Tractatus Prior, Pars Altera, Cap. 4. Horrenda captio et deductio Domini lesu.

Tractatus Prior, Pars Altera, Cap. 4. Horrenda captio et deductio Domini lesu.

I give thanks to you, Lord Jesus Christ, hope of the saints and their stronghold in every tribulation, for your violent captivity by hateful enemies, for the bold assault of sacrilegious hands seeking to hold you, for the grim gaze of those who oppose you and the threatening clamor of armed men, for your harsh and cruel binding, for your firm and relentless detention, for the hasty and confusing arrest and that dishonorable treatment with injurious provocation, when you were dragged to death by the most worthless and despicable actors amidst a furious tumult, while your beloved disciples fled and looked on from a distance with heavy sorrow and grief. O King of kings, Lord, who rules over all creation and stands alone as the liberator among mortals, how can you allow yourself to be violently captured by wicked hands and so shamefully led away by men whom you yourself created and to whom you have always done good? Oh, how grave a crime has been committed against you, how carelessly your omnipotence has been disrespected, while you, liberator of souls, are bound by the ropes of the damned, and you, who are pure from all sin, are led captive like the worst of criminals. But you willingly endured all this for us, O most excellent craftsman of virtues, Jesus most loving, to give us a singular example of gentleness, so that you might fulfill that most evident word of Isaiah: "Like a sheep, he will be led to slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer, he will be silent and not open his mouth; he was offered up because he willed it." Suffer now, my soul, over the pain and captivity of your most loving Lord God, all this because of your sins, willingly endured. Let your soul groan deeply, and let your eyes be drenched with tears, because the only Son of God is treated so indignantly for you. Look at what the most shameless dogs, the wicked Jews, are doing. They hold Jesus captive and bound, and they lead him to Annas and Caiaphas, the high priest. But he does not resist when he is captured, does not murmur when he is bound, does not kick back when he is led away, does not curse when he is dragged, but goes like a gentle lamb, remains silent like a lamb, follows like an innocent one, suffers like a humble person. . Now I pray to you, my God, that the bitterness of your sorrowful captivity may often come to my innermost heart and especially at morning time may stir me to fervor in holy prayer, drive away all sluggishness, and make me eager and watchful to persevere in your praise, so that I may at least offer something of my labor to your love, you who were born for me at night, handed over at night, captured, and bound with ropes. Therefore, I will remember your name, Lord, at night, reflecting on how much you suffered for me, a worthless sinner. May your harsh bonds grant me true freedom, restrain me from useless wandering, and keep me in your service under firm discipline. Let it not be difficult for me to break and let go of myself, but may I willingly follow the commands of my elders along the path of obedience, and may I not fear to be led where I do not want to go, as long as it pleases you, Lord, what is commanded. May I never be found rebellious, never litigious, not bold, not loud, but pious, teachable, ready, and not disturbed, so that I may keep your commandments and observe the rites and ceremonies of the holy Church with humble devotion. Incline my neck under the regular disciplines and bind my hands to holy labors. To wander and to be idle is always absurd; to live under strictness and to overcome one's own passions is something I deeply desire, and may it be accomplished for me through a steadfast and untamed spirit, so that I may correspond in a modest way to your captivating and binding influence through an inner conformity.