Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/702

 unless it  be  united  to  watchfulness. Watch and  pray! This is  what Jesus, the  great  Searcher  of  hearts,  tells  us  we  must  do. We are  very weak and  very  prone  to  evil;  so  we  must  keep  a careful  watch  over our thoughts  and  imaginations,  over  the  movements  and  desires  of  our hearts, and  over  our  senses,  especially  over  our  eyes. By so  doing  we shall  either  avoid  what  is  sinful,  or  else  be  able  to  overcome  it  in  its very beginnings. By watchfulness  we  shall  escape  many  temptations, and come  victorious  out  of  those  struggles  with  sin  which  are  unavoidable.

Could the  chalice  have  passed? Yes! Satisfaction could  have  been made to  the  divine  justice  without  such  terrible  suffering  on  the  part of our  Blessed  Lord; for  each  act  of  expiation,  each  suffering  of  Jesus, He being  God,  had  an  infinite  value. His very  smallest  suffering  would therefore have  been  sufficient  to  pay  off  the  whole  debt  of  sin  and appease the  justice  of  God. But what  was  sufficient  to  reconcile  us  to God,  was  not  sufficient  to  cleanse  us  inwardly  from  sin  and  make  us keep  from  sin. Not only  has  the  guilt  of  sin  to  be  removed,  but  sinful man, who  is  steeped  in  evil,  must  be  completely  cured. What would the satisfaction  made  for  us  by  our  Divine  Lord  avail  us,  if  we  still loved and  cherished  sin  in  our  hearts,  and  persisted  in  sinning  more and more  till  we  died  in  our  sins? Nothing! Thus the  bitter  chalice did not  pass,  and  our  Blessed  Lord  suffered  indescribable  agony  in Soul  and  Body,  in  the  first  place,  to  put  before  our  eyes  in  a startling manner the  evil  and  horror  of  sin. Isaias (55,  4 &amp;c.)  had  said  of  Him: “Surely He  hath  borne  our  infirmities  and  carried  our  sorrows;  and  we have  thought  Him  as  it  were  a leper,  and  as  one  struck  by  God  and afflicted. But He  was  wounded  for  our  iniquities,  He  was  bruised  for our sins:  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  Him,  and  by  His bruises we  "are  healed.  All  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray,  every  one hath  turned  aside  unto  his  own  way,  and  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  Him the  iniquity  of  us  all.”  The  scourges  which  tore  the  Flesh  of  Jesus,  the thorns  which  lacerated  His  Sacred  Head,  the  nails  which  pierced  His Hands  and  Feet,  in  short,  all  the  tortures  which  He  endured  for  our sake,  teach  us  more  impressively  than  could  anything  else  what  a terrible evil  sin  is,  and  what  a heavy  punishment  it  deserves.  Who  can  contemplate the  Sufferings  of  Jesus  without  being  moved  to  contrition  and hatred  of  sin?  Who  does  not  feel  constrained  to  love  God,  when  he remembers  that  the  Father  gave  His  Son,  and  the  Son  gave  His  Life for  our  sakes?  This  brings  us  to  the  consideration  of  the  second reason  why  the  chalice  was  not  removed. Our Blessed  Lord  drank its bitterness  to  the  very  dregs,  to  kindle  the  fire  of  divine  love  in the  hearts  of  men. There is  no  one  sufficiently  degraded  not  to appreciate,  and  in  a measure  to  feel  grateful  for,  any  sacrifice  made for his  sake. “Oh, immeasurable  love  and  goodness  of  God”,  says the Church  on  Holy  Saturday,  “who  to  redeem  a slave  hast  delivered up Thine  own  Son!”  It  almost  looks  as  if  the  Father  loved  man