Those who strive to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven through numerous trials and narrow paths should observe whether any suffering is as intense as that endured by Him who lamented, ‘My soul is sorrowful unto death’ (Matt. 26:38; Mark 14:34). O you who travel this road! Look back and behold Him who has ‘no form or majesty’ (Is. 53:2) and consider how ‘our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death and crucified Him’ (Lk. 24:20)! Turn around and gaze! To echo the words of Augustus: ‘The Son of God is led to the Cross; He who came to eradicate the thorns of sinners is crowned with them. He who frees those held captive is bound; He who lifts up the fallen is hanged; the Source of life is saturated with vinegar; He who intended to give birth to children, though suffering of sin in paradise, now endures as a mother, bringing forth us with blood and water: ‘My children, for whom I am again in the throes of birth, until Christ is formed in you!’ (Gal. 4:19). In pain, affliction, and turmoil, He gives birth to us: ‘When a pregnant woman is about to give birth, she cries out in pain’ (Is. 26:17), and from the intensity of that anguish cries out, ‘O you who pass by the way, turn and see!’ As if drawing from Job's suffering, He says, ‘Have mercy on Me, have mercy on Me, O you others!’ (Job 19:21)—that is, show compassion to Me, show compassion to Me, all you who look upon Me! But alas! ‘I waited for one to sympathize with Me—and there was none; and those who comforted Me—I found none’ (Psalm 68:21). ‘My friends abhor Me, and those whom I loved have turned against Me’ (Job 19:19). ‘And Job's three friends heard of all these calamities that had befallen him, and each from his own land came to lament with him and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him; they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their garments and sprinkled dust on their heads. And they sat with him for seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw his suffering was very great’ (Job 2:11-13). We observe ‘great and grievous afflictions’ from head to toe in our mental Job—Christ the Savior. Let any faithful friend hasten to Him who calls us true friends, ‘You are my friends,’ lest He should say, ‘My friends and my neighbors stand afar off from me’ (Psalm 37:12-13)! If you are His friend, draw near and sit beside Him in sincere contemplation of His sufferings, not delaying seven days and seven nights, like Job's friends, but in this present moment, lest He say to us, as to Peter, ‘You could not watch with Me for one hour’ (Matt. 26:40)! He who truly loves Him, do not tear your garments, but rather unveil your heart for Him who allowed His heart to be wounded for your sake. Shed tears for Him who poured out His blood for you! In this time of His profound anguish and affliction, let your friendship be evident so that He may grant you aid in your own hardships. Thus, as we commence to share the story of Christ's Passion for the benefit of the soul, I will speak with His help from the Garden of Gethsemane, where He was taken, all the way through to His execution. I implore your affection to listen closely and to lend your ear to the words that I share, which I will express in the words of Saint Job, ‘My words are cruel’ (Job 6:3). To this attentive listening, the Lord Himself in the Lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah beckons us: ‘Hear, all nations, and observe my suffering; my affliction is greater than all diseases, and my heart is desolate’ (Lamentations 1:18, 22). Therefore, incline your ear, come with reverent contemplation, soften your hardened heart, and lift the eyes of your spirit. Consider, as the blessed Augustine encourages, the wounds of Him who hangs, the blood of Him who dies, the price of Him who redeems, and have compassion and empathy for His soul's anguish. Christ the Savior! I recognize that Your passion is expressed not merely through words, but through actions, not just through deeds, but through heartfelt utterances, and certainly not merely through speech but through abundant tears. I realize that no one can adequately appreciate Your Passion unless they first cast aside and reject that which brought about Your suffering and willingly take up their own cross. Yet, our nature is inclined to passion, and our strength is fragile; thus, I ask for the strength to present Your Passion to the minds of those who hear. You, who remained silent before Pilate and Herod regarding Yourself, grant that I might reveal Your Identity and Your afflictions, just as You once opened the ears and mouths of the deaf and mute. Now, let us receive ears to hear Your sufferings and a tongue to speak of them. In this plea, O Christ, I seek Your assistance and, from Your love, request patient attentiveness. For the sake of His immense love for us, Christ the Savior experiences great suffering in every part of His Body, beloved listeners! This is meant to draw us to His love, to instill in all our members a profound affection for Him. He bears heartache so that we may love Him with all our hearts; He endures trials in the mind, so we may love Him with all our thoughts; He suffers in the bones which uphold and fortify the body, so that we may love Him with all our strength; He is afflicted in the hands, so that we may always turn our hands toward the cherished land of heaven: ‘How beloved are Thy villages, O Lord of Hosts!’ (Psalm 83:2); He suffers in the feet, that, ardent with love, we may strive towards Him, ‘as a doe strives at the springs of waters’ (Psalm 41:1); and He bears suffering throughout His entire being, so that we may ‘glorify God in our bodies and in our souls, which are God’s’ (1 Corinthians 7:20). These and many others of His afflictions will be the focus of my current discourse. To this discussion belong the interpretations of the Passion Gospels—attend to them.
THEOSIS