Be with me now again as we approach the place where they stripped my Son of His garments; His pride—all is now gone. He is stripped in spirit, humiliated, pressed down and made low. In the eyes of man, He is nothing. In the eyes of God, He is love. Love, for all. He is love, exudes love, blesses all in love. But now, He is humiliated to the core of His being—blasphemed and hated, scorned by all around. This stripping, stripped Him of all—as you should strip yourself of all sins of the flesh, attachments to the world, loves that are not of the Lord.
As you now pray to God Above, see in your heart the love of God before you—stripped completely in His humanity—love for all in His divinity—yet this is masked by His Father now. As you approach Him as His mother, you reflect on all the love He has given you—all the gifts of grace in His Heart. But you are not allowed close to Him. He stands out as a spectacle before men—that more may humiliate, blaspheme, and inflict deeper wounds upon His being. His clothes now—removed by soldiers to cause the utmost in pain. None is to be spared the spectacle of torture about to ensue. All jeer. The crowd now is one, demanding death, demanding His life in retribution for the pain caused them. They will not be denied even one torture—the more pain inflicted on my Son, the better. He can barely stand. About to collapse now, they beat Him again. As He stands before the crowd, His forgiving heart sees those of His beloved steeped in hate, anger, and rage. They will not be denied! The soldiers carry out the tortures to please the crowd. Had they been able to flog my Son again without killing Him, they would have done so.
Redeemed now in the grace of the Spirit to carry on, He approaches the Cross now laid down before Him. The soldiers cast lots for His clothes. Whose shall they be? The soldiers now take their eyes off their Lord for their selfish motives. His clothes are divided. He now has fulfilled scriptures to this point. Can He go on? Death and life await. Can He persevere to death? Can He bring about new life with His love? He must, He will. Renewed briefly in grace, He is taken to the Cross to abandon Himself to the will of God.
I love you. Know now the pains inflicted on your Lord this day. Know He would endure each pain, each torture, each humiliation again—for you. He loves you child, as all His children He loves. But each one is individual and unique—and He loves each one as He has made them—individual and unique. Know my heart and the Heart of the Redeemer this day—in love.
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