Saturday, September 28 : Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger [Benedict XVI

When the Roman soldiers had scourged Jesus, crowned with thorns as he was and clothed with a robe of mockery, they led him to Pilate. It seems that this tough soldier was shaken at the sight of this broken and battered man. He showed him to the crowd, inviting their pity as he announced: “Idou ho anthropos; Ecce homo” or, as we usually translate it: “Behold the man!” In Greek, however, what this means more precisely is: “See, this is man!” In Pilate’s mouth the words were cynical and meant: “As for us, we are proud of being men, but take a look at this one, this worm: this is man. How despicable he is, how small!” Yet in these cynical words John the Evangelist recognised words of prophecy that he then passed on to all christians. Indeed, Pilate was right to say: “See, this is man!” In him, in Jesus Christ, we can read what man, God’s purpose, is and what is the treatment we reserve for him. In the torn body of Jesus we can see just how cruel, small-minded and petty man can be. In him we can read the history of man’s hatred and sin. But in him, in his suffering love, we can see God’s response even more: Yes, this is the man God loved even to the dust, whom God loved even to the point of following him into the final suffering of death. Right up to his final humiliation he remains God’s chosen, the brother of Jesus Christ, called to share in God’s eternal love. The question, “What is man?” finds its answer in imitation of Jesus Christ. Walking in his steps we are able to learn each day what man is, in the patience of love and in suffering with Jesus Christ, and thus become men. So we want to look towards him whom Pilate, and whom the Church, shows us. Man is what he is. Let us ask him to teach us to become real men, to be men.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team