See, dear children, what happened to Our Lord. There was God standing amidst these wicked men. Why did the angels not come down from heaven to help Him? Jesus did not wish to be freed from His enemies. He wished to suffer and to be put to death. And why did He wish to die? Jesus wished to die for us. He came upon the earth to save us. It was through bitter sufferings and a cruel death that He wished to open heaven for us again. You remember the promise made to Adam and Eve after they were driven from Paradise? God promised them a Redeemer. Jesus was the Redeemer. Jesus loved us so much that He
desired to suffer everything and was ready to die a terrible death so that heaven would once more be open to mankind.
Dear children, think often about the sufferings of Jesus. When you consider that Jesus suffered so much to save your souls, how thankful you ought to show yourselves. You will do well to examine your conscience. Do you ever think of what Jesus did for you ? Do you ever thank Him for coming into this world, a poor helpless little child ? Do you thank Him for the example He has given you of living a poor life and being obedient to His parents for so many years? Do you try to please Him even in small things? Do you try to follow His example by being obedient, kind and unselfish as He was?
Think about these things today and offer Jesus your heart. Tell Him how sorry you are that you ever hurt Him by sin. Tell Him that you will try from now on to do everything you know He desires you to do. Thank Jesus every day for suffering so much for you.
Practice:
1. I will often think about what Jesus suffered for me.
2. I will tell Jesus how sorry I am that I hurt Him by my sins.
For sins of mine that made Thee bleed,
For selfishness with those in need,
For all of wrong in word or deed,
My Jesus, mercy!
For those who will not love Thee, Lord,
Who wound Thy heart and hate Thy word,
Whose mean acts pierce Thee as a sword,
My Jesus, mercy!
REVIEW
To the Teacher:
Try to inspire the children with a great devotion to Jesus suffering from the ingratitude of men. Make them see how painful it was to His Sacred Heart to be deserted by those to whom He had shown so much kindness. Lead the children to comfort our dear Lord by their love. Tell them they should often offer their little hearts to Him. Teach them the following prayer: "Jesus, how many drops of blood did You shed for me in the Garden? I know you saw my sins there. I wish I had never sinned. Please let me comfort You by loving You always."
Source: Practical Aids for Catholic Teachers, Imprimatur 1928
To be continued . . . . . . . . .