Scourging

A short tract called 'Four Witnesses' came my way recently. It is a Lenten offering published in 1947 and gives a precis of each of the four gospel accounts of the events of the Passion and Crucifixion. The preface tells us that the giving up of 'smoking, cinemas, dancing or theatres' would be an over-optimistic way to 'penetrate more deeply the greatness of Christ's sufferings'. This news is a relief to me as I have not resolved to give up any of those things during this penitential season. I am grateful to the illustrator B. de Bezer for this remarkable engraving.

If an understanding of Christ's suffering is what is called for, he seems to enable it more than the avoidance of red wine.