Gospel from John 8:51-59
(Our Lord Jesus Christ speaks more about His Divinity and His Father)

Excerpt from the Reflections and Practices
of the Seventeenth Hour:  From 9 to 10 AM of the Hours of the Passion.

From 9 to 10, crowned with thorns, Jesus is mocked as king and subjected to unheard-of insults and pains.  He Repairs in a special way for the sins of pride.  And we—do we avoid sentiments of pride?  Do we attribute to God the good that we do?  Do we consider ourselves inferior to others?  Is our mind always empty of any other thought in order to give rise to Grace?  Many times we do not give rise to Grace by keeping our mind filled with other thoughts.  Then, since our mind is not completely filled with God, we ourselves cause the devil to bother us, and maybe we even foment temptations.  When our mind is filled with God, as the devil approaches us, not finding the place toward which to direct his temptations, confused, he flees.  In fact, holy thoughts have so much power against the devil that, as he is about to approach us, they wound him like many swords, and cast him away.