TENTH STATION
Jesus is Stripped of His Clothes
Reflection:
They gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall; but when he
had tasted it, He would not drink it. Then
after they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes,
casting lots, to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, "They
divided my clothes among them, and upon my garments they cast lots." (Mt.
27, 34-35)
Meditation:
Happy is the man whom God chastises! Do not
reject the punishment of the Almighty.
For He wounds, but He binds up; He smites, but His hands
give healing.
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak; I looked for
comforters, and I found none.
Rather they put gall in my food, and in my thirst they gave
me vinegar to drink.
(Job 5, 17 & 18; Ps. 68, 21 & 22)
Meditation from The
Imitation of Christ, Book III, Chapter 19
Bearing Injuries and
Who is Proved to Be Truly Patient
The better you condition yourself
for suffering, the more wisely you will act, and the more you merit: and you will bear it more easily, your mind
being well prepared for, and accustomed to suffering.
Do not
say: ‘I cannot take these things, and
things of this kind are not to be suffered by me for a great injury has done to
me, and I am upbraided with things I never thought of; but I will suffer
willingly from another, and I shall judge what is fitting for me to suffer.’
Foolish
are the thoughts which do not measure the virtue of patience. As are thoughts by whom it shall be brought
upon you, but rather patience weighs the persons and the offences committed.
3. To
be truly patient you must suffer more than you think is allowed and from
whomever it pleases to endure that suffering.
The
truly patient person does not chronicle who it is that imposes the suffering,
whether by a superior, or by an equal, or even by one of an inferior position:
whether by a good and holy person, or by one that is perverse and unworthy.
But no
matter how much and how often you encounter adversity from anything created,
you should take it all with equality of mind, as from the Hand of God, with
thanksgiving and count it a great gain (Jas 1:2). For nothing that is suffered for God’s sake, no matter how small
can pass without merit in the sight of God.
Pray:
Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, stripped of everything, You
stood exposed to the jeers and contempt
of the people whom You loved. Clothe us with genuine love of
others, so that nothing we suffer
may ever fill our hearts with hatred or bitterness.
