Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/729

 He was  crowned  with  thorns  for  us.  In  order  to  prove  to  us  the greatness of  His  love  and  the  grievousness  of  our  sins,  our  Blessed Lord allowed  tortures,  unthought-of  till  then,  to  be  invented  on  His account. Such a torment,  contrived  with  devilish  cruelty,  was  the  crowning with thorns,  by  means  of  which  tortures  were  inflicted  on  the  noblest part of  His  Body,  His  Sacred  Head. Being accused  of  making  Himself king, He  was  thus  crowned  in  mockery  and  subjected  to  the  malicious homage of  His  tormentors,  who  drove  the  thorns  into  His  Head,  striking Him with  the  reed  which  fell  from  His  Hands,  spitting  in  His  Divine Face, and  adding  the  sting  of  their  scoffing  words  to  this  cruel  treatment. Truly no  son  of  Adam  had  ever  endured  such  pain  as  Christ,  the  second Adam, endured,  when  He  suffered  the  sharp  cruel  thorns  to  pierce  His Sacred Head,  in  order  to  save  us  from  the  eternal  ruin  which  the  pride and disobedience  of  the  first  Adam  had  brought  on  us. Jesus, the  King of everlasting  glory,  bore  this  for  us,  and  carried  the  crown  of  thorns even unto  death,  to  make  satisfaction  to  the  divine  justice  for  our  pride and all  the  sins  which  spring  from  it.

The following  prophecies  were  fulfilled  by  those  sufferings  of  Jesus about which  you  have  just  heard:  i.  David’s  prophecy:  “I  am  a worm (i. e.  despised  and  trodden  under  foot  like  a worm)  and  no  man:  the reproach of  men,  and  the  outcast  of  the  people”  (Ps.  21,  7). 2. The prophecy of  Isaias:  “There  is  no  beauty  in  Him,  nor  comeliness. Despised, and the  most  abject  of  men,  a man  of  sorrows. 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”  (Is.  53,  2 &amp; c.). 3. The  prophecy  of  our  Lord  Himself  (Mat.  20,  18):  “The  Son  of  Man shall be  betrayed  to  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  (as  was  done  by Judas),  and  they  shall  condemn  Him  to  death,  and  shall  deliver  Him to the  Gentiles  (Pilate  and  his  soldiers)  to  be  mocked,  and  scourged and crucified.”

Mortal sin  in  its  true  aspect.  Nothing  is  so  calculated  to  show  us the  fearful  evil  of  mortal  sin  as  that  horrible  cry  of  the  Jews:  “Away with this  Man! Give unto  us  Barabbas!”  Any  Christian  who  commits a mortal sin  thinks,  speaks  and  acts  just  as  did  those  blinded  Jews. Whenever there  is  a question  between  observing  or  transgressing  God’s commandments in  any  important  matter,  then,  we  may  say,  Almighty God with  His  promises  and  Satan  with  his  allurements  are  placed  face to face,  and  man  has  to  choose  between  them. The choice  is  put  to you. Will you  choose  God,  the  most  gracious,  the  most  holy  God,  the source of  true  joy  and  of  all  noble  happiness,  His  grace,  His  friendship, and His  heaven  so  full  of  inconceivable  bliss;  or  will  you  choose  the prince of  darkness,  the  liar  and  the  murderer  from  the  beginning,  and the sinful  pleasures  which  are  all  that  he  holds  out  to  you? Whenever a man consents  to  sin,  he,  as  it  were,  says  to  God:  “I  have  compared together Thy  service  and  that  of  the  devil,  and  I find  that  Satan  is  a better  master  than  Thou  art,  and  that  I can  gain  more  from  him  than