The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. - documenta ...

The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.Anne Catherine EmmerichAnnas and Caiphas at last left off disputing with Pilate, and angrily retired, taking with them thesheets of parchment on which the sentence was written; they went away in haste, fearing that theyshould get to the Temple too late for the Paschal sacrifice. Thus did the High Priests, unknowinglyto themselves, leave the true Paschal Lamb. They went to a temple made of stone, to immolate andto sacrifice that lamb which was but a symbol, and they left the true Paschal Lamb, who was beingled to the Altar of the Cross by the cruel executioners; they were most careful not to contract exteriordefilement, while their souls were completely defiled by anger, hatred, and envy. They had said,‘His blood be upon us and upon our children!’ And by these words they had performed the ceremony,and had placed the hand of the sacrificer upon the head of the Victim. Thus were the two pathsformed—the one leading to the altar belonging to the Jewish law, the other leading to the Altar ofGrace: Pilate, that proud and irresolute pagan, that slave of the world, who trembled in the presenceof the true God, and yet adored his false gods, took a middle path, and returned to his palace.233The iniquitous sentence was given at about ten in the morning.CHAPTER XXX.The Carriage of the Cross.234WHEN Pilate left the tribunal a portion of the soldiers followed him, and were drawn. up in filesbefore the palace; a few accompanying the criminals. Eight-and- twenty armed Pharisees came tothe forum on horseback, in order to accompany Jesus to the place of execution, and among thesewere the six enemies of Jesus, who had assisted in arresting him in the Garden of Olives. Thearchers led Jesus into the middle of the court, the slaves threw down the cross at his feet, and thetwo arras were forthwith tied on to the centre piece. Jesus knelt down by its side, encircled it withhis sacred arms, and kissed it three times, addressing, at the same time, a most touching prayer ofthanksgiving to his Heavenly Father for that work of redemption which he had begun. It was thecustom among pagans for the priest to embrace a new altar, and Jesus in like manner embraced hiscross, that august altar on which the bloody and expiatory sacrifice was about to be offered. Thearchers soon made him rise, and then kneel down again, and almost without any assistance, placethe heavy cross on his right shoulder, supporting its great weight with his right hand. I saw angelscome to his assistance, otherwise he would have been unable even to raise it from the ground.Whilst he was on his knees, and still praying, the executioners put the arms of the crosses, whichwere a little curved and not as yet fastened to the centre pieces, on the backs of the two thieves,and tied their hands tightly to them. The middle parts of the crosses were carried by slaves, as thetransverse pieces wore not to be fastened to them until just before the time of execution. The trumpetsounded to announce the departure of Pilate’s horsemen, and one of the Pharisees belonging to theescort came up to Jesus, who was still kneeling, and said, ‘Rise, we have had a sufficiency of thyfine speeches; rise and set off.’ They pulled him roughly up, for he was totally unable to rise withoutassistance, and he then fell upon his shoulders the weight of that cross which we must carry after134