Christ
having founded his Church ,was now ready to die for her so that the gate of
hell will not prevail against it, in it we can be redeemed.
 |
| Jesus and his apostles moving towards the garden of Gathsemane |
The
Thursday night of his last Supper having already advanced some hours, the Lord
then rose to depart from the hall of the miraculous feast and also the most
holy Mary left her retreat in order to meet Him on the way. Followed
by his twelve Apostles, the Lord directed his steps toward mount Olivet outside
and close to the eastern walls of Jerusalem. Judas, alert in his treacherous
solicitude for the betrayal of his divine Master, conjectured that Jesus
intended to pass the night in prayer as was his custom. This appeared to him a
most opportune occasion for delivering his Master into the hands of his
confederates, the scribes and the Pharisees. Having taken this dire resolve, he
lagged behind and permitted the Master and his Apostles to proceed. Unnoticed
by the latter he lost them from view and departed in all haste to his own ruin
and destruction. |
| Judas departed in a haste to the high priest |
Within him was the turmoil of sudden fear and anxiety,
interior witnesses of the wicked deed he was about to commit. Driven on in the
stormy hurricane of thoughts raised by his bad conscience, he arrived
breathless at the house of the high priests. On the way it happened, that
Lucifer, perceiving the haste of Judas in procuring the death of Jesus Christ,
and, fearing that after all Jesus might be the true Messiah, came toward him in
the shape of a very wicked man, a friend of Judas acquainted with the intended
betrayal.
 |
| Lucifer trying to persuade Judas |
In this shape Lucifer could speak to Judas without being recognized.
He tried to persuade him that this project of selling his Master did at first
seem advisable on account of the wicked deeds attributed to Jesus; but that,
having more maturely considered the matter, he did not now deem it advisable to
deliver Him over to the priests and Pharisees; for Jesus was not so bad as
Judas might imagine; nor did He deserve death; and besides He might free
Himself by some miracles and involve his betrayer into great difficulties.
Thus
Lucifer, seized by new fear, sought to counteract the suggestions with which he
had previously filled the heart of the perfidious disciple against his Author.
He hoped to confuse his victim; but his new villainy was in vain. For Judas,
having voluntarily lost his faith and not being troubled by any such strong
suspicions as Lucifer, preferred to take his Master’s life rather than to
encounter the wrath of the pharisees for permitting Him to live unmolested.
Filled with this fear and his abominable avarice, he took no account of the
counsel of Lucifer, although he had no suspicion of his not being the friend,
whose shape the devil had assumed; Being stripped of grace he neither desired,
nor could be persuaded by anyone, to turn back in his malice. The priests,
having heard that Christ was in Jerusalem, had gathered to consult about the
promised betrayal. Judas entered and told them that he had left his Master with
the other disciples on their way to mount Olivet; that this seemed to be the
most favourable occasion for his arrest,
 |
| Judas consulting with them about the arrest of Christ |
since on this night they had already
made sufficient preparation and taken enough precaution to prevent his escaping
their hands by his artifices and cunning tricks. The sacrilegious priests were
much rejoiced and began to busy themselves to procure an armed force for the
arrest of the most innocent Lamb.
