who excited their cruelty. It was revealed to St. Brigit, a Saint devoutly attached to the contemplation of Christ's sufferings, that the number of stripes exceeded five thousand; whilst the law of Moses forbade that a common malefactor should receive forty. Thus was the oracle of Isaias fulfilled: " From the sole of the foot unto the top of the head there is no soundness therein: wounds and bruises and swelling sores; they are not bound up nor dressed nor fomented with oil." (Is. i. 6.)
SATURDAY.
Christ is Scourged.— II.
Imagine you see Christ our Lord bound to the pillar, surrounded by a company of insolent soldiers, and examine the general circumstances of this cruel scene.
Who is He that is bound to the pillar? The only begotten Son of God, " the splendor of His glory and the figure of His substance. He is higher than heaven and deeper than hell; He is the most high Creator, almighty and powerful King, and greatly to be feared, who sitteth upon His throne, and is the God of dominion." (Heb. i. 3; Job xi. 8; Ecclus. i. 8.) Where does this scene take place? In the midst of a populous city, in the open court of the president, in presence of a whole legion of soldiers, and the populace of a large city.
With what helps! He is destitute of all human assistance. There was no one to appear in His defence. "I looked about and there was none to help, I sought and there was none to give aid." (Is. lxiii. 5.)
Why does He suffer all this? To wash away your sins with His blood. He received on His shoulders stripes which you have deserved, verifying the prediction of the
