Mercy, Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Psalms 31:2-25, John 18:1 – 19:42, Pope Francis's Lenten Message, Hymn of the Week - Pange Lingua Glorioso, Our Lady of Medjugorje's Monthly Message, Feast of the Annunciation, The Hour of Divine Mercy, Divine Mercy Novena, Mystical City of God Book 6 Chapter 6-8 The Crucifixion, Catholic Catechism - Part Three - The Life of the Christ - Article 2 The Beatitudes, RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy). "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds" ~ Zarya Parx 2016
JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy). "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds" ~ Zarya Parx 2016
"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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2016 - YEAR OF MERCY
Pope Francis has declared an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. This Holy Year of Mercy began December 8, 2015, the feast of the Immaculate Conception and the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. It will close November 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. This year’s motto is “Merciful Like the Father.”
Sometimes, when we think of the word mercy, we picture someone throwing themselves on their knees before a cruel villain, pleading to be spared some punishment. This is not our understanding of God’s mercy. We do not ask for God’s mercy because we are afraid of incurring his wrath as punishment for our sins. Rather, when we call on God to have mercy, we are calling on God in the only way we know him—as one who responds with compassion to those in need. When we show mercy to others, we are responding as God responds, with compassion.
Liturgical Cycle: C - Gospel of Luke - Lent
Daily Rosary
(MON, SAT) - Joyful Mysteries
(TUES, FRI) - Sorrowful Mysteries
(WED,SUN) - Glorious Mysteries
(THURS) - Luminous Mysteries
(MON, SAT) - Joyful Mysteries
(TUES, FRI) - Sorrowful Mysteries
(WED,SUN) - Glorious Mysteries
(THURS) - Luminous Mysteries
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Hymn of the Week
Contents
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Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages
March 25, 2016 message from our Lady of Medjugorje:
“Dear children! Today I am carrying my love to you. God permitted me to love you and, out of love, to call you to conversion. You, little children, are poor in love and you still have not comprehended that my Son Jesus, out of love, gave His life to save you and to give you eternal life. Therefore pray, little children, pray so that in prayer you may comprehend God‘s love. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
“Dear children! Today I am carrying my love to you. God permitted me to love you and, out of love, to call you to conversion. You, little children, are poor in love and you still have not comprehended that my Son Jesus, out of love, gave His life to save you and to give you eternal life. Therefore pray, little children, pray so that in prayer you may comprehend God‘s love. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
March 18, 2016 message from our Lady of Medjugorje:
Dear children,
With a motherly heart filled with love for you, my children, I desire to teach you complete trust in God the Father. I desire for you to learn by an internal gaze and internal listening to follow God's will. I desire for you to learn to boundlessly trust in His mercy and His love, as I always trusted. Therefore, my children, cleanse your hearts. Free yourselves from everything that binds you to only what is earthly and permit what is of God to form your life by your prayer and sacrifice—so that God´s Kingdom may be in your heart; that you may begin to live proceeding from God the Father; that you may always strive to walk with my Son. But for all of this, my children, you must be poor in spirit and filled with love and mercy. You must have pure and simple hearts and always be ready to serve. My children, listen to me, I speak for your salvation. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis Catechesis:
March 25, 2016
MESSAGE
OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
FOR THE PASSION 2016
OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
FOR THE PASSION 2016
Vatican City, 25 March 2016 (VIS) –
Mercy restores everything; it restores dignity to each
person. This is why effusive gratitude is the proper response: we have
to go the party, to put on our best clothes, to cast off the rancour of
the elder brother, to rejoice and give thanks… Only in this way,
participating fully in such rejoicing, is it possible to think straight,
to ask for forgiveness, and see more clearly how to make up for the
evil we have committed. It would be good for us to ask ourselves: after
going to confession, do I rejoice? Or do I move on immediately to the
next thing, as we would after going to the doctor, when we hear that the
test results are not so bad and put them back in their envelope? And
when I give alms, do I give time to the person who receives them to
express their gratitude, do I celebrate the smile and the blessings that
the poor offer, or do I continue on in haste with my own affairs after
tossing in a coin?
The second area in which we see how God exceeds in his ever greater mercy is forgiveness itself. God does not only forgive incalculable debts, as he does to that servant who begs for mercy but is then miserly to his own debtor; he also enables us to move directly from the most shameful disgrace to the highest dignity without any intermediary stages. The Lords allows the forgiven woman to wash his feet with her tears. As soon as Simon confesses his sin and begs Jesus to send him away, the Lord raises him to be a fisher of men. We, however, tend to separate these two attitudes: when we are ashamed of our sins, we hide ourselves and walk around with our heads down, like Adam and Eve; and when we are raised up to some dignity, we try to cover up our sins and take pleasure in being seen, almost showing off.
Our response to God’s superabundant forgiveness should be always to preserve that healthy tension between a dignified shame and a shamed dignity. It is the attitude of one who seeks a humble and lowly place, but who can also allow the Lord to raise him up for the good of the mission, without complacency. The model that the Gospel consecrates, and which can help us when we confess our sins, is Peter, who allowed himself to be questioned about his love for the Lord, but who also renewed his acceptance of the ministry of shepherding the flock which the Lord had entrusted to him.
To grow in this “dignity which is capable of humbling itself”, and which delivers us from thinking that we are more or are less than what we are by grace, can help us understand the words of the prophet Isaiah that immediately follow the passage our Lord read in the synagogue at Nazareth: “You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God” (Is 61:6). It is people who are poor, hungry, prisoners of war, without a future, cast to one side and rejected, that the Lord transforms into a priestly people.
As priests, we identify with people who are excluded, people the Lord saves. We remind ourselves that there are countless masses of people who are poor, uneducated, prisoners, who find themselves in such situations because others oppress them. But we too remember that each of us knows the extent to which we too are often blind, lacking the radiant light of faith, not because we do not have the Gospel close at hand, but because of an excess of complicated theology. We feel that our soul thirsts for spirituality, not for a lack of Living Water which we only sip from, but because of an excessive “bubbly” spirituality, a “light” spirituality. We feel ourselves also trapped, not so much by insurmountable stone walls or steel enclosures that affect many peoples, but rather by a digital, virtual worldliness that is opened and closed by a simple click. We are oppressed, not by threats and pressures, like so many poor people, but by the allure of a thousand commercial advertisements which we cannot shrug off to walk ahead, freely, along paths that lead us to love of our brothers and sisters, to the Lord’s flock, to the sheep who wait for the voice of their shepherds.
Jesus comes to redeem us, to send us out, to transform us from being poor and blind, imprisoned and oppressed, to become ministers of mercy and consolation. He says to us, using the words the prophet Ezekiel spoke to the people who sold themselves and betrayed the Lord: “I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth… Then you will remember your ways, and be ashamed when I take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and give them to you as daughters, but not on account of the covenant with you. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the Lord God” (Ezek 16:60-63).
In this Jubilee Year we celebrate our Father with hearts full of gratitude, and we pray to him that “he remember his mercy forever”; let us receive, with a dignity that is able to humble itself, the mercy revealed in the wounded flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us ask him to cleanse us of all sin and free us from every evil. And with the grace of the Holy Spirit let us commit ourselves anew to bringing God’s mercy to all men and women, and performing those works which the Spirit inspires in each of us for the common good of the entire People of God.
Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
Mass of the Chrism
Mass of the Chrism
24 March 2016
After hearing Jesus read from the Prophet Isaiah and say: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk
4:21), the congregation in the synagogue of Nazareth might well have
burst into applause. They might have then wept for joy, as did the
people when Nehemiah and Ezra the priest read from the book of the Law
found while they were rebuilding the walls. But the Gospels tell us that
Jesus’ townspeople did the opposite; they closed their hearts to him
and sent him off. At first, “all spoke well of him, and wondered at the
gracious words that came from his mouth” (4:22). But then an insidious
question began to make the rounds: “Is this not the son of Joseph, the
carpenter?” (4:22). And then, “they were filled with rage” (4:28). They
wanted to throw him off the cliff. This was in fulfilment of the elderly
Simeon’s prophecy to the Virgin Mary that he would be “a sign of
contradiction” (2:34). By his words and actions, Jesus lays bare the
secrets of the heart of every man and woman.
Where the Lord proclaims the Gospel of the Father’s
unconditional mercy to the poor, the outcast and the oppressed, is the
very place we are called to take a stand, to “fight the good fight of
the faith” (1 Tim 6:12). His battle is not against men and women, but against the devil (cf. Eph
6:12), the enemy of humanity. But the Lord “passes through the midst”
of all those who would stop him and “continues on his way” (Lk
4:30). Jesus does not fight to build power. If he breaks down walls and
challenges our sense of security, he does this to open the flood gates
of that mercy which, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, he wants to
pour out upon our world. A mercy which expands; it proclaims and brings
newness; it heals, liberates and proclaims the year of the Lord’s
favour.
The mercy of our God is infinite and indescribable. We
express the power of this mystery as an “ever greater” mercy, a mercy in
motion, a mercy that each day seeks to make progress, taking small
steps forward and advancing in that wasteland where indifference and
violence have predominated.
This was the way of the Good Samaritan, who “showed mercy” (cf. Lk
10:37): he was moved, he drew near to the unconscious man, he bandaged
his wounds, took him to the inn, stayed there that evening and promised
to return and cover any further cost. This is the way of mercy, which
gathers together small gestures. Without demeaning, it grows with each
helpful sign and act of love. Every one of us, looking at our own lives
as God does, can try to remember the ways in which the Lord has been
merciful towards us, how he has been much more merciful than we
imagined. In this we can find the courage to ask him to take a step
further and to reveal yet more of his mercy in the future: “Show us,
Lord, your mercy” (Ps 85:8). This paradoxical way of praying to
an ever more merciful God, helps us to tear down those walls with which
we try to contain the abundant greatness of his heart. It is good for
us to break out of our set ways, because it is proper to the Heart of
God to overflow with tenderness, with ever more to give. For the Lord
prefers something to be wasted rather than one drop of mercy be held
back. He would rather have many seeds be carried off by the birds of the
air than have one seed be missing, since each of those seeds has the
capacity to bear abundant fruit, thirtyfold, sixtyfold, even a
hundredfold.
As priests, we are witnesses to and ministers of the
ever-increasing abundance of the Father’s mercy; we have the rewarding
and consoling task of incarnating mercy, as Jesus did, who “went about
doing good and healing” (Acts 10:38) in a thousand ways so that
it could touch everyone. We can help to inculturate mercy, so that each
person can embrace it and experience it personally. This will help all
people truly understand and practise mercy with creativity, in ways that
respect their local cultures and families.
Today, during this Holy Thursday of the Jubilee Year of
Mercy, I would like to speak of two areas in which the Lord shows excess
in mercy. Based on his example, we also should not hesitate in showing
excess. The first area I am referring to is encounter; the second is
God’s forgiveness, which shames us while also giving us dignity.
The first area where we see God showing excess in his ever-increasing mercy is that of encounter.
He gives himself completely and in such a way that every encounter
leads to rejoicing. In the parable of the Merciful Father we are
astounded by the man who runs, deeply moved, to his son, and throws his
arms around him; we see how he embraces his son, kisses him, puts a ring
on his finger, and then gives him his sandals, thus showing that he is a
son and not a servant. Finally, he gives orders to everyone and
organizes a party. In contemplating with awe this superabundance of the
Father’s joy that is freely and boundlessly expressed when his son
returns, we should not be fearful of exaggerating our gratitude. Our
attitude should be that of the poor leper who, seeing himself healed,
leaves his nine friends who go off to do what Jesus ordered, and goes
back to kneel at the feet of the Lord, glorifying and thanking God
aloud.
The second area in which we see how God exceeds in his ever greater mercy is forgiveness itself. God does not only forgive incalculable debts, as he does to that servant who begs for mercy but is then miserly to his own debtor; he also enables us to move directly from the most shameful disgrace to the highest dignity without any intermediary stages. The Lords allows the forgiven woman to wash his feet with her tears. As soon as Simon confesses his sin and begs Jesus to send him away, the Lord raises him to be a fisher of men. We, however, tend to separate these two attitudes: when we are ashamed of our sins, we hide ourselves and walk around with our heads down, like Adam and Eve; and when we are raised up to some dignity, we try to cover up our sins and take pleasure in being seen, almost showing off.
Our response to God’s superabundant forgiveness should be always to preserve that healthy tension between a dignified shame and a shamed dignity. It is the attitude of one who seeks a humble and lowly place, but who can also allow the Lord to raise him up for the good of the mission, without complacency. The model that the Gospel consecrates, and which can help us when we confess our sins, is Peter, who allowed himself to be questioned about his love for the Lord, but who also renewed his acceptance of the ministry of shepherding the flock which the Lord had entrusted to him.
To grow in this “dignity which is capable of humbling itself”, and which delivers us from thinking that we are more or are less than what we are by grace, can help us understand the words of the prophet Isaiah that immediately follow the passage our Lord read in the synagogue at Nazareth: “You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God” (Is 61:6). It is people who are poor, hungry, prisoners of war, without a future, cast to one side and rejected, that the Lord transforms into a priestly people.
As priests, we identify with people who are excluded, people the Lord saves. We remind ourselves that there are countless masses of people who are poor, uneducated, prisoners, who find themselves in such situations because others oppress them. But we too remember that each of us knows the extent to which we too are often blind, lacking the radiant light of faith, not because we do not have the Gospel close at hand, but because of an excess of complicated theology. We feel that our soul thirsts for spirituality, not for a lack of Living Water which we only sip from, but because of an excessive “bubbly” spirituality, a “light” spirituality. We feel ourselves also trapped, not so much by insurmountable stone walls or steel enclosures that affect many peoples, but rather by a digital, virtual worldliness that is opened and closed by a simple click. We are oppressed, not by threats and pressures, like so many poor people, but by the allure of a thousand commercial advertisements which we cannot shrug off to walk ahead, freely, along paths that lead us to love of our brothers and sisters, to the Lord’s flock, to the sheep who wait for the voice of their shepherds.
Jesus comes to redeem us, to send us out, to transform us from being poor and blind, imprisoned and oppressed, to become ministers of mercy and consolation. He says to us, using the words the prophet Ezekiel spoke to the people who sold themselves and betrayed the Lord: “I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth… Then you will remember your ways, and be ashamed when I take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and give them to you as daughters, but not on account of the covenant with you. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the Lord God” (Ezek 16:60-63).
In this Jubilee Year we celebrate our Father with hearts full of gratitude, and we pray to him that “he remember his mercy forever”; let us receive, with a dignity that is able to humble itself, the mercy revealed in the wounded flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us ask him to cleanse us of all sin and free us from every evil. And with the grace of the Holy Spirit let us commit ourselves anew to bringing God’s mercy to all men and women, and performing those works which the Spirit inspires in each of us for the common good of the entire People of God.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2016 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 03/25/2016
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Monthly Intentions by Pope Francis: 2016
Vatican City, Winter 2016 (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 2016.
February 2016
Universal: Care for Creation - That we may take good care of the gift of creation and our biosphere cultivating and protecting it for future generations.
Evangelization: Asia - That opportunities may increase for dialogue and encounter between the Christian faith and the peoples of Asia.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2016 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 2/28/2016.
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Today's Word: mercy [mehr-cee]
Origin: 1125-75; Middle English merci < Old French, earlier mercit < Latin mercēd- (stem of mercēs) wages ( Late Latin, Medieval Latin: heavenly reward), derivative of merx goods
noun
1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner.
2. the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing:
an adversary wholly without mercy.
3. the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.
4. an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.
5.
something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: It was just a merc
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 31:2-25
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,
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Today's Epistle - 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 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.
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 fulfilh 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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Saint of the Day: Feast Day of the Annunciation
Feast Day: March 25
 |
| Feast of the Annunciation |
Here is recorded the "angelic salutation" of Gabriel to Mary, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" (Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum - Lk 1:28), and Mary's response to God's will, "Let it be done to me according to thy word" (fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum) (v. 38) This "angelic salutation" is the origin of the "Hail Mary" prayer of the Rosary and the Angelus (the second part of the prayer comes from the words of salutation of Elizabeth to Mary at the Visitation).[4]
Now recognized as a solemnity, the feast of the Annunciation goes back to the fourth or fifth century.[5]The first certain mentions of the feast are in a canon, of the Council of Toledo (656), where it is described as celebrated throughout the church, and another of the Council of Constantinople "in Trullo" (692), forbidding the celebration of any festivals during Lent, excepting the Lord's Day (Sunday) and the Feast of the Annunciation. A Synod of Worcester, England (1240), forbade all servile work on this feast day. As this feast celebrates the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity, it was discussed by many of the Church fathers, to explain it to the faithful. Some of the Church fathers who wrote on this were St. Athanasius, St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Augustine.[3]
In the Catholic Church, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgical calendars, the feast is moved if necessary to prevent it from falling during Holy Week or Easter Week or on a Sunday. To avoid a Sunday before Holy Week, the next day (March 26) would be observed instead. In years such as 2008 when March 25 falls during Holy Week or Easter Week, the Annunciation is moved to the Monday after Octave of Easter, which is the Sunday after Easter.[6]
The Eastern churches (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental and Eastern Catholic) do not move the feast of the Annunciation under any circumstance. They have special combined liturgies for those years when the Annunciation coincides with another feast. In these churches, even on Good Friday a Divine Liturgy is celebrated when it coincides with the Annunciation. One of the most frequent accusations brought against New Calendarism is the fact that in the New Calendar churches (which celebrate the Annunciation according to the New Calendar, but Easter according to the Old Calendar), these special Liturgies can never be celebrated any more, since the Annunciation is always long before Holy Week on the New Calendar. The Old Calendarists believe that this impoverishes the liturgical and spiritual life of the Church.
The date is close to the vernal equinox, as Christmas is to the winter solstice; because of this the Annunciation and Christmas were two of the four "Quarter days" in medieval and early modern England, which marked the divisions of the fiscal year (the other two were Midsummer Day, or the Nativity of St. John the Baptist—June 24—and Michaelmas, the feast day of St. Michael, on September 29).
When the calendar system of Anno Domini was first introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in AD 525, he assigned the beginning of the new year to March 25, since according to Catholic theology, the era of grace began with the Incarnation of Christ.
References
- The Feast of the Annunciation
- Feast of the Annunciation at EWTN
- CNA, Solemity of the Annunciation of the Lord'
- Holy Family Sisters, Annunciation of the Lord
- Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
- "Feast of the Annunciation". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
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Today's Snippet I: The Hour of Divine Mercy
Jesus asked Saint Faustina, and through her us, to celebrate this Hour of Great Mercy, 3 o'clock,
promising tremendous graces to those who would, both for themselves and on behalf of others.
At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy ... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion. (Diary 1320).
As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke it's omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners, for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world - mercy triumphed over justice.
The
three o'clock hour has always held a special significance for us in
our faith. It is the hour Our Lord gave His precious life up for our
sins. It is the hour that witnessed the greatest miracle the world will
ever see - the offering of the Son of God for the salvation of the
world.
On the cross, blood and water flowed from His side, an image intentionally reflected in the Divine Mercy image. Now, a fountain of mercy flows over us. Jesus gave St. Faustina special instructions for this hour...
How did Jesus instruct St. Faustina to pray in this hour?...
Few of us will find ourselves near the Blessed Sacrament everyday at 3 pm. However, many of us do have the opportunity to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at this time and most of us can take a moment, even just a few seconds, to reflect on Our Lord's sacrifice and His great Love and Mercy towards us.
Three O'clock Prayer to the Divine Mercy:
You expired, O Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You. Amen.
"Good Friday. At three o'clock, I saw the Lord Jesus, crucified, who looked at me and said, I thirst. Then I saw two rays issue from His side, just as they appear in the image. I then felt in my soul the desire to save souls and empty myself for the sake of poor sinners. I offered myself, together with the dying Jesus, to the Eternal Father, for the salvation of the whole world. With Jesus, through Jesus and in Jesus is my communion with You, Eternal Father. On Good Friday, Jesus suffered in His soul in a way which was different from [His suffering on]Holy Thursday." (Diary, 648).
On the cross, blood and water flowed from His side, an image intentionally reflected in the Divine Mercy image. Now, a fountain of mercy flows over us. Jesus gave St. Faustina special instructions for this hour...
"At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for poor sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion... " (Diary, 1320)
How did Jesus instruct St. Faustina to pray in this hour?...
"My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. I claim veneration for My mercy from every creature, but above all from you , since it is to you that I have given the most profound understanding of this mystery." (Diary, 1572)
Few of us will find ourselves near the Blessed Sacrament everyday at 3 pm. However, many of us do have the opportunity to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at this time and most of us can take a moment, even just a few seconds, to reflect on Our Lord's sacrifice and His great Love and Mercy towards us.
Three O'clock Prayer to the Divine Mercy:
You expired, O Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You. Amen.
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Today's Snippet II: Divine Mercy Novena
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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Featured Item from Litany Lane
St Anne and St Joachim Education of Mary Notebooks
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THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD
Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.
THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD
Venerable Mary of Agreda
Translated from the Spanish by Reverend George J. Blatter
1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..
IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne
Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.
This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.
Book 6, Chapter 6
JESUS BROUGHT BEFORE PILATE. THE SCOURGING AND CROWNING WITH THORNS
At the dawn of Friday morning, say
the Evangelists (Matth. 27, 1; Mark 15, 1; Luke 22, 66; John 11, 47),
the ancients, the chief priests and scribes, who according to the law
were looked upon with greatest respect by the people, gathered
together in order to come to a common decision concerning the death
of Christ. This they all desired; however they were anxious to
preserve the semblance of justice before the people. This council was
held in the house of Caiphas, where the Lord was imprisoned. Once
more they commanded Him to be brought from the dungeon to the hall of
the council in order to be examined. The satellites of justice rushed
below to drag Him forth bound and fettered as He was.
They again asked Him to tell them, whether He was
the Christ (Luke 22, 1), that is, the Anointed. Just as all their
previous questions, so this was put with the malicious determination
not to listen or to admit the truth, but to calumniate and fabricate
a charge against Him. But the Lord, being perfectly willing to die
for the truth, denied it not; at the same time He did not wish to
confess it in such a manner that they could despise it, or borrow out
of it some color for their calumny; for this was not becoming his
innocence and wisdom. Therefore He veiled his answer in such a way,
that if the pharisees chose to yield to even the least kindly
feeling, they would be able to trace up the mystery hidden in his
words; but if they had no such feeling, then should it become clear
through their answer, that the evil which they imputed to Him was the
result of their wicked intentions and lay not in his answer. He
therefore said to them: “If I tell you that I am He of whom you
ask, you will not believe what I say; and if I shall ask you, you
will not answer, nor release Me. But I tell you, that the Son of man,
after this, shall seat Himself at the right hand of the power of God”
(Luke 22, 67). The priests answered: “Then thou art the Son of
God?” and the Lord replied: “You say that I am.”
This was as if He had said: You have made a very correct inference,
that I am the Son of God: for my works, my doctrines, and your own
Scripture, as well as what you are now doing with Me, testify to the
fact that I am the Christ, the One promised in the law.
But this council of the wicked was not disposed to
assent to divine truth, although they themselves inferred it very
correctly from the antecedents and could easily have believed it.
They would neither give assent nor belief, but preferred to call it a
blasphemy deserving death. Since the Lord had now reaffirmed what He
had said before, they all cried out : “What need have we of
further witnesses, since He himself asserts it by his own lips?’’
And they immediately came to the unanimous conclusion that He should,
as one worthy of death, be brought before Pontius Pilate, who
governed Judea in the name of the Roman emperor and was the temporal
Lord of Palestine.
The sun had already arisen while these things
happened and the most holy Mother, who saw it all from afar, now
resolved to leave her retreat and follow her divine Son to the house
of Pilate and to his death on the Cross. When the great Queen and
Lady was about to set forth from the Cenacle, saint John arrived in
order to give an account of all that was happening; for the beloved
disciple at that time did not know the visions, by which all the
doings and sufferings of her most holy Son were manifest to the
blessed Mother. After the denial of saint Peter, saint John had
retired and had observed, more from afar what was going on.
Recognizing also the wickedness of his flight in the garden, he
confessed it to the Mother of God and asked her pardon as soon as he
came into her presence; and then he gave an account of all that
passed in his heart and of what he had done and what he had seen in
following his Master. Saint John thought it well to prepare the
afflicted Mother for her meeting with her most holy Son, in order
that She might not be overcome by the fearful spectacle of his
present condition. Therefore He sought to impress Her beforehand with
some image of his sufferings by saying: “O my Lady, in what a
state of suffering is our divine Master! The sight of Him cannot but
break one’s heart; for by the buffets and the blows and by the
spittle, his most beautiful countenance is so disfigured and defiled,
that Thou wilt scarcely recognize Him with thy own eyes.” The
most prudent Lady listened to his description, as if She knew nothing
of the events; but She broke out in bitterest tears of heart–rending
sorrow. The holy women, who had came forth with the Lady, also
listened to saint John, and all of them were filled with grief and
terror at his words. The Queen of heaven asked the Apostle to
accompany Her and the devout women, and, exhorting them all, She
said: “Let us hasten our steps, in order that my eyes may see
the Son of the eternal Father, who took human form in my womb; and
you shall see, my dearest friends, to what the love of mankind has
driven Him, my Lord and God, and what it costs Him to redeem men from
sin and death, and to open for them the gates of heaven.”
The Queen of heaven set forth through
the streets of Jerusalem accompanied by saint John and by some holy
women. Of these not all, but only the three Marys and other very
pious women, followed Her to the end. With Her were also the angels
of her guard, whom She asked to open a way for Her to her divine Son.
The holy angels obeyed and acted as her guard. On the streets She
heard the people expressing their various opinions and sentiments
concerning the sorrowful events now transpiring in reference to Jesus
of Nazareth. The more kindly hearted lamented over his fate, and they
were fewest in number. Others spake about the intention of his
enemies to crucify Him; others related where He now was and how He
was conducted through the streets, bound as a criminal; others spoke
of the ill treatment He was undergoing; others asked, what evil He had
done, that He should be so misused; others again in their
astonishment and in their doubts, exclaimed: To this then have his
miracles brought Him! Without a doubt they were all impostures, since
He cannot defend or free himself!
Through the swarming and confused
crowds the angels conducted the Empress of heaven to a sharp turn of
the street, where She met her most holy Son. With the profoundest
reverence She prostrated Herself before his sovereign Person and
adored it more fervently and with a reverence more deep and more
ardent than ever was given or ever shall be given to it by all the
creatures. She arose and then the Mother and Son looked upon each
other with ineffable tenderness, interiorly conversing with each
other in transports of an unspeakable sorrow. The most prudent Lady
stepped aside and then followed Christ our Lord, continuing at a
distance her interior communication with Him and with the eternal
Father. The words of her soul are not for the mortal and corruptible
tongue.
The image of her divine Son, thus wounded, defiled
and bound, remained so firmly fixed and imprinted in the soul of our
Queen, that during her life it never effaced, and remained in her
mind as distinctly as if She were continually beholding Him with her
own eyes. Christ our God arrived at the house of Pilate, followed by
many of the council and a countless multitude of the people. The
Jews, wishing to preserve themselves as clean before the law as
possible for the celebration of the Pasch and the unleavened bread,
excused themselves before Pilate for their refusing to enter the
pretorium or court of Pilate in presenting Jesus. As most absurd
hypocrites they paid no attention to the sacrilegious uncleanness,
with which their souls were affected in becoming the murderers of the
innocent Godman. Pilate, although a heathen, yielded to their
ceremonic scruples, and seeing that they hesitated to enter his
pretorium, he went out to meet them. According to formality customary
among the Romans, he asked them (John 18, 28): “What accusation
have you against this Man?” They answered: “If He were
not a criminal, we would not have brought Him to thee thus bound and
fettered.” This was as much as to say: We have convinced
ourselves of the misdeeds and we are so attached to justice and to
our obligations, that we would not begun any proceedings against Him,
if He were not a great malefactor. But Pilate pressed his inquiry and
said: “What then are the misdeeds, of which has made Himself
guilty?” They answered: “He is convicted of disturbing
the commonwealth, He wishes to make Himself our king and forbids
paying tribute to Caesar(Luke 23, 2); He claims to be the son of God,
and has preached a new doctrine, commencing in Galilee, through all
Judea and Jerusalem.” “Take Him then yourselves,”
said Pilate, “and judge Him according to your laws; I do not
find a just cause for proceeding against Him.” But the Jews
replied: “It is not permitted us to sentence any one to death,
nor to execute such a sentence.”
The most holy Mary, with saint John
and the women who followed Her, was present at this interview; for
the holy angels made room for them where they could hear and see all
that was passing. Shielded by her mantle She wept tears of blood,
pressed forth by the sorrow which pierced her virginal heart. In her
interior acts of virtue She faithfully reproduced those practiced by
her most holy Son, while in her pains and endurance She copied those
of his body. She asked the eternal Father to grant Her the favor of
not losing sight of her divine Son, as far as was naturally possible,
until his Death; and this was conceded to Her, excepting during the
time in which He was in prison.
One of the accusations of the Jews and the priests
before Pilate was, that Jesus our Savior had begun to stir up the
people by his preaching in the province of Galilee (Luke 23, 6). This
caused Pilate to inquire, whether He was a Galileean; and as they
told him, that Jesus was born and raised in that country, he thought
this circumstance useful for the solution of his difficulties in
regard to Jesus and for escaping the molestations of the Jews, who so
urgently demanded his death. Herod was at that time in Jerusalem,
celebrating the Pasch of the Jews. He was the son of the first Herod,
who had murdered the Innocents to procure the death of Jesus soon
after his birth (Matth 2, 16). This murderer had become a proselyte
of the Jews at the time of his marriage with a Jewish woman. On this
account his son Herod likewise observed the law of Moses, and he had
come to Jerusalem from Galilee, of which he was governor. Pilate was
at enmity with Herod, for the two governed the two principal
provinces of Palestine namely, Judea and Galilee, and a short time
before it had happened that Pilate, in his zeal for the supremacy of
the Roman empire, had murdered some Galileeans during a public
function in the temple, mixing the blood of the insurgents with that
of the holy sacrifices. Herod was highly incensed at this sacrilege,
and Pilate, in order to afford him some satisfaction without much
trouble to himself, resolved to send to him Christ the Lord to be
examined and judged as one of the subjects of Herod’s sway.
Pilate also expected that Herod would set Jesus free as being
innocent and a Victim of the malice and envy of the priests and
scribes.
When Herod was
informed that Pilate would send Jesus of
Nazareth to him, he was highly pleased. He knew that Jesus was a
great friend of John the Baptist whom he had ordered to be put to
death (Mark 6, 27), and had heard many reports of his preaching. In
vain and foolish curiosity he harbored the desire of seeing Jesus do
something new and extraordinary for his entertainment and wonder
(Luke 23, 8). The Author life therefore came into the presence of the
murderer Herod, against whom the blood of the Baptist was calling
more loudly to this same Lord for vengeance, than in its time the
blood of Abel (Gen. 4, 10). But the unhappy adulterer, ignorant of
the terrible judgment of the Almighty, received Him with loud
laughter as an enchanter and conjurer. In this dreadful misconception
he commenced to examine and question Him, persuaded that he could
thereby induce Him to work some miracle to satisfy his curiosity. But
the Master of wisdom and prudence, standing with an humble reserve
before his most unworthy judge, answered him not a word. For on
account of his evil–doing he well merited the punishment of not
hearing the words of life, which he would certainly have heard if he
had been disposed to listen to them with reverence.
The princes and
priests of the Jews stood around, continually rehearsing the same
accusations and charge they had advanced in the presence of Pilate.
But the Lord maintained silence also in regard to these calumnies,
much to the disappointment of Herod. In his presence the Lord would
not open his lips, neither in order to answer his questions, nor in
order to refute the accusations. Herod was altogether unworthy of
hearing the truth, this being his greatest punishment and the
punishment most to be dreaded by all the princes and the powerful of
this earth. Herod was much put out by the silence and meekness of our
Savior and was much disappointed in his vain curiosity. But the
unjust judge tried to hide his confusion by
mocking and ridiculing the innocent Master with his whole cohort of
soldiers and ordering him to be sent back to Pilate.
Pilate was again
confronted with Jesus in his palace and was bestormed anew by the
Jews to condemn Him to death of the cross. Convinced of the innocence
of Christ and of the mortal envy of the Jews, he was much put out at
Herod’s again referring the disagreeable decision to his own
tribunal. Feeling himself obliged in his quality of judge to give
this decision, he sought to placate the Jews in different ways. One
of these was a private interview with some of the servants and
friends of the highpriests and priests. He urged them to prevail upon
their masters and friends, not any more to ask for the release of the
malefactor Barabbas, but instead demand the release of our Redeemer;
and to be satisfied with some punishment he was willing to administer
before setting Him free. This measure Pilate had taken before they
arrived a second time to press their demand for a sentence upon
Jesus. The proposal to choose between freeing either Barabbas or
Jesus was made to the Jews, not only once, but two or three times.
The first time before sending Him to Herod and the second time after
his return; this is related by the Evangelists with some variation,
though not essentially contradicting truth (Matth. 27, 17). Pilate
spoke to the Jews and said: “You have brought this Man before
me, accusing Him of perverting the people by his doctrines; and
having examined Him in your presence, I was not convinced of the
truth of your accusations. And Herod, to whom I have sent Him and
before whom you repeated your accusations, refused to condemn Him to
death. It will be sufficient to correct and chastise Him for the
present, in order that He may amend. As I am to release some
malefactor for the feast of the Pasch, I will release
Christ, if you will have Him freed, and punish Barabbas.” But
the multitude of the Jews, thus informed how much Pilate desired to
set Jesus free, shouted with one voice: “Enough, enough, not
Christ, but Barabbas deliver unto us.”
While Pilate was
thus disputing with the Jews in the pretorium, his wife, Procula,
happened to hear of his doings and she sent him a message telling
him: “What hast thou to do with this Man? Let him go free: for
I warn thee that I have had this very day some visions in regard to
Him!” This warning of Procula originated through the activity
of Lucifer and his demons. For they, observing all that was happening
in regard to the person of Christ and the unchangeable patience with
which He bore all injuries, were more and more confused and staggered
in their rabid fury. Despairing of success the demons betook
themselves to the wife of Pilate and spoke to her in dreams,
representing to her that this Man was just and without guilt, that if
her husband should sentence Him he would be deprived of his rank and
she herself would meet with great adversity. They urged her to advise
Pilate to release Jesus and punish Barabbas, if she did not wish to
draw misfortune upon their house and their persons.
Procula was filled
with great fear and terror at these visions, and as soon as she heard
what was passing between the Jews and her husband, she sent him the
message mentioned by saint Matthew, not to meddle with this Man nor
condemn One to death, whom she told to be just. The demon also
injected similar misgivings into the mind of Pilate and these
warnings of his wife only increased them.
Yet, as all his considerations rested upon worldly
policy, and as he had not co–operated with the true helps given
him by the Savior, all these fears retarded his unjust proceedings
only so long as no other more powerful consideration arose, as will
be seen in effect. But just now he began for the third time to argue
(as saint Luke tells us), insisting upon the
innocence of Christ our Lord and that he found no crime in Him nor
any guilt worthy of death, and therefore he would punish and then
dismiss Him (Luke 23, 22). As we shall see in the next chapter, he
did really punish Christ in order to see whether the Jews would be
satisfied. But the Jews, on the contrary, demanded that Christ be
crucified. Thereupon Pilate asked for water and released Barabbas.
Then he washed his hands in the presence of all the people, saying:
“I have no share in the death of this just Man, whom you
condemn. Look to yourselves in what you are doing, for I wash my
hands in order that you may understand they
are not sullied in the blood of the Innocent.” Pilate thought
that by this ceremony he could excuse himself entirely and that he
thereby could put its blame upon the princes of the Jews and upon the
people who demanded it. The wrath of the Jews was so blind and
foolish that for the satisfaction of seeing Jesus crucified, they
entered upon this agreement with Pilate and took upon themselves and
upon their children the responsibility for this crime. Loudly
proclaiming this terrible sentence and curse, they exclaimed: “His
blood come upon us and upon our children” (Matth. 27, 25).
In the house of
Pilate, through the ministry of the holy angels, our Queen was placed
in such a position that She could hear the disputes of the iniquitous
judge with the scribes and priests concerning the innocence of Christ
our Savior, and concerning the release of Barabbas in preference to
Him. All the clamors of these human tigers She heard in silence and
admirable meekness, as the living counterpart of her most holy Son.
Although She preserved the unchanging propriety modesty of her
exterior, all the malicious words of the Jews pierced her sorrowful
heart like a two–edged sword. But the voices of her unspoken
sorrows resounded in the ears
of the eternal Father more pleasantly and sweetly than the
lamentation of the beautiful Rachel who, as Jeremias says, was
beweeping her children because they cannot be restored (Jer. 31, 15).
Our most beautiful Rachel the purest Mary, sought not revenge, but
pardon for her enemies, who were depriving Her of the Onlybegotten of
the Father and her only Son. She imitated all the actions of the most
holy Soul of Christ and accompanied Him in the works of most exalted
holiness and perfection; for neither could her torments hinder her
charity, nor her affliction diminish her fervor, nor could the tumult
distract her attention, nor the outrageous injuries of the multitudes
prevent her interior recollection: under all circumstances She
practiced the most exalted virtues in the most eminent degree.
Such was
the implacable fury of the priests and confederates, the pharisees,
against the Author of life. For Lucifer, despairing of being able to
hinder his murder by the Jews, inspired them with his own dreadful
malice and outrageous cruelty. Pilate, placed between the known truth
and his human and terrestrial considerations, chose to follow the
erroneous leading of the latter, and ordered Jesus to be severely
scourged, though he had himself declared Him free from guilt (John
19, 1). Thereupon those ministers of satan, with many others, brought
Jesus our Savior to the place of punishment, which was a courtyard or
enclosure attached to the house and set apart for the torture of
criminals in order to force them to confess their crimes. It was
surrounded by a low, open building, surrounded by columns, some of
which supported the roof, while others were lower and stood free. To
one of these columns, which was of marble, they bound Jesus very
securely; for they still thought Him a magician and feared his
escape.
They first took off the white garment
with not less ignominy than when they clothed Him therein in the
house of the adulterous homicide Herod. In loosening the ropes and
chains, which He had borne since his capture in the garden, they
cruelly widened the wounds which his bonds had made in his arms and
wrists. Having freed his hands, they commanded Him with infamous
blasphemies to despoil Himself of the seamless tunic which He wore.
This was the identical garment with which his most blessed Mother had
clothed Him in Egypt when He first began to walk.
Thus the Lord stood uncovered in the
presence of a great multitude and the six torturers bound Him
brutally to one of the columns in order to chastise Him so much the
more at their ease. Then, two and two at a time, they began to
scourge Him with such inhuman cruelty, as was possible only in men
possessed by Lucifer as were these executioners. The first two
scourged the innocent Savior with hard and thick cords, full of rough
knots, and in their sacrilegious fury strained all the powers of
their body to inflict the blows. This first scourging raised in the
deified body of the Lord great welts and livid tumors, so that the
sacred blood gathered beneath the skin and disfigured his entire
body. Already it began to ooze through the wounds. The first two
having at length desisted, the second pair continued the scourging in
still greater emulation; with hardened leather thongs they leveled
their strokes upon the places already sore and caused the discolored
tumors to break open and shed forth the sacred blood until it
bespattered and drenched the garments of the sacrilegious torturers,
running down also in streams to the pavement. Those two gave way to
the third pair of scourgers, who commenced to beat the Lord with
extremely tough rawhides, dried hard like osier twigs. They scourged
Him still more cruelly, because they were wounding, not so much his
virginal body, as cutting into the wounds already produced by the
previous scourging. Besides they had been secretly incited to greater
fury by the demons, who were filled with new rage at the patience of
Christ.
As the veins of
the sacred body had now been opened and his whole Person seemed but
one continued wound, the third pair found no more room for new
wounds. Their ceaseless blows inhumanly tore the immaculate and
virginal flesh of Christ our Redeemer and scattered many pieces of it
about the pavement; so much so that a large portion of the
shoulder–bones were exposed and showed red through the flowing
blood: in other places also the bones were laid bare larger than the
palm of the hand. In order to wipe out entirely that beauty, which
exceeded that of all other men (Ps. 44, 3), they beat Him in the face
and in the feet and hands, thus leaving unwounded not a single spot
in which they could exert their fury and wrath against the most
innocent Lamb. The divine blood flowed to the ground, gathering here
and there in great abundance. The scourging in the face, and in the
hands and feet, was unspeakably painful, because these parts are so
full of sensitive and delicate nerves. His venerable countenance
became so swollen and wounded that the blood and the swellings
blinded Him. In addition to their blows the executioners spirted upon
his Person their disgusting spittle and loaded Him with insulting
epithets (Thren. 3, 30). The exact number of blows dealt out to the
Savior from head to foot was 5,115. The great Lord and Author of all
creation who, by his divine nature was incapable of suffering, was,
in his human flesh and for our sake, reduced to a man of sorrows as
prophesied, and was made to experience our
infirmities, becoming the last of men (Is. 53, 3), a man of sorrows
and the outcast of the people.
The multitudes who
had followed the Lord, filled up the courtyard of Pilate’s
house and the surrounding streets; for all of them waited for the
issue of this event, discussing and arguing about it according to
each one’s views. Amid all this confusion the Virgin Mother
endured unheard of insults, and She was
deeply afflicted by the
injuries and blasphemies heaped upon her divine Son by the Jews and
gentiles. When they brought Jesus to the scourging place She retired
in the company of the Marys and saint John to a corner of the
courtyard. Assisted by her divine visions, She there witnessed the
scourging and the torments of our Savior. Although She did not see it
with the eyes of her body nothing was hidden
to Her, no more than if She had been standing quite near. Human
thoughts cannot comprehend how great and how diverse were the
afflictions and sorrows of the great Queen and Mistress of the
angels: together with many other mysteries of the Divinity they shall
become manifest in the next life, for the glory of the Son and
Mother. I have already mentioned in other places of this history, and
especially in that of the Passion, that the blessed Mother felt in
her own body the torments of her Son. This was true also of the
scourging, which She felt in all the parts of her virginal body, in
the same intensity as they were felt by Christ in his body. Although
She shed no blood except what flowed from her eyes with her tears,
nor was lacerated in her flesh; yet the bodily pains so changed and
disfigured Her, that saint John and the holy women failed to find in
Her any resemblance of Herself. Besides the tortures of the body She
suffered ineffable sorrows of the soul; there sorrow was augmented in
proportion to the immensity of her insight (Eccles. 1, 18). For her
sorrow flowed not only from the natural love of a mother and a
supreme love of Christ as her God, but it was proportioned to her
power of judging more accurately than all creatures of the innocence
of Christ, the dignity of his divine Person, the atrocity of the
insults coming from the perfidious Jews and the children of Adam,
whom He was freeing from eternal death.
Thereupon they
took Jesus to the pretorium, where, with the same cruelty and
contempt, they again despoiled him of his garments and in order to
deride Him before all the people as a counterfeit king, clothed in a
much torn and soiled mantle of purple color. They placed also upon
his sacred head a cap made of woven thorns, to serve Him as a crown
(John 19, 2). This cap was woven of thorn branches and in such a
manner that many of the hard and sharp thorns would penetrate into
the skull, some of them to the ears and others to the eyes. Hence one
of the greatest tortures suffered by the Lord was that of the crown
of thorns. Instead of a sceptre they placed
into his hands a contemptible reed. They
also threw over His shoulders a violet
colored mantle, something of the style of capes worn in churches; for
such a garment belonged to the vestiture of
a king. In this array of a mock–king the perfidious Jews decked
out Him, who by his nature and by every right was the King of kings
and the Lord of lords (Apoc. 19, 16). Then all the soldiers, in the
presence of the priests and pharisees, gathered around Him and heaped
upon Him their blasphemous mockery and derision. Some of them bent
their knees and mockingly said to Him: God save Thee, King of the
Jews. Others buffeted Him; others snatched the cane from his hands
and struck Him on his crowned head; others ejected their disgusting
spittle upon Him; all of them, instigated by furious demons,
insulted and affronted Him in different manners.
It seemed to Pilate that the spectacle of a man so
illtreated as Jesus of Nazareth would move and fill shame the hearts
of that ungrateful people. He therefore commanded Jesus to be brought
from the pretorium to an open window, where all could see Him crowned
with thorns, disfigured by the scourging and the ignominious
vestiture of a mock–king. Pilate himself spoke to the people,
calling out to them: “Ecce Homo,” “Behold, what a
man!” (John 19, 5). See this Man, whom you hold as your enemy!
What can I do with Him than to have punished Him in this severe
manner? You certainly have nothing more to fear from Him.
When the Blessed among women, most holy Mary, saw
her divine Son as Pilate showed Him to the people and heard him say:
“Ecce homo!” She fell upon her knees and openly adored
Him as the true Godman. The same was also done by saint John and the
women, together with all the holy angels of the Queen and Lady; for
they saw that not only Mary, as the Mother of the Savior, but that
God himself desired them thus to act.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
Think well, then,
my dearest, which of these thou wishest to choose in the sight of my
Son and me. If thou seest thy Redeemer, thy Spouse and thy Chief
tormented, afflicted, crowned with thorns and saturated with
reproaches and at the same time desirest to have a part in Him and be
a member of his mystical body, it is not becoming, or even possible,
that thou live steeped in the pleasures of the flesh. Thou must be
the persecuted and not a persecutor, the oppressed and not the
oppressor; the one that bears the cross, that encounters the scandal
and not that gives it; the one that suffers, and at the same time
makes none of the neighbors suffer. On the contrary, thou must exert
thyself for their conversion and salvation in as far as is compatible
with the perfection of thy state and vocation. This is the portion of
the friends of God and the inheritance of his children in mortal
life, in this consists the participation in grace and glory; which by
his torments and reproaches and by his death of the Cross my Son and
Lord has purchased for them. I too have co–operated in this
work and have paid the sorrrows and afflictions, which thou hast
understood and which I wish thou shalt never allow to be blotted out
from my inmost memory. The Almighty would indeed have been
powerful enough to exalt his predestined in this world, to give them
riches and favors beyond those of others,
to make them strong as lions for reducing the rest of mankind to
their invincible power. But it was inopportune to exalt them in this
manner, in order that men might not be led into the error of thinking
that greatness consists in what is visible and happiness in earthly
goods; lest, being induced to forsake and obscure the glory of the
Lord, they fail to experience the efficacy of divine grace and cease
to aspire toward spiritual and eternal things. This is the science I
wish thee to study continually and in which thou must advance day by
day, putting into practice all that thou learnest to understand and
know.
Book 6, Chapter 7
THE
WAY OF THE CROSS
The sentence of Pilate against our
Savior having been published in a loud voice before all the people,
the executioners loaded the heavy Cross, on which He was to be
crucified, upon his tender and wounded shoulders. In order that He
might carry it they loosened the bonds holding his hands, but not the
others, since they wish to drag Him along by the loose ends of the
ropes bound his body. In order to torment Him the more they drew two
loops around his throat. The Cross was fifteen feet long, of thick
and heavy timbers. The herald began to proclaim the sentence and the
whole confused and turbulent multitude of the people, the
executioners and soldiers, with great noise, uproar and disorder
began to move from the house of Pilate to mount Calvary through the
streets of Jerusalem. The Master and Redeemer of the world, Jesus,
before receiving the Cross looked upon it with a countenance full of
extreme joy and exultation such as would be shown by a bridegroom
looking at the rich adornments of his bride, and on receiving it, He
addressed it as follows:
“O Cross,
beloved of my soul, now prepared and ready to still my longings, come
to Me, that I may be received in thy arms, and that, attached to them
as on an altar, I may be accepted by the eternal Father as the
sacrifice of his everlasting reconciliation with the human race. In
order to die upon thee, I have descended from heaven and assumed
mortal and passible flesh; for thou art to be the sceptre with which
I shall triumph over all my enemies, the key with which I shall open
the gates of heaven for all the predestined (Is. 22, 22), the
sanctuary in
which the guilty sons of Adam shall find mercy and the treasurehouse
for the enrichment of their poverty. Upon thee I desire to exalt and
recommend dishonor and reproach among men, in order that my friends
embrace them with joy, seek them with anxious longings, and follow Me
on the path which I through thee shall open up before them. My Father
and eternal God, I confess Thee as the Lord of heaven and earth
(Matth. 11, 25), subjecting Myself to thy power and to thy divine
wishes, I take upon my shoulders the wood for the sacrifice of my
innocent and passible humanity and I accept it willingly for the
salvation of men. Receive Thou, eternal Father, this sacrifice as
acceptable to thy justice, in order that from today on they may not
any more be servants, but sons and heirs of thy kingdom together with
Me” (Rom. 8, 17).
None of these
sacred mysteries and happenings were hidden from the great Lady of
the world, Mary; for she had a most intimate knowledge and
understanding of them, far beyond that of all the angels. The events,
which She could not see with the eyes of her body, She perceived by
her intelligence and revealed science, which manifested to Her the
interior operation of her most holy Son. By this divine light She
recognized the infinite value of the wood of the Cross after it had
come in contact with the deified humanity of Jesus our Redeemer.
Immediately She venerated and adored it in a manner befitting it. The
same was also done by the heavenly spirits attending upon the Queen.
She imitated her divine Son in the tokens of affections, with which
He received the Cross, addressing it in the words suited to her
office as Coadjutrix of the Redeemer. By her prayers to the eternal
Father She followed Him in his exalted sentiments as the living
original and exemplar, without failing in the least point. When She
heard the voice of the herald publishing and rehearsing the sentence
through the streets, the heavenly Mother in protest against the
accusations contained in the sentence and in the form of comments on
the glory and honor of the Lord, composed a canticle of praise
worship of the innocence and sinlessness of her all–holy Son
and God. The most loving Mother was so admirably faithful in her
sufferings and in imitating the example of Christ our God, that She
never permitted Herself any easement either of her bodily pains, such
as rest, nourishment, or sleep; nor any relaxation of the spirit,
such as any consoling thoughts or considerations, except when
She was visited from on high by divine influence. Then only would She
humbly and thankfully accept relief, in order that She might recover
strength to attend still more fervently to the object of her sorrows
and to the cause of his sufferings. The same wise consideration She
applied to the malicious behavior of the Jews and their servants, to
the needs of the human race, to their threatening ruin, and to the
ingratitude of men, for whom He suffered. Thus She perfectly and
intimately knew of all these things and felt it more deeply than all
the creatures.
Another hidden and
astonishing miracle was wrought by the right hand of God through the
instrumentality of the blessed Mary against Lucifer and his infernal
spirits. It took place in the following manner: The dragon and his
associates, though they could not understand the humiliation of the
Lord, were most attentive to all that happened in the Passion of the
Lord. Now, when He took upon Himself the
Cross, all these enemies felt a new and mysterious tremor and
weakness, which caused in them great consternation and confused
distress. Conscious of these unwonted and invincible feelings the
prince of darkness feared, that in the Passion and Death of Christ
our Lord some dire and irreparable destruction of his reign was
imminent. In order not to be overtaken by it in the presence of
Christ our God, the dragon resolved to retire and fly with all his
followers to the caverns of hell. But when he sought to execute this
resolve, he was prevented by the great Queen and Mistress of all
creation; for the Most High, enlightening Her and intimating to Her
what She was to do, at the same time invested Her with his power. The
heavenly Mother, turning toward Lucifer and his squadrons, by her
imperial command hindered them from flying; ordering them to await
and witness the Passion to the end on mount Calvary. The demons could
not resist the command of the mighty Queen; for they recognized and
felt the divine power operating in Her. Subject to her sway they
followed Christ as so many prisoners dragged along in chains to
Calvary, where the eternal wisdom had decreed to triumph over from
the throne of the Cross, as we shall see later on. There is nothing
which can exemplify the discouragement and dismay, which from that
moment began to oppress Lucifer and his demons. According to our way
of speaking, they walked along to Calvary like criminals
condemned to a terrible death, and seized by the dismay and
consternation of an inevitable punishment.
The executioners, bare of all human
compassion and kindness, dragged our Savior Jesus along with
incredible cruelty and insults. Some of them jerked Him forward by
the ropes in order to accelerate his passage, while others pulled
from behind in order to retard it. On account of this jerking and the
weight of the Cross they caused Him to sway to and fro and often to
fall to the ground. By the hard knocks He thus received on the rough
stones great wounds were opened, especially on the two knees and they
were widened at each repeated fall. The heavy Cross also inflicted a
wound on the shoulder on which it was carried. The unsteadiness
caused the Cross sometimes to knock against his sacred head, and
sometimes the head against the Cross; thus the thorns of his crown
penetrated deeper and wounded the parts, which they had not yet
reached. To these torments of the body the ministers of evil added
many insulting words and execrable affronts, ejecting their impure
spittle and throwing the dirt of the pavement into his face so
mercilessly, that they blinded the eyes that looked upon them with
such divine mercy. Thus they of their own account condemned
themselves to the loss of the graces, with which his very looks were
fraught. By the haste with which they dragged Him along in their
eagerness to see Him die, they did not allow Him to catch his breath;
for his most innocent body, having been in so few hours overwhelmed
with such a storm of torments, was so weakened and bruised that to
all appearances He was ready to yield up life under his pains and
sorrows.
From the house of
Pilate the sorrowful and stricken Mother followed with the multitudes
on the way of her divine Son, accompanied by saint John and the pious
women. As the surging crowds hindered Her from getting very near to
the Lord, She asked the eternal Father to be permitted to stand at
the foot of the Cross of her blessed Son and see Him die with her own
eyes. With the divine consent She ordered her
angels to manage things in such a way as to make it possible for her
to execute her wishes. The holy angels obeyed Her with great
reverence; and they speedily led the Queen through some bystreet, in
order that She might meet her Son. Thus it came that both of Them met
face to face in sweetest recognition of each Other and in mutual
renewal of each other’s interior sorrows. Yet They did not
speak to one another, nor would the fierce cruelty of the
executioners have permitted such interaction. But the most prudent
Mother adored her divine Son and true God, laden with the Cross; and
interiorly besought Him, that, since She could not relieve him of the
weight of the Cross since She was not permitted to command her holy
angels to lighten it, He would inspire these ministers of cruelty to
procure some one for his assistance. This prayer was heard by the
Lord Christ ; and so it happened, that Simon of Cyrene was afterwards
impressed to carry the Cross with the Lord (Matth. 27, 32).
The pharisees and the executioners were moved to this measure, some
of them out of natural compassion, others for fear lest Christ, the
Author of life, should lose his life by exhaustion before it could be
taken from Him on the Cross.
Beyond all human thought and estimation was the
sorrow of the most sincere Dove and Virgin Mother while She thus
witnessed with her own eyes her Son carrying the Cross to Mount
Calvary; for She alone could fittingly know and love Him according to
his true worth. It would have been impossible for Her to live through
this ordeal, if the divine power had not strengthened Her and
preserved Her life. With bitterest sorrow She addressed the Lord and
spoke to Him in her heart: “My Son and eternal God, light of my
eyes and life of my soul, receive, O Lord, the sacrifice of my not
being able to relieve Thee of the burden of the Cross and carry it
myself, who am a daughter of Adam; for it is I who should die upon it
in love of Thee, as Thou now wishest to die in most ardent love of
the human race. O most loving Mediator between guilt and justice! How
dost Thou cherish mercy in the midst of so great injuries and such
heinous offenses! O charity without measure or bounds, which permits
such torments and affronts in order to afford it a wider scope for
its ardor and efficacy! O infinite and sweetest love, would that
hearts and the wills of men were all mine, so that they could give no
such thankless return for all that Thou endurest! O who will speak to
the hearts of the mortals to teach them what they owe to Thee, since
Thou hast paid so dearly for their salvation from ruin!”
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
I desire that the fruit of the
obedience with which thou writest the history of my life shall be,
that thou become a true disciple of my most holy Son and of myself.
The main purpose of the exalted and venerable mysteries, which are
made known to thee, and of the teachings, which I so often repeat to
thee, is that thou deny and strip thyself, estranging thy heart from
all affection to creatures, neither wishing to posses them nor accept
them for other uses. By this precaution thou wilt overcome the
impediments, which the devils seek to place in the way of the
dangerous softness of thy nature. I who know thee, thus advise and
lead thee by the way of instruction and correction as Mother and
Instructress. By the divine teaching thou knowest the mysteries of
the Passion and Death of Christ and the one true way of life, which
is the Cross; and thou knowest that not all who are called, are
chosen. Many there are who wish to follow Christ and very few who
truly dispose themselves to imitate Him; for as soon as they feel the
sufferings of the Cross they cast it aside. Laborious exertions are
very painful and averse to human nature according to the flesh; and
the fruits of the spirit are more hidden and few guide themselves by
the light. On this account there are so many among mortals, who,
forgetful of the eternal truths, seek the flesh; and the continual
indulgence of its pleasures. They ardently seek honors and fly from
injuries: they strive after riches, and condemn poverty; they long
after pleasure and dread mortification. All these are enemies of the
Cross of Christ (Phil. 3, 18), and with dreadful aversion they fly
from it, deeming it sheer ignominy, just like those who crucified
Christ, the Lord.
Another deceit has spread through the
world: many imagine that they are following Christ their Master,
though they neither suffer affliction nor engage in any exertion or
labor. They are content with avoiding boldness in committing sins,
and place all their perfection in a certain prudence or hollow
self–love, which prevents them from denying anything to their
will and from practicing any virtues at the cost of their flesh. They
would easily escape this deception, if they would consider that my
Son was not only the Redeemer, but their Teacher; and that He left in
this world the treasures of his Redemption not only as a remedy
against its eternal ruin, but as a necessary medicine for the
sickness of sin in human nature. No one knew so much as my Son and
Lord; no one could better understand the quality of love than the
divine Lord, who was and is wisdom and charity itself; and no one was
more able to fulfill all his wishes (I John 4, 16). Nevertheless,
although He well could do it, He chose not a life of softness and
ease for the flesh, but one full of labors and pains; for He judged
his instructions to be incomplete and insufficient to redeem man, if
He failed teach them how to overcome the demon, the flesh and their
own self. He wished to inculcate, that this magnificent victory is
gained by the Cross, by labors, penances, mortifications and the
acceptance of contempt: all of which are the trademarks and evidences
of true love and the special watchwords of the predestined.
Book 6, Chapter 8
THE CRUCIFIXION
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; Matth. 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: “Beh01d 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?’’
(Matth 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).
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Catholic Catechism
PART THREE - THE LIFE OF THE CHRIST
SECTION ONE - MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
CHAPTER ONE - THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
ARTICLE TWO - THE BEATITUDES
OUR VOCATION TO BEATITUDE
I. THE BEATITUDES
1716 The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of heaven:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven.12
1717 The Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ's disciples; they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
II. THE DESIRE FOR HAPPINESS
1718 The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. This desire is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill it:
- We all want to live happily; in the
whole human race there is no one who does not assent to this
proposition, even before it is fully articulated.13
How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I
seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body
draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from you.14
God alone satisfies.15
III. CHRISTIAN BEATITUDE
1720 The New Testament uses several expressions to characterize the beatitude to which God calls man:
- the coming of the Kingdom of God;16 - the vision of God: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"17
- entering into the joy of the Lord;18
- entering into God's rest:19
- There we shall rest and see, we shall see and love, we shall love and praise. Behold what will be at the end without end. For what other end do we have, if not to reach the kingdom which has no end?20
1722 Such beatitude surpasses the understanding and powers of man. It comes from an entirely free gift of God: whence it is called supernatural, as is the grace that disposes man to enter into the divine joy.
- "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." It is true, because of the greatness and inexpressible glory of God, that "man shall not see me and live," for the Father cannot be grasped. But because of God's love and goodness toward us, and because he can do all things, he goes so far as to grant those who love him the privilege of seeing him. . . . For "what is impossible for men is possible for God."23
- All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability. . . . It is a homage resulting from a profound faith . . . that with wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and notoriety is a second. . . . Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it may be called "newspaper fame" - has come to be considered a great good in itself, and a ground of veneration.24
IN BRIEF
1725 The Beatitudes take up and fulfill God's promises from Abraham on by ordering them to the Kingdom of heaven. They respond to the desire for happiness that God has placed in the human heart.
1726 The Beatitudes teach us the final end to which God calls us: the Kingdom, the vision of God, participation in the divine nature, eternal life, filiation, rest in God.
1727 The beatitude of eternal life is a gratuitous gift of God. It is supernatural, as is the grace that leads us there.
1728 The Beatitudes confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods; they purify our hearts in order to teach us to love God above all things.
1729 The beatitude of heaven sets the standards for discernment in the use of earthly goods in keeping with the law of God.
12 Mt 5:3-12.
13 St. Augustine, De moribus eccl. 1,3,4:PL 32,1312.
14 St. Augustine, Conf. 10,20:PL 32,791.
15 St. Thomas Aquinas, Expos. in symb. apost. I.
16 Cf. Mt 4:17.
17 Mt 5:8; cf. 1 Jn 2; 1 Cor 13:12.
18 Mt 25:21-23.
19 Cf. Heb 4:7-11.
20 St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 22,30,5:PL 41,804.
21 2 Pet 1:4; cf. Jn 17:3.
22 Cf. Rom 8:18.
23 St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4,20,5:PG 7/1,1034-1035.
24 John Henry Cardinal Newman, "Saintliness the Standard of Christian Principle," in Discourses to Mixed Congregations (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1906) V, 89-90.
25 Cf. the parable of the sower: Mt 13:3-23.
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Featured Item from Litany Lane
View more Inspirational Designs at Litany Lane.
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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 graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assistance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...
Reference
- Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.
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