The Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The 24 Hours of the Bitter Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Luisa Piccarreta, the Little Daughter of the Divine Will

† Fourteenth Hour: From 6 to 7 AM †

Jesus Brought before Caiaphas Again and Then to Pilate

Preparation before Each Hour

My pain-filled Jesus! Now You are out of the prison, but so exhausted that You stagger with every step. O allow me to come to Your side and support You when You are about to fall.

I see that the soldiers have recently introduced You to Caiaphas. Although disfigured, You appear in their midst like the sun, radiating light on all sides. Caiaphas rejoices at seeing You so badly beaten, and the rays of Your light blind him even more. In his anger, he asks the question again:

“Are you truly the Son of God?”

You, my Love, answer with the highest majesty, but in Your usual gentle and touching tone, which is able to captivate all hearts:

“Yes, you say it, I am truly the Son of God.”

Even though the power of this statement makes a strong impression on those unworthy judges, every good emotion is stifled. Without wanting to know more, they shout in unison:

“He is guilty of death, he is guilty of death!”

Caiaphas confirms the death sentence and sends You to Pilate. And You, my condemned Jesus, accept this death sentence with loving submission. In this way, You atone for all sins committed with deliberation and malice; atone for those who, instead of grieving over evil, still rejoice and exult in sin. This leads them to blindness and suffocates all light and grace in them. My life, Your satisfaction and Your prayers find an echo in my heart. I too atone and pray with You.

My sweet love! Now I see how the depraved soldiers, having condemned You to death, grab You anew, put new ropes and chains on You and bind You so tightly that they make it almost impossible for You to move. They push and drag You out of the palace of Caiaphas.

Crowds of the people are waiting for You, but no one to defend You. You, my divine sun, go among them to envelop them all in Your light.

By taking the first steps, You make the intention to include all the steps of men in Your own, praying and atoning for those who take steps out of evil intentions: some to take revenge, others to commit murder; these to commit treason, those to steal or commit other outrages. O how all these offenses wound Your heart! To prevent so much evil, You pray and atone and offer Yourself entirely to the Father.

As I follow You, I see how You, my sun, meet another sun on the first step of the staircase in the palace of Caiaphas: Mary, our benevolent Mother. Your eyes meet, striking each other's wounds. For although it is a consolation for You to see each other, Your hearts are pierced with pain. What pain for You to see Your good mother pale and in deepest sorrow! What pain for Your Mother to see You, the divine sun, darkened by so many insults and tears and wet with blood! But not for long can You enjoy the consolation of exchanging glances, since You are unable to exchange a word with each other in overwhelming pain, but Your hearts share everything and merge together. The soldiers push You forward, O my Jesus. Kicked and dragged more than walked, You come before the Roman judgment seat.

My Jesus, I follow You with Your sorrowful mother, with whom I unite myself completely in You. But grant me a look of love and give me Your blessing.

Reflections and Practices

by St. Fr. Annibale Di Francia

Jesus goes out to the light of the day and is brought before Caiaphas. With firmness He confirms that He is the Son of God.

And when we go out, do we let ourselves be directed by Jesus? Is our composure an example for others, and our steps like magnets that call souls around Jesus? The whole Life of Jesus is a continuous cry for souls. If we conform to His Will—that is, if our feet call souls as they walk, if our heartbeats, echoing the Divine Heartbeats, harmonize with them and ask for souls, and so on with all the rest—we, as we operate in this way, will form the very Humanity of Jesus within ourselves. Therefore, every additional cry for souls that we make, is an additional mark that we receive from our Jesus. Is our life always the same, or do we change it for the worse, depending on the encounters that we have?

My Jesus, Sanctity that has no equal, guide me, and let also my outward appearance manifest all Your Divine life.

Sacrifice and Thanksgiving