Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/238

 majesty of  Christ  is  adequately  known  only  to  the Father, and  until  He  reveals  it  to  us  we  shall  never fathom the  depths  of  Christ's  voluntary  humiliation. Of all  created  beings,  in  fact,  man  seems  the  least affected at  Christ's  sufferings,  for  while  the  sun  grew dark and  the  earth  quaked,  and  even  the  dead  arose, the throng  on  Calvary  scoffed  or  else  looked  on  unmoved. Still, we  perhaps,  on  sober  second  thought, can better  realize  the  Passion  of  Our  Lord. Christ, the All- Wise,  knew  that  the  greater  His  sufferings the more  perfect  would  be  our  Redemption,  and  being omnipotent and  prompted  by  an  infinite  love,  His  sufferings naturally  exceeded  all  bounds. For what  will not love,  even  carnal  love,  endure  for  its  beloved! Jacob served  Laban  seven  years  for  Rachel,  and  they seemed to  him  but  a  day  because  of  the  greatness  of his  love. What dreadful  torments  the  martyrs  underwent for  Christ,  finite  as  was  their  love,  and though limited  the  power  of  their  persecutors  to devise  new  tortures! In His  task  of  satisfying  the infinite demands  of  divine  justice,  Christ's  knowledge and  power  and  choice  and  charity  knew  no such  limitations. Sustained by  their  heavenly  Comforter, the  martyrs  exulted  amid  their  agonies,  but in His  Passion  Christ  seems  to  have  denied  Himself the smallest  consolation. In the  sixteenth  chapter  of Leviticus  we  read  how  a  sin-offering  of  two  goats  was made, one  of  which  was  sacrificed  and  the  other  allowed to  go  into  the  wilderness. These animals  prefigured Christ's  dual  nature,  the  divine  temporarily withdrawing itself  while  the  human  expiated  the  sins