2 hours ago
Chapter X. How Christ Revealed Himself Poor in Power
The third and supreme degree of poverty was that He did put away from Him His own nature. Firstly, because He made Himself poor and needy, laying aside His own power, He, the Omnipotent, unto whom naught was impossible, desired to appear and to live in the world as a man, weak, infirm, and impotent, in order that beside the human miseries, the helpless childhood and other burdens which He did take upon Himself for our sake, He who was without blame or sin might appear as but a feeble man. Verily He endured much weariness in His journeyings, visitations, and disgrace.
And what is more, not only did sinful man rise up against Him, but even the elements and senseless bodies received power from their Creator to cause Him suffering and affliction, and, as though He had no power to resist, He endured all for our sake. He gave power unto the sharp thorns to enter and most cruelly wound His divine and trembling head; He empowered the bonds and bitter cords to bind Him fast unto the pillar and tie His hands together; He whose death awoke the thunder and shook the earth, He who was the true and perfect Light, the Light which illumined all things, gave power unto the veil to hide Him, and unto the scourges that they should long and cruelly beat Him; He gave unto the hard nails power to pierce and enter His tender feet and the hands wherewith He had given light unto the blind and hearing unto the deaf; He empowered the lofty Cross that it should bear Him on high, His body scourged and bleeding and pierced as He hung there, and that it should show Him naked unto all.
And in order that He might suffer the most cruel and ignominious death, He caused the vinegar and hyssop to make bitter His mouth; He caused (oh, marvellous to hear!) the lance to enter and pierce through His divine side and heart, so that blood and water issued from out His heart and body and fell upon the earth. Moreover, He did give unto the soldiers who crucified Him, unto the Jews and unto Pilate and others yet worse, the power to judge, accuse, revile, and insult Him, to beat, mock at, and finally to put Him to death, He who with a single word could have prevented all things. With a single sign of His head He could have overthrown and destroyed them all; if He had but given command unto His angel, an infinite multitude of the heavenly host would have come down, and would in an instant have cast all things into the depths of the sea. If He had not verily granted them the power and had not shown Himself as being helpless and weak, there is no manner of doubt that no single creature would have been able to do hurt unto its Creator, yea, it would have abhorred such a deed.
A yet greater thing was it that He did submit Himself unto the elements, unto cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and other insensible creatures, concealing His power and despoiling Himself thereof in the likeness of man, in order that He might teach us weak and wretched mortals with what patience we ought to bear tribulation. He deprived Himself of power in order that He might save man, and by the glory of the resurrection did He make him strong to resist and to endure.
A thing even greater still was, that He did give the devil power over Him that He might be tempted and led into danger and persecuted even unto death, in order that He might thereby liberate man from the devil's power.
Thus did the invincible Lord of all become a sufferer; the Creator of all things became impotent; the strong King became weak. Neither did He oppose the devil, but became subject unto him, to all insensible creatures, to tribulation, injury, and pain, to all manner of grief and affliction, thereby putting to confusion us miserable wretches, who do esteem ourselves so tender that not only do we refuse all voluntary tribulation and penitence but as often as we can we do put away from us those tribulations and afflictions which are sent unto us by divine command, murmuring against God most iniquitously.
The third and supreme degree of poverty was that He did put away from Him His own nature. Firstly, because He made Himself poor and needy, laying aside His own power, He, the Omnipotent, unto whom naught was impossible, desired to appear and to live in the world as a man, weak, infirm, and impotent, in order that beside the human miseries, the helpless childhood and other burdens which He did take upon Himself for our sake, He who was without blame or sin might appear as but a feeble man. Verily He endured much weariness in His journeyings, visitations, and disgrace.
And what is more, not only did sinful man rise up against Him, but even the elements and senseless bodies received power from their Creator to cause Him suffering and affliction, and, as though He had no power to resist, He endured all for our sake. He gave power unto the sharp thorns to enter and most cruelly wound His divine and trembling head; He empowered the bonds and bitter cords to bind Him fast unto the pillar and tie His hands together; He whose death awoke the thunder and shook the earth, He who was the true and perfect Light, the Light which illumined all things, gave power unto the veil to hide Him, and unto the scourges that they should long and cruelly beat Him; He gave unto the hard nails power to pierce and enter His tender feet and the hands wherewith He had given light unto the blind and hearing unto the deaf; He empowered the lofty Cross that it should bear Him on high, His body scourged and bleeding and pierced as He hung there, and that it should show Him naked unto all.
And in order that He might suffer the most cruel and ignominious death, He caused the vinegar and hyssop to make bitter His mouth; He caused (oh, marvellous to hear!) the lance to enter and pierce through His divine side and heart, so that blood and water issued from out His heart and body and fell upon the earth. Moreover, He did give unto the soldiers who crucified Him, unto the Jews and unto Pilate and others yet worse, the power to judge, accuse, revile, and insult Him, to beat, mock at, and finally to put Him to death, He who with a single word could have prevented all things. With a single sign of His head He could have overthrown and destroyed them all; if He had but given command unto His angel, an infinite multitude of the heavenly host would have come down, and would in an instant have cast all things into the depths of the sea. If He had not verily granted them the power and had not shown Himself as being helpless and weak, there is no manner of doubt that no single creature would have been able to do hurt unto its Creator, yea, it would have abhorred such a deed.
A yet greater thing was it that He did submit Himself unto the elements, unto cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and other insensible creatures, concealing His power and despoiling Himself thereof in the likeness of man, in order that He might teach us weak and wretched mortals with what patience we ought to bear tribulation. He deprived Himself of power in order that He might save man, and by the glory of the resurrection did He make him strong to resist and to endure.
A thing even greater still was, that He did give the devil power over Him that He might be tempted and led into danger and persecuted even unto death, in order that He might thereby liberate man from the devil's power.
Thus did the invincible Lord of all become a sufferer; the Creator of all things became impotent; the strong King became weak. Neither did He oppose the devil, but became subject unto him, to all insensible creatures, to tribulation, injury, and pain, to all manner of grief and affliction, thereby putting to confusion us miserable wretches, who do esteem ourselves so tender that not only do we refuse all voluntary tribulation and penitence but as often as we can we do put away from us those tribulations and afflictions which are sent unto us by divine command, murmuring against God most iniquitously.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre