BEHOLD the Lamb of God, behold Him who taketh away the sins of the world. So spoke St. John Baptist, when he saw our Lord coming to him. And in so speaking, he did but appeal to that title under which our Lord was known from the beginning. Just Abel showed forth his faith in Him by offering of the firstlings of his flock. Abraham, in place of his son Isaac whom God spared, offered the like for a sacrifice. The Israelites were enjoined to sacrifice once a year, at Easter time, a lamb—one lamb for each family, a lamb without blemish—to be eaten whole, all but the blood, which was sprinkled, as their protection, about their house doors. The Prophet Isaias speaks of our Lord under the same {174} image: “He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearers” (liii. 7); and all this because “He was wounded for our iniquities, He was bruised for our sins; … by His bruises we are healed” (liii. 5). And in like manner the Holy Evangelist St. John, in the visions of the Apocalypse, thus speaks of Him: “I saw, … (Apoc. v. 6), and behold a lamb standing as it were slain;” and then he saw all the blessed “fall down before the Lamb,” … (verses 8, 9), and they sung a new canticle saying, “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God in Thy blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (verse 9) … Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction” (verse 12).
This is Jesus Christ, who when darkness, sin, guilt and misery had overspread the earth, came down from Heaven, took our nature upon Him, and shed His precious blood upon the Cross for all men.
Let us pray for all pagan nations, that they may be converted.
O Lord Jesus Christ, O King of the whole world, O Hope and Expectation of all nations, O Thou who hast bought all men for Thy own at the price of Thy most precious blood, look down in pity upon all races who are spread over the wide earth, and impart to them the knowledge of Thy truth. Remember, O Lord, Thy own most bitter sufferings of soul and body in Thy betrayal, Thy passion and Thy crucifixion, and have mercy upon their souls. Behold, {175} O Lord, but a portion of mankind has heard of Thy Name—but a portion even professes to adore Thee—and yet thousands upon thousands in the East and the West, in the North and the South, hour after hour, as each hour comes, are dropping away from this life into eternity. Remember, O my dear Lord, and lay it to heart, that to the dishonour of Thy name, and to the triumph of Thine enemies, fresh victims are choking up the infernal pit, and are taking up their dwelling there for ever. Listen to the intercessions of Thy Saints, let Thy Mother plead with Thee, let not the prayers of Holy Church Thy Spouse be offered up in vain. Impute not to the poor heathen their many sins, but visit the earth quickly and give all men to know, to believe, and to serve Thee, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, who with the Father, etc. {176}
(2) Jesus the Son of David
OUR Lord asked the Pharisees, saying, “What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He? They say unto Him, The Son of David.” For so the Prophet Isaias had foretold; “there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse;” Jesse was the father of David, the King of the Jews—and by “rod” or plant is meant the Blessed Virgin; “there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root” (Isaias xi. 1); by the flower of the plant is meant our Lord the son of the Blessed Mary. “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him” (verse 2); this the Holy Ghost did at His Baptism. And Jeremias says: “Behold the days come, and I will raise up to David a just Branch, and a King shall reign, and shall be wise, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In those days Juda shall be saved … and this is the name that they shall call Him—the Lord our Just One” (Jeremias xxiii. 5-6). Hence the Jews when disputing whether our Lord were the Christ, said, “Doth not the Scripture say, that Christ cometh out of the seed of David?” (John vii. 42).
It was the glory of the Jews that the promised Saviour, the Christ, the Sacrifice and Propitiation of the whole human race, the Almighty Liberator, was to be of their race and country—yet, dreadful to say, {177} when He came, they rejected Him, they put Him to death. “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John i. 11). And as they rejected Him, He rejected them. They put Him to death, and He gave them up to their enemies, who burned up their city Jerusalem, cast them out of their country, and they have been a wandering people ever since.
Let us pray for the Jewish nation, that they may turn to their Lord and God whom they have crucified.
O seed of Abraham, O Son of David, O Adonai and leader of the house of Israel, who didst appear to Moses in the burning bush, and didst on Mount Sinai deliver to him Thy Law; O Key of David, and sceptre of the house of Israel, who openest and no one shutteth, who shuttest and no one openeth; visit not, O dear Lord, the sins of the fathers upon the children, continue not Thy wrath for ever, but spare this poor nation, which was once so high in Thy sight, and now hath fallen so low. O remember not those old Priests and Scribes, the Pharisees and Sadducees, remember not Annas and Caiphas, Judas, and the insane multitude who cried out “Crucify Him.” In wrath remember mercy. Forgive their obstinacy and forgive their impenitence—forgive their blindness to things spiritual, and their avowed love of this world and its enjoyments. Touch their hearts and give them true faith and repentance. Have mercy, O Jesus, on Thy own brethren—have mercy on the countrymen of Thy Mother, of St. {178} Joseph, of Thy Apostles, of St. Paul, of Thy great Saints Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David. O Lord, hear: O Lord, be appeased: O Lord, hearken and do (Dan. ix. 19): delay not for Thine own sake, O my God, for Thy Name was once named upon the city Jerusalem and Thy people,

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