ECCE HOMO, BEHOLD THE MAN

It seemed to Pilate that the spectacle of a man so ill-treated as Jesus of Nazareth would move and fills with shame the hearts of that ungrateful people. He therefore commanded Jesus to be brought from the pretorium to an open window, where all could see Him crowned with thorns, disfigured by the scourging and the ignominious vestiture of a mock king. Pilate himself spoke to the people, calling out to them: “Ecce Homo,” “Behold, what a man!” (John 19, 5).

                                                                                                            Ecce Homo; Behold the Man

See this Man, whom you hold as your enemy! What more can I do with Him than to have punished Him in this severe manner? You certainly have nothing more to fear from Him. I do not find any cause of death in Him. What this judge said was certainly the full truth; As the priests and Pharisees, in their eager and insatiable hostility, were irrevocably bent upon taking away the life of Christ our Saviour, nothing but his Death would content or satisfy them; therefore they answered Pilate: “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” (John 19,6.)

                                                                                                                   Behold the man

When the Blessed among women, most holy Mary, saw her divine Son as Pilate showed Him to the people and heard him say: “Ecce homo!” She fell upon her knees and openly adored Him as the true Godman. The same was also done by saint John and the holy women, together with all the holy angels of the Queen and Lady. On account of these prayers of the most blessed Mother Pilate was made to feel great compassion at seeing Jesus so horribly scourged and ill treated and regret at having punished Him so severely. Although he was naturally disposed to such emotions by his soft and compassionate disposition; yet they were principally caused by the light he received through the intercession of the Queen and Mother of grace. This same light moved the unjust judge after the crowning of thorns to prolong his parley with the Jews for the release of Christ, as is recorded in the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel of saint John. When they again asked him to crucify the Lord, he answered: “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I do not find any cause for doing it.” They replied:

“According to our law He is guilty of death, for He claims to be the Son of God.” This reply threw Pilate into greater consternation, for he conceived it might be true, that Jesus was the Son of God according to his heathen notions of the Divinity. Therefore he withdrew with Jesus into the pretorium, where, speaking with Him alone, he asked whence He was? The Lord did not answer this question; for Pilate was not in a state of mind either to understand or to merit a reply. Nevertheless he insisted and said to the King of heaven: “Dost Thou then not speak to me? Dost Thou not know, that I have power to crucify Thee and power to dismiss Thee?” Pilate sought to move Him to defend Himself and tell what he wanted to know. It seemed to Pilate that a man so wretched and tormented would gladly accept any offer of favour from a judge.

But the Master of truth answered Pilate without defending Himself but with unexpected dignity; for He said: “Thou shouldst not have any power against Me, unless it were given thee from above. Therefore, he that hath delivered Me to thee, hath the greater sin.” This answer by itself made the condemnation of Christ inexcusable in Pilate; since he could have understood therefore, that neither he nor Caesar had any power of jurisdiction over this man Jesus; that by a much higher decree He had been so unreasonably and unjustly delivered over to his judgment; that therefore Judas and the priests had committed a greater sin than he in not releasing Him; and that nevertheless he too was guilty of the same crime, though not in such high degree. Pilate failed to arrive at these mysterious truths; but he was struck with still greater consternation at the words of Christ our Lord, and therefore made still more strenuous efforts to liberate Him. The priests, who were now abundantly aware of his intentions, threatened him with the displeasure of the emperor, which he would incur, if he permitted this One, who had aspired to be king, to escape death. They said: “If thou freest this Man, thou art no friend of Caesar ; since he who makes a king of himself rises up against his orders and commands.” They urged this because the Roman emperors never permitted anyone in the whole empire to assume the title or insignia of a King without their consent and order; if therefore Pilate should permit it, he would contravene the decrees of Caesar, He was much disturbed at this malicious and threatening intimation of the Jews, and seating himself in his tribunal at the sixth hour in order to pass sentence upon the Lord, he once more turned to plead with the Jews, saying: “See there your King!” And all of them answered: “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” He replied: “Shall I crucify your King?” Whereupon they shouted unanimously: “We have no other king than Caesar.”

Pilate permitted himself to be overcome by the obstinacy and malice of the Jews. On the day of Parasceve then, seated in his tribunal, which in Greek was called lithostratos, and in Hebrew gabatha, he pronounced the sentence of death against the Author of life.

                                                                                    Pilate condemned Jesus to death

The Jews departed from the hall in great exultation and joy, proclaiming the sentence of the most innocent Lamb. They did not realize whom they thus sought to annihilate was the occasion of our Redemption.

When the priests and Pharisees rushed forth exulting in the condemnation of Christ to the death of the Cross, the pure heart of this most blessed Mother was filled with new sorrow and was pierced and transfixed with the sword of unalleviated bitterness.