Glory to Jesus Christ. I'm Mother Natalia, a Byzantine Catholic nun from Christ to the Bridegroom

Monastery and this is Pines with Aquinas.

Last week in our church we had the Feast of the Procession of the Cross. We have this feast every year on August 1st. And I was

praying on that day with the Gospel from St John, the 19th chapter, leading up to the crucifixion.

When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out,

crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said to them, take him yourselves and

crucify him, for I find no crime in him. The Jews answered him, we have a law and by that law he ought to die because he has made himself the

son of God.

When Pilate heard these words, he was even more afraid.

He entered the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, where are you from?

But Jesus gave no answer. Pilot therefore said to him, you will not speak to me. Do you not know that I have power to release you and power to crucify you?

Jesus answered him, you would have no power over me unless it had been given to you from above. Therefore, he who delivered me to you has the greater

sin." Upon this, Pilots sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, if you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend.

Everyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar.

As I was praying with this passage, I was struck by just the

role that fear plays in Pilots decisions here.

Because there's this fear in him, I think a righteous fear,

as he realizes who Jesus could be and what's at stake here.

But then it's outweighed by this greater fear

that comes when the Jews basically threaten him and say,

we'll let people know that you're not Caesar's friend if you don't, if you don't crucify this man.

So Pilate is torn between a fear of God

...