet. Receive, dearest King! our homage and submission! Reign now and for ever over our hearts, yea, over our whole being.’”

Good Friday Morning

The sun has risen upon Jerusalem. But the priests and scribes have not waited all this time without venting their rage upon Jesus. Annas, who was the first to receive the divine Captive, has had Him taken to his son-in-law Caiphas, the high priest. Here He is put through a series of insulting questions, which disdaining to answer, He receives a blow from one of the high priest’s servants. False witnesses had already been prepared: they now come forward, and depose their lies against Him Who is the very Truth: but their testimony is contradictory. Then Caiphas, seeing that this plan for convicting Jesus of blasphemy is only serving to expose his accomplices, turns to another. He asks Him a question, which will oblige our Lord to make an answer; and in this answer he, Caiphas, will discover blasphemy, and blasphemy will bring Jesus under the power of the Synagogue. This is the question: ‘I adjure Thee, by the living God, that Thou tell us, if Thou e the Christ the Son of God! (1)- {St. Matt. xxvi. 63} Our Savior, in order to teach us that we should show respect to those who are in authority, breaks the silence He has hitherto observed, and answers: ‘Thou hast said it: I am: and hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of Heaven.(2)-{St, Matt. xxvi. 65,66} Hereupon, the impious pontiff rises, rends his garments, and exclaims: ‘He hath blasphemed! What further need have we of witnesses? Behold! Now ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?’ The whole place resounds with the cry: ‘He is guilty of death!’(3_–{Ibid. 64-St. Mark xiv. 62}…

But there is something far more trying than all this to the heart
of Jesus, and it is happening at this very time. Peter has made his
way as far as the court of the high priest’s palace. The apostle
trembles for his life; he denies his Master, and affirms with an oath
that he does not even know Him. What a sad example is here of the
punishment of presumption! But Jesus has mercy on His apostle. Jesus
casts upon him a look of reproach and pardon; Peter immediately goes
forth, and weeps bitterly. From this hour forward he can do nothing
but lament his sin; and it is only on Easter morning, when Jesus shall
appear to him after His Resurrection, that he will admit any
consolation to his afflicted heart. Let us make him our model, now
that we are spending these hours, with our holy mother the Church, in
contemplating the Passion of Jesus. Peter withdraws, because he fears
his own weakness; let us remain to the end, for what have we to fear?
May our Jesus give us one of those looks, which can change the hardest
and worst of hearts! (pages 450-452)

The rumor of Jesus’ having been seized during the night, and that
He is on the point of being led before the Roman governor, rapidly
spreads through the city, and reaches Judas’ ears. This wretched man
had a passion for money, but there was nothing to make him desire the
death of his divine Master. He knew Jesus’ supernatural power. He
perhaps flattered himself that He, Who could command nature and the
elements, would easily escape from the hands of His enemies. But now
when he sees that He does not escape from His enemies, and that He is
to be condemned to death, he runs to the temple, and gives back the
thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests. Is it that he is
converted, and is about to ask his Master to pardon him? Alas, no!
Despair has possession of him, and he puts an end to his existence.
The recollection of all the merciful solicitations made to him,
yesterday, by Jesus, both during the last Supper, and in the garden,
gives him no confidence; it only serves to increase his despair.
Surely, he well knew what a merciful Savior he had to deal with! And
yet, he despairs, and this at the very time, when the Blood, which
washes away the sins of the world, is about to be shed! He is lost,
because he despaired. (page 453)

…Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, happens to be in Jerusalem at
this time. Jesus is his subject He must be sent to him. Thus Pilate
will get rid of a troublesome case, and this act of courteous
deference will re-establish a good understanding between himself and
Herod… (page 455)

…Herod, the murderer of John the Baptist, insults Him, and
ordering Him to be clothed in a white garment, as a fool, he sends Him
back to Pilate…Another plan for ridding himself of this troublesome
case now strikes the Roman governor. At the feast of the Pasch, he had
the power of granting pardon to any one criminal the people may
select. They are assembled together at the court-gates. He feels sure
that their choice will fall upon Jesus, for it is but a few days ago
tat they led Him in triumph through the city: besides, he intends to
make the alternative one who is an object of execration to the whole
people; he is a murderer, and his name Barabbas… (page 455)

…Pilate’s cowardly subterfuge has failed, and left him in a more
difficult position than he was before. His putting the innocent on a
level with a murderer was in itself a gross injustice; and yet, he has
not gone far enough for a people that is blind with passion. Neither
does his promise to chastise Jesus satisfy them: they want more than
His Blood; they insist on His death…(page 456)

Jesus is made over to the soldiers to be scourged. They rudely
strip Him of His garments, and tie Him to the pillar which is kept for
this kind of torture. Fiercely do they strike Him; the Blood flows
down His sacred Body. Let us adore this the second bloodshedding of
our Jesus, whereby He expiates the sins we and the whole world have
committed by the flesh. This scourging is by the hands of Gentiles:
the Jews delivered Him up to be punished, and the Romans were the
executioners; thus have we all had our share in the awful deicide.

At last the soldiers are tired; they loose their Victim; but it is
not out of anything like pity. Their cruelty is going to rest, and
their rest is derision. Jesus has been called King of the Jews; a
king, say they, must have a crown! Accordingly, they make one for the
Son of David! It is of thorns. They press it violently upon His head,
and this is the third bloodshedding of our Redeemer…

Here, the Christian prostrates himself before his Savior, and says
to Him with a heart full of compassion and veneration: ‘Yes! My Jesus!
Thou art King of the Jews! Thou art the Son of David, and therefore
our Messias and Redeemer! Israel, that hath so lately proclaimed Thee
King, now unkings Thee; the Gentiles scoff at Thy royalty, making it a
subject for keener insult; but reign Thou must, and over both Jews and
Gentiles: over the Jews, by Thy justice, for they are soon to feel the
scepter of Thy revenge; over the Gentiles, by Thy mercy, for Thine
apostles are soon to lead them to Thy feet. Receive, dearest King! our
homage and submission! Reign now and for ever over our hearts, yea,
over our whole being.’ (page 457)

…To teach us that the flesh must be brought into subjection to
the spirit, Jesus’ Flesh was torn by the scourges; to teach us that
pride must give way to humility, the only crown that Jesus wears is
made of thorns. ‘Behold the Man!’ the triumph of the spirit over the
flesh, the triumph of humility over pride. (page 458)

…But the people vociferate a threat which alarms him: (Pilate)
‘If thou release this Man, thou art not Caesar’s friend; for whosoever
maketh himself a king, speaketh against Caesar.’ …Pilate says to
them: ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ This time the chief priests answer:
‘We have no king but Caesar.’(2)-{St. John xix} When the very
ministers of God can talk thus, religion is at an end. No king but
Caesar! Then, the scepter is taken from Juda, and Jerusalem is cast
off, and the Messias is come! (pages 459-460)

Having thus defiled his soul with the most heinous of crimes,
Pilate washes his hands before the people, and says to them: ‘I am
innocent of the Blood of this just Man; look ye to it!’ They answer
him with this terrible self-imprecation: ‘His Blood be upon us and
upon our children!(2)-{St. Matt. xxvii. 24, 35} The mark of patricide
here fastens on this ungrateful and sacrilegious people; Cain-like,
they shall wander fugitives on the earth. Eighteen hundred years have
passed since then; slaver, misery, and contempt, have bee their
portion; but he mark is still upon them. Let us Gentiles - upon whom
the Blood of Jesus has fallen as the dew of Heaven’s mercy - return
fervent thanks to the goodness of our heavenly Father, who hath so
loved the world, as to give it His only-begotten Son.(3)-{St. John iii
16} (page 460)

Here commences ‘the way of the cross’: the house of Pilate, where
our Jesus receives the sentence of death, is the first station. Our
Redeemer is consigned, by the governor’s order, into the hands of the
Jews. The soldiers seize Him, and drag Him from the court. They strip
Him of the scarlet cloak and bid Him clothe Himself with His own
garments as before the scourging. The cross is ready and they put it
on His wounded shoulders. The place where the new Isaac loads Himself
with the wood of His sacrifice, is the second station. To Calvary! -
this is the word of command, and it is obeyed : soldiers,
executioners, priests, scribes, people - these form the procession.
Jesus moves slowly on; but after a few paces, exhausted by the loss of
Blood and by His sufferings, He falls under the weight of His cross.
It is the first fall, and marks the third station.

He falls, not so much by the weight of His cross, as by that of
our sins! The soldiers roughly lay their hands on Him, and force Him
up again. Scarcely has he resumed His steps, then He is met by His
afflicted Mother. The ‘valiant woman’, whose love is stronger than
death, was not to be absent at such an hour as this. She must see her
Son, follow Him, keep close to Him, even to His last breath. No tongue
can tell the poignancy of her grief. The anxiety she has endured
during the last few days has exhausted her strength. All the
sufferings of Jesus have been made known to her by a divine
revelation; she has shared each one of them with Him. But now she
cannot endure to be absent, and makes her way thro