Day Twenty of Lent – The Innocence of the Lamb of God

REFLECTION ÀND PRAYER
Day Twenty of Lent
The Innocence of the Lamb of God

So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. John 18:12-13

When Jesus was arrested, He was bound and led before Annas the high priest. Annas then sent Him to Caiaphas, who questioned Him, mocked Him and then sent Him to Pilate. Pilate then sent Jesus to Herod who questioned Him, ridiculed Him and then returned Him to Pilate. Jesus endured one interrogation after another.

After questioning Jesus, Pilate stated to the chief priests and to the crowds, “I find this man not guilty” (Luke 23:4). Herod also questioned Jesus and found Him “not guilty,” sending Jesus back to Pilate. For a second time, Pilate addressed the chief priest and crowds saying, “You brought this man to me and accused him of inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him, nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by him. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him” (Luke 23:14-16).

Jesus was innocent. That was the double verdict of both Herod and Pilate, even though Pilate eventually consented to Jesus’ death. But the most important spiritual point is that Jesus was innocent. And it was precisely His innocence that made His death a sacrifice. If He had been guilty then His punishment would have been justified. But His innocence transformed His punishment into an atoning sacrifice for the salvation of the world.

As Our Blessed Mother listened to Pilate speak, proclaiming the innocence of her Son, she would have agreed with her whole heart. But she would have also understood that His innocence would not end in His earthly release. Rather, she would have understood well, as she listened to Pilate, that her Son was soon to become the innocent Lamb sacrificed for the sins of many. She would not have held on to an earthly hope for His release from these evil men. She would have held on to the hope that Jesus’ innocent suffering and death would instead release all men from sin.

Reflect, today, upon the innocence of Jesus. “Though He was sinless, He suffered willingly for sinners. Though innocent, He accepted death to save the guilty” (Preface for Palm Sunday). It was our Lord’s innocence that made His death the perfect sacrifice. Our Blessed Mother understood this well. As you ponder this truth, see the innocence of Jesus through the eyes of His Blessed Mother. Ponder her knowledge of His pure and perfect Heart. Reflect upon the gratitude and hope Mother Mary had as she stood before the Cross watching her innocent Son die for the salvation of the world. As she united her innocent heart with His, so you must unite your sinful heart to theirs, trusting that the sacrifice of the Lamb of God will take away all your sins.

PRAYER

My dear Mother, with the affection of your Immaculate Heart, you gazed at your Son in His innocence. You did not need to hear the words of Pilate to convince you of this truth. You knew His innocence better than anyone. But you also knew that His innocent suffering would become the source of salvation for all who would choose to accept this gift.

My dear Mother, I am guilty and deserve the death that your Son unjustly received. I am also eternally grateful for the freedom I have been given from my sins on account of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice.

My innocent Lord, Your sacrifice was perfect and Your willing acceptance of the Cross is the source of salvation for all who will accept it. Give me the grace to open my soul to the gift of Your love and, in turn, to imitate Your innocent suffering by embracing the crosses and injustices that arise in my life’s journey with faith and hope.

40 Days Journey with Our Lord
Day Twenty: Distortions

As we continue to prayerfully ponder the second temptation of Jesus in the desert, let’s look at one of the devil’s common tactics. Recall that in this second temptation, the devil took Jesus to the top of the Temple and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone’”

For those who are striving to live their faith well and to remain faithful to the will of God, the devil’s tactics are often different from his temptations of those struggling with serious sin. The devil will often tempt people caught in a cycle of serious sin more directly, trying to convince them that the grave sin he proposes is exactly what they need. However, for those striving to live the will of God, the devil is more subtle. He knows that temptations of grave sins for these holy souls will often fail. Therefore, he often starts with some truth and then distorts it in a slight way, causing confusion.

In this second temptation, the devil refers to Psalm 91:11–12 which reads, “For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go. With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” The subtle lie comes in the form of a misapplication of this psalm. As Saint Jerome points out, this passage is about those who walk in faith, not directly about Christ Himself. God gave us angels to care for our eternal souls. Their duty is to protect us from sin and from the evil one. The devil, however, tries to use this in a devious way, suggesting that the angels will keep Jesus from literally striking His foot against a stone if He were to jump off the top of the Temple. The distortion is that the psalm uses symbolic language, but the devil is trying to turn it into something literal, ignoring the spiritual meaning.

In our lives, the devil will often attempt the same by suggesting to us some passage of Scripture but with a misapplication or distortion of that Scriptural truth. If we believe his distortion, the result will not be the deep peace and joy that comes from doing the will of God. Instead, it will lead us to self-justification, confusion, anger, false compassion, etc. For example, say someone is planning to get an abortion and we choose not to “judge” them based on this passage, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Instead, out of a false sense of compassion, we say to them, “I do not judge you and will support whatever decision you make.” Obviously, this is a misapplication of that Scripture. We must always judge immoral actions, which is different from judging a person’s heart. The correct response would be to do all we can to help the person see that the choice of having an abortion is wrong in every situation.

Ponder today the important truth that the devil and his fallen angels constantly seek to confuse you. If they cannot tempt you with grave sin, they will try to distort the truth and mislead you one step at a time, trying to get you off the path of salvation slowly and surely. When this begins to happen, confusion and a lack of peace set in. Pray that you will be given the wisdom from on high to sort through and reject every lie you are tempted with every day.

PRAYER

Lord of all Truth, Your Word is freeing, transforming, and fulfilling. Please help me to understand Your holy Word, and never allow the evil one to distort it and lead me into confusion. May I cling to every Word that comes forth from Your mouth and follow that Word with all my heart.

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source: mycatholiclife