and fill it with a loving remembrance of Thy most bitter Passion.
CHAPTER VII
☙ The arraignment of the Lord Jesus before Annas, the Priest
BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee,
O Lord Jesus Christ, Guide of our life,
and Author of our salvation, for Thy
first arraignment before Annas, the
Priest, where Thou wast questioned about many
things, and in return for Thy meek and truthful
answer, wast rudely smitten on the cheek.
I praise and magnify Thee, my glorious King Jesus Christ, for the dishonour thus done to Thee, and for the shameful blow which Thou didst receive from the hand of an insolent servant, when in return for Thy answer he gave Thee a heavy blow upon Thy face, saying: "Answerest Thou the High Priest so?" And even after all this Thou didst not fail, O most gentle Jesus, undisturbed in mind or speech, meekly to make answer to him again, saying: "If I have spoken evil, give testimony of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou Me?" O most vile and impious servant, how was it that thou didst not fear to strike the Face of Thy Creator, deserving of all love, with thy guilty hands! How unspeakable, my adorable Jesus, was the virtue of meekness which shone forth in Thee, when, instead of avenging so insulting a blow with immediate chastisement, Thou didst calmly expostulate with him who struck Thee!
Bethink thee now, O Christian, and say whether, for love of Jesus, thou couldest endure a slap in
