from 3 to 4 in the morning
ELEVENTH HOUR
Jesus at Caiaphas' house
Preparation for each HOUR
And for those hours that I cannot reflect on, I offer you my willingness to remember them, and I intend to consciously reflect on them whenever I have to devote time to pfulfilling their duties or sleeping.
Accept, O merciful Lord, my loving intention and make it beneficial for me and for all, as if I had effectively and sanctimoniously accomplished what I wish to do.Meanwhile, I thank You, my Jesus, that through prayer You call me to unite myself with You. And to please You even more, I take Your thoughts, Your language, Your Heart, and I intend to pray with them, merging my whole self into Your Will and Your Love. I stretch out my arms to embrace You, I lay my head on Your Heart, and I begin...
My tormented and forsaken Goodness, when my weak nature sleeps in Your tormented Heart, my sleep is often interrupted by the embraces of love and pain of Your Divine Heart... On the border between sleep and wakefulness, I hear the blows that are inflicted on You, so I wake up and say: my poor Jesus, forsaken by all! There is no one to defend You. But I, being inside Your Heart, give You my life to be Your support when they knock You down... And I fall back into a light sleep. But the next embrace of love from Your Divine Heart wakes me up, and I feel deafened by the insults they hurl at You, by the murmurs, screams, and rush of people. My love, why is everyone against you? What have you done that they want to tear you apart like a pack of rabid wolves? My blood runs cold when I hear your enemies' preparations. I tremble all over and am anxious, wondering how I can defend you.
But my tormented Jesus, holding me in His Heart, hugs me tighter and says: CMy child, I have done nothing wrong, and I have done everything. Mine is the crime of love, a love that encompasses all sacrifices and has no price limit. We are still at the beginning. Remain in my Heart, observe everything, love Me, be silent and learn. Let your icy blood flow in my veins to bring relief to my Blood. Let your trembling flow through my limbs so that, identified with Me, you may be strengthened and warmed, and feel part of my pain and gain strength when you see Me suffering so much. This will be the most beautiful defense you can give Me. Be faithful to Me and remain vigilant.
My sweet Love, the noise of your enemies is so loud that it keeps me awake. The blows are becoming more violent. I hear the clanking of the chains with which you are bound so tightly that living Blood flows from your wrists, marking these streets... Remember that my blood is yours, and when you shed it, mine kisses yours, adores it, and makes reparation for it. May your blood be a light for all those who offend you at night, and a magnet that will attract all hearts around you, my Love and my Everything.
When they drag you away, the air seems muffled with screams and whistles... You are arriving at Caiaphas. You are silent, full of modesty and humility. Your sweetness and patience are so great that they terrify even your enemies. And Caiaphas, full of rage, would like to devour you... Ah, how different innocence and sin are from each other!
My love, you stand before Caiaphas as the greatest culprit, awaiting your sentence. Caiaphas asks the witnesses what your crimes are... Ah, he would do better to ask what your Love is! And one accuses you of one thing, another of something else, saying absurdities and contradicting each other. And while you are being accused, the soldiers standing beside you pull your hair and strike your Most Holy Face so cruelly that the blows echo throughout the room. They twist your mouth, they beat you... and you remain silent and suffer. And when you look at them, the light of your eyes penetrates their hearts, and unable to bear it, they move away from you. But others replace them to massacre you even more.
I see how you strain your ears amid so many accusations and insults, and your Heart beats strongly and bursts with pain... Tell me, my suffering Goodness, what is wrong again. For I see that your Love is so great that you eagerly await what your enemies will do to you, and you offer it up for our salvation. And your Heart calmly compensates for slander, hatred, false testimony, and evil done to the innocent with premeditation. You compensate for those who insult you at the instigation of their leaders, and for the insults of clergymen... But while I am united with You in making reparation with Your own reparation, I sense a change in You, a new pain that was not felt before. Tell me, tell me what it is. Share everything with me, O Jesus.
Daughter, do you want to know? I hear Peter's voice saying that he does not know Me. Then he swore and swore again, and cursed that he did not know Me. Oh, Peter, how can this be? You do not know Me? Don't you remember all the blessings I have showered upon you? Ah, if others cause me to die from [physical] suffering, you cause me to die from [heart] pain! Ah, how wrong you have been to follow me from afar and thus expose yourself to danger!
Meanwhile, your enemies continue to accuse you, and Caiaphas, seeing that you do not respond to their accusations, says to you: I adjure you by the living God, tell me if you are truly the Son of God.
And you, my Love, you who always speak words of truth, you take on a majestic posture and with a loud and gentle voice (so that everyone is moved, and demons are even cast into the abyss) you respond: You say so—yes, I am the true Son of God, and one day I will descend from the clouds of heaven to judge all nations!
Hearing your creative words, everyone falls silent. They tremble and are terrified. But Caiaphas, after a moment of fear, regaining his composure, enraged more than a wild beast, says to everyone: Why do we still need witnesses? He has just uttered a great blasphemy! Why should we wait any longer to condemn him? He is guilty of death!
And to add strength to his words, he tears his clothes with such anger and fury that they all rush at you, my Goodness. One strikes you on the head, another pulls you by the hair, another slaps you, yet another spits in your face and tramples you underfoot... The sufferings they inflict on you are so great and so numerous that the earth trembles and the heavens are shaken. My Love and my Life, Jesus, when they torture You, my poor heart is torn with pain. Oh, let me come out of Your beloved Heart and face all these insults in Your place. Ah, if it were possible, I would like to steal You from the hands of Your enemies. But You do not want this, because it is necessary for the salvation of all. So I am forced to surrender. But, my sweet Love, let me tidy you up, fix your hair, wash away the spittle, wipe away the blood, and shut myself up in your Heart, because I see that Caiaphas is tired, wants to leave, and wants to hand you over to the soldiers.
Therefore, I bless You, and You bless me and give me the kiss of Your Love. I shut myself in the furnace of Your Divine Heart to fall asleep in It. I place my lips on Your Heart to kiss You with every breath I take, and depending on the beating of Your Heart, suffering more or less, I will be able to feel whether You are suffering or resting. So, forming wings with my arms to protect You, I embrace You, hold You close to my Heart, and fall asleep.
Thanksgiving after every HOUR
My beloved Jesus, You called me in this HOUR of Your Passion to keep You company, and I came. It seemed to me that I could hear You praying in agony and pain, making reparation, suffering, and you ask for the salvation of souls with the most moving and convincing voice. I have tried to accompany you in everything. And since I must now leave you to attend to my work, I feel obliged to to say thank you and bless you.
Yes, Jesus, I thank You a thousand times over and bless You for everything You have done and suffered for me and for everyone. I thank You and bless You for every drop of blood You shed, for every breath, for every heartbeat, for every step, word, glance, bitterness, and insult You suffered. Everything, O my Jesus, I intend to mark with my thank You and bless You. O my Jesus, make a continuous stream of thanksgiving and blessings flow to You from my whole being, so that I may draw upon myself and upon everyone the stream of Your blessings and Your graces. Oh, Jesus, hold me close to Your Heart and mark every part of my being with Your most holy hands with Your blessing, so that nothing but a constant hymn of praise to You may flow from me.