“And they that passed by, blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying: ‘Vah, thou that destroyest the temple of God, ,and in three days dost rebuild it: save thy own self: if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ In like manner also the chief priests, with the scribes and ancients, mocking, said: ‘He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the king of israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him now deliver him if he will have him; for he said: ‘I am the Son of God.’’ And the selfsame thing the thieves also, that were crucified with him, reproached him with.”
To the one that does not understand the mystery of love that brims from the Scriptures or the truth within: “The judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves. More to be desired than gold, and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm 18:10-11), it all seems like foolishness, and both Jesus and those that suffer for His love are held in low regard by those that do not know the truth of love: “In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery” (Wisdom 3:2). As the temple of Jesus’ body was being torn down into death, He is mocked for His powerlessness, whereas it was the power of His love that upheld Him: “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it” (Canticle 8:7) and kept Him nailed to the cross, even through the piercing agony of it. The chief priests, scribes, and elders then confess that He saved others from their afflictions, not realizing that if He wanted, He could have saved Himself: “Thinkest thou that I cannot ask my Father, and he will give me presently more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that so it must be done?” (Matthew 26:53-54), but rather than lessen the pain that comes with love, Jesus drank it to the dregs: “Can you drink the chalice that I drink of?” (Mark 10:38). For those that had read the scriptures and referenced them often: “Search the scriptures, and see, that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not” (John 7:52), it shows the blindness of heart that they did not realize that: “He was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed” (Isaias 53:5), and mockingly claimed they would believe in Him if He came down from the cross, whereas it says nowhere in the scriptures that the King of Israel would come down from His sufferings, but rather that “They have dug my hands and feet” (Psalm 21:17). To the opposite effect, it is a great service to your soul, Theophila, to read the Book of Life, which are the scriptures, and you’re your Beloved constantly through them, drinking in every word like the finest wine, smelling the perfumes of love that come from every passage: “His throat most sweet, and he is all lovely” (Canticle 5:16). Now, it is a greater glory to God to rise from the dead than to come down in the midst of suffering, which Jesus did: “Some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all things that had been done” (Matthew 28:11), yet even here the chief priests did not believe. There is also a look here, that you do not need miracles or wonders to prove God’s infinite love for you, but rather meditate on the Passion, make it your thought before sleeping: “If I have remembered thee upon my bed, I will meditate on thee in the morning” (Psalm 62:7), that your every waking moment may be filled with thoughts of how loved you are. Alternatively, singing Psalms or the Marian antiphons are lullabies by which the beloved soul is softly laid to sleep: “In peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest: for thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope” (Psalm 4:9-10). He then receives more mockery, that He suffers as an imposter, claiming to be the Son of God, but not reigning as a mighty earthly King as they anticipated: “But all Israel and Juda loved David, for he came in and went out [of battle] before them” (1 Kings 18:16). St. Matthew then relays that the thieves reviled Him, whereas Luke mentions one professing Him: “But the other answering, rebuked him, saying: ‘Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou art under the same condemnation?” (Luke 23:40), which can be explained by intimating that both mocked Him at first, but when the earth began to display its sorrows over its Maker’s suffering: “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole earth until the ninth hour” (Mark 15:33), one repented of his crimes and of his reviling, turning to Christ for mercy: “Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom” (Luke 23:42), for all sin before the infinite mercy of Jesus is as drops of water thrown into a burning fire: “Behold the Gentiles,” which can represent one’s sins, “are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the smallest grain of a balance: behold the islands are as a little dust” (Isaias 40:15). That both thieves spoke against Christ Crucified shows the horror and foolishness of the cross: “For the word of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:18), which only the eyes of faith can see as beautiful rather than scandal. While the thief captures heaven with his dying breath, this is not to delay beginning on the way of love, for while some authors mention the possibility of dying before one can make right their souls with God: “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2), in truth, one misses out on entering into a love story with their God, which is the most beautiful thing a human being can enjoy: “The Lord… is clothed with beauty” (Psalm 92:1), which comes through an encounter of love rather than through a hearing about: “With the hearing of the ear, I have heard thee, but now my eye seeth thee” (Job 42:5). Therefore, Theophila, pray urgently for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which will inflame you with the love, joy, and enjoyment of God and His gifts, that you may be one that burns with love, and radiates love to all you see: “And all that sat in the council, looking on him, saw his face as if it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15).