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PART II.

THE WATCHES OF THE SACRED PASSION.

CHAPTER I.

The first NIGHT WATCH, FROM SIX TILL NINE P.M.

SCENE I.

THE GUEST ROOM. THE PASCH.

STATION I.

When it was evening He sat down with His twelve disciples (St. Matt. xxvi. 20).

He sat down and the twelve Apostles with Him (St. Luke xxii. 14).

We may take it for granted that none but the Twelve were present with our Lord at the Last Supper. Our Blessed Lady and the devout women were, no doubt, in some other chamber under the same roof, and it is said that the seventy-two disciples, the future helpmates of the Apostles, were elsewhere in the building, eating the Pasch. But the text of the Evangelists seems to make it clear that none but the chosen Twelve were at table with Jesus. He had words to say to them that were not for others. He wished to prepare them with special care for their holy ordination to the priesthood of the New Covenant, and to make His last effort to win back the traitor Judas.

When it was evening.

The sun had set, and with the setting began the feast of the Passover; and within the four Watches of the night and the four Watches of the next day, the Passion of our Lord, His Death and His Burial, are to be completed, and all is to be consummated.' "Ordinatione tua perseverat dies" (Psalm cxviii.). By Thy ordinance, O God, this night and this day shall go on. Through these night watches, and from the rising of the sun to its going down, praiseworthy is the Name of the Lord (Psalm cxii.).

He sat down.

The Latin word discubuit would imply literally that He reclined on a couch; but in this instance it may fairly be understood to mean that He and His Apostles took their places. Ordinarily, those at table reclined or sat; and the word is retained here, though they did not recline or sit during the Paschal supper, but eat standing. In consequence of the use of this word, some commentators have thought that the custom of standing had become obsolete. They go so far as to say that the ceremonies revealed to Moses were only for the first Pasch in Egypt, but this opinion cannot well be reconciled with Exodus xii. 24, 25: Thou shalt keep this thing for a law for thee and thy children for ever. And when you have entered into the land which the Lord will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe these ceremonies. And when your children shall say to you, What is the meaning of this service? you shall say to them, It is the victim of the passage of the Lord.

Just as the Holy Mass, then, is to show forth the Death of the Lord till He come (1 Cor. xi.), so the Pasch was to be a scenic observance that would bring to mind the night when the Lord struck the Egyptians and delivered His people. We may therefore assume that our Lord and His Apostles faithfully observed all the rites prescribed in Exodus xii. It is not indeed there mentioned explicitly that they were to stand, but this seems to be implied in some of the other ceremonies enjoined which we shall contemplate.

STATION II.

Thus you shall eat it: you shall gird your reins, and you shall have shoes on your feet, holding staves in your hands, and you shall eat in haste. And they shall eat the flesh that night roasted at the fire, and unleavened bread with wild lettuce.-You shall eat the head with the feet and entrails thereof. Neither shall there remain anything of it till morning (Exodus xii.).

After making the usual preparatory prayer, and, in the first prelude, recalling shortly the portion of the story we have selected for our contemplation, in the second prelude we picture, as well as we can, the scene, the special table prepared in the large Guest-chamber for the eating of the Pasch; our Blessed Lord and the Twelve standing round in the prescribed pilgrim's dress, and with staves in their hands; on the table the roasted lamb, the unleavened bread, the wine, and the wine-cups; the dish of bitter herbs.

Then we are permitted to place ourselves in spirit at a little distance, and to watch and to listen,

But before we begin, we lift our hearts in the third prelude, and beg the grace we desire, which is to know our Lord better, to love Him more, and to follow Him faithfully; but, in contemplations on the Passion, also and specially, that we may have some feeling and confusion because our Lord is dying, or going to His bitter Death, for us.

After this we contemplate, sometimes looking at the Persons, sometimes listening to words, sometimes watching actions — whichever we think likely to suit us best; and afterwards reflecting on ourselves we try to gain some fruit. Or, if we think well, we can dwell rather on one of the other three additional topics or points suggested by St. Ignatius: (1) How much our Blessed Saviour is suffering or going to suffer; (2) how easily He could put an end to His suffering, but will not; (3) how He is suffering all for my sins. What, then, must I do?

A. First, then, we will notice the prescribed pilgrim's dress in its details.

In Egypt this dress prescribed to the Israelites - the shoes, the staves, and the rest-denoted that they were to be ready for an immediate journey. The Egyptians, when they became aware of the destruction of their first-bornfor there was not a house in which there lay not one dead— pressed for their immediate departure. Pharao arose in the night and all his servants, and all Egypt.-And Pharao calling Moses and Aaron in the night, said, Arise, and go forth.And the Egyptians pressed the people to go forth.-And they baked the meal. And they made earth-cakes unleavened, for it could not be leavened, the Egyptians pressing them to depart, and not suffering them to make any stay. Neither did they think of preparing any meat (Exodus xii.).

While contemplating our Lord and His Apostles in their dress of travellers, we will be careful to reflect on ourselves and gather some good fruit.

And Pharao in the night said: Arise, and go forth!

And first it will be a holy and wholesome thought to keep in mind that we too are pilgrims and travellers. In the middle of the night there arose a great cry in Egypt, and the Egyptians bade the Israelites depart. So now also, in the middle of the night, we shall on a sudden hear the cry, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet Him