His blood be upon us.-They take the whole blame apparently, but that does not free Pilate.

Having scourged.-This is all S. Matthew says, and S. Luke does not say much more. This scourging was a very severe punishment.

Delivered him to be crucified.-This was after the Ecce Homo, and the pressure of the dread of Cæsar's enmity.

What converged to Our Lord's sentence?

Ist. The hatred of the Jews.

2nd. The violence of the mob.

3rd. The fanaticism of the

priests.

No one was ever condemned like Him.

1st. His betrayer declared Him innocent.

2nd. All the people knew Him to be a holy man.

3rd. Every village in Judea could tell that.

4th. The very elements pro

4th. The pusillanimity of claimed His holiness.

30. Et exspuentes in eum, acceperunt arundinem et percutiebant caput ejus.

31. Et postquàm illuserunt ei, exuerunt eum chlamyde et induerunt eum vestimentis ejus, et duxerunt eum ut crucifigerent.

30. And spitting upon him, they took the reed, and 'struck his head.

31. And after they had mocked him, they took off the cloak from him, and 'put on him his own garments, and led him away to crucify him.

After the scourging, the soldiers were all called together to the number of 600, which formed a cohort, in order to have some sport. A mock coronation was gone through. Either Our Lord was stripped again of His own clothes, or this refers to the scene before the scourging. At all events, a purple or scarlet cloak was found, a reed put in His hand for a sceptre, a crown made of platted thorns put upon His head, and all the external ceremonies of king-worship performed amid blows, buffets, and insults. This was the third mockery of Our Lord. The first took place in the house of Caiphas, the second in Herod's, and the third in Pilate's.

After the mockery, Pilate showed Him to the Jews, and had the dialogue which S. John gives. He then formally hands Him over, and they put off the cloak, but not the crown of thorns, as they prepare to conduct Him along the via dolorosa to Calvary.

1The soldiers of the governor.-Our Lord is now in the hands of the Roman soldiery altogether, four of whom have special charge. It is their turn to mock Him now, as the servants of Caiphas did.

"Scarlet cloak-Others say purple, as being the imperial colour; but both are commutable terms. A Cardinal wears scarlet, and it is always called purple. This may have been the cast-off cloak of some officer.

A crown of thorns.-There are various theories about the kind of thorns. Most say they were a marine kind, and very sharp. Even in their mockery there was a grim truth. In His humiliations Our Lord shone.

*Struck his head.-They drove the thorns into His temples. Think of the pain!

'Put on his own garments.—In order that He might be recognised, and also that they might have their perquisites.

Jesus carried His cross at first. The long beam is supposed to have been about fifteen feet, and the transverse about eight feet. It was a heavy load to be laid upon a wounded shoulder. Tradition has it that Our Lord fell three times, and that the Jews, fearing He might die of exhaustion, forced this stranger to carry it from the gate of the city to the place of execution.

Other incidents are given regarding this journey: the meeting with His mother, Veronica wiping His face, and the consoling of the women of Jerusalem, who wept over Him.

Calvary is on the west of Jerusalem, about 300 yards from the wall. Culprits were to be executed outside the city. The two thieves carried their crosses after Our Lord, and when they arrived at the knoll, little delay was made in carrying the

sentences out.

This way of the cross is still trodden by pilgrims, and for the sake of the faithful who cannot go to Jerusalem, the stations of the cross are erected in most churches, where a like journey may

be made.

1Simon of Cyrene.-Some say he was a Jew and some a Gentile. The tradition is that he became a Christian, and the names of his two sons, Alexander and Rufus, are in the Roman Martyrology.

2Forced him. The Latin word angariaverunt, and the Greek corresponding word, are derived from the Persian, which signified pressing people into a service they disliked.

Golgotha. The place of a skull. Some say that Adam was buried there, or that skulls were to be found at the place.

*Wine. Another Evangelist has vinegar. It was poor wine, very like vinegar, given to encourage or stupify those who were about to suffer.

Tasted. This was done to comply with the custom; but He would not drink, so that He might have to suffer the extreme and torturing pain of thirst.

35. And after they had crucified him, they 'divided his garments, casting lots; that the word might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying: They divided my garments among them; and upon my vesture 'they cast lots.

36. And 'they sat down and watched him.

37. And they put over his head his cause written: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38. Then were crucified with him 'two thieves: one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

S. Matthew does not describe the Crucifixion, and the others say simply: "They crucified him." The scene was too harrowing either to witness or describe for those who loved Him so much.

He was nailed to the Cross, and not tied to it, as is evident from His words to the incredulous S. Thomas, after His Resurrection. It is disputed whether four nails or only three were used, and whether there was a little bracket or block under His feet. The prevailing manner of painting and carving the Crucifix nowa-days is with three nails and without the supporting piece of wood. Some maintain that Our Lord looked westward on the Cross, thus turning His back to Jerusalem.

The day was the 25th of March, and the hour of His Crucifixion was noon. There is a discrepancy between SS. Mark and John upon this point easily reconciled by accounting for the mistake of a letter which crept into one old manuscript. This is explained in the observation on S. Mark's Gospel.

1Divided his garments.-The outer garment or cloak worn by the Jews was a square piece of cloth, with four seams running through, and fine tassels at the corners. It was like a South American poncho, a square piece of elegantly woven and coloured cloth, with a small slit in the