Good Friday, April 3, 2015 - Litany Lane Blog:
Heaven, Isaiah 52:13-53;12, Psalms 31, John 18:1–19:42, Pope Francis's Paschal Triduum, Way of the Cross, The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Divine Mercy Nine Day Novena, Catholic Catechism - The Profession of Faith Chapter One - I Believe In God: Paragraph 5, 6, and 7 Heaven and Earth, Man and The Angels; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
"Where there is a Will, With God, There is a Way", "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. The Seven Gifts of
the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the
Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun
the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and
gluttony...Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...~ Zarya Parx 2013
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Good Friday in Lent
Rosary - Sorrowful Mysteries
Way of the Cross
Way of the Cross
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis Daily Catechesis:
April 3, 2015
(2015-04-03 Vatican Radio)
Reference: Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2015 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 04/03/2015
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Liturgical Celebrations to be presided over by Pope: 2015
Vatican City, Spring 2015 (VIS)
The following is the English text of the intentions –
both universal and for evangelization – that, as is customary, the Pope
entrusted to the Apostleship of Prayer for 2015.
January
Universal: That those from diverse religious traditions
and all people of good will work together for peace.
Evangelization: That in this year
dedicated to consecrated life, religious men and women may rediscover the joy
of following Christ and strive to serve the poor with zeal.
February
Universal: That prisoners, especially the young, may be
able to rebuild lives of dignity.
Evangelization: That married people who are separated may
find welcome and support in the Christian community.
March
Universal: That those involved in
scientific research may serve the well-being of the whole human person.
Evangelization: That the unique
contribution of women to the life of the Church may be recognized always.
April
Universal: That people may learn to respect creation and
care for it as a gift of God.
Evangelization: That persecuted
Christians may feel the consoling presence of the Risen Lord and the solidarity
of all the Church.
May
Universal: That, rejecting the culture of indifference,
we may care for our neighbours who suffer, especially the sick and the poor.
Evangelization: That Mary’s
intercession may help Christians in secularized cultures be ready to proclaim
Jesus.
June
Universal: That immigrants and refugees may find welcome
and respect in the countries to which they come.
Evangelization: That the personal
encounter with Jesus may arouse in many young people the desire to offer their
own lives in priesthood or consecrated life.
July
Universal: That political responsibility may be lived at
all levels as a high form of charity.
Evangelization: That, amid social
inequalities, Latin American Christians may bear witness to love for the poor
and contribute to a more fraternal society.
August
Universal: That volunteers may
give themselves generously to the service of the needy.
Evangelization: That setting aside
our very selves we may learn to be neighbours to those who find themselves on
the margins of human life and society.
September
Universal: That
opportunities for education and employment may increase for all young people.
Evangelization: That catechists may
give witness by living in a way consistent with the faith they proclaim.
October
Universal: That human trafficking, the modern form of
slavery, may be eradicated.
Evangelization: That with a
missionary spirit the Christian communities of Asia may announce the Gospel to
those who are still awaiting it.
November
Universal: That we may be open to
personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ
from our own.
Evangelization: That pastors of the
Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven
their hope.
December
Universal: That all may experience the mercy of God, who
never tires of forgiving.
Evangelization: That families,
especially those who suffer, may find in the birth of Jesus a sign of certain
hope.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2015 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 04/03/2015.
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November 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you to love; to
continually pray for the gift of love; to love the Heavenly Father above
everything. When you love Him you will love yourself and your neighbor.
This cannot be separated. The Heavenly Father is in each person. He
loves each person and calls each person by his name. Therefore, my
children, through prayer hearken to the will of the Heavenly Father.
Converse with Him. Have a personal relationship with the Father which
will deepen even more your relationship as a community of my children –
of my apostles. As a mother I desire that, through the love for the
Heavenly Father, you may be raised above earthly vanities and may help
others to gradually come to know and come closer to the Heavenly Father.
My children, pray, pray, pray for the gift of love because 'love' is my
Son. Pray for your shepherds that they may always have love for you as
my Son had and showed by giving His life for your salvation. Thank you."
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
Today's Word: heaven heav-en [hev-uh n]
Origin: before 900; Middle English heven, Old English heofon; cognate with Middle Low German heven; akin to Old Norse himinn, Gothic himins, German Himmel
noun
the abode of God, the angels, and the spirits of the righteous after death; the place or state of existence of the blessed after the mortal life.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Isaiah 52:13-53:12
13 Look, my servant will prosper, will grow great, will rise to great heights.14 As many people were aghast at him -- he was so inhumanly disfigured that he no longer looked like a man-
15 so many nations will be astonished and kings will stay tight-lipped before him, seeing what had never been told them, learning what they had not heard before.
1 Who has given credence to what we have heard? And who has seen in it a revelation of Yahweh's arm?
2 Like a sapling he grew up before him, like a root in arid ground. He had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts;
3 he was despised, the lowest of men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering, one from whom, as it were, we averted our gaze, despised, for whom we had no regard.
4 Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying, while we thought of him as someone being punished and struck with affliction by God;
5 whereas he was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been healed by his bruises.
6 We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion of all of us to bear on him.
7 Ill-treated and afflicted, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep dumb before its shearers he never opened his mouth.
8 Forcibly, after sentence, he was taken. Which of his contemporaries was concerned at his having been cut off from the land of the living, at his having been struck dead for his people's rebellion?
9 He was given a grave with the wicked, and his tomb is with the rich, although he had done no violence, had spoken no deceit.
10 It was Yahweh's good pleasure to crush him with pain; if he gives his life as a sin offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his life, and through him Yahweh's good pleasure will be done.
11 After the ordeal he has endured, he will see the light and be content. By his knowledge, the upright one, my servant will justify many by taking their guilt on himself.
12 Hence I shall give him a portion with the many, and he will share the booty with the mighty, for having exposed himself to death and for being counted as one of the rebellious, whereas he was bearing the sin of many and interceding for the rebellious.
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Today's Epistle - Psalms 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25
2 turn your ear to me, make haste. Be for me a rock-fastness, a fortified citadel to save me.6 you hate those who serve useless idols; but my trust is in Yahweh:
12 I have no more place in their hearts than a corpse, or something lost.
13 All I hear is slander -- terror wherever I turn -- as they plot together against me, scheming to take my life.
15 every moment of my life is in your hands, rescue me from the clutches of my foes who pursue me;
16 let your face shine on your servant, save me in your faithful love.
17 I call on you, Yahweh, so let disgrace fall not on me, but on the wicked. Let them go down to Sheol in silence,
18 muzzles on their lying mouths, which speak arrogantly against the upright in pride and contempt.
19 Yahweh, what quantities of good things you have in store for those who fear you, and bestow on those who make you their refuge, for all humanity to see.
20 Safe in your presence you hide them, far from human plotting, shielding them in your tent, far from contentious tongues.
21 Blessed be Yahweh who works for me miracles of his faithful love (in a fortified city)!
22 In a state of terror I cried, 'I have been cut off from your sight!' Yet you heard my plea for help when I cried out to you.
23 Love Yahweh, all his faithful: Yahweh protects his loyal servants, but he repays the arrogant with interest.
24 Be brave, take heart, all who put your hope in Yahweh.
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Today's Gospel Reading - John 18:1 – 19:42
The Passion of Jesus according to John 18:1 – 19:42
1. Recollection in prayer – Statio
Come, you who refresh us,
the soul’s delightful guest,
come take away all that is mine,
and pour into me all that is yours.Come, you who are the nourishment of every chaste thought,
source of all mercies, sum of all purity.
Come and burn away all that in me is cause
of my not being able to be consumed by you.
Come, Spirit,
who are ever with the Father and the Bridegroom,
and rest over the brides of the Bridegroom.
(St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, O.Carm.,
in La Probatione ii, 193-194.)
the soul’s delightful guest,
come take away all that is mine,
and pour into me all that is yours.Come, you who are the nourishment of every chaste thought,
source of all mercies, sum of all purity.
Come and burn away all that in me is cause
of my not being able to be consumed by you.
Come, Spirit,
who are ever with the Father and the Bridegroom,
and rest over the brides of the Bridegroom.
(St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, O.Carm.,
in La Probatione ii, 193-194.)
2. A prayerful reading of the Word – Lectio
From the Gospel according to John
1
After he had said all this, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed
the Kidron valley where there was a garden into which he went with his
disciples. 2 Judas the traitor knew the place also, since Jesus had
often met his disciples there, 3 so Judas brought the cohort to this
place together with guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees,
all with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Knowing everything that was
to happen to him, Jesus came forward and said, 'Who are you looking
for?' 5 They answered, 'Jesus the Nazarene.' He said, 'I am he.' Now
Judas the traitor was standing among them. 6 When Jesus said to them, 'I
am he,' they moved back and fell on the ground. 7 He asked them a
second time, 'Who are you looking for?' They said, 'Jesus the Nazarene.'
8 Jesus replied, 'I have told you that I am he. If I am the one you are
looking for, let these others go.' 9 This was to fulfil the words he
had spoken, 'Not one of those you gave me have I lost.' 10 Simon Peter,
who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting
off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. 11 Jesus said to
Peter, 'Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup
that the Father has given me?'
12 The cohort and its
tribune and the Jewish guards seized Jesus and bound him. 13 They took
him first to Annas, because Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who
was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had counselled the
Jews, 'It is better for one man to die for the people.'15 Simon Peter, with
another disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple, who was known to the
high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest's palace, 16 but Peter
stayed outside the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the
high priest, went out, spoke to the door-keeper and brought Peter in. 17
The girl on duty at the door said to Peter, 'Aren't you another of that
man's disciples?' He answered, 'I am not.' 18 Now it was cold, and the
servants and guards had lit a charcoal fire and were standing there
warming themselves; so Peter stood there too, warming himself with the
others.19 The high priest
questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 Jesus
answered, 'I have spoken openly for all the world to hear; I have always
taught in the synagogue and in the Temple where all the Jews meet
together; I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why ask me? Ask my hearers
what I taught; they know what I said.' 22 At these words, one of the
guards standing by gave Jesus a slap in the face, saying, 'Is that the
way you answer the high priest?' 23 Jesus replied, 'If there is some
offence in what I said, point it out; but if not, why do you strike me?'
24 Then Annas sent him, bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.
25 As Simon Peter
stood there warming himself, someone said to him, 'Aren't you another of
his disciples?' He denied it saying, 'I am not.' 26 One of the high
priest's servants, a relation of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,
said, 'Didn't I see you in the garden with him?' 27 Again Peter denied
it; and at once a cock crowed.28 They then led Jesus
from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now morning. They
did not go into the Praetorium themselves to avoid becoming defiled and
unable to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came outside to them and said,
'What charge do you bring against this man?' They replied, 30 'If he
were not a criminal, we should not have handed him over to you.' 31
Pilate said, 'Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.' The
Jews answered, 'We are not allowed to put anyone to death.' 32 This was
to fulfil the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way he was going to
die.33 So Pilate went back
into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him and asked him, 'Are you the
king of the Jews?' 34 Jesus replied, 'Do you ask this of your own
accord, or have others said it to you about me?' 35 Pilate answered, 'Am
I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed
you over to me: what have you done?' 36 Jesus replied, 'Mine is not a
kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would
have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. As it is, my
kingdom does not belong here.' 37 Pilate said, 'So, then you are a
king?' Jesus answered, 'It is you who say that I am a king. I was born
for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth;
and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.' 38 'Truth?'
said Pilate. 'What is that?' And so saying he went out again to the Jews
and said, 'I find no case against him. 39 But according to a custom of
yours I should release one prisoner at the Passover; would you like me,
then, to release for you the king of the Jews?' 40 At this they shouted,
'Not this man,' they said, 'but Barabbas.' Barabbas was a bandit.
19:1
Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged; 2 and after this, the
soldiers twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on his head and
dressed him in a purple robe. 3 They kept coming up to him and saying,
'Hail, king of the Jews!' and slapping him in the face. 4 Pilate came
outside again and said to them, 'Look, I am going to bring him out to
you to let you see that I find no case against him.' 5 Jesus then came
out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said, 'Here
is the man.' 6 When they saw him, the chief priests and the guards
shouted, 'Crucify him! Crucify him!' Pilate said, 'Take him yourselves
and crucify him: I find no case against him.' 7 The Jews replied, 'We
have a Law, and according to that Law he ought to be put to death,
because he has claimed to be Son of God.' 8 When Pilate heard
them say this his fears increased. 9 Re-entering the Praetorium, he said
to Jesus, 'Where do you come from?' But Jesus made no answer. 10 Pilate
then said to him, 'Are you refusing to speak to me? Surely you know I
have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?' 11 Jesus
replied, 'You would have no power over me at all if it had not been
given you from above; that is why the man who handed me over to you has
the greater guilt.'
12 From that moment Pilate was anxious to set him free, but the Jews shouted, 'If you set him free you are no friend of Caesar's; anyone who makes himself king is defying Caesar.' 13 Hearing these words, Pilate had Jesus brought out, and seated him on the chair of judgement at a place called the Pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14 It was the Day of Preparation, about the sixth hour. 'Here is your king,' said Pilate to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, 'Away with him, away with him, crucify him.' Pilate said, 'Shall I crucify your king?' The chief priests answered, 'We have no king except Caesar.' 16 So at that Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. They then took charge of Jesus, 17 and carrying his own cross he went out to the Place of the Skull or, as it is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified him with two others, one on either side, Jesus being in the middle. 19 Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it ran: 'Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews'. 20 This notice was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the writing was in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. 21 So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate, 'You should not write "King of the Jews", but that the man said, "I am King of the Jews". ' 22 Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.' 23 When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; 24 so they said to one another, 'Instead of tearing it, let's throw dice to decide who is to have it.' In this way the words of scripture were fulfilled: They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothes. That is what the soldiers did.
25 Near the cross of
Jesus stood his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala. 26 Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he
loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, this is your
son.' 27 Then to the disciple he said, 'This is your mother.' And from
that hour the disciple took her into his home. 28 After this, Jesus
knew that everything had now been completed and, so that the scripture
should be completely fulfilled, he said: I am thirsty. 29 A jar full of
sour wine stood there; so, putting a sponge soaked in the wine on a
hyssop stick, they held it up to his mouth. 30 After Jesus had taken the
wine he said, 'It is fulfilled'; and bowing his head he gave up his
spirit. 31 It was the Day of
Preparation, and to avoid the bodies' remaining on the cross during the
Sabbath -- since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity -- the Jews
asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. 32
Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who
had been crucified with him and then of the other. 33 When they came to
Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs
34 one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately
there came out blood and water. 35 This is the
evidence of one who saw it -- true evidence, and he knows that what he
says is true -- and he gives it so that you may believe as well.
36 Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture: Not one bone of his will be broken; 37 and again, in another place scripture says: They will look to the one whom they have pierced. 38 After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus -- though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews -- asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it away. 39 Nicodemus came as well -- the same one who had first come to Jesus at night-time -- and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, following the Jewish burial custom. 41 At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. 42 Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
36 Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture: Not one bone of his will be broken; 37 and again, in another place scripture says: They will look to the one whom they have pierced. 38 After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus -- though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews -- asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it away. 39 Nicodemus came as well -- the same one who had first come to Jesus at night-time -- and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, following the Jewish burial custom. 41 At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. 42 Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
3. Reflecting on the Word – Meditatio
3.1. A key to the reading:
- Jesus master of his fate
I would like to
suggest that we meditate in the spirit of Mary, at the foot of the cross
of Jesus. She, the strong woman who understood the full meaning of this
event of the passion and death of the Lord, will help us cast a
contemplative glance at the crucified (Jn 19: 25–27). We are looking at
chapter 19 of John’s Gospel, which begins with the scene of the
scourging and the crowning with thorns. Pilate presents “Jesus the
Nazarene, the king of the Jews” to the chief priests and to the guards
who call for his death on the cross (Jn 19, 6). Thus begins for Jesus
the way of the cross towards Golgotha, where he will be crucified. In
the story of the Passion according to John, Jesus reveals himself as
master of himself and in control of all that is happening to him. John’s
text is full of phrases that point to this theological fact, that Jesus
offers his life. He actively, not passively, endures the events of the
passion. Here are just some examples putting the stress on some phrases
and words. The reader may find other examples:
Knowing everything that was to happen to him, Jesus came forward and
said: "Who are you looking for?" They answered, "Jesus the Nazarene".
He said, "I am he!". Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. When Jesus said to them "I am he", they moved back and fell on the ground. He
asked them a second time, "Who are you looking for?" They said, "Jesus
the Nazarene". Jesus replied, "I have told you that I am he. If I am the
one you are looking for, let these others go". This was to fulfil the words he had spoken, "Not one of those you gave me have I lost". (Jn 18: 4-9)
“Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe” (Jn 19: 5),
Jesus replied, “You would have no power over me at all, if it had not been given you from above.” (Jn 19: 11). On the cross too,
Jesus takes an active part in his death, he does not allow himself to be
killed like the thieves whose legs were broken (Jn 19: 31-33), but
commits his spirit (Jn 19: 30). The details recalled by the Evangelist
are very important: Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved
standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’
Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ (Jn 19: 26-27).
These simple words of Jesus bear the weight of revelation, words that
reveal to us his will: “this is your son” (v. 26); “this is your mother”
(v. 27). These words also recall those pronounced by Pilate on the
Lithostrotos: “This is the man” (Jn 19: 5). With these words, Jesus on
the cross, his throne, reveals his will and his love for us. He is the
lamb of God, the shepherd who gives his life for his sheep. At that
moment, by the cross, he gives birth to the Church, represented by Mary,
his sister Mary of Cleophas and Mary Magdalene together with the
beloved disciple (Jn 19: 25).
- Beloved and faithful disciples
The fourth Gospel
specifies that these disciples “stood by the cross” (Jn 19: 25-26). This
detail has a deep meaning. Only the fourth Gospel tells us that these
five persons stood by the cross. The other Evangelists do not say so.
Luke, for instance, says that all those who knew him followed the events
from a distance (Lk 23: 49). Matthew also says that many women followed
these events from afar. These women had followed Jesus from Galilee and
served him. But now they followed him from afar (Mt 27: 55–56). Like
Matthew, Mark gives us the names of those who followed the death of
Jesus from afar (Mk 15: 40-41). Thus only the fourth Gospel says that
the mother of Jesus and the other women and the beloved disciple “stood
by the cross”. They stood there like servants before their king. They
are present courageously at a time when Jesus has already declared that
“it is fulfilled” (Jn 19: 30). The mother of Jesus is present at the
hour that finally “has come”. That hour foretold at the wedding feast of
Cana (Jn 2: 1ff). The fourth Gospel had remarked then that “the mother
of Jesus was there” (Jn 2: 1). Thus the person that remains faithful to
the Lord in his destiny, he/she is a beloved disciple. The Evangelist
keeps this disciple anonymous so that each one of us may see him/herself
mirrored in the one who knew the mysteries of the Lord, who laid his
head on Jesus’ chest at the last supper (Jn 13: 25).
3.1.1. Questions and suggestions to direct our meditation and practice
● Read once more the
passage of the Gospel and look in the Bible for the texts mentioned in
the key to the reading. Look for other parallel texts that may help us
penetrate deeper into the text presented for our meditation.
● In spirit, and with the help of the prayerful reading of John’s text, visit the places of the Passion, stop on Calvary to witness with Mary and the beloved disciple the events of the Passion.
● What struck you most?
● What feelings does this story of the Passion arouse in you?
● What does the fact that Jesus actively bears his passion mean for you
● In spirit, and with the help of the prayerful reading of John’s text, visit the places of the Passion, stop on Calvary to witness with Mary and the beloved disciple the events of the Passion.
● What struck you most?
● What feelings does this story of the Passion arouse in you?
● What does the fact that Jesus actively bears his passion mean for you
4. Oratio
O Eternal Wisdom, Infinite Goodness, Ineffable Truth, You who probe hearts, Eternal God, help us to understand that you can, know and want to! O Loving and Bleeding Lamb, crucified Christ, fulfil in us that which you said: “Anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). O perfect light, from whom all lights proceed! O light for whom light was created, without whom all is darkness and with whom all is light. Light up, light up, do light up! Let your whole will penetrate all the authors and collaborators you have chosen in this work of renewal. Jesus, Jesus love, Jesus, transform us and make us conform to you. Uncreated Wisdom, Eternal Word, sweet Truth, silent Love, Jesus, Jesus Love! (St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, O.Carm., in The Renewal of the Church, 90-91.) 5. Contemplatio Repeat frequently and calmly these words of Jesus when he offered himself: “Father into your hands I commend my spirit”
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Good Friday: Way of the Cross
OFFICE FOR THE LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
WAY OF THE CROSS
AT THE COLOSSEUM
AT THE COLOSSEUM
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
LED BY THE HOLY FATHER POPE FRANCIS
LED BY THE HOLY FATHER POPE FRANCIS
GOOD FRIDAY
THE PASSION OF THE LORD
THE PASSION OF THE LORD
MEDITATIONS
under the guidance of His Eminent Beatitude
Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï
Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï
WAY OF THE CROSS 2014
Introduction
"A man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'" (Mk
10:17). Jesus answered this burning question, which arises in the
innermost core of our being, by walking the way of the Cross. We
contemplate you, Lord, along this path
which you were the first to tread, and after which "you built a bridge
to death with your Cross, so that men might pass from the land of death
to the land of Life" (Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Homily).
The call to follow you is addressed to all,
especially to the young and to those who are tried by division, wars or
injustice and who fight to be signs of hope and builders of peace in the
midst of their brethren.
We therefore place ourselves before you with
love, we present our sufferings to you, we turn our gaze and our heart
to your Holy Cross, and strengthened by your promise, we pray: "Blessed
be our Redeemer, who has given us life by his death. O Redeemer, realize
in us the mystery of your redemption, through your passion, death and
resurrection" (Maronite Liturgy).
I Station: Jesus is condemned to death
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark 15:12-13, 15
Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man
whom you call the King of the Jews?" And they cried out again, "Crucify
him." Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas;
and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
From Pilate, the man with power, Jesus ought
to have obtained justice. Pilate did indeed have the power to recognize
Jesus' innocence and free him. But the Roman Governor preferred to serve
the logic of his personal interests and he yielded to political and
social pressures. He condemned an innocent man in order to please the
crowd, without satisfying truth. He handed Jesus over to the torment of
the Cross, knowing that he was innocent ... and then he washed his
hands.
In today's world, there are many "Pilates" who
keep their hands on the levers of power and make use of them in order
to serve the strongest. There are many who are weak and cowardly before
the spectre of power, and mortgage their authority to the service of
injustice, trampling upon man's dignity and his right to life.
Lord Jesus,
do not allow us to be among those who act unjustly.
Do not allow the strong to take pleasure in evil,
injustice and tyranny. Do not allow injustice
to condemn the innocent to despair and death.
Confirm them in hope and illumine the consciences
of those with authority in this world, that they may govern with justice.
Amen.
do not allow us to be among those who act unjustly.
Do not allow the strong to take pleasure in evil,
injustice and tyranny. Do not allow injustice
to condemn the innocent to despair and death.
Confirm them in hope and illumine the consciences
of those with authority in this world, that they may govern with justice.
Amen.
II Station: Jesus takes up the Cross
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark 15:20
When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the
purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to
crucify him. Jesus Christ stands before soldiers who think
they have complete power over him, while he is the One through whom "all
things were made ... and without him was not anything made that was
made" (Jn 1:3).
In every age, man has thought he could take the place of God and determine for himself what is good and what is evil (cf. Gen
3:5) without reference to his Creator and Saviour. He has thought
himself omnipotent, capable of excluding God from his own life and from
that of his peers, in the name of reason, power or money.
Today too, the world bows to realities that
seek to expel God from human life, such as the blind secularism that
suffocates the values of faith and morals in the name of an alleged
defence of man; or the violent fundamentalism that claims to be
defending religious values (cf. Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 29).
Lord Jesus,
who accepted humiliation and stood alongside the weak,
we entrust to you all who are humiliated and suffering,
especially those from the tormented East. Grant that they may find in you
the strength to be able to carry their Cross of hope with you.
We place into your hands all who are lost,
so that, thanks to you, they may find truth and love.
Amen.
who accepted humiliation and stood alongside the weak,
we entrust to you all who are humiliated and suffering,
especially those from the tormented East. Grant that they may find in you
the strength to be able to carry their Cross of hope with you.
We place into your hands all who are lost,
so that, thanks to you, they may find truth and love.
Amen.
III Station: Jesus falls for the first time
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah 53:5
He was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us
whole, and with his stripes we are healed.
He who holds the lights of heaven in his
divine hand and before whom the powers of heaven tremble: see him
falling to the ground, without protecting himself, under the heavy yoke
of the Cross.
He who brought peace to the world, wounded by our sins, falls under the burden of our guilt.
"O ye faithful, behold our Saviour as he moves
forward along the path to Calvary. Oppressed by bitter sufferings, his
strength abandons him. Let us go to see this incredible event that
surpasses our understanding and defies description. The foundations of
the earth were shaken and a dreadful fear took hold of those who were
present when their Creator and God was crushed under the weight of the
Cross and let himself be led to death, for love of all humanity"
(Chaldean Liturgy).
Lord Jesus,
raise us from our own falls, lead our wandering spirit
back to your Truth. Do not allow human reason,
which you created for yourself, to be satisfied with the partial truths
of science and technology without seeking to pose the fundamental questions
of the meaning of our existence (cf. Porta Fidei, 12).
raise us from our own falls, lead our wandering spirit
back to your Truth. Do not allow human reason,
which you created for yourself, to be satisfied with the partial truths
of science and technology without seeking to pose the fundamental questions
of the meaning of our existence (cf. Porta Fidei, 12).
Grant, Lord,
that we may open ourselves to the action of your Holy Spirit,
that we may open ourselves to the action of your Holy Spirit,
so that he may lead us to the fullness of Truth.
Amen.
Amen.
IV Station: Jesus meets his mother
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 2:34-35, 51b
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his
mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in
Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce
through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be
revealed." His mother kept all these things in her heart.
Wounded and suffering, carrying mankind's Cross, Jesus meets his mother and, in her face, all mankind.
Mary the Mother of God was the first disciple
of the Master. In accepting the Angel's message, she encountered the
Incarnate Word for the first time and became the Temple of the living
God. She met him without understanding how the Creator of heaven and
earth could have wanted to choose a young girl, a fragile creature, in
order to become incarnate in this world. She met him in a constant
search for his face, mediating on the word in the silence of her heart.
She thought she was seeking him, but in reality, it was he who was
seeking her.
Now he encounters her as he carries the Cross.
Jesus suffers on seeing his mother suffer, as
does Mary on seeing her Son suffer. But from this shared suffering a new
humanity is born. "Salam to you! We implore you, holy and
glorious ever-Virgin, Mother of God, Mother of Christ. Let our prayer
rise up before your beloved Son, that he may forgive our sins" (Theotikon from the Horologion, Al-Aghbia, 37).
Lord Jesus,
in our families we too experience the sufferings caused to children by their parents
and to parents by their children. Lord, grant that in these difficult times
our families may be places of your presence, so that our sufferings may be turned to joy.
Support our families and make them oases of love,
peace and serenity, in the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Amen.
in our families we too experience the sufferings caused to children by their parents
and to parents by their children. Lord, grant that in these difficult times
our families may be places of your presence, so that our sufferings may be turned to joy.
Support our families and make them oases of love,
peace and serenity, in the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Amen.
V Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 23:26
As they led him away, they seized one Simon of
Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the Cross,
to carry it behind Jesus.
Jesus' meeting with Simon of Cyrene took place
in silence, providing us with a lesson for our lives: God does not want
suffering and he does not accept evil. The same is true of the human
being. But suffering, accepted in faith, is transformed into a path of
salvation. Then we accept it as Jesus did, and we help to carry it as
Simon of Cyrene did.
Lord Jesus,
you have involved man in the carrying of your Cross. You have invited us to share your sufferings.
Simon of Cyrene is like us and he teaches us to accept the Cross
that we encounter on the paths of life. Following your example, Lord,
we too carry the Cross of suffering and illness today,
but we accept it because you are with us. It can nail us to our chair,
but it cannot prevent us from dreaming; it can obscure our vision,
but it cannot touch our conscience; it can deafen our ears,
but it cannot prevent us from listening; it can bind our tongue
but it cannot suppress our thirst for truth; it can weigh down our spirit,
but it cannot rob us of our freedom.
you have involved man in the carrying of your Cross. You have invited us to share your sufferings.
Simon of Cyrene is like us and he teaches us to accept the Cross
that we encounter on the paths of life. Following your example, Lord,
we too carry the Cross of suffering and illness today,
but we accept it because you are with us. It can nail us to our chair,
but it cannot prevent us from dreaming; it can obscure our vision,
but it cannot touch our conscience; it can deafen our ears,
but it cannot prevent us from listening; it can bind our tongue
but it cannot suppress our thirst for truth; it can weigh down our spirit,
but it cannot rob us of our freedom.
Lord,
we want to be your disciples so as to carry your Cross every day;
we will carry it with joy and hope because you are carrying it with us,
because you have triumphed over death for us.
we want to be your disciples so as to carry your Cross every day;
we will carry it with joy and hope because you are carrying it with us,
because you have triumphed over death for us.
We give you thanks, Lord,
for every sick or ailing person who knows how to bear witness to your love,
and for every "Simon of Cyrene" whom you place on our journey.
Amen.
for every sick or ailing person who knows how to bear witness to your love,
and for every "Simon of Cyrene" whom you place on our journey.
Amen.
VI Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
A Reading from the Book of Psalms 27:8-9
Of you my heart has spoken: "Seek his face."
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face. Dismiss not
your servant in anger; you have been my help. Do not abandon or forsake
me, O God my help!
Veronica sought you in the midst of the crowd.
She sought you and finally found you. While your anguish was at its
height, she wanted to ease it by wiping your face with a towel. A small
gesture, but it expressed all her love for you and all her faith in you;
it has remained impressed on the memory of our Christian tradition.
Lord Jesus,
it is your face that we seek. Veronica reminds us that you are present
in every person who suffers and goes forward along his or her path to Golgotha.
Lord, grant that we may find you in the poor, in the least of your brethren,
in order to wipe away the tears of those who weep, to take care of those who suffer
and to support those who are weak.
it is your face that we seek. Veronica reminds us that you are present
in every person who suffers and goes forward along his or her path to Golgotha.
Lord, grant that we may find you in the poor, in the least of your brethren,
in order to wipe away the tears of those who weep, to take care of those who suffer
and to support those who are weak.
Lord, you teach us
that a wounded and forgotten person loses neither worth nor dignity
and remains a sign of your hidden presence in the world.
Help us to wipe away from his or her face the marks of poverty and injustice,
so that your image in him or her may be revealed and may shine forth.
that a wounded and forgotten person loses neither worth nor dignity
and remains a sign of your hidden presence in the world.
Help us to wipe away from his or her face the marks of poverty and injustice,
so that your image in him or her may be revealed and may shine forth.
We pray for those who are seeking your Face
and who find it in those of the homeless, the poor and children exposed to violence and exploitation.
Amen.
and who find it in those of the homeless, the poor and children exposed to violence and exploitation.
Amen.
VII Station: Jesus falls for the second time
A Reading from the Book of Psalms 22:8,12
All who see me deride me. They curl their
lips, they toss their heads. Do not leave me alone in my distress; come
close, there is none else to help.
Jesus is alone under the interior and exterior
weight of the Cross. In this fall, the weight of evil becomes too great
and there seems no longer to be any limit to injustice and violence.
But he rises once more, strong in the infinite
trust that he places in his Father. Before the men who abandon him to
his lot, the power of the Spirit raises him up; it unites him fully to
the Father's will, that of love which can do all things.
Lord Jesus, in your second fall,
we recognize so many of our situations from which there seems to be no way of escape.
Among them are those that derive from prejudice and hatred, which harden our hearts
and lead to religious conflicts. Enlighten our minds
so that they recognize, despite "human and religious differences,"
that "a ray of truth shines on all men and women",
called to walk together – with respect for religious freedom –
towards the truth that is in God alone. Thus, the different religions can
"join one another in service to the common good and contribute to the development of each person
and the building of society" (Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 27-28).
we recognize so many of our situations from which there seems to be no way of escape.
Among them are those that derive from prejudice and hatred, which harden our hearts
and lead to religious conflicts. Enlighten our minds
so that they recognize, despite "human and religious differences,"
that "a ray of truth shines on all men and women",
called to walk together – with respect for religious freedom –
towards the truth that is in God alone. Thus, the different religions can
"join one another in service to the common good and contribute to the development of each person
and the building of society" (Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 27-28).
Come, Holy Spirit,
to console and strengthen Christians, especially those from the Middle East,
so that, united in Christ, they may be witnesses of your universal love
in an area torn apart by injustice and conflicts. Amen.
to console and strengthen Christians, especially those from the Middle East,
so that, united in Christ, they may be witnesses of your universal love
in an area torn apart by injustice and conflicts. Amen.
VIII Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem who weep for him
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 23:27-28
There followed him a great multitude of the
people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning
to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for
yourselves and for your children."
On the path to Calvary, the Lord meets the
women of Jerusalem. These women are weeping at the Lord's sufferings as
if it were suffering without hope. All they can see in the Cross is the
wood, sign of a curse (cf. Dt 21:23), whereas the Lord chose it as a means of Redemption and Salvation.
In the Passion and Crucifixion, Jesus gives
his life as a ransom for many. Thus he gave relief to those who were
oppressed under the yoke and he consoled the afflicted. He wiped away
the tears of the women of Jerusalem and opened their eyes to Paschal
truth.
Our world is full of afflicted mothers, of
women whose dignity has been wounded, abused by discrimination,
injustice and suffering (cf. Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 60). O suffering Christ, be their peace and be a balm to their wounds.
Lord Jesus,
by your incarnation from Mary, "Blessed among women" (Lk 1:42),
you raised the dignity of every woman. With the Incarnation
you unified the human race (cf. Gal 3:26-28).
by your incarnation from Mary, "Blessed among women" (Lk 1:42),
you raised the dignity of every woman. With the Incarnation
you unified the human race (cf. Gal 3:26-28).
Lord,
may the encounter with you be the desire of our hearts. Let our path, filled with sufferings,
always be a path of hope, with you and towards you
who are the refuge of our life and our Salvation.
Amen.
may the encounter with you be the desire of our hearts. Let our path, filled with sufferings,
always be a path of hope, with you and towards you
who are the refuge of our life and our Salvation.
Amen.
IX Station: Jesus falls for the third time under the weight of the Cross
A Reading from the Second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 5:14-15
The love of Christ controls us, because we are
convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he
died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
For the third time Jesus falls under the
Cross, burdened with our sins, and for the third time he seeks to get up
again, summoning up the strength that remains to him, so as to continue
his journey towards Golgotha, refusing to let himself be crushed and to
succumb to temptation.
From the moment of his Incarnation, Jesus
carries the Cross of human suffering and sin. He has fully and eternally
assumed human nature, showing men that victory is possible and that the
path towards divine sonship is open.
Lord Jesus,
the Church, born from your open side, is oppressed under the Cross of the divisions
that distance Christians from one another and from the unity that you willed for them;
they turn away from your desire "that they may all be one" (Jn 17:21)
as the Father is with you. This cross bears down with all its weight
on their lives and on their common testimony. Grant us, Lord, the wisdom and the humility
to rise once more and to move forward along the path of unity, in truth and love,
without succumbing to the temptation to have recourse merely to the criteria
of personal or sectarian interests, in the face of our divisions (cf. Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 11).
the Church, born from your open side, is oppressed under the Cross of the divisions
that distance Christians from one another and from the unity that you willed for them;
they turn away from your desire "that they may all be one" (Jn 17:21)
as the Father is with you. This cross bears down with all its weight
on their lives and on their common testimony. Grant us, Lord, the wisdom and the humility
to rise once more and to move forward along the path of unity, in truth and love,
without succumbing to the temptation to have recourse merely to the criteria
of personal or sectarian interests, in the face of our divisions (cf. Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 11).
Grant that we may renounce the mentality of division,
"lest the Cross of Christ be emptied of its power" (1 Cor 1:17).
Amen.
"lest the Cross of Christ be emptied of its power" (1 Cor 1:17).
Amen.
X Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments
A Reading from the Book of Psalms 22:19
They divide my clothing among them, they cast lots for my robe.
In the fullness of time, Lord Jesus, you clothed yourself in our humanity, you whose "train filled the temple" (Is
6:1); already, you are walking in our midst, and those who wish to
touch the hem of your garments are healed. But you have been stripped
even of this garment, Lord! They have stolen your cloak and you have
also given us your tunic (cf. Mt 5:40). You have allowed the
veil of your flesh to be torn so that we might once more be admitted
into the Father's presence (cf. Heb 10:19-20).
We thought we could find fulfilment by ourselves, independently of you (cf. Gen
3:4-7). We found ourselves naked, but in your infinite love you
reclothed us with the dignity of sons and daughters of God and of his
sanctifying grace.
Bestow, Lord, upon the children of the Eastern
Churches – stripped by various difficulties, sometimes to the point of
persecution, and weakened by emigration – the courage to remain in their
countries to proclaim the Good News.
O Jesus, Son of Man,
who were stripped so as to reveal to us the new creation raised from the dead,
tear in us the veil that separates us from God and weave in us your divine presence.
Grant us to conquer fear before the events of life
that strip us and leave us naked, and to put on the new man of our Baptism,
in order that we may announce the Good News, proclaiming that you are the only true God
who guides history. Amen.
who were stripped so as to reveal to us the new creation raised from the dead,
tear in us the veil that separates us from God and weave in us your divine presence.
Grant us to conquer fear before the events of life
that strip us and leave us naked, and to put on the new man of our Baptism,
in order that we may announce the Good News, proclaiming that you are the only true God
who guides history. Amen.
XI Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 19:16a,19
Then he handed him over to them to be
crucified. Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read:
"Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
Behold, the long-awaited Messiah, hanging on
the wood of the cross between two thieves. The two hands which blessed
humanity are pierced. The two feet which trod our earth to proclaim the
Good News are now suspended between earth and heaven. The eyes full of
love, whose gaze healed the sick and forgave our sins, now gaze only
heavenward.
Lord Jesus,
you were crucified for our sins. You pray to God the Father and you intercede for humanity.
Each hammer blow echoes like a beat of your immolated heart. How beautiful upon the mount of Calvary
are the feet of the One who proclaims the Good News of salvation.
Your love, Jesus, has filled the universe. Your pierced hands
are our refuge in distress. They embrace us
whenever the abyss of sin threatens us, and in your wounds
we find healing and forgiveness.
you were crucified for our sins. You pray to God the Father and you intercede for humanity.
Each hammer blow echoes like a beat of your immolated heart. How beautiful upon the mount of Calvary
are the feet of the One who proclaims the Good News of salvation.
Your love, Jesus, has filled the universe. Your pierced hands
are our refuge in distress. They embrace us
whenever the abyss of sin threatens us, and in your wounds
we find healing and forgiveness.
O Jesus,
we pray to you for all those young people who are overcome by hopelessness,
for young people who are the victims of drugs, of sects and of perversions.
we pray to you for all those young people who are overcome by hopelessness,
for young people who are the victims of drugs, of sects and of perversions.
Free them from their enslavement.
May they lift up their gaze and accept Love. May they find happiness in you;
save them, our Saviour. Amen.
May they lift up their gaze and accept Love. May they find happiness in you;
save them, our Saviour. Amen.
XII Station: Jesus dies on the cross
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 23:46
Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said:
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." And having said this, he
breathed his last.
From the height of the cross a cry is heard a
cry: a cry of abandonment at the moment of death, a cry of trust amid
suffering, a cry accompanying the birth of a new life. Behold, hanging
on the tree of life, you deliver your spirit into your Father's hands,
causing life to spring up in abundance and forming the new creation.
Today we too face the challenges of this world: we sense the surge of
fears which overwhelm us and shake our trust. Grant us, Lord, the
strength to know deep within our heart that no death will conquer us,
until we rest in the hands which have shaped us and accompany us.
May every one of us be able to cry out:
"Yesterday I was crucified with Christ, today I am glorified with him.
Yesterday I died with him, today I live with him.
Yesterday I was buried with him. Today I have risen with him." (Gregory Nazianzen)
"Yesterday I was crucified with Christ, today I am glorified with him.
Yesterday I died with him, today I live with him.
Yesterday I was buried with him. Today I have risen with him." (Gregory Nazianzen)
In the darkness of our nights,
we contemplate you. Teach us to turn towards the Most High,
your heavenly Father.
we contemplate you. Teach us to turn towards the Most High,
your heavenly Father.
Today, let us pray
that all those who promote abortion may become aware that love
can only be a source of life. Let us think also of those who defend euthanasia
and those who encourage techniques and procedures
which endanger human life. Open their hearts
to know you in the truth and to work for the building
of the civilization of life and love. Amen.
that all those who promote abortion may become aware that love
can only be a source of life. Let us think also of those who defend euthanasia
and those who encourage techniques and procedures
which endanger human life. Open their hearts
to know you in the truth and to work for the building
of the civilization of life and love. Amen.
XIII Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross and given to his Mother
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 19:26-27a
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple
whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother: "Woman, behold your
son!" Then he said to the disciple: "Behold, your mother!"
Lord Jesus, those who love you remain at your
side and keep faith. In the hour of your agony and death, when the world
believes that evil triumphs and that the voice of truth, love, justice
and peace is silent, their faith does not fail.
O Mary, into your hands we place our earth.
"How sad it is to see this blessed land suffer in its children, who
relentlessly tear one another to pieces and die!" (Ecclesia in Medio Oriente,
8). It seems that nothing can overcome evil, terrorism, murder and
hatred. "Before the cross on which your Son stretched out his sinless
hands for our salvation, O Virgin, we fall prostrate this day: grant us
peace" (Byzantine liturgy).
Let us pray
for the victims of the wars and of the violence which in our days devastate
various countries in the Middle East, as well as other parts of the world.
Let us pray that the displaced and the forced migrants may soon return
to their homes and lands. Grant, Lord,
that the blood of innocent victims may be the seed of a new East,
ever more fraternal, peaceful and just, and that this East
may recover the splendour of its vocation as the cradle of civilization and of spiritual and human values.
Star of the East, show us the coming of the Dawn!
Amen.
for the victims of the wars and of the violence which in our days devastate
various countries in the Middle East, as well as other parts of the world.
Let us pray that the displaced and the forced migrants may soon return
to their homes and lands. Grant, Lord,
that the blood of innocent victims may be the seed of a new East,
ever more fraternal, peaceful and just, and that this East
may recover the splendour of its vocation as the cradle of civilization and of spiritual and human values.
Star of the East, show us the coming of the Dawn!
Amen.
XIV Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 19:39-40
Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him
by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred
pounds weight. They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths
with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
Nicodemus receives the body of Christ, he
looks after it and puts it in a tomb in the middle of a garden which
evokes the garden of Creation. Jesus lets himself be buried, even as he
let himself be crucified, in the same abandonment, entirely "delivered"
into the hands of men and "perfectly united" to them, "even to sleeping
beneath the tombstone" (Saint Gregory of Narek).
To
accept difficulties, painful events, death, demands steadfast hope,
living faith. The stone placed before the entrance of the
tomb will be overturned and a new life will arise. For "we were buried
with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Rom 6:4)
We have received the freedom of the children
of God, so that we will not return to slavery; life has been given to us
in abundance, so that we will no longer be satisfied with a life
lacking beauty and meaning.
Lord Jesus,
make us children of the light who do not fear the darkness.
We pray to you today for all those who search for meaning in life
and for all those who have lost hope, that they may have faith in your victory
over sin and death. Amen.
make us children of the light who do not fear the darkness.
We pray to you today for all those who search for meaning in life
and for all those who have lost hope, that they may have faith in your victory
over sin and death. Amen.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2014 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 4/18/2014.
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Today's Snippet I: The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Book 6, Chapter 8
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
Our Savior then, the new and true Isaac, the Son of the
eternal Father, reached the mountain of sacrifice, which is the same one to
which his prototype and figure, Isaac, was brought by the patriarch Abraham
(Gen. 22, 9). Upon the most innocent Lamb of God was to be executed the rigor of
the sentence, which had been suspended in favor of the son of the Patriarch.
Mount Calvary was held to be a place of defilement and ignominy, as being
reserved for the chastisement of condemned criminals, whose cadavers spread
around it their stench and attached to it a still more evil fame. Our most
loving Jesus arrived at its summit so worn out, wounded, torn and disfigured,
that He seemed altogether transformed into an object of pain and sorrows.
When the most prudent Mother perceived that now the mysteries
of the Redemption were to be fulfilled and that the executioners were about to
strip Jesus of his clothes for crucifixion, She turned in spirit to the eternal
Father and prayed as follows: "My Lord and eternal God, Thou art the Father
of thy onlybegotten Son. By eternal generation He is engendered, God of the true
God, namely Thyself, and as man He was born of my womb and received from me this
human nature, in which He now suffers. I have nursed and sustained Him at my own
breast; and as the best sons that ever can be born of any creature, I love Him
with maternal love. As his Mother I have a natural right in the Person of his
most holy humanity and thy Providence will never infringe upon any rights held
by thy creatures. This right of a Mother then, I now yield to Thee and
once more place in thy hands thy and my Son as a sacrifice for the Redemption of
man. Accept, my Lord, this pleasing offering, since this is more than I can ever
offer by submitting my own self as a victim or to suffering. This sacrifice is
greater, not only because my Son is the true God and of thy own substance but
because this sacrifice costs me a much greater sorrow and pain. For if the lots
were changed and I should be permitted to die in order to preserve his most
life, I would consider it a great relief and the fulfillment of my dearest
wishes." The eternal Father this received prayer of the exalted Queen with
ineffable pleasure and complacency. The patriarch Abraham was permitted to go no
further than to prefigure and attempt the sacrifice of a son, because the real
execution of such a sacrifice God reserved to Himself and to his Onlybegotten.
Nor was Sara, the mother of Isaac, informed of the mystical ceremony, this being
prevented not only by the promptitude of Abraham's obedience, but also because
he mistrusted, lest the maternal love of Sara, though she was a just and holy
woman, should impel her to prevent the execution of the divine command. But not
so was it with most holy Mary, to whom the eternal Father could fearlessly
manifest his unchangeable will in order that She might, as far as her powers
were concerned, unite with Him in the sacrifice of his Onlybegotten.
It was already the sixth hour, which corresponds to our
noontime, and the executioners, intending to crucify the Savior naked, despoiled
Him of the seamless tunic and of his garments. As the tunic was large and
without opening in front, they pulled it over the head of Jesus without taking
off the crown of thorns; but on account of the rudeness with which they
proceeded, they inhumanly tore off the crown with the tunic. Thus they opened
anew all the wounds of his head, and in some of them remained the thorns, which,
in spite of their being so hard and sharp, were wrenched off by the violence
with which the executioners despoiled Him of his tunic and, with it, of the
crown. With heartless cruelty they again forced it down upon his sacred head,
opening up wounds upon wounds. By the rude tearing off of the tunic were renewed
also the wounds of his whole body, since the tunic had dried into the open
places and its removal was, as David says, adding new pains to his wound (Ps.
68, 27). Four times during the Passion did they despoil Jesus of his garments
and again vest Him. The first time in order to scourge him at the pillar; the
second time in order to clothe Him in the mock purple; the third when they took
this off in order to clothe Him in his tunic; the fourth, when they finally took
away his clothes. This last was the most painful, because his wounds were more
numerous, his holy humanity was much weakened, and there was less shelter
against the sharp wind on mount Calvary; for also this element was permitted to
increase the sufferings of his death-struggle by sending its cold blasts across
the mount.
The holy Cross was lying on the ground and the executioners
were busy making the necessary preparations for crucifying Him and the two
thieves. In the meanwhile our Redeemer and Master prayed to the Father in the
following terms:
"Eternal Father and my Lord God, to the incomprehensible
Majesty of thy infinite goodness and justice I offer my entire humanity and all
that according to thy will it has accomplished in descending from thy bosom to
assume passible and mortal flesh for the Redemption of men, my brethren. I offer
Thee, Lord, with Myself, also my most loving Mother, her love, her most perfect
works, her sorrows, her sufferings, her anxious and prudent solicitude in
serving Me, imitating Me and accompanying Me unto death. I offer Thee the little
flock of my Apostles, the holy Church and congregation of the faithful, such as
it is now and as it shall be to the end of the world; and with it I offer to
Thee all the mortal children of Adam. All this I place in thy hands as the true
and almighty Lord and God. As far as my wishes are concerned, I suffer and die
for all, and I desire that all shall be saved, under the condition that all
follow Me and profit of my Redemption. Thus may they pass from the slavery of
the devil to be thy children, my brethren and co-heirs of the grace merited by
Me. Especially, O my Lord, do I offer to Thee the poor, despised and afflicted,
who are my friends and who follow Me on the way to the Cross. I desire that the
just and the predestined be written in thy eternal memory. I beseech
Thee, my Father, to withhold thy chastisement and not to raise the scourge of
thy justice over men; let them not be punished as they merit for their sins. Be
Thou from now on their Father as Thou art mine. I beseech Thee also, that they
may be helped to ponder upon my Death in pious affection and be enlightened from
above; and I pray for those who are persecuting Me, in order that they may be
converted to the truth. Above all do I ask Thee for the exaltation of thy
ineffable and most holy name."
This prayer and supplication of our Savior were known to the
most blessed Mother, and She imitated Him and made the same petitions to the
Father in as far as She was concerned. The most prudent Virgin never forgot or
disregarded the first word which She had heard from the mouth of her divine Son
as an infant: "Become like unto Me, my Beloved." His promise, that in
return for the new human existence which She had given Him in her virginal womb,
He would, by his almighty power, give Her a new existence of divine and eminent
grace above all other creatures, was continually fulfilled.
In order to find the places for the auger-holes on the Cross,
the executioners haughtily commanded the Creator of the universe (O dreadful
temerity!), to stretch Himself out upon it. The Teacher of humility obeyed
without hesitation. But they, following their inhuman instinct of cruelty,
marked the places for the holes, not according to the size of his body, but
larger, having in mind a new torture for their Victim. This inhuman intent was
known to the Mother of light, and the knowledge of it was one of the greatest
afflictions of her chastest heart during the whole Passion. She saw through the
intentions of these ministers of sin and She anticipated the torments to be
endured by her beloved Son when his limbs should be wrenched from their sockets
in being nailed to the Cross. But She could not do anything to prevent it, as it
was the will of the Lord to suffer these pains for men. When He rose from the
Cross and they set about boring the holes, the great Lady approached and took
hold of one of his hands, adoring Him and kissing it with greatest reverence.
The executioners allowed this because they thought that the sight of his Mother
would cause so much the greater affliction to the Lord; for they wished to spare
Him no sorrow they could cause Him. But they were ignorant of the hidden
mysteries; for the Lord during his Passion had no greater source of consolation
and interior joy than to see in the soul of his most blessed Mother, the
beautiful likeness of Himself and the full fruits of his Passion and Death. This
joy, to a certain extent, comforted Christ our Lord also in that hour.
Presently one of the executioners seized the hand of Jesus
our Savior and placed it upon the auger-hole while another hammered a large and
rough nail through the palm. The veins and sinews were torn, and the bones of
the sacred hand, which made the heavens and all that exists, were forced apart.
When they stretched out the other hand, they found that it did not reach up to
the auger-hole; for the sinews of the other arm had been shortened and the
executioners had maliciously set the holes too far apart, as I have mentioned
above. In order to overcome the difficulty, they took the chain with which the
Savior had been bound in the garden, and looping one end through a ring around
his wrist, they, with unheard of cruelty, pulled the hand over the hole and
fastened it with another nail. Thereupon they seized his feet, and placing them
one above the other, they tied the same chain around both and stretched them
with barbarous ferocity down to the third hole. Then they drove through both
feet a large nail into the Cross. Thus the sacred body, in which dwelled the
Divinity, was nailed motionless to the holy Cross, and the handiwork of his
deified members, formed by the Holy Ghost, was so stretched and torn
asunder, that the bones of his body, dislocated and forced from their
natural position, could all be counted. The bones of his breast, of his
shoulders and arms, and of his whole body yielded to the cruel violence
and were torn from their sinews.
Then they dragged the lower end of the Cross with the
crucified God near to the hole, wherein it was to be planted. Some of them
getting under the upper part of the Cross with their shoulders, others pushing
upward with their halberds and lances, they raised the Savior on his Cross and
fastened its foot in the hole they had drilled into the ground. Thus our true
life and salvation now hung in the air upon the sacred wood in full view of the
innumerable multitudes of different nations and countries. I must not omit
mentioning another barbarity inflicted upon the Lord as they raised Him: for
some of them placed the sharp points of their lances and halberds to his body
and fearfully lacerating Him under the armpits in helping to push the Cross into
position. At this spectacle new cries of protest arose with still more vehemence
and confusion from the multitude of people. The Jews blasphemed, the
kind-hearted lamented, the strangers were astounded, some of them called the
attention of the bystanders to the proceedings, others turned away their heads
in horror and pity; others took to themselves a warning from this
spectacle of suffering, and still others proclaimed Him a just Man. All these
different sentiments were like arrows piercing the heart of the afflicted
Mother. The sacred body now shed much blood from the nail wounds, which, by its
weight and the shock of the Cross falling into the hole, had widened. They were
the fountains, now opened up, to which Isaias invites us to hasten with joy to
quench our thirst and wash off the stains of our sins (Is. 12, 3). No one shall
be excused who does not quickly approach to drink of them.
Then they crucified also the two thieves and planted their
crosses to the right and the left of the Savior; for thereby they wished to
indicate that He deserved the most conspicuous place as being the greatest
malefactor. The pharisees and priests, forgetting the two thieves, turned
all the venom of their fury against the sinless and holy One by nature.
Wagging their heads in scorn and mockery (Matth. 27, 39) they threw stones and
dirt at the Cross of the Lord and his royal Person, saying: "Ah Thou, who
destroyest the temple and in three days rebuildest it, save now Thyself; others
He has made whole, Himself He cannot save; if this be the Son of God let him
descend from the Cross, and we will believe in Him," (Matth. 27, 42). The
two thieves in the beginning also mocked the Lord and said: "If Thou art
the Son of God, save Thyself and us." These blasphemies of the two thieves
caused special sorrow to our Lord, since they were so near to death and losing
the fruit of their death-pains, by which they could have satisfied in part for
their justly punished crimes. Soon after, however, one of them availed himself
of the greatest opportunity that a sinner ever had in this world, and was
converted from his sins.
As the wood of the Cross was the throne of majesty and the
chair of the doctrine of life, and as He was now raised upon it, confirming his
doctrine by his example, Christ now uttered those words of highest charity and
perfection: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!"
(Luke 23, 34.) This principle of charity and fraternal love the divine Teacher
had appropriated to himself and proclaimed by his own lips (John 15, 12; Matthew.
15, 44). He now confirmed and executed it upon the Cross, not only pardoning and
loving his enemies, but excusing those under the plea of ignorance whose malice had reached the highest point possible
to men in persecuting, blaspheming and crucifying their God and Redeemer. Such
was the difference between the behavior of ungrateful men favored with so great
enlightenment, instruction and blessing; and the behavior of Jesus in his most
burning charity while suffering the crown of thorns, the nails, and the Cross
and unheard of blasphemy at the hands of men. O incomprehensible love! O
ineffable sweetness! O patience inconceivable to man, admirable to the angels
and fearful to the devils! One of the two thieves, called Dismas, became aware
of some of the mysteries. Being assisted at the same time by the prayers and
intercession of most holy Mary, he was interiorly enlightened concerning his
Rescuer and Master by the first word on the Cross. Moved by true sorrow and
contrition for his sins, he turned to his companion and said: "Neither dost
thou fear God, seeing that thou art under the same condemnation? And we indeed
justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man hath done no
evil." And thereupon speaking to Jesus, he said: "Lord, remember me
when Thou shalt come into thy kingdom!" (Luke 23, 40.).
In this happiest of thieves, in the centurion and in the
others who confessed Jesus Christ on the Cross, began to appear the results of
the Redemption. But the one most favored was this Dismas, who merited to hear
the second word of the Savior on the Cross: "Amen, I say to thee, this day
shalt thou be with Me in Paradise." Having thus justified the good thief,
Jesus turned his loving gaze upon his afflicted Mother, who with saint John was
standing at the foot of the Cross. Speaking to both, he first addressed his
Mother, saying: "Woman, behold thy son!'' and then to the Apostle:
"Beho1d thy Mother!" (John 19, 26.) The Lord called Her Woman and not
Mother, because this name of Mother had in it something of sweetness and
consolation, the very pronouncing of which would have been a sensible relief.
During his Passion He would admit of no exterior consolation, having renounced
for that time all exterior alleviation and easement, as I have mentioned above.
By this word "woman'' he tacitly and by implication wished to say: Woman
blessed among all women, the most prudent among all the daughters of Adam,
Woman, strong and constant, unconquered by any fault of thy own, unfailing in my
service and most faithful in thy love toward Me, which even the mighty waters of
my Passion could not extinguish or resist (Cant. 8, 7), I am going to my Father
and cannot accompany Thee further; my beloved disciple will attend upon Thee and
serve Thee as his Mother, and he will be thy son. All this the heavenly Queen
understood. The holy Apostle on his part received Her as his own from that hour
on; for he was enlightened anew in order to understand and appreciate the
greatest treasure of the Divinity in the whole creation next to the humanity of
Christ our Savior. In this light He reverenced and served Her for the rest of
her life, as I will relate farther on. Our Lady also accepted him as her son in
humble subjection and obedience.
Already the ninth hour of the day was approaching, although
the darkness and confusion of nature made it appear to be rather a chaotic
night. Our Savior spoke the fourth word from the Cross in a loud and strong
voice, so that all the bystanders could hear it: "My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken Me?'' (Matthew 27, 46.) Although the Lord had uttered these words in
his Hebrew language, they were not understood by all. Since they began with :
"Eli, eli," some of them thought He was calling upon Elias, and a
number of them mocked Him saying: "Let us see whether Elias shall come to
free Him from our hands?" He grieved that his copious and superabundant
Redemption, offered for the whole human race, should not be efficacious in the
reprobate and that He should find Himself deprived of them in the eternal
happiness, for which He had created and redeemed them. As this was to happen in
consequence of the decree of his Father's eternal will, He lovingly and
sorrowfully complained of it in the words: "My God, my God why hast
Thou forsaken Me?" that is, in so God deprived Him of the salvation of the
reprobate.
In confirmation of this sorrow the Lord added: "I
thirst!" The sufferings of the Lord and his anguish could easily cause a
natural thirst. But for Him this was not a time to complain of this thirst or to
quench it; and therefore Jesus would not have spoken of it so near to its
expiration, unless in order to give expression to a most exalted mystery. He was
thirsting to see the captive children of Adam make use of the liberty, which He
merited for them and offered to them, and which so many were abusing. He was
athirst with the anxious desire that all should correspond with Him in the faith
and love due to Him, that they profit by his merits and sufferings, accept his
friendship and grace now acquired for them, and that they should not lose the
eternal happiness which He was to leave as an inheritance to those that wished
to merit and accept it. This was the thirst of our Savior and Master; and
the most blessed Mary alone understood it perfectly and began, with ardent ion
and charity, to invite and interiorly to call upon all the poor, the afflicted,
the humble, the despised and downtrodden to approach their Savior and thus
quench, at least in part, his thirst which they could not quench entirely. But
the perfidious Jews and the executioners, evidencing their unhappy
hard-heartedness, fastened a sponge soaked in gall and vinegar to a reed and
mockingly raised it to his mouth, in order that He might drink of it. Thus was
fulfilled the prophecy of David: "In my thirst they gave me vinegar to
drink" (John 28; Ps. 68, 22).
In connection with this same mystery the Savior then
pronounced the sixth word: "Consummatum est," It is consummated"
(John 19, 29). Now is consummated this work of my coming from heaven and I have
obeyed the command of my eternal Father, who sent Me to suffer and die for the
salvation of mankind. Now are fulfilled the holy Scriptures, the prophecies
figures of the old Testament, and the course of my earthly and mortal life
assumed in the womb of my Mother. Now are established on earth my example, my
doctrines, my Sacraments and my remedies for the sickness of sin. Now is
appeased the justice of my eternal Father in regard to the debt of the children
of Adam. Now is my holy Church enriched with the remedies for the sins committed
by men; the whole work of my coming into the world is perfected in so far
as it concerns Me, its Restorer; the secure foundation of the triumphant Church
is now laid in the Church militant, so that nothing can overthrow or change it.
These are the mysteries contained in the few words "Consummatum est."
Having finished and established the work of Redemption in all
its perfection, it was becoming that the incarnate Word, just as He came forth
from the Father to enter mortal life (John 16, 8), should enter into immortal
life of the Father through death. Therefore Christ our Savior added the last
words uttered by Him: ''Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." The
Lord spoke these words in a loud and strong voice, so that the bystanders heard
them. In pronouncing them He raised his eyes to heaven, as one speaking with the
eternal Father, and with the last accent He gave up his spirit and inclined
his head. By the divine force of these words Lucifer with all his demons were
hurled into the deepest caverns of hell, there they lay motionless, as I shall
relate in the next chapter. The invincible Queen and Mistress of all virtues
understood these mysteries beyond the understanding of all creatures, as She was
the Mother of the Savior and the Coadjutrix of his Passion. In order that She
might participate in it to the end, just as She had felt in her own body the
other torments of her Son, She now, though remaining alive, felt and suffered
the pangs and agony of his death. She did not die in reality; but this
was because God miraculously preserved her life, when according to the natural
course death should have followed. This miraculous aid was more wonderful than
all the other favors She received during the Passion. For this last pain was
more intense and penetrating; and all that the martyrs and the men sentenced to
death have suffered from the beginning of the world cannot equal what the
blessed Mary suffered during the Passion. The great Lady remained at the foot of
the Cross until evening, when the sacred body (as I shall relate) was interred.
But in return for this last anguish of death, all that was still of this mortal
life in the virginal body of the purest Mother, was more than ever
exalted and spiritualized.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, seek with all the powers of thy mind during thy
whole life to remember the mysteries manifested to thee in this chapter. I, as
thy Mother and thy Instructress, shall ask the Lord by his divine power to impress
in thy heart the knowledge, which I have vouchsafed thee, in order that it may
remain fixed and ever present to thee as long as thou livest. In virtue of this
blessing keep in thy memory Christ crucified, who is my divine Son and thy
Spouse, and never forget the sufferings of the Cross and the doctrine taught by
Him upon it. This is the mirror by which thou must arrange all thy adornments
and the source from which thou art to draw thy interior beauty, like a true
daughter of the Prince (Ps 44, 14), in order that than mayest be prepared,
proceed and reign as the spouse of the supreme King. As this honorable title
obliges thee to seek with all thy power to imitate Him as far as is becoming thy
station and possible to thee by his grace, and as this is to be the true fruit
of my doctrine, I wish that from today on thou live crucified with Christ,
entirely as assimilated to thy exemplar and model and dead to this earthly life
(II Cor. 5,15).
First Day
"Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."
Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.
Second Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious,
and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."
Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.
Third Day
"Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness."
Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Fourth Day
"Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me,
I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."
Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Fifth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church*,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion."
Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Sixth Day
Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.
Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Seventh Day
Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy*,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:
Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.
Eighth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
Ninth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."
Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.
Give Drink to the Thirsty
Clothe the Naked
Shelter the Homeless
Visit the Sick
Ransom the Captive
Bury the Dead
Instruct the Ignorant
Counsel the Doubtful
Comfort the Sorrowful
Bear Wrongs Patiently
Forgive Injuries
Pray for the Living and the Dead
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Snippet II: Divine Mercy Novena
(Good Friday Through Divine Mercy Sunday)
Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine
Mercy be
preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good
Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the
Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom
He said:
"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from
such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of
Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is
possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for
them is to flee to My Mercy."
In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different
group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy
... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My
passion, for the graces for these souls."
The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are:
DAY 1 (Good Friday)
- All mankind, especially sinners
DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) - The souls of priests and religious
DAY 3 (Easter Sunday)
- All devout and faithful souls
DAY 4 (Easter Monday) - Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet
know Him
DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) - The souls of separated brethren
DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) - The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) - The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy
DAY 8 (Easter Friday) - The souls who are detained in purgatory;
DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) - The souls who have become lukewarm.
During
the Solemn Novena leading to Divine Mercy Sunday, the Chaplet of
Divine Mercy should be offered each day for the day's intentions.
First Day
"Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."
Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.
Second Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious,
and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."
Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.
* In the original text, Saint Faustina uses the pronoun "us" since she was offering this prayer as a consecrated religious sister. The wording adapted here is intended to make the prayer suitable for universal use.
Third Day
"Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness."
Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Fourth Day
"Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me,
I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."
Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
*Our Lord's original words here were "the pagans." Since the pontificate of Pope John XXIII, the Church has seen fit to replace this term with clearer and more appropriate terminology.
Fifth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church*,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion."
Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.
*Our Lord's original words here were "heretics and schismatics," since He spoke to Saint Faustina within the context of her times. As of the Second Vatican Council, Church authorities have seen fit not to use those designations in accordance with the explanation given in the Council's Decree on Ecumenism (n.3). Every pope since the Council has reaffirmed that usage. Saint Faustina herself, her heart always in harmony with the mind of the Church, most certainly would have agreed. When at one time, because of the decisions of her superiors and father confessor, she was not able to execute Our Lord's inspirations and orders, she declared: "I will follow Your will insofar as You will permit me to do so through Your representative. O my Jesus " I give priority to the voice of the Church over the voice with which You speak to me" (497). The Lord confirmed her action and praised her for it.
Sixth Day
Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.
Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Seventh Day
Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy*,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:
Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.
*The text leads one to conclude that in the first prayer directed to Jesus, Who is the Redeemer, it is "victim" souls and contemplatives that are being prayed for; those persons, that is, that voluntarily offered themselves to God for the salvation of their neighbor (see Col 1:24; 2 Cor 4:12). This explains their close union with the Savior and the extraordinary efficacy that their invisible activity has for others. In the second prayer, directed to the Father from whom comes "every worthwhile gift and every genuine benefit,"we recommend the "active" souls, who promote devotion to The Divine Mercy and exercise with it all the other works that lend themselves to the spiritual and material uplifting of their brethren.
Eighth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
Ninth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."
Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.
Divine Mercy Litany
As
St. Faustina writes, "The Love of God is the flower - Mercy the fruit.
Let the doubting soul read these considerations on Divine Mercy and
become trusting."
Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, fount gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, from which wells forth all life and happiness, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, better than the heavens, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, source of miracles and wonders, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, encompassing the whole universe, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, descending to earth in the Person of the Incarnate Word, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of Jesus for us, and especially for sinners, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy Church, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in our justification through Jesus Christ, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the conversion of hardened sinners, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, astonishment for Angels, incomprehensible to Saints, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in all the mysteries of God, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, source of our happiness and joy, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in calling us forth from nothingness to existence, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, embracing all the works of His hands, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, crown of all of God's handiwork, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in which we are all immersed, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, only hope of despairing souls, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, delight and ecstasy of holy souls, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, inspiring hope against all hope, I trust in You.
+ Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.
+ O incomprehensible and limitless Mercy Divine, To extol and adore You worthily, who can? Supreme attribute of Almighty God, You are the sweet hope for sinful man.
Into one hymn yourselves unite, stars, earth and sea, and in one accord, thankfully and fervently sing of the incomprehensible Divine Mercy. (Diary, 949)
Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, fount gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, from which wells forth all life and happiness, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, better than the heavens, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, source of miracles and wonders, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, encompassing the whole universe, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, descending to earth in the Person of the Incarnate Word, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of Jesus for us, and especially for sinners, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy Church, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in our justification through Jesus Christ, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the conversion of hardened sinners, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, astonishment for Angels, incomprehensible to Saints, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in all the mysteries of God, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, source of our happiness and joy, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in calling us forth from nothingness to existence, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, embracing all the works of His hands, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, crown of all of God's handiwork, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in which we are all immersed, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, only hope of despairing souls, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, delight and ecstasy of holy souls, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, inspiring hope against all hope, I trust in You.
+ Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.
+ O incomprehensible and limitless Mercy Divine, To extol and adore You worthily, who can? Supreme attribute of Almighty God, You are the sweet hope for sinful man.
Into one hymn yourselves unite, stars, earth and sea, and in one accord, thankfully and fervently sing of the incomprehensible Divine Mercy. (Diary, 949)
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Works of Mercy
Corporal Works of Mercy
Feed the HungryGive Drink to the Thirsty
Clothe the Naked
Shelter the Homeless
Visit the Sick
Ransom the Captive
Bury the Dead
Spiritual Works of Mercy
Admonish the SinnerInstruct the Ignorant
Counsel the Doubtful
Comfort the Sorrowful
Bear Wrongs Patiently
Forgive Injuries
Pray for the Living and the Dead
In St. Faustina's diary, Christ spoke to her about the importance
of mercy - not just celebrating the feast, but living God's Mercy in
our lives...
Later, St. Faustina describes her understanding of Christ's words to her...
But it wasn't just in honor of the Feast that Christ spoke about His desire for acts of mercy...
"...Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works." (Diary, 742)
"My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.(Diary, 742)
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first - by deed, the second - by word, the third - by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works." (Diary, 742)
Later, St. Faustina describes her understanding of Christ's words to her...
"The Lord gave me knowledge of His will under three aspects, so to speak, but it all comes down to one:
The first is that souls separated from the world will burn as an offering before God's throne and beg for mercy for the whole world... and by their entreaties they will obtain blessings for priests, and through their prayers prepare the world for the final coming of Jesus.
The second is prayer joined to the act of mercy. In particular, they will defend the souls of children against the spirit of evil. Prayer and merciful deeds are all that will be required of these souls, and even the poorest persons can be admitted to their number. And in this egoistic world they will try to rouse up love, the mercy of Jesus.
The third is prayer and deeds of mercy, without any obligation of taking vows. But by doing this, these persons will have a share in all the merits and privileges of the whole [congregation]. Everyone in the world can belong to this group. A member of this group ought to perform at least one act of mercy a day; at least one, but there can be many more, for such deeds can easily be carried out by anyone, even the very poorest.
For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray - that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict." (Diary 1155-1158)
But it wasn't just in honor of the Feast that Christ spoke about His desire for acts of mercy...
"October 1, 1937. Daughter, I need sacrifice lovingly accomplished, because that alone has meaning for Me. Enormous indeed are the debts of the world which are due to Me; pure souls can pay them by their sacrifice, exercising mercy in spirit.
I understand Your words, Lord, and the magnitude of the mercy that ought to shine in my soul. Jesus: I know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do everything within your power. But write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy." (Diary, 1316-7)
References
- Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul by Faustina Kowalska 2003 ISBN 1-59614-110-7
- Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. http://www.sisterfaustina.org/
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Catholic Catechism
PART ONE - THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION TWO -THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
CHAPTER ONE - I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER
198 Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last,1 the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father,
for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our
Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the
beginning and the foundation of all God's works.ARTICLE I - "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
Paragraph 5. Heaven and Earth
325 The Apostles' Creed professes that God is "creator of heaven and earth". The Nicene Creed makes it explicit that this profession includes "all that is, seen and unseen".326 The Scriptural expression "heaven and earth" means all that exists, creation in its entirety. It also indicates the bond, deep within creation, that both unites heaven and earth and distinguishes the one from the other: "the earth" is the world of men, while "heaven" or "the heavens" can designate both the firmament and God's own "place" - "our Father in heaven" and consequently the "heaven" too which is eschatological glory. Finally, "heaven" refers to the saints and the "place" of the spiritual creatures, the angels, who surround God.186
327 The profession of faith of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) affirms that God "from the beginning of time made at once (simul) out of nothing both orders of creatures, the spiritual and the corporeal, that is, the angelic and the earthly, and then (deinde) the human creature, who as it were shares in both orders, being composed of spirit and body."187
I. THE ANGELS
The existence of angels - a truth of faith
328 The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.
Who are they?
329 St. Augustine says: "'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.'"188 With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word".189
330 As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.190
Christ "with all his angels"
331 Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are his angels: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him. . "191 They belong to him because they were created through and for him: "for in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities - all things were created through him and for him."192 They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?"193
332 Angels have been present since creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan: they closed the earthly paradise; protected Lot; saved Hagar and her child; stayed Abraham's hand; communicated the law by their ministry; led the People of God; announced births and callings; and assisted the prophets, just to cite a few examples.194 Finally, the angel Gabriel announced the birth of the Precursor and that of Jesus himself.195
333 From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the Word incarnate is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels. When God "brings the firstborn into the world, he says: 'Let all God's angels worship him.'"196 Their song of praise at the birth of Christ has not ceased resounding in the Church's praise: "Glory to God in the highest!"197 They protect Jesus in his infancy, serve him in the desert, strengthen him in his agony in the garden, when he could have been saved by them from the hands of his enemies as Israel had been.198 Again, it is the angels who "evangelize" by proclaiming the Good News of Christ's Incarnation and Resurrection.199 They will be present at Christ's return, which they will announce, to serve at his judgement.200
The angels in the life of the Church
334 In the meantime, the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.201
335 In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance (in the funeral liturgy's In Paradisum deducant te angeli. . .["May the angels lead you into Paradise. . ."]). Moreover, in the "Cherubic Hymn" of the Byzantine Liturgy, she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels).
336 From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.202 "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."203 Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.
II. THE VISIBLE WORLD
337 God himself created the visible world in all its richness, diversity and order. Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine "work", concluded by the "rest" of the seventh day.204 On the subject of creation, the sacred text teaches the truths revealed by God for our salvation,205 permitting us to "recognize the inner nature, the value and the ordering of the whole of creation to the praise of God."206
338 Nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator. The world began when God's word drew it out of nothingness; all existent beings, all of nature, and all human history are rooted in this primordial event, the very genesis by which the world was constituted and time begun.207
339 Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection. For each one of the works of the "six days" it is said: "And God saw that it was good." "By the very nature of creation, material being is endowed with its own stability, truth and excellence, its own order and laws."208 Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness. Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human beings and their environment.
340 God wills the interdependence of creatures. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other.
341 The beauty of the universe: The order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity of beings and from the relationships which exist among them. Man discovers them progressively as the laws of nature. They call forth the admiration of scholars. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.
342 The hierarchy of creatures is expressed by the order of the "six days", from the less perfect to the more perfect. God loves all his creatures209 and takes care of each one, even the sparrow. Nevertheless, Jesus said: "You are of more value than many sparrows", or again: "Of how much more value is a man than a sheep!"210
343 Man is the summit of the Creator's work, as the inspired account expresses by clearly distinguishing the creation of man from that of the other creatures.211
344 There is a solidarity among all creatures arising from the fact that all have the same Creator and are all ordered to his glory: May you be praised, O Lord, in all your creatures, especially brother sun, by whom you give us light for the day; he is beautiful, radiating great splendor, and offering us a symbol of you, the Most High. . .
- May you be praised, my Lord, for sister water, who is very useful and humble, precious and chaste. . .
May you be praised, my Lord, for sister earth, our mother, who bears and feeds us, and produces the variety of fruits and dappled flowers and grasses. . .
Praise and bless my Lord, give thanks and serve him in all humility.212
346 In creation God laid a foundation and established laws that remain firm, on which the believer can rely with confidence, for they are the sign and pledge of the unshakeable faithfulness of God's covenant.214 For his part man must remain faithful to this foundation, and respect the laws which the Creator has written into it.
347 Creation was fashioned with a view to the sabbath and therefore for the worship and adoration of God. Worship is inscribed in the order of creation.215 As the rule of St. Benedict says, nothing should take precedence over "the work of God", that is, solemn worship.216 This indicates the right order of human concerns.
348 The sabbath is at the heart of Israel's law. To keep the commandments is to correspond to the wisdom and the will of God as expressed in his work of creation.
349 The eighth day. But for us a new day has dawned: the day of Christ's Resurrection. The seventh day completes the first creation. The eighth day begins the new creation. Thus, the work of creation culminates in the greater work of redemption. The first creation finds its meaning and its summit in the new creation in Christ, the splendor of which surpasses that of the first creation.217
IN BRIEF
350 Angels are spiritual creatures who glorify God without ceasing and who serve his saving plans for other creatures: "The angels work together for the benefit of us all" (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I, 114, 3, ad 3).
351 The angels surround Christ their Lord. They serve him especially in the accomplishment of his saving mission to men.
352 The Church venerates the angels who help her on her earthly pilgrimage and protect every human being.
353 God willed the diversity of his creatures and their own particular goodness, their interdependence and their order. He destined all material creatures for the good of the human race. Man, and through him all creation, is destined for the glory of God.
354 Respect for laws inscribed in creation and the relations which derive from the nature of things is a principle of wisdom and a foundation for morality.
Paragraph 6. Man
355 "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them."218 Man occupies a unique place in creation: (I) he is "in the image of God"; (II) in his own nature he unites the spiritual and material worlds; (III) he is created "male and female"; (IV) God established him in his friendship.I. "IN THE IMAGE OF GOD"
356 Of all visible creatures only man is "able to know and love his creator".219 He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake",220 and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity:
- What made you establish man in so great a dignity? Certainly the incalculable love by which you have looked on your creature in yourself! You are taken with love for her; for by love indeed you created her, by love you have given her a being capable of tasting your eternal Good.221
358 God created everything for man,222 but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him:
- What is it that is about to be created, that enjoys such honor? It is man that great and wonderful living creature, more precious in the eyes of God than all other creatures! For him the heavens and the earth, the sea and all the rest of creation exist. God attached so much importance to his salvation that he did not spare his own Son for the sake of man. Nor does he ever cease to work, trying every possible means, until he has raised man up to himself and made him sit at his right hand.223
- St. Paul tells us that the human race takes its origin from two men: Adam and Christ. . . The first man, Adam, he says, became a living soul, the last Adam a life-giving spirit. The first Adam was made by the last Adam, from whom he also received his soul, to give him life. . . The second Adam stamped his image on the first Adam when he created him. That is why he took on himself the role and the name of the first Adam, in order that he might not lose what he had made in his own image. The first Adam, the last Adam: the first had a beginning, the last knows no end. The last Adam is indeed the first; as he himself says: "I am the first and the last."225
- O wondrous vision, which makes us contemplate the human race in the unity of its origin in God. . . in the unity of its nature, composed equally in all men of a material body and a spiritual soul; in the unity of its immediate end and its mission in the world; in the unity of its dwelling, the earth, whose benefits all men, by right of nature, may use to sustain and develop life; in the unity of its supernatural end: God himself, to whom all ought to tend; in the unity of the means for attaining this end;. . . in the unity of the redemption wrought by Christ for all.227
II. "BODY AND SOUL BUT TRULY ONE"
362 The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. The biblical account expresses this reality in symbolic language when it affirms that "then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."229 Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God.
363 In Sacred Scripture the term "soul" often refers to human life or the entire human person.230 But "soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him,231 that by which he is most especially in God's image: "soul" signifies the spiritual principle in man.
364 The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit:232
- Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day. 233
366 The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God - it is not "produced" by the parents - and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.235
367 Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit: St. Paul for instance prays that God may sanctify his people "wholly", with "spirit and soul and body" kept sound and blameless at the Lord's coming.236 The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul.237 "Spirit" signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God.238
368 The spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the heart, in the biblical sense of the depths of one's being, where the person decides for or against God.239
III. "MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM"
Equality and difference willed by God
369 Man and woman have been created, which is to say, willed by God: on the one hand, in perfect equality as human persons; on the other, in their respective beings as man and woman. "Being man" or "being woman" is a reality which is good and willed by God: man and woman possess an inalienable dignity which comes to them immediately from God their Creator.240 Man and woman are both with one and the same dignity "in the image of God". In their "being-man" and "being-woman", they reflect the Creator's wisdom and goodness.
370 In no way is God in man's image. He is neither man nor woman. God is pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes. But the respective "perfections" of man and woman reflect something of the infinite perfection of God: those of a mother and those of a father and husband.241
"Each for the other" - "A unity in two"
371 God created man and woman together and willed each for the other. The Word of God gives us to understand this through various features of the sacred text. "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him."242 None of the animals can be man's partner.243 The woman God "fashions" from the man's rib and brings to him elicits on the man's part a cry of wonder, an exclamation of love and communion: "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh."244 Man discovers woman as another "I", sharing the same humanity.
372 Man and woman were made "for each other" - not that God left them half-made and incomplete: he created them to be a communion of persons, in which each can be "helpmate" to the other, for they are equal as persons ("bone of my bones. . .") and complementary as masculine and feminine. In marriage God unites them in such a way that, by forming "one flesh",245 they can transmit human life: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth."246 By transmitting human life to their descendants, man and woman as spouses and parents cooperate in a unique way in the Creator's work.247
373 In God's plan man and woman have the vocation of "subduing" the earth248 as stewards of God. This sovereignty is not to be an arbitrary and destructive domination. God calls man and woman, made in the image of the Creator "who loves everything that exists",249 to share in his providence toward other creatures; hence their responsibility for the world God has entrusted to them.
IV. MAN IN PARADISE
374 The first man was not only created good, but was also established in friendship with his Creator and in harmony with himself and with the creation around him, in a state that would be surpassed only by the glory of the new creation in Christ.
375 The Church, interpreting the symbolism of biblical language in an authentic way, in the light of the New Testament and Tradition, teaches that our first parents, Adam and Eve, were constituted in an original "state of holiness and justice".250 This grace of original holiness was "to share in. . .divine life".251
376 By the radiance of this grace all dimensions of man's life were confirmed. As long as he remained in the divine intimacy, man would not have to suffer or die.252 The inner harmony of the human person, the harmony between man and woman,253 and finally the harmony between the first couple and all creation, comprised the state called "original justice".
377 The "mastery" over the world that God offered man from the beginning was realized above all within man himself: mastery of self. The first man was unimpaired and ordered in his whole being because he was free from the triple concupiscence254 that subjugates him to the pleasures of the senses, covetousness for earthly goods, and self-assertion, contrary to the dictates of reason.
378 The sign of man's familiarity with God is that God places him in the garden.255 There he lives "to till it and keep it". Work is not yet a burden,256 but rather the collaboration of man and woman with God in perfecting the visible creation.
379 This entire harmony of original justice, foreseen for man in God's plan, will be lost by the sin of our first parents.
IN BRIEF
380 "Father,. . . you formed man in your own likeness and set him over the whole world to serve you, his creator, and to rule over all creatures" (Roman Missal, EP IV, 118).
381 Man is predestined to reproduce the image of God's Son made man, the "image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15), so that Christ shall be the first-born of a multitude of brothers and sisters (cf. Eph 1:3-6; Rom 8:29).
382 "Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity" (GS 14 § 1). The doctrine of the faith affirms that the spiritual and immortal soul is created immediately by God.
383 "God did not create man a solitary being. From the beginning, "male and female he created them" (Gen 1:27). This partnership of man and woman constitutes the first form of communion between persons" (GS 12 § 4).
384 Revelation makes known to us the state of original holiness and justice of man and woman before sin: from their friendship with God flowed the happiness of their existence in paradise.
Paragraph 7. The Fall
385 God is infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape the experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be linked to the limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of moral evil. Where does evil come from? "I sought whence evil comes and there was no solution", said St. Augustine,257 and his own painful quest would only be resolved by his conversion to the living God. For "the mystery of lawlessness" is clarified only in the light of the "mystery of our religion".258 The revelation of divine love in Christ manifested at the same time the extent of evil and the superabundance of grace.259 We must therefore approach the question of the origin of evil by fixing the eyes of our faith on him who alone is its conqueror.260
I. WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE ABOUNDED ALL THE MORE
The reality of sin
386 Sin is present in human history; any attempt to ignore it or to give this dark reality other names would be futile. To try to understand what sin is, one must first recognize the profound relation of man to God, for only in this relationship is the evil of sin unmasked in its true identity as humanity's rejection of God and opposition to him, even as it continues to weigh heavy on human life and history.
387 Only the light of divine Revelation clarifies the reality of sin and particularly of the sin committed at mankind's origins. Without the knowledge Revelation gives of God we cannot recognize sin clearly and are tempted to explain it as merely a developmental flaw, a psychological weakness, a mistake, or the necessary consequence of an inadequate social structure, etc. Only in the knowledge of God's plan for man can we grasp that sin is an abuse of the freedom that God gives to created persons so that they are capable of loving him and loving one another.
Original sin - an essential truth of the faith
388 With the progress of Revelation, the reality of sin is also illuminated. Although to some extent the People of God in the Old Testament had tried to understand the pathos of the human condition in the light of the history of the fall narrated in Genesis, they could not grasp this story's ultimate meaning, which is revealed only in the light of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.261 We must know Christ as the source of grace in order to know Adam as the source of sin. The Spirit-Paraclete, sent by the risen Christ, came to "convict the world concerning sin",262 by revealing him who is its Redeemer.
389 The doctrine of original sin is, so to speak, the "reverse side" of the Good News that Jesus is the Savior of all men, that all need salvation and that salvation is offered to all through Christ. The Church, which has the mind of Christ,263 knows very well that we cannot tamper with the revelation of original sin without undermining the mystery of Christ.
How to read the account of the fall
390 The account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, but affirms a primeval event, a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man.264 Revelation gives us the certainty of faith that the whole of human history is marked by the original fault freely committed by our first parents.265
II. THE FALL OF THE ANGELS
391 Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy.266 Scripture and the Church's Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called "Satan" or the "devil".267 The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing."268
392 Scripture speaks of a sin of these angels.269 This "fall" consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and irrevocably rejected God and his reign. We find a reflection of that rebellion in the tempter's words to our first parents: "You will be like God."270 The devil "has sinned from the beginning"; he is "a liar and the father of lies".271
393 It is the irrevocable character of their choice, and not a defect in the infinite divine mercy, that makes the angels' sin unforgivable. "There is no repentance for the angels after their fall, just as there is no repentance for men after death."272
394 Scripture witnesses to the disastrous influence of the one Jesus calls "a murderer from the beginning", who would even try to divert Jesus from the mission received from his Father.273 "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."274 In its consequences the gravest of these works was the mendacious seduction that led man to disobey God.
395 The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God's reign. Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries - of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature- to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence should permit diabolical activity, but "we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him."275
III. ORIGINAL SIN
Freedom put to the test
396 God created man in his image and established him in his friendship. A spiritual creature, man can live this friendship only in free submission to God. The prohibition against eating "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" spells this out: "for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die."276 The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil"277 symbolically evokes the insurmountable limits that man, being a creature, must freely recognize and respect with trust. Man is dependent on his Creator, and subject to the laws of creation and to the moral norms that govern the use of freedom.
Man's first sin
397 Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of.278 All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.
398 In that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good. Constituted in a state of holiness, man was destined to be fully "divinized" by God in glory. Seduced by the devil, he wanted to "be like God", but "without God, before God, and not in accordance with God".279
399 Scripture portrays the tragic consequences of this first disobedience. Adam and Eve immediately lose the grace of original holiness.280 They become afraid of the God of whom they have conceived a distorted image - that of a God jealous of his prerogatives.281
400 The harmony in which they had found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties over the body is shattered; the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions, their relations henceforth marked by lust and domination.282 Harmony with creation is broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man.283 Because of man, creation is now subject "to its bondage to decay".284 Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man will "return to the ground",285 for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into human history.286
401 After that first sin, the world is virtually inundated by sin There is Cain's murder of his brother Abel and the universal corruption which follows in the wake of sin. Likewise, sin frequently manifests itself in the history of Israel, especially as infidelity to the God of the Covenant and as transgression of the Law of Moses. And even after Christ's atonement, sin raises its head in countless ways among Christians.287 Scripture and the Church's Tradition continually recall the presence and universality of sin in man's history:
- What Revelation makes known to us is confirmed by our own experience. For when man looks into his own heart he finds that he is drawn towards what is wrong and sunk in many evils which cannot come from his good creator. Often refusing to acknowledge God as his source, man has also upset the relationship which should link him to his last end, and at the same time he has broken the right order that should reign within himself as well as between himself and other men and all creatures.288
The consequences of Adam's sin for humanity
402 All men are implicated in Adam's sin, as St. Paul affirms: "By one man's disobedience many (that is, all men) were made sinners": "sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned."289 The Apostle contrasts the universality of sin and death with the universality of salvation in Christ. "Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men."290
403 Following St. Paul, the Church has always taught that the overwhelming misery which oppresses men and their inclination towards evil and death cannot be understood apart from their connection with Adam's sin and the fact that he has transmitted to us a sin with which we are all born afflicted, a sin which is the "death of the soul".291 Because of this certainty of faith, the Church baptizes for the remission of sins even tiny infants who have not committed personal sin.292
404 How did the sin of Adam become the sin of all his descendants? The whole human race is in Adam "as one body of one man".293 By this "unity of the human race" all men are implicated in Adam's sin, as all are implicated in Christ's justice. Still, the transmission of original sin is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. But we do know by Revelation that Adam had received original holiness and justice not for himself alone, but for all human nature. By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen state.294 It is a sin which will be transmitted by propagation to all mankind, that is, by the transmission of a human nature deprived of original holiness and justice. And that is why original sin is called "sin" only in an analogical sense: it is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" - a state and not an act.
405 Although it is proper to each individual,295 original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin - an inclination to evil that is called concupiscence". Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ's grace, erases original sin and turns a man back towards God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to spiritual battle.
406 The Church's teaching on the transmission of original sin was articulated more precisely in the fifth century, especially under the impulse of St. Augustine's reflections against Pelagianism, and in the sixteenth century, in opposition to the Protestant Reformation. Pelagius held that man could, by the natural power of free will and without the necessary help of God's grace, lead a morally good life; he thus reduced the influence of Adam's fault to bad example. The first Protestant reformers, on the contrary, taught that original sin has radically perverted man and destroyed his freedom; they identified the sin inherited by each man with the tendency to evil (concupiscentia), which would be insurmountable. The Church pronounced on the meaning of the data of Revelation on original sin especially at the second Council of Orange (529)296 and at the Council of Trent (1546).297
A hard battle. . .
407 The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man's situation and activity in the world. By our first parents' sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails "captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil".298 Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action299 and morals.
408 The consequences of original sin and of all men's personal sins put the world as a whole in the sinful condition aptly described in St. John's expression, "the sin of the world".300 This expression can also refer to the negative influence exerted on people by communal situations and social structures that are the fruit of men's sins.301
409 This dramatic situation of "the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one"302 makes man's life a battle:
- The whole of man's history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God's grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.303
410 After his fall, man was not abandoned by God. On the contrary, God calls him and in a mysterious way heralds the coming victory over evil and his restoration from his fall.304 This passage in Genesis is called the Protoevangelium ("first gospel"): the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, of a battle between the serpent and the Woman, and of the final victory of a descendant of hers.
411 The Christian tradition sees in this passage an announcement of the "New Adam" who, because he "became obedient unto death, even death on a cross", makes amends superabundantly for the disobedience, of Adam.305 Furthermore many Fathers and Doctors of the Church have seen the woman announced in the Protoevangelium as Mary, the mother of Christ, the "new Eve". Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ's victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life.306
412 But why did God not prevent the first man from sinning? St. Leo the Great responds, "Christ's inexpressible grace gave us blessings better than those the demon's envy had taken away."307 And St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "There is nothing to prevent human nature's being raised up to something greater, even after sin; God permits evil in order to draw forth some greater good. Thus St. Paul says, 'Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more'; and the Exsultet sings, 'O happy fault,. . . which gained for us so great a Redeemer!'"308
IN BRIEF
413 "God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living. . . It was through the devil's envy that death entered the world" (Wis 1:13; 2:24).
414 Satan or the devil and the other demons are fallen angels who have freely refused to serve God and his plan. Their choice against God is definitive. They try to associate man in their revolt against God.
415 "Although set by God in a state of rectitude man, enticed by the evil one, abused his freedom at the very start of history. He lifted himself up against God, and sought to attain his goal apart from him" (GS 13 § 1).
416 By his sin Adam, as the first man, lost the original holiness and justice he had received from God, not only for himself but for all human beings.
417 Adam and Eve transmitted to their descendants human nature wounded by their own first sin and hence deprived of original holiness and justice; this deprivation is called "original sin".
418 As a result of original sin, human nature is weakened in its powers, subject to ignorance, suffering and the domination of death, and inclined to sin (this inclination is called "concupiscence").
419 "We therefore hold, with the Council of Trent, that original sin is transmitted with human nature, "by propagation, not by imitation" and that it is. . . 'proper to each'" (Paul VI, CPG § 16).
420 The victory that Christ won over sin has given us greater blessings than those which sin had taken from us: "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Rom 5:20).
421 Christians believe that "the world has been established and kept in being by the Creator's love; has fallen into slavery to sin but has been set free by Christ, crucified and risen to break the power of the evil one. . ." (GS 2 § 2).
186 Ps 115:16; 19:2; Mt 5:16.
187 Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 800; cf. DS 3002 and Paul VI, CPG § 8.
188 St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 103,1,15: PL 37,1348.
189 Mt 18:10; Ps 103:20.
190 Cf. Pius XII, Humani generis: DS 3891; Lk 20:36; Dan 10:9-12.
191 Mt 25:31.
192 Col 1:16.
193 Heb 1:14.
194 Cf. Job 38:7 (where angels are called "sons of God"); Gen 3:24; 19; 21:17; 22:11; Acts 7:53; Ex 23:20-23; Judg 13; 6:11-24; Isa 6:6; 1 Kings 19:5.
195 Cf. Lk 1:11,26.
196 Heb 1:6.
197 Lk 2:14.
198 Cf. Mt 1:20; 2:13,19; 4:11; 26:53; Mk 1:13; Lk 22:43; 2 Macc 10:29-30; 11:8.
199 Cf. Lk 2:8-14; Mk 16:5-7.
200 Cf. Acts 1:10-11; Mt 13:41; 24:31; Lk 12:8-9.
201 Cf. Acts 5:18-20; 8:26-29; 10:3-8; 12:6-11; 27:23-25.
202 Cf. Mt 18:10; Lk 16:22; Ps 34:7; 91:10-13; Job 33:23-24; Zech 1:12; Tob 12:12.
203 St. Basil, Adv. Eunomium III, I: PG 29,656B.
204 Gen 1:l-2:4.
205 Cf. DV 11.
206 LG 36 § 2.
207 Cf. St. Augustine, De Genesi adv. Man. 1,2,4: PL 34,175.
208 GS 36 § 1.
209 Cf. Ps 145:9.
210 Lk 12:6-7; Mt 12:12.
211 Cf. Gen 1-26.
212 St. Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Creatures.
213 Gen 2:1-3.
214 Cf. Heb 4:3-4; Jer 31:35-37; 33:19-26.
215 Cf. Gen 1:14.
216 St. Benedict, Regula 43,3: PL 66,675-676.
217 Cf. Roman Missal, Easter Vigil 24, prayer after the first reading.
218 Gen 1:27.
219 GS 12 § 3.
220 GS 24 § 3.
221 St. Catherine of Siena, Dialogue 4,13 "On Divine Providence": LH, Sunday, week 19, OR.
222 Cf. GS 12 § 1; 24 § 3; 39 § 1.
223 St. John Chrysostom, In Gen. Sermo 2,1: PG 54,587D-588A.
224 GS 22 § 1.
225 St. Peter Chrysologus, Sermo 117: PL 52,520-521.
226 Acts 17:26; cf. Tob 8:6.
227 Pius XII, Enc. Summi Pontificatus 3; cf. NA 1.
228 Pius XII, Summi Pontificatus 3.
229 Gen 2:7.
230 Cf. Mt 16:25-26; Jn 15:13; Acts 2:41.
231 Cf. Mt 10:28; 26:38; Jn 12:27; 2 Macc 6:30.
232 Cf. 1 Cor 6:19-20; 15:44-45.
233 GS 14 § 1; cf. Dan 3:57-80.
234 Cf. Council of Vienne (1312): DS 902.
235 Cf. Pius XII, Humani Generis: DS 3896; Paul VI, CPG § 8; Lateran Council V (1513): DS 1440.
236 1 Thess 5:23.
237 Cf. Council of Constantinople IV (870): DS 657.
238 Cf. Vatican Council I, Dei Filius: DS 3005; GS 22 § 5; Humani Generis: DS 3891.
239 Cf. Jer 31:33; Deut 6:5; 29:3; Isa 29:13; Ezek 36:26; Mt 6:21; Lk 8:15; Rom 5:5.
240 Cf. Gen 2:7,22.
241 Cf. Isa 49:14-15; 66:13; Ps 131:2-3; Hos 11:1-4; Jer 3:4-19.
242 Gen 2:18.
243 Gen 2:19-20.
244 Gen 2:23.
245 Gen 2:24.
246 Gen 1:28.
247 Cf. GS 50 § 1.
248 Gen 1:28.
249 Wis 11:24.
250 Cf. Council of Trent (1546): DS 1511.
251 Cf. LG 2.
252 Cf. Gen 2:17; 3:16,19.
253 Cf. Gen 2:25.
254 Cf. 1 Jn 2:16.
255 Cf. Gen 2:8.
256 Gen 2:15; cf. 3:17-19
257 St. Augustine, Conf. 7,7,11: PL 32,739.
258 2 Thess 2:7; 1 Tim 3:16.
259 Cf. Rom 5:20.
260 Cf. Lk 11:21-22; Jn 16:11; 1 Jn 3:8.
261 Cf. Rom 5:12-21.
262 Jn 16:8.
263 Cf. 1 Cor 2:16.
264 Cf. GS 13 § 1.
265 Cf. Council of Trent: DS 1513; Pius XII: DS 3897; Paul VI: AAS 58 (1966), 654.
266 Cf. Gen 3:1-5; Wis 2:24.
267 Cf Jn 8:44; Rev 12:9.
268 Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 800.
269 Cf. 2 Pet 2:4.
270 Gen 3:5.
271 1 Jn 3:8; Jn 8:44.
272 St. John Damascene, De Fide orth. 2,4: PG 94,877.
273 Jn 8:44; cf. Mt 4:1-11.
274 1 Jn 3:8.
275 Rom 8:28.
276 Gen 2:17.
277 Gen 2:17.
278 Cf. Gen 3:1-11; Rom 5:19.
279 St. Maximus the Confessor, Ambigua: PG 91,1156C; cf. Gen 3:5.
280 Cf. Rom 3:23.
281 Cf. Gen 3:5-10.
282 Cf. Gen 3:7-16.
283 Cf. Gen 3:17,19.
284 Rom 8:21.
285 Gen 3:19; cf. 2:17.
286 Cf. Rom 5:12.
287 Cf. Gen 4:3-15; 6:5,12; Rom 1:18-32; 1 Cor 1-6; Rev 2-3.
288 GS 13 § 1.
289 Rom 5:12,19.
290 Rom 5:18.
291 Cf. Council of Trent: DS 1512.
292 Cf. Council of Trent: DS 1514.
293 St. Thomas Aquinas, De Malo 4,1.
294 Cf. Council of Trent: DS 1511-1512
295 Cf. Council of Trent: DS 1513.
296 DS 371-372.
297 Cf. DS 1510-1516.
298 Council of Trent (1546): DS 1511; cf. Heb 2:14.
299 Cf. John Paul II, CA 25.
300 Jn 1:29.
301 Cf. John Paul II, RP 16.
302 1 Jn 5:19; cf. 1 Pet 5:8.
303 GS 37 § 2.
304 Cf. Gen 3:9,15.
305 Cf. 1 Cor 15:21-22,45; Phil 2:8; Rom 5:19-20.
306 Cf. Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus: DS 2803; Council of Trent: DS 1573.
307 St. Leo the Great, Sermo 73,4: PL 54,396.
308 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III,1,3, ad 3; cf. Rom 5:20.
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RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion
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Reference
- Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.
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