16. Whence should the Jew have this
kiss? For he who believed in His coming, believed not in His
Passion. For how can he believe that He has suffered Whom he
believes not to have come? The Pharisee, then, had no kiss except
perchance that of the traitor Judas. But neither had Judas the
kiss; and so when he wished to show to the Jews that kiss which he had
promised as the sign of betrayal, the Lord said to him:
“Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a
kiss?” S. Luke xxii. 48. that is, you,
who have not the love marked by the kiss, offer a kiss. You offer
a kiss who know not the mystery of the kiss. It is not the kiss
of the lips which is sought for, but that of the heart and
soul.