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1Stood.-Some pictures give Mary as fainting. These are not considered quite correct. A'Lapide thinks she may have fainted. She may when she heard the blows; but she stood when the great grief came. This is more worthy of her.

2His mother.-S. John does not mention her name. He was accustomed to call her mother even after he became her guardian.

Mary of Cleophas.-She was the mother, as we said, of two cousins of Our Lord. Some say she was a sister of S. Joseph, some a niece, and some a cousin of Mary's. She was a relation, anyhow, and these are called brothers and sisters in the Hebrew parlance.

Mary Magdalene.-She was so devoted, and it is well that all notice her gratitude.

The disciple whom He loved.-S. John himself. The writer of the history does not speak in the first person singular.

"Woman.-Some say Our Lord did not want to let the Jews know who Mary was. This is not quite perfect. He used the same expression which He made use of at the marriage of Cana. (See chap. ii.)

"Thy mother. This was a new honour to the disciple.

To his own.-The Greek would imply to his private dwelling. John had not any. They went to where he chose to dwell, until the end of her life.

Love of mother:

Ist. A gift of nature.

2nd. Never can be changed. 3rd. Lives after death.

28. Posteà, sciens JESUS quia omnia consummata sunt, ut consummaretur Scriptura dixit: "Sitio."

29. Vas ergò erat positum, aceto plenum. Illi autem, spongiam plenam aceto hyssopo circumponentes, obtulerunt ori ejus.

30. Cum ergò accepisset JESUS acetum, dixit: "Consummatum est." Et, inclinato capite, tradidit spiritum.

Love of son:

1st. Natural when young. 2nd. Years change it and give it away.

3rd. Grace keeps it right.

28. Afterwards Jesus, 'knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said: 2I thirst.

29. Now there was a vessel set there, full of vinegar. And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar about hyssop, offered it to his mouth.

30. When Jesus, therefore, "had taken the vinegar, he said: "It is consummated. And bowing his head, he 'gave up the : ghost.

There is a sad lesson conveyed to us in the last request of Our Lord. He gave men nothing but kindness and they returned little but bitterness. There was a prophecy that they should give him vinegar and gall to drink in His thirst. They had already tried to dose Him and He refused. Now all the moisture of His body is exhausted and He has fulfilled all His duties towards His Father and towards man. His mouth is dry, his last

moment is come and He says: I thirst.

This thirst is a physical fact, but it is intended for a spiritual lesson, a lesson indeed which the world has never lost. He thirsted for the affection of men and received only hatred. He thirsted for their instruction and received but ignorance. He thirsted for their spiritual enlightenment and received objections. He thirsted for their salvation and saw them drifting to their destruction. He knows that a lesson is to be conveyed and is very sadly wanted. He really thirsts, and they might have given Him a draught of wine. The ladders were there and the wine and vessels were there. They gave Him vinegar. In siti meo potaverunt me aceto.

Knowing that all things were now accomplished.-All that He was charged to do was done, and nothing remained of what may be termed the scheme of Redemption but death itself. That was near now.

21 thirst. This is the most painful torment of the human body, and it was time He should have exhausted all.

3A sponge. What drink could a sponge give to a thirsty man? A sponge that must be pressed and squeezed by parched dying lips! My God! what a horrible piece of cruelty! Could not someone take the bucket and run up a ladder? No, not one. It was their Redeemer asked the favour.

To His mouth.-It did not reach near enough perchance to be even squeezed in as a relief.

Had taken.-The Greek and Latin have accepted the kindness. He may have touched it with His lips and then He uttered His sixth word.

It is consummated. There is nothing more to be done. He has accomplished all wherewith He was charged.

"Gave up the ghost.-It was active on His part, as all the Evangelists describe it. Death is passive to others.

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31. Judæi ergò, quoniam parasceve erat, ut non remanerent in cruce corpora sabbato (erat enim magnus dies ille sabbati), rogaverunt Pilatum ut frangerentur eorum crura, et tolle

rentur.

32. Venerunt ergò milites, et primi quidem fregerunt crura, et alterius qui crucifixus est cum

eo.

33. Ad JESUM autem cùm venissent, ut viderunt eum jàm mortuum, non fregerunt ejus crura;

34. Sed unus militum lanceâ latus ejus aperuit, et continuò exivit sanguis et aqua.

31. Then 'the Jews, (because it was the parasceve,) that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the 'sabbath day, (for that was a great sabbath day,) besought Pilate that their "legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

32. The soldiers, therefore, came; and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him.

33. But when they came to Jesus, and saw 'that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.

34. But one of the soldiers opened his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water.

This incident is one of the most important for the proofs of Our Lord's real death. The scruples of the Jews were well founded. Those crucified or condemned to an ignominious death amongst the Jews should be buried the same day. They were forbidden to pray for their souls until their bodies were buried. Again the great Sabbath was coming; and, if these bodies were not buried before sunset, the Sabbath, which began then, would be publicly profaned.

Men were sent to despatch the criminals by the cruel manner of breaking their legs with a bar of iron. Our Lord looked dead,

and they would not touch Him. One soldier drove his lance through His body from His right side unto His left, and pierced His heart right through. Blood, and a fluid like water flowed out from the new wound. All this effect can be explained physically, but the depth of the mystery is a well for a large volume.

The Jews. These gentlemen were very scrupulous about external observances, but very differently disposed towards internal dispositions. 2Sabbath day. This was a great Sabbath. That within the octave of the Pasch.

3Besought Pilate.-Pilate was not in good humour with them, and therefore they durst not do the least thing without his special leave.

Legs might be broken.-This was a cruel way of ending their lives. The very pain often killed them outright. The hemorrhage was sure to do so.

Taken away. To be buried, otherwise there could be no prayers in the synagogues next morning for the repose of their souls.

First and second.-These were the two thieves.

"That he was already dead.—He chose to die before, that another minor miracle might happen, in their sparing Him, and the Scriptures be fulfilled.

8Opened His side. This proved that He was dead. How strange and how beautiful are the dispositions of Providence. If this soldier had not pierced Our Lord's Heart through, and if they passed Him by, leaving His legs unbroken, a grand objection could be taken to His Resurrection; or Rationalists could explain it away. No body living or dead could survive this piercing except by miracle. Cardinal Wiseman makes a fine argument out of this piercing.

Sabbath sanctity: 1st. Legs broken.

2nd. Hearts pierced. 3rd. Grim satisfaction.

Our Lord's death:

Ist. He submitted. 2nd. He had it proved by experiment.

3rd. He was buried.

35. Et qui vidit testimonium perhibuit, et verum est testimonium ejus, et ille scit quia vera dicit, ut et vos credatis.

36. Facta sunt enim hæc ut Scriptura impleretur: Os non comminuetis ex eo.

37. Et iterùm alia Scriptura dicit: Videbunt in quem transfixerunt.

35. And 1he that saw it gave testimony; and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true, that you also 3may believe.

36. For these things were done, 'that the scripture might be fulfilled: You shall not break a bone of him.

37. And again another scripture saith: They shall look on him whom they pierced.

S. John gives a sort of parenthesis of his own here which is very valuable. He did not like, for modesty's sake to say that he was then looking on and saw everything concerning the piercing of the side with his own eyes. He gives the opinion of a third party and makes that passable or plausible by the application of two texts of Scripture.

Neither of them bear directly upon the subject if S. John did not choose to make them do service in that way. The first text is from Exodus xii. 46: "Neither shall you break a bone thereof "-and has reference to the Paschal Lamb.

The second quotation is from Zachary xii. 10. As printed there now it is: "And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced."

S. John quotes according to the Hebrew text which is the one we have given; but puts him instead of me. The Septuagint is quite different. It gives a new sense altogether, but which could, by two or three pages of logomachia, be brought to the same thing. What codex had S. John ?

1He that saw. This refers to S. John himself. He was looking on and wants to stake his honour and veracity on the truth of the whole thing. This is very valuable, as many doubted about the water and blood till very recent experiments show that they can both come, in the case of such a death as Our Lord's without the intervention of a miracle.

2His testimony is true.-There is a curious tradition that this and another approbation, which we shall notice further on, was given by S. Peter or one of his successors.

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