(a) "The whole multitude of them rising up, led Jesus bound, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor."

Then the traitor who had sold him saw the greatness of his crime, and began to feel remorse. He had flattered himself either that the enemies of Jesus would not attempt his life, or that his power would nullify their efforts: he now saw the contrary happen. The Lamb of God delivered himself up without defence to the rage of his persecutors, who, it appeared, could only be satiated by his blood. It is true that the governor, who could alone give judgment in cases of life and death, had not as yet pronounced, but the judgment of the priests might be regarded as the sure forerunner of that which he was to pass. "Seeing that he was condemned, Judas, who betrayed him," without fully anticipating the consequences of his treachery, could no longer control his grief, and "repenting himself, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and ancients (7), (a) St. Luke, xxiii. 1; St. Matthew, xxvii. 2–5.

(7) His repentance when he saw his Master condemned proves that he had retained a sort of love for him; but he loved money still more. Thus we have seen that Saint Peter, when he denied Jesus Christ, loved him still; but he loved him less than his own life. In order to be capable of committing the greatest crimes, it is not necessary to be utterly devoid of the love of God; it is sufficient that one loves any thing more than God.

Any affection, although otherwise legitimate, if it gain an ascendency in the heart over the love of God, is a criminal love.

This fatal disposition is formed, and goes on without being perceptible. Thou hast the name of being alive, and thou art dead (Apoc. iii.). The occasion does not give birth to it; in ordinary cases it only brings it to light. To review our attachments, to ask ourselves often what we would do if it were impossible to retain these attachments without offending God, is, perhaps, the only means of discovering this evil where it is concealed; of preventing it if it be near; of making fresh additions to the love of God, if this love is already predominant; to fortify ourselves against great temptations, which are always less to be feared when they are foreseen, and which are more easily surmounted when one has assumed the habit of forming the acts by which they are overcome. This is preparing for war during peace, and anticipates victory by making a trial of the combat.

If any person say that it is dangerous to make suppositions of this sort, we venture to reply that it is more dangerous not to make them. Every attack is then a surprise, and whoever is surprised is almost sure to be vanquished.

If Judas, as soon as he perceived that he loved money, had thus tested himself, it is to be presumed that he never would, from being a man interested in money matters, turn out to be a robber; from being a robber, become a traitor, and end in despair and reprobation.

4

saying: I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. What is that to us ?" said these cruel men (8): "look thou to it." This dry and disdainful answer gave the finishing stroke to his despair. "Casting down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed, and went and hanged himself with a halter." God willed it so, that so infamous a death was followed by an accident which rendered it still more ignominious. The unfortunate wretch (a) "being hanged, burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out."

He executed justice upon himself; but this cruel justice which he thus executed was the greatest of his crimes, because to despair of the mercy of the Lord is the most grievous injury which we can do him. It still remained to be considered in what way they should appropriate his money: the wicked are sometimes scrupulous observers of propriety. These men ()" having taken the pieces of silver, said: It is not lawful for us to put them into the Corbona, because it is the price of blood. And after they had consulted together, they bought with them the potter's field, to be a burying place for strangers. For this cause that field was called Haceldama, that is, the field of blood, even to this day." Whence it has become the lasting proof of their crime and the monument of their incredulity; for "then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying: They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was prized, whom they prized of the children of Israel; and they gave them unto the potter's field, as the Lord appointed to me (9)."

(a) Acts, i. 18.

(b) St. Matthew, xxvii. 6-10.

(8) It strikes one that they might have replied to Judas: You repent of having done a good action; the man whom you have delivered up was seditious, and a blasphemer. Why do they not speak thus? The reason is, because they themselves believe no such thing. When the wicked have conspired to effect the ruin of the just, they take care to circulate the report, "He is a wicked man, and a malefactor," but amongst each other they speak frankly: we find him, they say, an obstacle in our way; we must get rid of him. (9) This prophecy is not found in Jeremias; but we read it in equivalent terms in Zacharias, chap. xi. Saint Jerome says that he read it in a Hebrew volume of Jeremias, which was shown him by a Jew. Saint Augustine had seen some copies wherein neither Jeremias nor any other prophet was found named. It might, therefore, have occurred that the name of Jeremias had been superadded by some copyist. However that may be, we have on one hand the prophecy, since it is read at least in Zacharias; on the other hand, we see its fulfilment in the ospel. That should be sufficient for faith, and even for reason, which should only seek to know what it is really important to know.

CHAPTER LXV.

JESUS CONDUCTED BEFORE PILATE.-PILATE INTERROGATES HIM, AND SENDS HIM TO

HEROD.

(a) "THEN they led Jesus," as we have said, "from Caiphas to the governor's hall. Their feet are swift to shed blood;" for "it was morning," and immediately after the holding of the consultation. A scruple stopped them short at the gate. The law, which forbade the murder of the innocent, did not forbid them to enter into the house of a Gentile; but these men, religious beyond what was prescribed, (b)" went not into the hall, that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the pasch (1). Pilate," apprised of the cause of their coming, "went out to them, and said: What accusation bring you against this man? They answered: If he were not a malefactor we would not have delivered him up to thee." It was hatred which spoke, and Pilate knew that very well. "He therefore said to them: Take him you, and judge him according to your law. The Jews, therefore, said to him: It is not lawful for us to put any man to death."

The Romans had deprived them of the right of so doing, and by this avowal of the fact they acknowledged that the sceptre, in whatever way it be understood, had at last passed away from the house of Juda (c). They should, consequently, have acknowledged that "he came who was to be sent, the expectation of nations;" but, blinded by passion, they could no longer see what their own avowal made plainer than ever. Yet as passion, which misleads on every other subject, is but too clear-sighted with regard to whatever may satisfy itself, it is surprising that they did not wish to avail themselves of

(a) St. John, xviii. 28; Psalm

xiii. 3.

(b) St. John, xviii. 28-31. (c) Genesis, xlix. 10.

(1) Whether it was that they were to eat the paschal lamb one day later than the Lord; or whether the partaking of the victims which were immolated on the following day, was still called eating the pasch.

the permission which Pilate gave to them to judge him whose death they so eagerly desired. Whatever hope they may have had of obtaining it from his condescension, or extorting it from his weakness, this hope was not worth the security which they could give to themselves, and which they thus renounced. Hence it has been thought that the governor spoke ironically, and that the Jews, who understood this, did not think of availing themselves of a right which was not seriously granted to them. However, it is more commonly believed that the offer was serious, but that several reasons prevented it from being accepted. The priests could only, according to the law, condemn Jesus to be stoned, and they wished him to be crucified; the hatred which they bore him could only be satiated by the most infamous and the most painful of all punishments. Moreover, they apprehended that the populace, not yet gained over, might impute to them the death of the just, and would, perhaps, proceed to some violence against those who might be the authors thereof. If the Romans should authorize it, they would serve to justify it, or at least the blame might be cast upon them; and if the people did mutiny, Pilate then, interested in supporting his own decision, had more authority and power than was necessary to quell the outbreak. Such were the motives whereon they acted, and God permitted them to be successful, because they led to the execution of his decrees and the verification of his oracles. For if Pilate, yielding to their clamors, finally determined to judge the Saviour, and to condemn him to crucifixion, it was (a)" that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he said, signifying what death he should die."

Obliged, however, by the first refusal of Pilate, to produce and to prove crimes, the enemies of Jesus (b) “began to accuse him, saying: We have found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, and saying that he is Christ the king (2).” (a) St. John, xviii. 32.

(b) St. Luke, xxiii. 2.

(2) Only five days had elapsed since Jesus Christ, when questioned about the tribute, had publicly replied: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. What impudence to accuse him of prohibiting this! It was they themselves who did not wish to pay the tribute which Jesus Christ had made it incumbent upon them to pay. It was they also who sought for a Messiah who would constitute himself a king in the sense which they accused the Saviour of desiring, and in which sense he did not desire it.

Of these three distinct charges, the first was vague, the second was false, and the third, which was true in reality, was maliciously misrepresented. For Jesus, who had rather owned than declared that he was the Christ, had not hitherto said that he was king, and his conduct gave evidence that he had never pretended to be such, in the sense which might render that pretension a state offence. This charge, however, produced the effect which they had reason to anticipate. The mere suspicion of aspiring to sovereignty, even if ill-founded, arrests the attention of the magistrate, and he must never appear to make light of it. (a) “Pilate, therefore,” as soon as he heard the allusion to royalty, "went into the hall, and called Jesus. Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying: Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered: Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or have others told it thee of me? Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Thy own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee up to me: what hast thou done?"

This reply of the governor was an avowal, on his part, that he interrogated as judge, since he framed it so as to make it bear upon the accusations brought before his tribunal. The Saviour drew from him this explanation of the matter, because he wished to undergo the disgrace of a public condemnation. Thus, as soon as Pilate had declared to him in what quality he spoke, (b) "Jesus," always submissive to lawful authority, "answered: My kingdom is not of this world (3). If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now

(a) St. John, xviii. 33-35; St. Mat

thew, xxvii. 11.

(b) St. John, xviii. 33-35; St. Luke,

xxiii. 4.

The wicked impute crimes to virtuous men, as every one is aware; but it should be further noticed that the crimes which they most frequently impute are their own very We shall seldom be mistaken, by judging from their accusations, what they either do or propose to do.

(3) Jesus Christ was not king of this world, because he did not wish it. The kingdom which he reserved to himself is the Church. This kingdom is in the world, but it is not of the world; it cometh from heaven, and must return thither. Heaven is its country, and the earth is the place of its pilgrimage. Jesus Christ governs it by his doctrine, by his sacraments, and by his ministers. These means procure him subjects, but they are voluntary, and they are all the more submissive to their temporal rulers, whom Jesus Christ wishes that they should obey as they do himself.