the time of His
death down to the end of the world. He saw us also sinning with the
rest. No wonder then that He suffered so much in the garden. This
suffering on that night is called "Our Lord's Agony in the Garden." That
night Judas, who had betrayed Him to His enemies, came with a great band
of soldiers and people, with swords and clubs, to make Our Lord a
prisoner. He did not try to escape, but stood waiting for them, though
all His Apostles, who had promised to stay with Him, ran away. Then the
soldiers led Our Lord to the house of the Chief Priest. Then they
gathered the priests, and gave Him a kind of trial, and said He was
guilty of death. But at that time the Jews had no power to put persons
to death according to the law; so they had to send Our Lord to Pontius
Pilate, the Roman Governor, to be condemned, because they were under the
power of the Romans. The Jews acted against their laws in the trial of
Our Lord.

(1) They tried Him at night; and (2) they allowed Him no witnesses in
His defense, but even employed false witnesses to testify against Him,
and thus acted against all law and justice. Early in the morning they
led Him to Pilate, who commanded that He should be scourged. Then they
stripped Our Lord of His garments, fastened His hands to a low stone
pillar, and there He was "scourged" by the Roman soldiers. The lashes
used by the Romans were made of leather, with pieces of bone, iron, or
steel fastened into it, so that every stroke would lay open the flesh.
It is most likely these were the lashes used upon Our Lord till every
portion of His body was bruised and bleeding, and they replaced His
garments upon Him. Now, you know if you put a cloth upon a fresh wound
the blood will soak into it and cause it to adhere to the mangled flesh.
Our Blessed Lord's garment, thus saturated with His blood, adhered to
His wounded body, and when again removed caused Him unspeakable pain.
Next, the soldiers, because Our Lord had said He was a king--meaning a
spiritual king--led Him into a large hall and mocked Him. They made a
crown of long, sharp thorns, and forced it down upon His brow with a
heavy rod or reed; every stroke driving the thorns into His head, and
causing the blood to roll down His sacred face. They again took off His
garments, and opened anew the painful wounds. Because kings wore purple,
they put an old purple garment upon Him, and made Him a mock king,
genuflecting in ridicule as they passed before Him