LENT: 40 Reflections and Mystical Revelations on the Passion

Pontius Pilate presents us with an enigma. In the Gospel accounts he is one moment hostile to Jesus' enemies, and the next, annoyed with Jesus Himself. Anne Catherine's vision took her into the depths of the Roman governor's mind. There she found a chaos of vices and passions, ignorance and confusion. If we are honest, we always glimpse in these interior scenes a reflection of our own miseries apart from the workings of God's grace.

As soon as it was morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. And Pilate asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And He answered him, "You have said so." And the chief priests accused Him of many things. And Pilate again asked Him, "Have You no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against You." But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate wondered. - Mark 15:1-5

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)

Only a few days before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, crowds praised Jesus as David's royal Son. They had adorned the streets before Him with their coats and palm branches, eager to see Him. According to Anne Catherine, on the way to Pilate's palace that boisterous scene was repeated-but this time as a diabolical parody. The mob was again eager to see Him-but this time, so they could mock Him.

Throwing their garments on the colt they set Jesus upon it. And as He rode along, they spread their garments on the road. As He was now drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" - Luke 19:35-38

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)

The Devil knows how to quote Scripture and twist it for his own purposes; he used the strategy during Christ's forty days in the wilderness. But Our Lord saw through the ruse and sent the Devil on his way. In Anne Catherine's vision, Satan used the same strategy with Judas and came to despair. This time, Satan won.

When Judas, His betrayer, saw that [Jesus] was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. - Matthew 27:3-5

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)

After relentless torments, even a few moments of relief for Jesus would have been a priceless gift from the Father. Anne Catherine saw in her vision, Our Lord was left alone in a filthy dungeon cell with a single sliver of a hole opening to the sky. The morning had just broken and a solitary sunbeam, descended from heaven on His broken body, a ray from His Father's face. His hour had come. This day was the pivot on which all human history turned.

Then turning to the disciples [Jesus] said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. ... I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!" - Luke 10:23-24; 12:50

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)

To the angry mob who watched as Jesus was interrogated in Caiaphas' house, He seemed utterly alone and abandoned to the whims of powerful men. But all these were blind. In truth, as Anne Catherine saw in her vision, Jesus was the only one present with any genuine power-the strength of holiness, made perfect in weakness. Behind it was an unseen play between the forces of good and evil.

The high priest stood up and said, "Have You no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against You?" But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I adjure You by the living God, tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." - Matthew 26:62-64

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)

After Judas' betrayal, the story of St. Peter's denial is perhaps the most bitter episode recorded in the Gospels. Peter's actions may be the most difficult for us to swallow, for they seem more out of character than those of Judas. Anne Catherine reminds us that any one of us might, under similar difficult conditions, give in to fear and confusion to deny Our Lord.

Peter followed at a distance; and when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in the light and gazing at him, said, "This man also was with Him." But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." And a little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not." And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with Him; for he is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. - Luke 22:54-62

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)

The physical abuse of Our Lord began in earnest once He was brought to the house of the high priest. Perhaps some of those present in the crowd had heard Him preach the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the meek. ..." As Maria of Agreda observed in her vision, Jesus modeled perfectly the Beatitudes of humility, mercy, and all the rest. These are examples to be lived even today.

Then they seized Him and led Him away, bringing Him into the high priest's house. ... Now the men who were holding Jesus mocked Him and beat Him; they also blindfolded Him and asked Him, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck You?" And they spoke many other words against Him, reviling Him. - Luke 22:54, 63-65

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)

The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus' first interrogation was by Annas, who demanded to know what He had taught. Jesus suggested that Annas interrogate instead the people who had heard His preaching. In Anne Catherine's vision, many of the witnesses in fact gave correct testimony of Jesus but drew the wrong implications of his ministry.

First they led Him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ... The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching. Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in the synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together; I have said nothing secretly. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me, what I said to them; they know what I said." When He had said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is that how You answer the high priest?" Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike Me?" - John 18:13, 19-23

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)

The visions of Anne Catherine and Maria are vividly detailed. Facial expressions, room furnishings, ambient noises, odors, features of the landscape-nothing seems to escape their penetrating mystical senses. In such rich visions, we feel for ourselves a little something of what these women might have felt when such scenes first spread before them.

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? - Isaiah 53:7-8

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)

After His arrest, in every place where Our Lord was dragged and tormented, we hear one long, ceaseless refrain: the taunts of those who took pleasure in seeing Him humiliated. Insults and indignities, sarcasm and slander, blasphemy and mockery followed Our Lord's disciples then, as they do today.

For it is for Thy sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brethren, an alien to my mother's sons. For zeal for Thy house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult Thee have fallen on me. - Psalm 69:7-9

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)