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The Acceptable Time

Daily Readings for Lent

THOMAS A. KEMPIS

New York

THE PAULIST PRESS
401 West 59th Street



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The Acceptable Time

Daily Readings For Lent

FROM

THOMAS A KEMPIS

EDITED BY

REV. JOHN J. BURKE, C.S.P.

New York
THE PAULIST PRESS
401 West 59th Street



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The Acceptable Time

ASH WEDNESDAY.

B
ehold now is the acceptable time: behold now

is the day of salvation. The sacred season of

Lent has come, wholesomely instituted by the

Church: devoutly to be welcomed by all the faithful

of Christ. Prepare thyself, therefore, at this time

to live with greater care, to fast more strictly, to pray

more often, to praise God with greater diligence.

Accept joyfully the cross of the Lord, which the

Saviour of the world willingly accepted for thee.

For the cross is every affliction of the flesh and every

mortification of sensuality. This cross the love and

grace of Christ makes light and sweet: Who, by His

own example and the example of the saints, has

delivered the pattern of abstinence. Fear not, there-

fore, weak man, nor be too cowardly to fast. Christ

is the motive: Christ has given the example: Christ

also will aid to finish well. What thou dost is for

thyself. Penance thou must do in this brief space

of Lent unto the remission of the negligence of thy

former life; and afflict thy soul for God as compensa-

tion to the divine justice. The fear which thou feelest

is thy self-love: more timid than it should bOo

Often excessive fear and anxiety of heart for the fail-

ing of the body, afflict more than the actual fatigue

>f the toil itself. Let thy soul therefore be strong,

and thy will ready. Set before thee now one day, and

to-morrow thou shalt more devoutly add another:

and thus in God’s name thou shalt accomplish the

rest. Is not so holy a fast to be deemed all light

and brief for the kingdom of God and the love of

Christ? Cast aside the fear of the flesh manfully.

Walk in the Spirit of freedom: and anxiety for the

flesh shall not possess thee.



4 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

THURSDAY AFTER QUINQUAGESIMA.

A
nd Moses went up into the mountain: and he was
there forty days and forty nights. What, thinkest

thou, did this holy man there with the Lord?

Moses spoke: and the Lord answered. He, therefore,

enjoyed there alone the conversation of God, drawn

far away from the fellowship of men. There he

received the law of the decalogue: there he beheld the

secrets of God and many mysteries of our faith. He

learned there in secret what things afterwards he was

to teach the people. There, free from all worldly

cares, he took leisure and saw how sweet is the Lord:

how blessed is the man who reposes on His holy

mount. There, suffering no weariness of body, he

was refreshed with the bread of life and under-

standing.

O if thou also couldst go up with Moses into the

mountain of virtue, and, now during this holy season,

tarry there somewhat with the Lord, to listen to the

voice of God speaking from the midst of the cloud

and the darkness; perchance to thee also would be

given some special grace of divine knowledge and

enlightenment of mind, so that thou wouldst think

little of bodily food, but wouldst rather taste by expe-

rience in thyself, how true is that word of Moses:

“ Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word

that proceedeth from the mouth of God.”

Moses, after long dwelling with the Lord, is bidden

go down for the sake of teaching the people. So

every man, who sweetly reposes in God, after tasting

this sweetness, must return again usefully and humbly

to works of piety. Thus shall he never rest idle

but be intent either within on God, or without on the

profit of the neighbor.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 5

FRIDAY AFTER QT INQUAGESIMA.

T
he days of penance have come to us, unto the re-

mission of our sins and tJui salvation of our souls.

Blessed be God Who has» provided us with the

season and the method of doing some penance for our

sins. Wouldst that now thou wouldst overcome per-

fectly if only one vice; or unlearn some bad habit.

O if thou wouldst now go up but one step in virtue,

or wouldst gain some special grac« from the Lord.

If now thou dost not toil for thy perfection, when,

then, wilt thou make progress and when wilt thou

correct any failing? At other times it is praiseworthy

to be on one’s guard against what is lawful: but now

it is blamable not to abstain from what is lawful.

A holy season demands a holy manner of life; and

the many thousand examples of the faith’^ul encourage

the more to imitation. It now becomes every Chris-

tian to live more holily. Fresh devotion is to be

taken up, and greater watchfulne*?s is to be exercised

over the senses, and a perfect amendment of the

whole man, interior and exterior, is to be pursued.

Let the mind be devout, prayer pure, meditation

frequent, reading earnest, speech seldom and useful,

solitude pleasant and enduring: toH in the hands,

piety in the intention, Christ ever in the heart. Our

Lord Jesus underwent the grievous 5i‘orments of the

cross, and exhibited to us His patience for our conso-

lation and perpetual imitation. Whoever now is more

mortified and more solicitous for his inte'tor progress,

assuredly, when the Lord rises, he will cniore gladly

exult with Him.

Give me Thy right hand, good Jesus/ .^o that I

may with aU fidelity offer Thee the tithe (TV days

Amen.



6 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

SATURDAY AFTER QUINQUAGESIMA.

J

ESUS was led by the Spirit into the desert. O if for

some little time thou wouldst stand with the

Lord Jesus, apart from all human fellowship,

how happy wouldst thou be! Where thinkest thou

was His little hut, or the cave that sheltered Him:

or what kind of matting was spread under His body?

He sits upon the ground. He sleeps and reposes upon

the ground: Who rules heaven and earth. Behold

Him now seated, now standing, now bending His

knees in prayer to God, His Father Almighty. Ac-

company Him, therefore, in the grace of devotion, and

willingly abide alone with Him in His solitude, hav-

ing Jesus only for thy comfort. For without Jesus,

the whole world is a weariness and a burden. Learn

from Him how patient and meek He is in this vast

solitude. Ask of Him the reason of this life and say:

“What art Thou doing here. Lord Jesus? Why dost

Thou flee men, Who canst not come to any harm from

men? Why dost Thou shun the crowd. Who canst

not be disturbed by any? For what end also dost

Thou so severely fast, and thus chastise Thy sacred

flesh, seeing there is naught in Thee that needs to be

curbed ? Or is it for our sakes and for our salvation

that Thou dost these things?”

“ Truly is it so. I fasted, I hungered, I was tempted

and I resisted: I contemned the world and its glory,

I overcame the devil and his counsel; that thou also

by My example mayest learn to fast, watch, and pray,

to despise the world, resist the devil, subdue the flesh,

and continue in obedience even unto death. I will

gladly accept thy willing offering; and although it be

little that thou dost, still a humble and clean oblation

is ever pleasing to Mev”



ITHE ACCEPTABLE TIME 7

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT.

T
he words that I have spoken to you are spirit

and life. Listen to the word which proceeds

from the mouth of God and from the lips of the

blessed Jesus: “Blessed are the clean of heart

for they shall see God.” A sublime word, because

uttered by the Most High. A great promise, but as-

sured by the supreme Truth. “ Blessed are the clean

of heart.” O sweet saying, which rightly calls the soul

to the promise of blessedness. If the promised bliss

delights; let cleanness of heart delight also, that thou

mayest see the God of gods in Sion. Let thy whole

attention be watchful to cleanse the heart, and let

thy prayer be frequent and fervent. God is light and

He loves the lightsome. God is purity, and He casts

away the impure. Instable is the love of the world,

and every material joy void of content; but
^
what

abides forever, this is the true good of the soul. A

very great aid to cleanness of heart are contempt of

the world, self-denial for the love of Christ, and

frequent meditation on the Incarnate Word. Cleanse

therefore the mirror of the heart, if thou desirest

to gaze upon God. Very desirable is this purity of

heart which makes friends to itself of God and the

angels. For this grace we must struggle bravely,

pray frequently and toil unweariedly. For every evil

thing yields to purity, every created thing is subject

to it.

O most beautiful Jesus, Author of all purity. Who
hast promised eternal joys to the clean of heart,

grant me ever to possess this virtue, so that I may

pleasingly serve Thee in the frail flesh, and with all

my desires strive to cleave to Thee as long as I live.



8 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

MONDAY, THE FIRST WEEK.

H
e that loveth his life shall lose it. These words

speaketh the most loving Jesus, desirous to

part thee from the cares and pleasures of the

world. Lo, love and loss. The eternal Word of the

Father declares it: He does not deceive thee but

looks to thy salvation. Self-love is full of fear and

anguish: of self-denial is born ineffable freedom.

Self-love is an interior malady which is seldom cured,

unless God be loved perfectly. Self-contempt is a sign

of salvation, and he who commences with self-con-

tempt, will be made perfect in the love of Jesus. Self-

love darkens the heart, begets strife, and destroys

progress. But he who denies himself for the sake of

Jesus, he is free and at peace. The love of Jesus is

safe and strong; it knoweth not the soft and self-

seekers. The love of Jesus gives all that it is and

has, nor seeks save what it knows to be pleasing to

God.

The word denial seems hard to the carnal and

worldly, but to the lovers of Christ it savors sweeter

than honey and the honeycomb; because true self-

denial for God’s sake makes ready an everlasting

kingdom. The love of Jesus can bear present evils:

and is strong to break from temporal ease. It fears

not to be held in small esteem: and desires not

.honors. It can hold its peace in face of insults:

nor thinks of returning the like to them that injure it.

The love of Jesus possesses an invisible consolation:

it awaits a fruit that will never wither. The fruit of

the flesh is death; from which may He protect us.

Who has taught us to despise the world and overcome

the flesh: Jesus Christ, our love and our redemption.

Amen.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 9

TUESDAY, THE FIRST WEEK.

T
he foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests:

but the Son of man hath not where to lay His

head. This word of Jesus is frequently to be

pondered by thee, and carefully set in thy heart. The

animals have their dens, and the birds their nests or

crevices: but Jesus lived as a poor beggar: He

passed the way of the world as a pilgrim in haste.

The eternal Wisdom built not Itself a house made of

hands in the towns or cities; but content with the

common lodging of His friends, He followed the

simplicity of the poor in all things. What was given

Him for His sustenance, this He placed in the com-

mon fund and entrusted to the keeping of another.

He desired to have nothing of His own for Himself;

and used sparingly those things that natural need

required. If perchance aught remained over of gifts

or food, this He had distributed to the poor.

Do thou also, therefore, lay aside all useless anxiety

for temporal things, nor occupy thyself excessively

with resources for the future: but cast thy care upon

the Lord and think on heavenly things. Neither toil

eagerly for the necessaries of life, that later thou

mayest have abundance. Thou canst not alone en-

rich all posterity, nor guard against all losses. En-

deavor rather to leave behind thee an example of

virtue, than a sufficiency of worldly income. How

knowest thou whether it is expedient for thee and

others to have more? Lift up thy heart: cleave not

with the brutes to things of earth. Thou art to be

fed with the food of angels. The good and loving

Master Who has promised things eternal, will not deny

the temporal: He will add what is necessary, whilst

thou art in this life.



10 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

WEDNESDAY, THE FIRST WEEK.

My meat is to do the will of Him Who sent Me.When the disciples urged Jesus to eat, He
showed that the bread of obedience, which

most agreeably nourishes the soul subject to God,

is to be preferred to all bodily food. There is indeed

no drink sweeter than heavenly grace; which cleanses

the defiled, waters the parched, and refreshes the

tempted. Nor is any more delicious food tasted, or

richer banquet placed before the eyes of the loving

soul, than the fulfillment of the will of heaven. For

to seek the good pleasure of God in what is to be

done, is sweet above all else to the lover: and nour-

ishes the obedient disciple well and refreshes him

with spiritual joy because of the merit of obedience.

Thus Elias penetrating the vast wilderness, and will-

ingly remaining by himself, instructed by the angel

arose and ate: and while he fulfilled the command of

the angel, he walked in the strength of that food

unto the mount of God. For true obedience leads

with little toil to the summit of perfection, to the

mount of eternal rest: where there is full refresh-

ment from all heat and toil, and possession of entire

blessedness in the presence of the Father and the Son,

Jesus Christ, with the enjoyment of the Holy Ghost.

O adorable Jesus, Thou Whose example we must

ever keep before us, give me grace manfully to bring

into subjection to the will of the Father the stubborn-

ness of my spirit; to use prayer more often than

before; to be ever watchful therein; to trust lovingly

to Thee for help; to leave confidently in Thy hands

the issue of all my undertakings; and to be always

ready courageously to bear whatever troubles may

come upon me. Amen.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 11

THURSDAY, THE FIRST WEEK.

WHEN you have done all the things that are com-manded you, say: '' We are unprofitable serv-
ants” The present word of our Lord Jesus

Christ instructs us much to the guarding of humility.

It especially warns the desirous of high places, to* be

mindful of their own weakness and negligence; and

not to boast of their deeds, although well done accord-

ing to the judgment of men; but, fearful of the judg-

ment of God above them, rather humbly to implore His

mercy than to presume on their own merits. Bring

back to memory the evils thou hast perpetrated: the

vices of the present, the dangers of the future: and

thou shalt not be by any means high-minded, but shalt

rather fear and declare thyself base and useless. God

has no need of thy service, even if thou dost well; nor

wilt thou worthily please Him, unless thou knowest

thyself unworthy and unprofitable. When hast thou

been able for one day or hour to live so uprightly and

guardedly in the sight of God and men, as to overlook

nothing of those things that it behooved thee and be-

came thee to do? Put aside therefore all vain com-

placency and pride. Set thyself manfully against in-

rushing vice. And although thou oft be tempted and

fall, nevertheless thou shouldst endeavor to rise

again, and take up thy good resolve with greater

watchfulness. As often as thou fallest short of thy

conceived purpose, and hast no strength to march for-

ward; by no means lose heart, or be downcast, but

trusting in the Lord, with all humility and great in-

sistence cry and pray: “ Help me and I shall be

saved: and I will meditate always on Thy justifi-

cations.'^



12 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

FRIDAY, THE FIRST WEEK.

T
he children of the Jews, taking olive houghs, went
out to meet the Lord. It gives pleasure to con-

template the devotion of the Jewish people

honoring Christ with great joy and praise. For what

the Jews bodily offered Christ, living in the flesh, we

ought to offer spiritually to the Same, now reigning

in heaven: that we might hope to be led back by

Christ to everlasting life: Who shall raise our animal

body from the dust of the earth, and shall clothe it

with the glory of immortality. And to merit this who

shall be able to be worthy? assuredly he, who shall

humble himself as a little child among the Hebrew

children: showing himself ready in every place and

time for the good pleasure of God.

This is our King, Whom John the Baptist pro-

claimed as the Lamb, that was to come into the

world: Who for the salvation of the human race

drew near to the place of suffering, to accomplish the

work of our redemption: as it had been revealed to

the holy patriarchs and prophets. He did not turn

aside from the face of His enemies: but with the

greatest charity and compassion approached to the

envious and enraged to calm their passions: more-

over, for their coming excesses and evil deeds. He

mourned and wept. He heeded not the applause and

praise of men: but had His eye open to the future

dangers of the perverse: speaking thus to them that

securely rejoiced: “For if thou hadst also known

what things threaten thee: thou wouldst doubtless

rather grieve and weep with Me.”

Wherefore cast aside all worldly occupations; gather

flowers of good thoughts from Holy Writ: and wdtb

interior exercises, as with fresh palms, hasten to mee'>

thy King.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 13

SATURDAY, THE FIRST WEEK.

B
ehold thy King cometh to thee. Let us take
further pleasure in examining the apparel and

appearance of our humble King, seated upon the

colt of an ass: Who when He was in the midst of the

rejoicing people, showed no smile but wept. Nowhere

in all the pages of the Old Testament do I find any

of the kings of Israel, or Jerusalem, riding so humbly:

or without warlike arms and sounding trumpets has-

tening against the enemy. I believe that this was a

divine counsel; to fulfill the holy word of the prophet

long before foretold: that Christ the King of Israel,

was to come in lowly guise and the spirit of meekness.

Christ therefore came, the King of kings, the Lord,

not in the hand of might to fill men with fear, as

worldly princes do: but to give an example of

humility, whereby they might easily direct their steps

to the heavenly kingdom. Whence also the people,

rejoicing greatly in the coming of Christ their King,

cried: “A blessing that the kingdom of our father
David has come: hosanna in the highest.” And they

were not scandalized in Him because He came poor;

but turned the eyes of their mind to the proofs of

His divinity.

O Jerusalem, behold thy King’s humility and meek-

ness and justice and poverty, above all the kings of

the earth. He took in His riding a poor animal accus-

tomed to the yoke, in token of poverty and innocence.

He took, as His company, poor and unarmed men;

to whom He promised to give the kingdom of God,

which no man shall be able to take from them by

force. Whereto by His grace may He deign to bring

us, Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world, the King

of glory: Who is above all God blessed for ever.
Amen.



14 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT.

T
he Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth. Above all the benefits

of God bestowed on the human race, the Pas-

sion of Christ stands supreme and touches the heart

most tenderly. Therefore ought the mind to be watch-

ful to remember so great a benefit, and with great

compassion of heart, earnestly ponder on the bitter-

ness of Christ’s Passion: for this is grateful to God

and wholesome for him that meditates.

Ponder, therefore, Who is He that suffers these

things. Verily He is the Son of God Who suffers the

Only-begotten of God the Father, the First-born of the

Virgin Mother, conceived of the Holy Ghost, full of

holiness and grace. Behold the highest above all is

put down lower than all; the noblest is dishonored,

the loveliest is disfigured with spittle; the wisest

is mocked, the mightiest is bound
;

the most innocent

is scourged, the holiest is crowned with thorns; the

most meek is buffeted, the richest is made poor; the

most generous is despoiled, the most chaste is stripped

naked; the most worthy is blasphemed, the most ex-

cellent is reproached; the most learned is held a fool,

the most loving is hated; the most truthful is contra-

dicted, to the most sweet is given drink of gall; the

blessed is cursed, the peaceful is baited; the just is

accused, the guiltless is condemned; the physician is

wounded, the Son of God is crucified. Whence for a

time the light of the world is quenched, thence light

eternal is relit in the minds of the faithful. . Whence

for a brief season life is dead, thence everlasting

death is slain in the elect. By the Passion of

Christ the gates of heaven are opened, eternal salva-

tion is proclaimed to the whole world.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 15

MONDAY, THE SECOND WEEK.

O
MY people, what more ought I to do for thee, and

have not done it? Consider from whom Christ

suffers these wrongs. Assuredly from His own

people, from His own race dear to Him; from His

kindred according to the flesh; from the Israelites,

children of Abraham, whom of old He enriched with

so many blessings, ennobled with so many privileges,

instructed beyond the other nations with precepts and

laws and ceremonies; from men whom He Himself

founded, to whom He gave the best portion of the

earth; for whose sake He came into this world and

whom He desired to save. They heeded not how

humbly He lived among them, how wholesomely He

taught them; how He loved poverty and despised

wealth; how he fled honors and chose the lowly and

simple; how many sick He healed, to how many blind

He gave sight, how many demons He expelled, how

many lepers He cleansed; and how resplendent with

many other glorious signs, by His works He provecj

Himself God, and undergoing the needs of our body,

showed Himself to be a true man. For these many

good things they returned many evil; old men with

youths clamored, with awful cries: “Away with Him,

away with Him, let Him be crucified.”

O wondrous clemency of God! O inestimable pa-
tience of Christ! which could not be moved by such

wrongs, nor exhausted by sufferings. For herein He

gave to all that suffer wrongs a most excellent and

strong encouragement, that they bear at least a few

passing words who cannot yet endure hard blows.



16 THE ACCEPTASEE tTME

TUESDAY, THE SECOND WEEK.

T
hey have pierced My hands and My feet; they
have numbered all My bones. Thou shouldst
meditate how much Christ suffers and how

many numerous evils are inflicted upon Him. First

He was sold for a little money by His own disciple;

afterwards, by a kiss of feigned peace betrayed to the

enemy; grievously reproached by the priests; called a

blasphemer by the pontiff; defamed by the Scribes

and Pharisees; accused by the elders of the city;

brought before the judge by the servants; by Herod

despised and mocked; by Pilate condemned to death;

taken and bound by armed men
;
scourged and crowned

by the soldiers; insulted, spat upon and cuffed

by the retainers; detested by the maid servants.

Jesus was forsaken; He was hounded to death; with

shame and shouting He was led outside the city,

laden with the wood of the cross; stripped of His

garments, hanged naked between thieves; fastened

with nails, given to drink of vinegar and gall. Griev-

ous were the wicked words; more grievous the cruel

blows; most grievous the dreadful sufferings of the

cross. From the sole of His foot to the crown of

His head there was no soundness of body, but He

seemed as a leper to all that beheld. See then now

and ponder whether there is a sorrow like to His

sorrow which Thy God endures for thee. In thy every

trouble turn the eye of thy mind to Jesus hanging on

the cross; and “let this mind be in you which was

also in Christ Jesus, Who debased Himself, taking the

form of a servant, becoming obedient even to the

death of the cross.”



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 17

WEDNESDAY, THE SECOND WEEK.

C
HRIST died once for our sins, the just for the

unjust; that He might offer us to God. Weigh

well for whom Christ suffered and for whai

reason God endured so bitter a death. Without doubt

it was for our sins, which we contracted from our

first parents, which also we have each committed by

our own wickedness, in every age, or condition, or

order, or office whatsoever. “ For all have sinned and

do need the glory of God,” saith the Apostle. Sons

of Adam, we are all born children of wrath by nature,

but by the grace of Christ we are delivered, by the

baptism of Christ cleansed, by the death of Christ

saved from death everlasting. For the Head suffered

for the members, the Head ached for the members,

the Head on the cross prayed for the members and

gained forgiveness. Therefore for all Christ died; so

that, undergoing temporal death. He might overcome

eternal death, and of sin destroy sin: that is that by

the sufferings of His Passion He might pay all debts

of our sins.

The Passion of Christ is the treasure of the Church,

which cannot be exhausted or consumed, but is of

infinite power and worth. For hereby every debt is

paid, every sin is forgiven; and to the penitent the

kingdom of heaven is promised and given. Christ

found no man free from sin, therefore He came to

deliver all; by love He satisfied for all; by His com-

passion He willed; by His divinity He was able; by

His humanity He accomplished the work of redemp-

tion. Whence blessed Paul said, “ God was in Christ

reconciling the world to Himself; for Christ we be-

seech you, be reconciled to God.”



18 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

THURSDAY, THE SECOND WEEK.

Y
e are bought with a great price. Ponder how long

a time Christ suffered, and how long He was

in pain; for this is a part of the endurance

of His patience and brings great encourage-

ment to the cowardly and sad. The whole life of

Christ, from the beginning of His birth to the

giving up of the ghost, was spent in great

poverty, in persecution and temptation, in toil and

weariness, in the contempt and insults of wicked men,

and, finally, consummated in the death of the cross.

But considering the particular day and hour of His

Passion, then from the evening of the most holy sup-

per, the sadness and coming death commenced; when,

while His disciples still supped, He foretold them that

the same night He should be betrayed by one of them

into the hands of sinners; and it continued until after

the hour of His burial, yea even to the third day on

which He rose from the dead. Our Saviour, Jesus

Christ, suffered for us all the most grievous torments,

a long time and at different hours; for a whole night

and day He bore suffering for the sins of men, very

often shedding His precious blood. Our Redeemer,

the Lord Jesus Christ, willed to endure in His most

holy body so long a time so many pains to take away

the handwriting of our condemnation; to arouse us

to the fervor of severe penance; to give us an example

of great patience all the days of our life.

Study, therefore, after the example of Christ to

bear with an even mind all the adversities of this

life, and to hold on to patience as thy armor. Com-

plain not of the length of time, nor of the bitterness

of the affliction. Christ suffered longer more

grievious things for thee: it is just thou shouldst fol-

low the same way.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 19

FraDAY, THE SECOND WEEK.

J

ESUS also, that He might sanctify the people by His

own blood, suffered without the gate. Note all

those places in which Christ suffered any insults

or pains for thee. On Mount Olivet He prayed thrice;

there for sadness and fear He sweated blood and in

the prayer He made, He perfectly resigned Himself to

the will of His Father. In the garden He was sought

and found by the Jews: He did not flee from them,

but went to meet them; by Judas He was betrayed,

and kissed; by the armed servants taken and bound;

by the vile band, as a wicked thief. He was violently

dragged and brought to the city. In the house of

Annas He is first examined, and He is questioned

concerning His teaching and His disciples, and when

He had given a good answer. He was severely buf-

feted on the cheek. In the house of Caiphas, the

high priest. He is subjected |o numerous wrongs and

mockeries; His face is veiled, defiled with spittle,

struck with blows, and He is declared worthy of death.

He is publicly led with hands bound, through the

streets to the judgment hall of Pilate; and grievously

charged as a breaker of the law and a seducer of the

people. Thence He is sent to the court of Herod: by

whom derided. He is treated as a fool, and sent back

to Pilate. Mocked on all sides, reproached on all

sides; nowhere safe, nowhere at rest, after receiving

cruel blows and^any wounds. He is led out of the

city with the shameful cross; and hanged naked

between thieves on the place of Calvary.

Take as thine help the Passion of Christ; have

recourse to humility and the remedy of confession;

seek the mercy of God and place thine whole hope

of salvation in Christ.



20 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

SATURDAY, THE SECOND WEEK.

WITH these I was wounded in the house of themthat loved Me. Take heed, and with immense
grief consider, in what members Christ suf-

fered and what pains He endured for us in every

joint and in the five senses of the body. O what cruel
blows He bore in the scourging: how many thousands

of wounds were inflicted on Him; how often He was

struck again in the same place. Willingly and freely

He gave up His whole body to the strikers that He

might fully satisfy for the sins of all men. Turn the

eye of the heart to the different limbs pierced with

wounds. Begin from the sole of the foot and go up

to the crown of the head: for the whole body of

Jesus is full of the most bitter torment. Christ suf-

fered and was wounded in His beautiful and innocent

feet, wherewith He walked, often wearied, through the

land preaching the wo^fi of God. Christ also suf-

fered and was grievously wounded in His holy hands,

whereby He often gave blessing, touched the sick and'

made them whole, with which He took bread and

ate, consecrated His body and gave to His disciples

for their comfort. Christ also suffered very painfully

in His most holy head, as in the chief member of His

body, for all the lower members, which we are who

believe in Him, and cleave to Him by faith and love.

Therefore, if thou art a member of Christ, and livest

and savorest of the spirit of Christ,^ive heed now to

the head of Christ, the Son of the Imng God, and see

with what sharp thorns it is pierced all round for thy

sins. See the Lord Jesus suffering for thee, wounded

and dead for thee, and have for all His sorrows at

least a sigh, if thou canst not shed a tear.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 21

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT.

My soul is sorrowful even unto death. Bless andgive thanks to thy Lord Jesus Christ for the sad
beginning of His most bitter Passion; for the

exceeding distress of His soul; for the anxiety and

dread, which, in the weakness of His human nature,

taken upon Him of His own free will for our sakes,

He did feel, as the hour of His betrayal drew nigh,

and He began to be fearful and very sad. Nor did

He think it shame to confess this sadness to His

disciples. O wondrous dispensation of God! The

Lord of all power. Who but a short while since gave

strength to His disciples for the strife, now bears

Himself as One Who is weak, and wanting in courage.

And this He did the more perfectly to comfort

us in weakness and faintheartedness, lest perchance

some one of us, when sorely tempted, should despair

of pardon or salvation; for if such a one should feel

himself less cheerful than he should be under suf-

fering, less brave than he should be in enduring trials

of the flesh, he may still be able to say with His

Lord: “Father, not My will, but Thine, be done.”

O most loving Jesus, my only hope in every trouble

and distress, make me, I pray Thee, to ponder, with a

heart full of compassion, the sorrowful beginning of

this Thy blessed Passion, and from this sad prelude

to go on by degrees to meditate upon the still more

bitter parts of it, that so I may be able from each

several part to gather for the wounds of my soul

some healing medicine. Grant that I may bear with

patient courage, for the glory of Thy name, whatever

troubles may be awaiting me, and may in all things

resign myself to the good pleasure of Thy divine

Providence.



22 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

MONDAY, THE THIRD WEEK.

H
e shall he led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall'

he dumb as a lamh before His shearer, and He
shall not open His mouth. He was offered be-

cause it was His own will. Behold the Lord Jesus

violently seized by His hateful enemies, and, with

wild tumult, hurried away to His death by vile and

worthless scoundrels; while the disciples, who were

so dear to Him, either fled, or with eyes full of grief

and sorrow looked upon Him from afar.

Compassionate, O my soul, thy most loving Lord
God, an ill-used prisoner, enduring of His own free

will all these things because of thy sins. Groan

deeply, and let thine eyes be wet with tears of sor-

row, at the thought of the Only-begotten Son of God

being treated with such indignity for thy sake. See

what the wicked Jews are doing. They hold Jesus

captive, they lead Him bound before Annas, and

before Caiphas the high priest: but when He is seized

He does not resist; when He is bound He does not

complain; when He is led away He does not struggle

with His captors; when He is being dragged along

He utters no ill-word; but He goes meekly on, is

quiet as a lamb, follows His captors as One Who is

guiltless, bears everything as One Who is humility

itself.

I pray Thee, O my God, that the thought of the

grievous restraint thus put upon Thee may sink deep

in my heart. May Thy painful bonds win for me true

liberty, and by strong discipline keep me ever in

Thy service. May I have grace to bring my own inner

life, at least in some small measure, into conformity

with the example which Thou didst set when Thou

wast bound, and held captive.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 23

TUESDAY, THE THIRD WEEK.

1

HAVE trodden the wine-press alone. The good
Shepherd and gracious Master, our Lord Jesus

Christ, was most sadly abandoned and utterly

lonely in the extremity of His need. For His breth-

ren, and His familiar friends—who had promised to
die, and to give their lives, for Him—when the need
came, one and all forsook Him and fled. The Lord,

to Whom all things are known, and Who does not
allow anything to happen without its fulfilling some

purpose of His own, permitted these chosen vessels of

His to show such great weakness in order that out of

it greater good might come. From this fall, in short,

it was that they were led to know their own frailty,

and to sympathize with that of other weaker brethren;

and so ever afterwards they remained more distrustful

of themselves, more fervent in spirit, more humble

and devout.

How useful it is for me to meditate diligently on

this subject, and never to think too highly of myself.

If the pillars of heaven, the Apostles of Christ, gave

way in time of tribulation, what is a most frail and

unprofitable weakling likely to do when even slight

temptation assails him?

O Lord, grant that I may keep in mind Thy grievous

desertion and rejection, and count it gain to be

deprived of human consolation, if only I may thereby,

in my small degree, be conformed to what Thou hadst

to undergo. Thou hast trodden the narrow way be-

fore me, and, alas! I pass by without a tear, as if

Thy anguish were no concern of mine. Take pity, I

pray Thee, upon my cold, dull heart, and fill it with a

loving remembrance of Thy most bitter Passion.



24 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

WEDNESDAY, THE THIRD WEEK.

f F / have spoken evil, give testimony of the evil; but

1 if well, why smitest thou Me? Our glorious King,

Jesus Christ, was first arraigned before Annas,

the priest, where He was questioned about many

things, and in return for His meek and truthful

answer, was rudely smitten on the cheek. 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

was the virtue of meekness which shone forth in our

adorable Jesus, when, instead of avenging so insulting

a blow with immediate chastisement. He calmly ex-

postulated with him who struck Him.

Bethink thee now, O Christian, and say whether

for love of Jesus, thou couldst endure a slap in the

face. Thou who canst not bear a hard word without

losing thy temper, how couldst thou bear to be

smitten on the mouth? Thou dost grieve over the

uncalled-for violence offered to thy Lord; but much

more sad, surely, is it that thou shouldst be so little

able to endure, for Christ’s sake, even trivial wrongs.

Thou makest grand resolutions, thy ideals are lofty;

but the first reproachful word upsets thee, and thou

findest thyself weaker than thou hadst thought thyself

to be. Flee then to Jesus, and pray Him to give thee

the virtue of patience.

O good Jesus, Thou strength and stay of the

troubled soul, teach me to bear, with an even mind,

blame and reproach; teach me, when complaints are

unjustly made against me, not angrily to fight against

them, but rather to get the better of them by meekly

holding my peace. Give me, O most gentle Jesus,
for my impregnable shield, modest and imperturbable

calmness of mind.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 25

THURSDAY, THE THIRD WEEK.

I

ADJURE Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us if
Thou be the Christ the Son of God. Jesus saith

to him: Thou hast said it. Jesus Christ, Chief

Priest, and Perpetual High Priest, was contemptu-

ously led away from the house of Annas to that of

Caiphas the high priest, where the Scribes and Elders

were gathered together to take cruel counsel against

Him. This is their hour, and that of the power of

darkness, permitted by God, to His honor and glory

indeed, and for the salvation of the faithful, but for

the eternal damnation of unbelievers. Grievous

charges were, by the falsest of witnesses, laid against

Him; the high priest asked Him many questions,

adjuring Him to answer truthfully; and at last, on a

charge of blasphemy. He was by them all, with loud

voice, declared to be guilty of death.

Ponder, then, O loving follower of Christ, and lay

seriously to heart, how great was the splendor of the

lowly patience of Jesus under suffering! See what

shameful reproaches He has to bear. Whose praises

are sung by the heavenly hosts! For His truthful

answer to the high priest’s question He is condemned

as a blasphemer; but He bears all in silence; and

the more He allows Himself to be trodden under foot

of the ungodly, the greater is His victory, the greater

is His triumph over them.

Cease, therefore, O faithful soul, from thy passion-
ate murmurings at reproaches cast upon thee. Bow

down thy back to sustain the burden of earthly trials.

Blush at thy honors, thy fine surroundings, and thy

fine clothings seeing that for thee Christ was content

to be absolutely poor.



26 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

FRIDAY, THE THIRD WEEK,

L
et us always bear about in our body the mortifica-

tion of Jesus: that the life also of Jesus may be

made manifest in our bodies. Thou, God, the

Creator of all, didst deign to become man and tq die

for men. I therefore suppliantly pray Thee, Lord,

mercifully to look upon me, a sinner, and by Thy

grace inwardly to enlighten, frequently to visit, to

water with tears, to crush and cleanse with com-

punction; so that whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy

precious blood. Thou mayest renew and enkindle

by the earnest meditation of Thy Passion. Grant me

devoutly to progress therein and ever to gather thence

wholesome remedies for all my passions. Would that

it more and more deeply touched my heart than it has

hitherto; and affected and instructed me in such

manner as it has often enkindled and touched many

holy men and women. So that in my life also the

likeness of Thy death might result by the working of

the spirit and the mortification of the flesh, and I

might be able to say that memorable word of the

Apostle: “With Christ I am nailed to the cross.”

Whatever he felt grievous in the body, or troublesome

in the soul, all this he deemed light and easily bear-

able from the loving contemplation of Thy wounds.

And therefore he exhorted all Thy faithful lovers

saying: “Let us always bear about in our body the

mortification of Jesus: that the life also of Jesus may

be made manifest in our bodies.” Strive thou also,

my soul, now to do this same, and with mournful

mind and devout attention, direct thither thy gaze

where thou knowest Jesus suffered for thee in more

grievous pains.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 27

SATURDAY, THE THIRD WEEK.

B
ut us it behooves to glory in the cross of our Lord

Jesus Christ: in Whom is our salvation, life,
and resurrection. These words concerning the

sacred cross are read and chanted in Holy Church;

and therein is praised the merit of our Lord’s Passion

which is most deservedly placed before all the sacri-

fices of the Law, for in the Passion and cross of

Christ is our true salvation and redemption.

Happy the soul whose heart is pierced by the most

bitter Passion of Christ, and who daily exercises her-

self therein, meditating, reading, praying. Blessed the

soul which takes up her cross, renouncing all earthly

things, and whatsoever trouble befalls her within or

without, bears it all patiently for Christ and holds her

peace. For this is to glory in the cross, to rejoice in

tribulation for Christ’s sake, to abstain from delights

of the flesh, to flee honors, to forsake one’s own will,

and humbly to obey even unto death. To do this is

to imitate Christ by the cross and truly to love Him.

For herein Christ knows who belongs to Him, and

who loves Him more: if a man strive to conform

himself to His Passion not only in thought but in

daily mortification. And for this who is fit? Think-

est thou any man will be found ready to take up his

cross ? A great and deep mystery is the word of the

cross which all do not receive. Yea, very many dread

and flee the cross and yet it leads to life eternal.

O most beloved cross, chosen by Christ and on His

shoulders borne to the place of Calvary, help me and

defend me, that I may continue in a right faith, firm

hope, and perfect charity for His sake, Who died

on thee for me.



28 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT.

T
hanks he to God who has given us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Truly the Pas-

sion of Christ is the hidden treasure of God,

the fullness of every virtue, the summary of all holi-

ness.

But, alas, how great is the ingratitude of man, how

great is the sloth of the human heart, how great its

carelessness in remembering the benefits of God,

which are so boundless and precious that they cannot

be computed nor fully unfolded by any man. For

this thou shouldst grieve much that never hast thou

offered worthy thanks to God for His so immense

blessings. Thou shouldst strive to raise thy heart

to God, and as much as thou canst, ponder God’s gifts

with great attention, and serve Him with sovereign

reverence in joy of heart.

A great vice is ingratitude, and exceedingly blam-

able before God and man. For he is unworthy of a

divine favor who does not give thanks to God with a

devout heart. Nor does he deserve to receive more

who praises himself in anything, or works carelessly,

were it only one talent granted him. Nor should any-

thing be deemed little, which the Lord, so great and

high above all, bestows on a man poor and a sinner.

Let God then be loved much, let His praise be ever

in thy mouth. Let all be rendered back to Him, let

all be attributed to Him, Who certainly has given all

and has favored one unworthy. Nor does God seek

aught, save to be purely loved and duly praised for

all; so that by loving, praising, honoring, and return-

ing thanks to Him above all, man may be forever

beatified in Him. Amen.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 28

MONDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK.

T
hink diligently upon the Lord Jesus Christ, that

endured such opposition from sinners against

Himself, that you he not wearied, fainting in

your minds. The Passion of Christ, brought back

to memory, bestows many benefits on man; and the

more often and earnestly it is pondered, the more

sweetly it savors and the more deeply it moves. For

it is an incentive to divine love; it is the teaching

of patience; it is comfort in tribulation. It is the foe

of dissipation; it is the subject of holy compunction;

it is the exercise of interior devotion. It is the ban-

ishing of despair; it is the most certain pardon of

sins; it is the profitable redemption of past evil days.

It is a source of surpassing confidence In the hour of

death, that a man despair not of himself; it is the

appeasing of the severity of God in the judgment to

come. It is the soothing of anxious trouble; it is the

endurance of harsh reproach. It is the expulsion of

evil thought; it is the restraint of temptation of the

flesh. It is instruction in humble submission; it is

ease in bodily sickness. It is the belying of worldly

honor; it is the reproach of temporal abundance.

It is the counsel of voluntary poverty; it is the renun-

ciation of self-will; it is the cutting off of superfluous

wants. It is the arousing of lukewarm life; it is

the inflaming of fervent amendment. It is the gaining

of fuller grace; it is the bringing of heavenly consola-

tion. It is the easing of present pain; it is the

purging of future fire; it is great satisfaction for

daily sins. With these and very many other goods

abounds the Passion of Christ devoutly pondered,

often read, carefully digested.



30 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

TUESDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK.

I

GAVE My hack to the smiters. The Lord Jesus
Christ, by the cruel order of the wicked Governor,

was ordered to be stripped of His clothing, and

to be hung upon the cross quite naked, to be bound

with hard cords, to be beaten with sharp cutting rods,

and to be scourged as if He had been a wicked seducer

of the people, and the vilest of malefactors. Sharply

cutting wounds were inflicted on His most sacred and

tender body by those fierce soldiers who mercilessly

struck His virgin flesh, and rent it deeply, adding blow

to blow, bruise upon bruise^ that so there might

remain no sound part in Him, and that at each stroke

numberless streams of His precious blood might

gush forth like those of a crimson river—all which He
did endure that He might purge us from the deep-

rooted pollutions of our sins, and might cleanse our

souls from every guilty stain by His most precious

blood.

Keep therefore ever in remembrance, O faithful

soul redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, the

scourging of thy Lord; and, suffering so far as thou

mayest with Him, give to Him in return the obe-

dience of a heart filled with a lively sense of gratitude.

If thou hast anything hard, anything contrary to the

flesh, to endure, if only thou wilt meditate on the

scourging of Jesus, it will be to thee light and easy

to be borne.

O altogether sweet Jesus, Who for me, the chief of

sinners, wast most cruelly scourged, grant, I pray

Thee, to my weakness the help of Thy grace; that

remembering Thy undeserved scourging, I may be

found meek and submissive under what I have to

bear, no matter how heavy it may be.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 31

W^IDNESDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK.

B
ehold the Man, see, from the judgment hall,

goes forth the most meek and patient Jesus,

wearing on His head the crown of thorns, and

clothed in a purple robe, that so perchance the rage

of the fickle mob might be ever so little changed into

compassion, at seeing their victim so dishonored and

ill treated! But the angry crowd rages only the more

fiercely; and as Pilate calls out: “Behold the Man,”

it shrieks back its answer: “Away with Him! Away

with Him!
”

When thou hast heard all this, O faithful lover of

Jesus, and laid it to heart, tremble, and grow pale

at the thought of the extremity of His affliction.

Beat thy breast, pour forth thy tears, and fall low upon

thy knees, at the sight of Jesus crowned and made

believe to be a King. As member of a Body, the

Head of which is crowned with thorns, be not, for very

shame, fond of pleasure: having before thee thy

Lord, in all His majesty, submitting to this hardship

and disgrace, shrink thou from choosing a life of

great softness. Stand in awe, ye proud ones, who

pant to rise higher in the world. Blush with shame,

ye exquisites, who dare to carry yourselves proudly

in the presence of Jesus scourged and crowned. Be

comforted, poor Lazarus full of sores, and thou,

whoever thou art, who in this world art of no account.

My loving Jesus, may the thought of Thy sufferings

crush within me all my evil affections; and may the

remembrance of Thy most cruel anguish make my

daily worries easier for me to bear. May the holy

vision of Thy crowning, borne in upon my mind, and

carefully and deeply meditated, bring me great com-

fort under the assaults of the enemy.



32 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

THURSDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK.

A
way with mm! Away with Him! Crucify Him!
Crucify Him! Alas, how great was the savagery

of those miserable Jews; how inhuman was the

cruelty of the priests and of the Pharisees, who felt

no fear at putting Jesus to death, who felt no com-

punction at shedding innocent blood! The heathen

judge is moved to some sort of pity; but the hearts

of the Jews are hardened to yet more cruel malice.

Pilate would discharge Him, he seeks to release Him,

he declares that he finds no cause of death in Him;

but the Jews, forgetting all the good works He had

wrought among them, will not listen, crying out again:

“If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar’s

friend: for whosoever maketh himself a king, speak-

eth against Caesar.” Alas, with what utter falseness

do they allege these things against Him, Who never,

either by word or deed, sought earthly honors.

O thou to whom the Passion of thy Lord is dear,

lay seriously to heart the thought of this hour, shut

close the ears of thy heart against profitless chatter

about the things of this world, and throw them wide

open to hear this miserable outcry for the crucifixion

of Jesus. Should even thy good actions be distorted,

and many set themselves up against thee, cavilling at

thy words, bear all this meekly; for thou art not

more innocent than Christ. Let not evil words, which

are things of a moment, get the better of thee, for

whom is laid up by God an eternal weight of glory.

Gracious Lord Jesus, hold above me Thy life-giving

cross; that so I may render to Thee with faithful

lips the sacrifice of thanks and praise for victory won

under its shadow*



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 33

FRIDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK.

B
ehold the just pensneth and no man u*yeth

it to heart. Alas, alas, He Who is Truth is

delivered over to men who are false, the holy

One is scourged by sinners; He Who is guiltless is

condemned instead of him who is guilty: a robber is

chosen instead of Christ, and Barabbas, who had been

cast into prison, is set free instead of Jesus of

Nazareth! The lamb takes the place of the wolf; the

holy One that of the malefactor; the best of men

that of the worst; the man whose life was forfeit

escapes, instead of Him Who is very God. Darkness

is more highly esteemed than light, vice than virtue,

death than life, one who is infamous than One Who

is most noble.

Which of us on hearing these things can withhold

a sigh? Which of us can help burning with anger

against the Jews? Which of us can help blaming the

judge? The judge may wash his hands, he may

excuse himself before men; we may grant that he

acted in fear of Csesar, and that he was overborne

by the uproar of the Jews; yet is he not wholly free

from guilt; for he knew that they had delivered Him

up out of envy. Better surely would it have been to

have sacrificed place, and the honors of this world,

than to have condemned One Who was innocent, and

Whom Pilate knew to be such. More profitable had
it been to have lost the whole world, than to have

put Christ to death!

O most sweet and loving Lord, Who wast unjustly

condemned by Pilate the governor, and sentenced fo

the shameful death of the cross, help me willingly

to bear the yoke of subjection, and the rod of correc-

tion, and in every trouble that comes irpon me to call

to mind Thy anguish.



34 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

SATURDAY, THE FOURTH WEEK.

D
aughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, hut
weep for yourselves, and for your children. For

if in the green wood they do these things, what

shall be done in the dry? See Jesus with His body bent

almost double from the weight of that burden, so

far beyond His strength, which He was compelled

to bear to the hill of Calvary.

O how bitter at that time was the lamentation of

the holy women, who looked at Him with eyes full of

compassion, but were unable to come near to Him, or

to save Him from going to death. And how incon-

ceivably great must have been the woe which filled and

racked the Mother’s heart of Mary the Virgin, as she

saw her only, her most dearly loved Son, bearing the

wood of the cross and going forth to die! O how

gladly would she have offered herself to die instead

of Him, had she thought that this would have beef

pleasing to her Son. But that which was actually not

possible, nor permitted, that mentally she did indeed

bear to the full.

The inward burden of Christ’s anguish was thus

in many ways increased; for beside it. He had to bear

also the things that came upon Him from without,

His being forsaken by His disciples. His Mother’s

grief, the stumbling-block which His tribulation was

to many, and the faintheartedness of those who

despaired of His resurrection: for, except that of the

glorious Virgin, the faith of all was wavering, or

seemed to be extinct.

O faithful disciple of Christ, make thou also haste

to share the burden of the mystic cross; and, if thou

wouldst attain to joys eternal, strive now to follow

thy Redeemer’s steps.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

PASSION SUNDAY.

O
ALL ye that pass by the way: attend and see if

there he any sorrow like to My sorrow. Now
the memory of our Lord’s Passion is celebrated

in Holy Church: and it is befitting that the children

of the Church compassionate their Lord, Who for

them deigned to die in the body that they might live

both in body and soul for all eternity.

But what Shalt thou do
;

and what shalt thou

render to the Lord for His death? It behooves thee

to do something, although thou canst not repay Him

a worthy recompense for His death which He will-

ingly underwent for thee. Recall to mind then His

holy Passion, and according to thy measure strive to

imitate it; for this is to render Him great thanks:

cheerfully to desire to suffer tribulations for Him.

Draw then thy mind away from outward things, and

turn thy whole thought to the image of thy crucified

Lord. For thou wilt be able, by the impression of this

holy image, the more patiently to endure all bodily

pains. Now let fresh devotion inflame thee, because

of the Passion of Christ. If thou rememberest that

thou hast done anything well, add still better to what

is passed. Be now more earnest and fervent, for so

the memory of our Lord’s Passion demands. Let it

not be burdensome or wearisome to think over the

bitter Passion of Christ, which He was ready to

endure for thee. Each of these days gather and carry

away a bunch of myrrh from the vine of the Lord of

Sabaoth, which place between thy breasts for the

custody of thy heart: for thence breathes the odor

of life; and if thou chew it well, thou shalt receiv'^

Y.’ondrous strength amidst trials and reproaches.

/



36 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

MONDAY, PASSION WEEK

B
lessed are the eyes that see the things which

you see. Above all precious perfumes, the Pas-

sion of my Lord Jesus Christ diffuses its sweet

odor: containing in brief summary the treasure-store

of all graces. Therefore it gives chiefest delight to

behold Jesus hanging on the cross, and showing me

the most holy wounds of His body: lived indeed with

pain, but bright with love, beyond all His actions

inducing compunction: so that save Jesus Christ and

Him crucified, nothing pleases my mind to think, to

read, or speak, or hear. May God do this to me and

add this. Who refuses not His mercy to sinners, and

is lovingly nigh and favorable to the affections of the

devout: that the most sacred Passion of my Lord

Jesus Christ never fade from my memory: but the

grief and love of the most loving Crucified pierce

and wound my heart, and most mightily unite and

inflame: so that the whole world grow vile to me, and

Jesus crucified alone above all give relish; and the

more intimately and most frequently lead me unto the

inner mysteries of His Passion.

In many ways, according to the desire of the loving

souL the dear Jesus can wondrously reveal Himself,

and more fully instruct concerning His most holy

life and precious death and the glory of His resur-

rection; so that what the sacred Gospels teach and

unfold in words outwardly, Jesus coming in the spirit.

Himself wisely and spiritually explains within, with-

out noise of words: according to His blessed promise:

“
I am the Door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall

be saved: and he shall go in and shall go out, and

shall find pastures.” Amen.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 37

TUESDAY, PASSION WEEK.

I

TO my Beloved: and His turning is, towards me.

Between friends mutual discourse gives delight,

and private counsel is held dear. Such also often

takes place between the devout soul and Jesus cruci-

fied. She therefore says: “ I to my Beloved am what

I am, and beside Him I heed no other. On Him

alone I long to gaze, to Him wholly I commend myself

for He has care of me. His turning is towards me in

a special manner when He arouses me with the

interior goads of love to renew the memory of His

Passion, and demands that I thank Him and be con-

formed to Him within. For this wisdom, which comes

from above, is beyond man, teaching and urging

not to glory save in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ,

in Whom is my whole salvation and redemption. By

Whom also the world is crucified to me and I to the

world, that I may delight to say to Him with confi-

dence: I to my Beloved and His turning is towards

me. Much sweetness seems to me to be hidden in

this word and if I do not take all, still I do not give

up hope of receiving some, if only a very little. Let

the Beloved be turned towards me and say what He

pleases, I know that He will not speak in vain.”

“ My Passion,” saith the Beloved, “ is as some aro-

matic herb of most excellent perfume and sweetest

taste which carefully pondered in the heart, as if

crushed in a mortar, diffuses a most powerful odor,

healing every disease and sickness of vice. Take up,

then, a little portion of My Passion, and diligently

think it over according to the time and season. Bring

hither thy hand and see the place of My nails and be

not cowardly and fearful, but strong and great-souled

in imitation of My sufferings.” •



38 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

WEDNESDAY, PASSION WEEK.

F
or I judged not myself to know anything among
you, hut Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Take

heed to this, my soul, and leaving aside curious

things and all vanities, direct the interior eye of the

heart to Jesus crucified. For the present watch dili-

gently, and with Jesus on Mount Olivet pray to the

Father, that as to Him was given the chalice of His

blessed Passion to drink, so to thee also be granted

an ardent affection to compassionate Him lovingly.

For thou shalt find more in the wounds of Jesus Christ

than in the possession of the whole world. And the

Passion of Christ alone will bring thee greater won-

der of mind than the contemplation of all created

things.

Alas, alas, O Lord, how many pass before Thee

heedlessly; with dry eyes and unmoved heart they

pass by Thy image; without reverence or genuflec-

tion they hurry through the churches: they haste

rather to go out than to come in; it gives them more

pleasure to chatter than to pray; scarcely can they

bide a short while in Thy praise, although Thou didst

hang upon the cross, filled with many sorrows and

reproaches, a long space of hours for their salvation.

They are soon moved by a slight insult, and are nowise

touched by the insults of their Lord Jesus Christ,;

they feel a small hurt of their body and ponder not the

most terrible pains of their Lord. How little a love!

since the Head is grievously wounded and the heart

feels no grief thereat. Where are our eyes, O Lord;

and whither have we sent away our ears, that we give

no heed to Thee? Convert us to Thee, for very soon

are we turned away from Thee. Speedily we forget

Thy great love which Thou has", shewn us in Thy

blessed Passion.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 39

THURSDAY, PASSION WEEK,

A
nd they took Jesus and led Him forth: and

hearing His own cross. He went forth to that

place which is called Calvary. The meek Lord

proceeds on the way of shame with wondrous gentle-

ness; willingly He passes out through the gate of

Jerusalem, over which He wept on the day of palms.

He bears with patience the derision of His hanging,

inflicted on Him by His own nation. He protests not

at the injuries done Him: He resists not, goaded on

violently from behind. He summons not the angels

to His aid, nor begs the assistance of His friends, but

He goes on without delay. Alone He bears His most

heavy burden: alone He suffers the reproach of

shame. He is not withdrawn from the way of the

cross by affection for His Mother, nor hindered by the

tears of His friends. He is not disturbed by the

clamors of them that accompany Him, nor moved by

the shouts of them that hate Him. He is not re-

tarded by weariness of body from the task He has

begun, nor overwhelmed by the storm of scandals.

Alone, and that most constantly. He perseveres: free

and with peaceful heart He stretches forward to the

agony of His punishment, persisting ever in the

praise of His Father, shutting out no man from His

love; but with eager desire longing to fulfill the pre-

cept of the Father, ordained from eternity, and to

consummate the work of man’s reparation laid upon

Him by His Passion and cross.
“ Who wishes to come after Me,” He said, “ let

him deny himself and take up his cross and follow

Me.” Lo, thou hast thy Guide on the rough way,

Jesus the Son of God, the Captain and Teacher to the

nations

!



40 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

FRIDAY, PASSION WEEK.

WHERE they crucified Him, and with Him twoothers, one on each side, and Jesus in the midst.
Coming therefore to the place of Calvary,

with the standard of the cross, Jesus chose there to

set up the title of His name, and to work the mystery

of our salvation. There then Jesus, the Standard-

bearer of the cross. Prince and Patron of all cross-

bearers, stood in the place of awful shame. There

He is speedily stripped of His garments; and naked

He ascended the naked cross, and prayed for them

that crucified Him. There the Almighty, as though

He had no power, allowed Himself to be stretched

out into the form of a cross, to be fastened by nails,

to be pierced by a lance, and to be derided by wicked

men. There deprived of all human comfort. He left

an example of perfect self-denial and a pattern of

utter poverty. There by the touch of His sacred

flesh. He consecrated the wood of life, and by the

shedding of His precious blood, dedicated the altar

of the cross. There He ended His life by a happy

agony through obedience on the cross: dying. He

conquered death, opened the gate cf Paradise, and

led the late repenting thief with Him to the promised

joys.

Since, therefore, Jesus carried His cross on His own

shoulders, Who was without sin, bear thou also thy

cross, for thou hast grievously and often sinned and

justly deserved eternal punishment. Strive to keep

the way of the holy cross and to carry the sorrowful

image of the* crucified Jesus in thy heart, and manfully

to imitate Him in thy frail body according to thy

strength. Freely resign thyself, and trustfully com-

mend all thy affairs to the will of God.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 41

SATURDAY, PASSION WEEK.

T
hey looked upon Him Whom they had pierced.

Lift up thine eyes O faithful servant of Jesu^

and with sad heart, and mournful countenance,

look upon thy Redeemer and thy God, hanging be-

tween the lofty arms of the cross. Thy loved one

hangs there naked, that thou mayest look on Him;

His feet cannot move, but He waits for thee to come

to Him, He longs for thee freely to draw near to

Him. He lovingly opens wide His arms. He shows

thee His gaping wounds. He bends forward His head.

He is ready to receive thee into His favor, and

without delay to forgive thee all thy sins. Draw

near, then, boldly to the cross, touch it lovingly,

embrace it fervently, hold it firmly, kiss it devoutly.

Throw thyself at its feet, go not from the cross; that

so thou mayest win to hear some word spoken by the

Crucified, or when the end comes, to stand by His

side. Pay to Him the duty, which thou owest Him,

of thy tears; enter into the secret chamber of thy

heart; let the Crucified find in thee a loving and a

sorrowing disciple, one who is thankful and devout, a

cherisher of the inner life, and one who is drawn by

the cords of love to His wounds; that so the whole

world may be crucified to thee, and thou to the world;

that so to thee to live may be Christ, and to die with

Him thy greatest gain. Be it far from thee to glory,

save in the cross of Jesus Christ, thy Lord. Be it far

from thee to trust in thy own merits; upon the

cross of Jesus alone depend thy salvation and thy

redemption, and on Him thou art most firmly bound to

place thy only hope.

Look, O heavenly Father, upon the face of Thy

Christ. Him I ofPer to Thee as my Surety; Him

I leave the defense of my cause.



42 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

PALM SUNDAY.

F
ather, forgive them for they know not what

they do. With hands outstretched upon the

cross Jesus plead in behalf of His enemies and

of those who were crucifying Him, imploring pardon

for them and making loving excuses for them, in

words so full of sweetness and of love that they

might well have softened the heart of the most hard-

ened of sinners. O most sweet Jesus, how ready art

Thou to forgive, how easily art Thou appeased, how

plenteous art Thou in mercy! Thou didst feel more

anguish on account of the blindness of man’s malice,

than on account of the wrong which was being done

to Thee: and the working of so great wickedness

caused Thee more pain than the torture of all the

wounds which had been inflicted on Thee. Men did

Thee all the harm they could; and Thou didst repay

them by doing for them Thy best!

When to those who crucified the Pardon-Giver so

great loving-kindness was shown, who can despair

of the forgiveness of his sins? Cease, then, O my

soul, to despair, self-accused of so many sins. Hide

thyself within the deep wounds of the Crucified,

kiss the wales of His stripes, clasp with loving arms

the tree of life, hold fast to that most sure pledge of

thy salvation, Jesus hanging on the cross. But if

thou wouldst be heard speedily, if thou wouldst find

grace at the hands of thy Redeemer, and wouldst

obtain mercy from Him in all its fullness, thou too

must, from the bottom of thy heart, forgive thy

brother his trespasses against thee. Forgive him th«

few small matters in which he has offended thee,

that God may forgive thee thy many sins against

Him; and pray for his salvation as much as for thj

own: so doing thou shalt find grace.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 43

MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK.

A
men, I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me

in Paradise. Consider the boundless love and

exceeding mercy which thy Lord Jesus Christ

vouchsafed to show to him who hung at His right

hand upon the cross. He had been a most wicked

thief, but was now at length converted and a true

penitent. As soon as he acknowledged his sinful-

ness, and was truly sorry for his evil deeds, he

obtained^ by Christ’s sure promise, remission of his

sins, and entrance into Paradise.

How blessed and life-giving are the conversion and

contrition of sinners, by which a man may win a place

in the kingdom of heaven. That penitent, who had

been a thief, but was now a blessed confessor,

although he had long and grievously sinned, in the

hour of his greatest need, came to himself; and

grieving with heartfelt sorrow for all he had done,

humbly sought forgiveness, and obtained full pardon.

He admitted that he had been guilty. He reproved

his comrade for the wickedness of his blasphemy. He

laments that Christ, Who is free from guilt, has been

unjustly condemned. He had great faith; for he did

not despair of obtaining mercy from Christ; but

asked to be remembered by Him in the kingdom of

God. How blessed was the opportunity of this robber,

who was permitted to suffer with Christ, to die with

Christ, and with Christ to enter His kingdom.

Oh, that thou mayest have grace so to live; oh,

that thou mayest strive so to serve thy Lord, that

when the hour of thy departure from the body shall

come, thou mayest be found worthy to hear that most

sweet word spoken from on high: ‘‘This day thou

shalt be with Me in Paradise.”



44 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK.

WOMAN, behold thy Son. After that He said tothe disciple: Behold thy Mother. The life-
blood of Mary’s Son is now falling upon her

drop by drop; she beholds, hanging between two

thieves. Him Whom she has so often seen working

mighty wonders. She sees, made like to a leper by

the loathsomeness of His wounds. Him by the toucn

of Whose hand she has seen full many a leper

cleansed. She has before her eyes, racked with pain

of every kind. Him Who used to heal of every disease

those who were sick. She beholds, given over tc

death, that Son at Whose word dead Lazarus came

back to life. With such a tempest of evils is the

bright-shining Star of the Sea surrounded; but e

mind fixed steadfastly upon God is not to be over-

come by the wickedness of men. The Mother oi

Jesus, constant and faithful, patient and loving, bathed

in tears, stood at the foot of the cross, bringing

comfort to all who are in trouble or distress by

the example of her meekness and her patience.

See to it then, O faithful soul, that thou lay up in

the recesses of thy heart all these things. Be brave

and meek when tribulation comes upon thee. If God

spared not His own Son, how canst thou in this life

seek for happiness? If Christ allowed His own most

holy Mother to be grievously afflicted in this world

how canst thou expect to live in this world free of

worries ?

O most merciful Lord Jesus, sweet Son of Mary,

look upon me with those eyes full of pity, with which

Thou didst behold Thy Mother and Thy disciple stand-

ing in tears at the foot of the cross, what time Thou

didst commend the one to the other; make me to hear

also those touching words: “Behold thy Mother.”



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 45

WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK.

My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?Mark well, O my soul, this word of Jesus.
Oh, the wonder of it! how the Lord of ail

things. Who has need of nothing, is reduced to such

depth of misery that He tells forth His need into

His Father’s ears; that He Who orders all things as

co-worker with His Father, complains that His Father

has forsaken Him; that He Who upholds all things

by the word of His power proclaims the burden laid

upon Him to be too heavy for Him to bear; that He

Who is ever ready to comfort the mourner and the

oppressed, confesses Himself to be an outcast and

forlorn. Of a truth, from the beginning of His Pas-

sion until now, no words so woeful had yet been

spoken.

It was for me, O Christ, that in Thy passible human

nature Thou didst utter this cry upon the cross. Thou

didst submit to be overwhelmed by unfathomable

sorrow and anguish; and thus it is that with the

weak Thou canst be weak, with the mourner Thou

canst mourn, with the sinner Thou canst be sad, with

the oppressed Thou canst grieve, and for all Thy

weak members Thou canst offer up prayer with strong

crying and tears. Those words which Thou didst

utter were not spoken by way of rebellion or of

despair: they were the cry of Thy human nature and

sensibility. Thy flesh was suffering the penalty of

guilt, of which it had never known the slightest taint.

Thy Body, all innocent as It was, was enduring pun-

ishment than which none could be more severe. Thy

Divinity brought no relief to Thy anguish, that so for

the Redemption of our race nothing might be wanting.

What heart is there so hard as not to be pierced by

that exceeding bitter cry!



4S THE ACCEPTABLii TIME

MAUNDY THURSDAY.

I

THIRST. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Fountain of

living water, besides His burning thirst for our

salvation, endured an agony of bodily thirst and

as one utterly poor and needy, did ask for drink,

saying: “ I thirst.” But even this small request there

was none who would heed; none was there who would

even offer a cup of cold water to Him Who made all

water to flow. Nay more, some of the bystanders

filled a sponge with vinegar mingled with gall, and

put to His sweet mouth that most bitter draught.

Our gracious Jesus accepted and did taste of the

nauseous draught, that as the tasting of the forbidden

fruit brought death into the world, so the tasting of

this bitter draught might be to us a healing remedy.

Do thou, then, O disciple of Jesus, drink deeply from

this bitter cup as a cure for the indulgence of thy

appetites.

O Jesus, heavenly Manna, and most sweet Nectar,

Thou to Whom, when Thou wast grievously athirst

in Thy agony on the cross, vinegar and gall were

given to drink; grant that I may be careful to remem-

ber this bitter cup of Thine that so I may not be too

anxious about my bodily nourishment. Grant that I

may hunger after the Meat that perisheth not, but

endureth unto everlasting life. Grant that I may

thirst after the Fountain of life eternal, and that I

may be fed with that Living Bread which is set before

those who eat at Thy Holy Table. May I be allowed to

taste, be it ever so little, of its inward savor; that

so I may be able experimentally to understand how

refreshing is that Spirit, O Lord, which Thou as a

free gift dost shed forth upon the children of graea

Amen.



THE ACCEPTABLE TIME 47

GOOD FRIDAY.

I

T is finished. Bless thy Lord Jesus Christ, Revealer

of hidden mysteries, and Fulfiller of the Law and

the Prophets, for His most perfect accomplish- \

ment of the Father’s will in that short and welcome

word with which He did close, as it were, the story

of His life. “ It is finished.”

See to it, O follower of Christ, that thou imitate

thy Master in that of which this word speaks to thee;

work on while time and strength for work are given

thee; carry through what thou hast begun; that so,

when the evening of life’s day closes in on thee, thou

too, with Jesus, Who has befriended thee as it ran

its course, mayest be able to say: “It is finished.”

Walk, therefore, in the way of true virtue; follow

after righteousness; make up thy mind to fight even

unto death against thy besetting sins; that so thou

mayest be able to say with St. Paul: “ I have fought

a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept

the faith.”

O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Who in the beginning

didst jointly with the Father create all things; and

now, with the cooperation of the Father, hast made all

things new, Who art the brightest and most perfect

Model of every virtue, and the endless Reward of

every good work, direct, I pray Thee, all my actions

in the way of Thy commandments, and purify and

enlighten every thought of my mind. Teach me to

begin, humbly and with an eye to the praise and glory

of Thy blessed name, every work which I undertake;

to be diligent in performing it, and to bring it to a

happy end. Be Thou my recompense in the kingdom

of heaven; for Thee and Thee only do I desire to

possess as the Reward of my labors.



48 THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

HOLY SATURDAY.

F
ather, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.
With a loud voice Jesus commended His soul

into the Father’s hands, in order that at the

hour of thy departure from the world thou too shouldst

not fail to have upon thy tongue, and often to repeat,

the words of that blessed commendation, than which

thou canst not find anything more sweet to be remem-

bered at the last.

O most loving Jesus, Brightness of the Father’s

glory, and Sun of righteousness. Who for me. Thy poor

unworthy servant, didst vouchsafe to suffer this most

shameful form of agony; and when delivering up

Thy soul upon the hill of Calvary, for the redemption

of the world, didst commend It in prayer to the

Father, grant that I may ever feel within me both

sorrow and love for Thy most cruel death; grant

that, by mortifying all my corrupt affections, I may

daily exercise myself in dying with Thee; that so

when the hour of my departure shall be at hand, I may

be found meet to live again in the light of Thy mercies,

and joyfully to enter with Thee into the bliss of

Paradise. Stand by my deathbed, help me in my

agony, come to me when I need Thee most, defend

me from my enemies, deliver me from my distress;

comfort me in my sorrow, strengthen me when I am

dismayed, refresh me when I faint, take me to Thy-

self when my last sigh is breathed. May Thy last

Word upon the cross be my last word on earth; and

when speech fails me, give heed to this last wish

of my soul: “ Father, into Thy hands I commend my

spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of

Truth.”



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