but from above. And yet, although not of this world, the kingdom of Christ is for the world and in the world; that is, for all men, great and little, learned and unlearned, rich and poor, sinners and saints. It is for them and they must obey its laws, listen to its truths, and try to deserve and acquire its graces, if they wish to prosper, whether in this world or in the next. It is, therefore, extremely absurd and unjust for the godless portion of society to attempt to justify their iniquitous proceedings against the Church, their robberies and oppression, by misinterpreting the text of Scripture, and saying: "The Church is not of this world; it is spiritual, superhuman, and therefore needs not temporal possessions, requires no freedom, enjoys no rights." Is it not as absurd to say that a man requires neither shelter, food, nor raiment, because, as regards his immortal soul, he is not of this earth, but comes directly from the hand of God? Such arguments are false and foolish. But we need not wonder. The Son of God himself came from heaven, and behold! the rulers of the earth, the scribes and the Pharisees looked upon Him as a stranger on the earth who had no rights. They deprived Him of His clothing, of His freedom, of His very life. Why should it fare otherwise with the followers of that Christ?

Again, observe the words of Pilate: "What is truth?" As if, unbelieving heathen that he was, he would have said: "Poor fool, why trouble yourself to find out the truth? Why bring upon yourself so many perils, so much hatred and opposition in your endeavor to make known the truth to men? What is truth? Where is it to be found? Nowhere on earth. For here below all is doubt, error, and fiction. The truly wise man is he who does not bother himself about truth, who enjoys life, who gives himself up without restraint to the gratification of every momentary pleasure." What a sad and miserable avowal! Paganism makes use of Pilate's lips to acknowledge its own impotency to learn or to hold the truth. It confesses the dismal truth that all the efforts of its greatest, wisest, and most learned philosophers, have led mankind to nothing but falsehood. It acknowledges itself unable to solve the awfully important problem concerning the soul of man. "What is truth?" Observe, too, that paganism makes this declaration of its own inefficiency and insufficiency, on the very day on which mankind is to be restored to the truth and renewed in grace by the atoning sacrifice of the cross.

But, alas! of this great mystery neither Pilate nor Herod has any understanding. Although they had been life-long enemies, they become fast friends when opposing the very source of truth and persecuting its author. Pilate is in doubt about the truth; Herod, as we shall see from the following text, despised and mocked it.

3. JESUS BEFORE HEROD. HE IS DERIDED THE SECOND TIME

"Pilate, hearing Galilee, asked if the man were of Galilee; and when he understood that He was of Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him away to Herod, who was also himself at Jerusalem in those days. Herod, seeing Jesus, he was very glad; for he was desirous of a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things of Him, and he hoped to see some sign wrought by Him; and he questioned Him many words, but Jesus answered him nothing. The chief-priests and scribes stood by earnestly accusing Him. Herod, with his army, set Him at naught and mocked Him, and putting on Him a white garment, he sent Him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate were made friends that same day; for before they were enemies to one another."

How gloomy the friendship of the godless who reject Jesus! How dismal and unnatural the conspiracy between Jews and infidels against the Anointed and His Church! The pagan governor, having often rashly invaded the jurisdiction of the Hebrew prince, avails himself of this opportunity to soothe the angry Herod, by flattering his vanity, pride, and curiosity, in the delivering of Jesus into his custody. As has been already stated, this Herod Antipas was the son of the childslayer, and a frivolous, avaricious, unchaste, and vicious man. He lived in open adultery with his brother's wife, had put John the Baptist to death, and had frequently sought the life of Jesus. Before this hypocrite, murderer, and adulterer, must Jesus now take His stand and defend Himself against the calumnies of the chief-priests.

But He holds His peace, for He deems Herod unworthy of one word of reply. Wherefore this silence? In the first place, it is a well-merited rebuke to Herod for his murder of the last and greatest of prophets, and for his licentiousness and hypocrisy; for he was a thousand times more undeserving than Pilate to hear one word from the pure lips of the Redeemer. In the second place, the charges of the chief-priests were so contradictory, absurd, and palpably false, that they

really deserved no reply. In the third place, Jesus knew that it was impossible to justify Himself before such a judge, or to repel the charges of His unscrupulous accusers. Finally, in the fourth place, our merciful Redeemer wished to atone for the vain and false self-justification of men, as well as for the false oaths and other perjuries of the godless, and to obtain for such sinners the grace of repentance.

The persistent silence of Jesus casts Herod into a fit of unbridled anger. He feels himself rebuked and put to shame. Concealing his bad temper, he seeks to vent his spite by inciting his soldiers to mock Jesus. "Then Herod and his soldiers mocked Him.' A long white garment,' such as was usually worn in eastern lands by poor idiots, was brought out and placed upon Christ. Herod, by this proceeding, wished to intimate to Pilate: "You see this fool who plotted to make himself king, and who, because his ignorant and thoughtless followers and the common people run after Him, imagined Himself to be of vast importance. But before educated people, such as myself and the chief-priests, His wisdom is blown. to the winds, His power is nowhere, and He is unable to answer a word. There He stands, silent and confused, like a stupid idiot."

CHAPTER XVI

BARABBAS PREFERRED BY THE JEWS TO JESUS. JESUS DELIVERED UP BY PILATE TO BE

SCOURGED, MOCKED, AND CRUCIFIED

Matt. xxviii 15-30; Mark xv. 6-19; Luke xxiii. 13-25; John xviii. 39 to xix. 16 1. PILATE WOULD LIKE TO LIBERATE JESUS.

LIBERATED

BARABBAS IS

"PILATE, calling together the chief-priests and the magistrates and the people, said to them: You have presented unto me this man, as one that perverteth the people, and behold, I having examined Him before you, find no cause in Him in 'This white garment put upon our Saviour at his second mocking must not be confounded with the purple mantle thrown by the soldiers on His person at the third and fourth mockery. Many commentators hold that this white garment was what was usually the candidate's mantle, as worn by those among the Romans who sought high honors. Herod, by thus clothing Jesus and sending him back to Pilate, seemed to say: "Behold, friend Pilate, the presumptuous fool who would fain place himself above both of us, by trying to have himself proclaimed king of Judea and Galilee."

those things wherein you accuse Him. No, nor Herod neither; for I sent you to him, and behold, nothing worthy of death is done to Him. I will chastise Him therefore and release Him.

"Now upon the solemn festival day, the governor was accustomed of necessity to release to the people one prisoner whom they would. And he had then a notorious prisoner that was called Barabbas, a robber, who was put in prison with some seditious men, who in the sedition had committed murder.

"The multitude, therefore, being gathered together, they began to desire, as he had ever done to them. Pilate answering, saith to the multitude: You have a custom that I should release unto you one at the Pasch; will you therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Whom will you that I release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? For he knew that the chief-priests had delivered Him up out of

envy.

"And as he was sitting on the judgment-seat, his wife1 sent to him, saying: Have thou nothing to do with that just man. For I have suffered many things this day in a dream on His account.

"But the chief-priests and ancients moved the people that he would rather release Barabbas to them and destroy Jesus. And the governor answering, said to them: Whether of the two will you have to be released unto you? But the whole multitude together cried out, saying: Not this man, but Barabbas. Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas.

"And Pilate again answering, saith to them, desiring to release Jesus: What will you, then, that I do to the King of the Jews, who is called Christ? But they again cried out: Crucify Him, crucify Him.

"Pilate saith to them a third time: Why, what evil hath this man done? I find no cause of death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go. But they cried out the more with loud voices, requiring that He might be crucified, and their voices prevailed; and they cried the more, Away with Him; crucify Him."

Alas, my dearly beloved Lord and Redeemer, how thy whole human nature must have shuddered, on hearing from the

'According to tradition, Pilate's wife's name was Claudia Procula. It is believed by many that, after the resurrection of Christ, she embraced Christianity and died in the odor of sanctity.

hoarse throats of the infuriated mob that dreadful cry: "Crucify Him! Away with Him; crucify Him!" To death! to the most excruciating death, to the death of the slave and the malefactor. This is the return made to Thee by an ungrateful people for all Thy love and goodness, virtue, and benefits. But still more afflicting to Thy heart than even this cry, were the unfeeling words of the Jewish people: "Away with Jesus, and release unto us Barabbas!" With this unmitigated criminal and disturber of the peace, with a murderer, the perverse people have some sympathy; they manifest even affection for him, and beg to have him for their passover gift from the governor. But Thee, O Lord, their Friend and Saviour, they indignantly reject. A choice is offered to them, and they do choose, but, alas! they choose Barabbas in preference to Thee; to Thee who art eternal excellence, admirable love and mercy. What incomprehensible, accursed

blindness of heart!

"Away with Him and release unto us Barabbas!" These words contain and express both the mystery of the deepest degradation and the astounding mystery of divine mercy.

The very day on which the Jewish people uttered these dreadful words, they were commemorating their delivery from Egyptian bondage-it was the feast of the Passover. On this account, and also because, according to an old and well-known tradition among them, it was to be on this feast that their second deliverance was to be effected by the promised Messias, it had long been customary to liberate each year, on the return of the festival, some prisoner. To-day, then, Barabbas the murderer is set free. And on this day must Christ die. Christian reader, do you discern the mystery? This Barabbas is a striking figure of mankind, who was on this day redeemed in the blood of Christ. Man who, by the commission of sin, had rebelled against the Most High; who, by depriving Himself of supernatural life, had become a murderer, he is made free, while, in his place, Jesus is made to bear his guilt and suffer his punishment.

2. JESUS IS SCOURGED, CROWNED WITH THORNS, AND DERIDED THE THIRD TIME IN THE OUTER COURT OF THE PALACE Let us proceed now to the consideration of the cruel scourging, the crowning of thorns, and the thrice-repeated derision inflicted upon our adorable Saviour, as He stands in silent meekness in the court of the governor's palace.