from 7 to 8 in the morning
FIFTEENTH HOUR
Jesus before Pilate, Pilate sends Him to Herod
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 bound Jesus, Your enemies, together with the priests, bring You before Pilate. Pretending to be pious and conscientious, they remain outside the atrium because they are to celebrate Passover. And You, my Love, seeing the depth of their ill will, compensate for all the hypocrisy of the ecclesiastical circles. I also compensate with You. But while You care for their well-being, they begin to accuse You before Pilate, spewing all the poison they have against You. Pilate shows his dissatisfaction with the accusations they bring against You, and in order to be able to condemn You justly, he calls You aside and interrogates You Himself, asking: Are You the King of the Jews?
And you, Jesus, my true King, answer: My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, thousands of angelic legions would stand in my defense.
Pilate, moved by the sweetness and dignity of your words, says to you in surprise: How is that? Are you the King?
And you: Yes, as you say, I am the King, and I came into the world to teach the Truth.
Pilate, unwilling to hear any more, convinced of your innocence, goes out onto the terrace and declares: I find no fault in this man.
The Jews are furious and accuse you of many other things, and you remain silent and do not defend yourself. You reward the weakness of judges when they face tyrants. You reward their injustice, and you pray for the innocent, the oppressed, and the abandoned. Pilate, seeing the fury of your enemies and wanting to get rid of you, sends you to Herod.
Jesus before Herod
My Divine King, I want to repeat your prayers and acts of reparation and accompany you on your way to Herod. I see that your enraged enemies would like to devour you. They lead you amid insults, mockery, and ridicule, and thus bring you to Herod, who, puffed up with pride, asks you many questions. You do not answer and do not even look at him. And Herod, irritated because he cannot satisfy his curiosity, and feeling humiliated by your long silence, announces to everyone that you are insane and deprived of reason. He orders that you be treated as such. To make you a laughing stock, he orders you to be dressed in a white robe and hands you over to the soldiers so that they can abuse you as badly as they can...
My innocent Jesus, no one finds fault in You. Only the Jews, because their false religiosity does not deserve that the light of Truth should shine in their minds. My Jesus, Infinite Wisdom, how much it costs You to be considered insane! The soldiers, abusing You, knock You to the ground, kick You, spit on You, mock You, and beat You with sticks. There are so many blows that You feel You are dying... The pain, insults, and humiliation they inflict on You are so great and so numerous that the angels weep and cover their faces with their wings so as not to see it. My mad Jesus, I too want to call you mad, but mad with love. Your loving madness is so great that instead of getting angry, You pray and make reparation for the ambitions of kings and leaders who seek kingdoms by ruining people, for the many massacres they commit, for so much blood they shed on a whim, and for the sins committed in courts, at courts, and in the military.
My Jesus, it is moving to see how, amid so many insults, you pray and make reparation! Your voice resounds in my heart, and I do what you do. Now let me stand by your side, share your pain, and comfort you with my love. And driving away your enemies, I will take you in my arms to comfort you and kiss your forehead... My sweet Love, I see that they will not leave you alone, and Herod sends you to Pilate. Your journey to Herod was painful, but your return will be even more tragic, for I see that the Jews are even more enraged than before and determined to bring about your death at any cost... Therefore, before you leave Herod's palace, I want to kiss you and, amid so much suffering, confirm my love for you. Give me strength with your kiss and your blessing, so that I may follow you to Pilate.
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.