The Incarnate Son of God offered Himself to die for men

Stabat Mater dolorosa. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

Our Lenten meditations continue with posts taken from Considerations on the Passion of Jesus Christ by Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori.

"You may use this little book in your prayers when you meditate on the Passion. I am using it myself every day. I desire that you should not allow a day to pass without recalling to your mind, with the aid of this or another book, something of the Passion. The Passion was for the saints a continual subject of meditation." (St Alphonsus. 1773)

This grace I ask of thee to-day: obtain for me a continual remembrance of the passion of Jesus, and of thine also, and a tender devotion to them. 

The Incarnate Son of God offered Himself to die for men

References in the text to numbered footnotes are not hyperlinked but may be found at the end of the relevant paragraph.

Adam sinned and rebelled against God, and, being the first man and the progenitor of all men, he fell into a state of perdition, together with the whole human race. The injury was done to God; so that neither Adam nor all the rest of mankind, by all the sacrifices that they could have offered, even of their own life, could furnish a worthy satisfaction to the divine majesty which was offended. To appease this there was need that a divine person should satisfy the divine justice. Behold, then, the Son of God, who, moved to compassion for men, and excited by the bowels of his mercy, offered himself to take human flesh, and to die for men, that he might thus give to God a complete satisfaction for all their sins, and obtain for them the divine grace which they had lost.

Our Redeemer became man. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum

Our loving Redeemer thus came into this life, and became man, in order that he might find a remedy for all the miseries miseries which sin had brought upon men. At the same time, he chose to lead men to an observance of the divine precepts, and thus to the acquisition of eternal life, not only by his instructions, but also by the example of his own holy life. For this end Jesus Christ renounced all honours, delights, and riches, which he might have enjoyed upon this earth, and which belonged to him as Lord of the world; and he chose for himself a life of humility, poverty, and tribulation, until he died in anguish upon a cross.

Conspiracy of Jews. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

The Jews were possessed with a delusion that the Messiah would come upon earth to triumph over all his enemies by force of arms, and that, having conquered them, and acquired the rule of all the earth, he would make his followers rich and glorious. But if the Messiah had been what the Jews imagined him to be, a prince triumphant and honored by all men as the sovereign of all the earth, he would not have been the Redeemer promised by God, and predicted by the prophets.


This he himself declared, when he replied to Pilate, My kingdom is not of this world. [1] On this St. Fulgentius writes: “Why, Herod art thou thus troubled? This king who is born is not come to conquer kings in battle, but wonderfully to subdue them by his death.”[2]




[1] [36] Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now my kingdom is not from hence.
Respondit Jesus : Regnum meum non est de hoc mundo. Si ex hoc mundo esset regnum meum, ministri mei utique decertarent ut non traderer Judaeis : nunc autem regnum meum non est hinc. [John 18]

[2] St. Fulgentius: 468 - 533: Bishop of Ruspe in the province of Byzacene in Africa, eminent among the Fathers of the Church for saintly life, eloquence and theological learning.

The Jews had two false notions respecting the Redeemer whom they expected; the first was, the idea that the spiritual and eternal blessings with which the prophets foretold that the Messiah would enrich his people, were earthly and temporal blessings: There shall be faith in thy days: the riches of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord, that shall be thy treasure. [3] These were the blessings promised by the Redeemer: faith, the knowledge of virtue, and holy fear. These were the riches of the salvation which he had promised. Besides this, he promised that he would bring medicine for the penitent, pardon for sinners, and liberty to the captives of the devil: He hath sent Me to bring tidings to those who are meek, that I should heal those who are contrite of heart, and preach pardon to the captives, and liberty to those who are in bondage.[4]

[3] [6] And there shall be faith in thy times: riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.
Et erit fides in temporibus tuis : divitiae salutis sapientia et scientia; timor Domini ipse est thesaurus ejus. [Isai 33]
[4] [1] The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up.
Spiritus Domini super me, eo quod unxerit Dominus me; ad annuntiandum mansuetis misit me, ut mederer contritis corde, et praedicarem captivis indulgentiam, et clausis apertionem; [Isai 61]

The other delusion of the Jews was, that what was predicted by the prophets respecting the second coming of the Saviour when he should come to judge the world at the end of ages, was to be understood of his first coming. David wrote of the future Messiah, that he would conquer the princes of the earth, and beat down the pride of many, and with the force of his sword would subdue the whole earth: The Lord, upon Thy right hand, shall beat down kings in the day of His wrath; He shall judge among the nations; He shall shatter the heads of many upon the earth. [5] And the prophet Jeremias wrote: The sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of the earth to the other. [6] But all this is to be understood of the second advent, when he shall come as a judge to condemn the wicked.

[5] [5] The Lord at thy right hand hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.
Dominus a dextris tuis; confregit in die irae suae reges. 
[6] He shall judge among nations, he shall fill ruins: he shall crush the heads in the land of the many.
Judicabit in nationibus; implebit ruinas, conquassabit capita in terra multorum,[Ps 109]
[6] [12] The spoilers are come upon all the ways of the wilderness, for the sword of the Lord shall devour from one end of the land to the other end thereof: there is no peace for all flesh.
Super omnes vias deserti venerunt vastatores, quia gladius Domini devorabit : ab extremo terrae usque ad extremum ejus, non est pax universae carni. [Jer 12]

The Saviour sitteth upon an ass. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

When the prophets spoke of the first advent, in which he would accomplish the work of redemption, they most clearly foretold that the Redeemer would live upon this earth a life of poverty and contempt. This was what was written by the prophet Zacharias, when speaking of the life of Jesus Christ: Behold thy king cometh to thee as a just one, and the Saviour; He is poor, and sitteth upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. 4911

All this was specially fulfilled when he entered into Jerusalem sitting upon a young ass, and was honourably received as the desired Messiah, as St. John writes, And Jesus found an ass and sat upon it, as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion, behold thy king cometh to thee, sitting upon an ass’s colt. [7]





[7] [9] Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: BEHOLD THY KING will come to thee, the just and saviour: he is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Exsulta satis, filia Sion; jubila, filia Jerusalem : ecce rex tuus veniet tibi justus, et salvator : ipse pauper, et ascendens super asinam et super pullum filium asinae. [Zach 9]

We know, also, that he was poor from the time of his birth, being born in Bethlehem, a place of no celebrity, and in a cave:  

And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, art little among the thousands of Judah; from thee cometh forth to Me He who is the ruler of Israel; and His going forth is from the beginning, and from the days of eternity. [8]


This prophecy, also, is referred to by St. Matthew and St. John. [9] 



[8] [2] AND THOU, BETHLEHEM Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Juda: out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel: and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.
Et tu, Bethlehem Ephrata, parvulus es in millibus Juda; ex te mihi egredietur qui sit dominator in Israel, et egressus ejus ab initio, a diebus aeternitatis. [Mich 5]
[9] Matt 2:6; John 7:42

Further, also, the prophet Osee writes: From Egypt I have called My Son; [10] which was fulfilled when Jesus Christ was carried as an infant into Egypt, where he remained about seven years, as a stranger in the midst of a barbarous race, far from his kindred and friends, which was sufficient to make his life one of poverty. And so, also, he continued to live the life of the poor when he had returned to Judea. He himself had foretold, by the mouth of David, that throughout all his life he would remain poor and afflicted with toils: I am poor, and in the midst of labors from my youth. 4916

[10] [1] As the morning passeth, so hath the king of Israel passed away. Because Israel was a child, and I loved him: and I called my son out of Egypt.[11] Sicut mane transiit, pertransiit rex Israel. Quia puer Israel, et dilexi eum; et ex Aegypto vocavi filium meum. [Os 11]
[16] I am poor, and in labours from my youth: and being exalted have been humbled and troubled.
Pauper sum ego, et in laboribus a juventute mea; exaltatus autem, humiliatus sum et conturbatus. [Ps 87] 

Almighty God could not consider his justice sufficiently satisfied by all the sacrifices that men could offer, even of their own lives; and therefore he ordained that his own Son should take a human body, and become a victim worthy to reconcile him with men, and obtain salvation for them. Sacrifice and oblation Thou wouldst not, but a body hast Thou prepared for Me. [12] The only-begotten Son offered himself willingly to be a sacrifice for us, and came down on earth in order that he might accomplish the sacrifice with his death, and thus complete the redemption of man. Then He said, Behold, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of Me, that I should do Thy will, O God! [13] The Lord said, speaking to sinners, Why should I strike you any more?[14] This God said in order that we should understand, that, however much he might punish those who offended him, their punishments would never be sufficient to make reparation to his offended honour; and therefore he committed it to his own Son to make satisfaction for the sins of men, because his Son alone could give worthy compensation to the divine justice. Therefore he declared, by Isaias, speaking of Jesus being made a victim for our sins. For the wickedness of My people I have stricken Him. [15] Nor was he satisfied with a light satisfaction, but chose to see him consumed with torments: The Lord willed to exhaust Him with weakness. [16]

[12] [5] Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith: Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not: but a body thou hast fitted to me:
Ideo ingrediens mundum dicit : Hostiam et oblationem noluisti : corpus autem aptasti mihi : [Heb 10]
[13] [6] Holocausts for sin did not please thee.
holocautomata pro peccato non tibi placuerunt.
[7] Then said I: Behold I come: in the head of the book it is written of me: that I should do thy will, O God.
Tunc dixi : Ecce venio : in capite libri scriptum est de me : Ut faciam, Deus, voluntatem tuam.  [Heb 10]
[14] [5] For what shall I strike you any more, you that increase transgression? the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is sad.
Super quo percutiam vos ultra, addentes praevaricationem? omne caput languidum, et omne cor moerens. [Isa 1]
[15] [8] He was taken away from distress, and from judgment: who shall declare his generation? because he is cut off out of the land of the living: for the wickedness of my people have I struck him.
De angustia, et de judicio sublatus est. Generationem ejus quis enarrabit? quia abscissus est de terra viventium : propter scelus populi mei percussi eum. [Isa 53]
[16] And the Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity: if he shall lay down his life for sin, he shall see a long-lived seed, and the will of the Lord shall be prosperous in his hand.
Et Dominus voluit conterere eum in infirmitate. Si posuerit pro peccato animam suam, videbit semen longaevum, et voluntas Domini in manu ejus dirigetur.  [Isa 53]

O my Jesus, O victim of love, consumed by pangs upon the cross to atone for my sins, I am ready to die with grief when I think that I have so often despised Thee, after Thou hast so much loved me. Oh, suffer it not that I should continue longer ungrateful for Thy goodness. Draw me wholly to Thee; grant it through the merits of that blood which Thou hast poured forth for me.

Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Tecum tutus semper sum.
Ad Jesum per Mariam.