|
Pope Benedict
XVI- Writings as Cardinal |
WAY
OF THE CROSS AT THE COLOSSEUM
GOOD FRIDAY 2005
MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS
BY CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER
FIRST STATION
Jesus is condemned to death
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
[We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee]
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
[For by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.]
From the
Gospel according to Matthew 27:22-23,26
Pilate said to
them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the
Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be crucified!" Then he
asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the
more, "Let him be crucified!" So he released Barabbas for them;
and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
MEDITATION
The Judge of the world, who will come again to judge us all,
stands there, dishonored and defenseless before the earthly
judge. Pilate is not utterly evil. He knows that the condemned
man is innocent, and he looks for a way to free him. But his
heart is divided. And in the end he lets his own position, his
own self-interest, prevail over what is right. Nor are the men
who are shouting and demanding the death of Jesus utterly evil.
Many of them, on the day of Pentecost, will feel "cut to the
heart" (Acts 2:37), when Peter will say to them: "Jesus
of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God... you crucified and
killed by the hands of those outside the law" (Acts
2:22ff.). But at that moment they are caught up in the crowd.
They are shouting because everyone else is shouting, and they
are shouting the same thing that everyone else is shouting. And
in this way, justice is trampled underfoot by weakness,
cowardice and fear of the diktat of the ruling mindset. The
quiet voice of conscience is drowned out by the cries of the
crowd. Evil draws its power from indecision and concern for what
other people think.
PRAYER
Lord, you were condemned to death because fear of what other
people may think suppressed the voice of conscience. So too,
throughout history, the innocent have always been maltreated,
condemned and killed. How many times have we ourselves preferred
success to the truth, our reputation to justice? Strengthen the
quiet voice of our conscience, your own voice, in our lives.
Look at me as you looked at Peter after his denial. Let your
gaze penetrate our hearts and indicate the direction our lives
must take. On the day of Pentecost you stirred the hearts of
those who, on Good Friday, clamored for your death, and you
brought them to conversion. In this way you gave hope to all.
Grant us, ever anew, the grace of conversion.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Stabat mater
dolorosa,
iuxta crucem lacrimosa,
dum pendebat Filius.
SECOND STATION
Jesus takes up his Cross
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the
Gospel according to Matthew. 27:27-31
Then the soldiers
of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and
they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and
put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a
crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right
hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of
the Jews!" They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on
the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and
put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify
him.
MEDITATION
Jesus, condemned as an imposter king, is mocked, but this very
mockery lays bare a painful truth. How often are the symbols of
power, borne by the great ones of this world, an affront to
truth, to justice and to the dignity of man! How many times are
their pomps and their lofty words nothing but grandiose lies, a
parody of their solemn obligation to serve the common good! It
is because Jesus is mocked and wears the crown of suffering that
he appears as the true King. His scepter is justice (cf. Ps
45:7). The price of justice in this world is suffering: Jesus,
the true King, does not reign through violence, but through a
love which suffers for us and with us. He takes up the Cross,
our cross, the burden of being human, the burden of the world.
And so he goes before us and points out to us the way which
leads to true life.
PRAYER
Lord, you willingly subjected yourself to mockery and scorn.
Help us not to ally ourselves with those who look down on the
weak and suffering. Help us to acknowledge your face in the
lowly and the outcast. May we never lose heart when faced with
the contempt of this world, which ridicules our obedience to
your will. You carried your own Cross and you ask us to follow
you on this path (cf. Mt 10:38). Help us to take up the
Cross, and not to shun it. May we never complain or become
discouraged by life's trials. Help us to follow the path of love
and, in submitting to its demands, to find true joy.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Cuius animam
gementem,
contristatam et dolentem
pertransivit gladius.
THIRD STATION
Jesus falls for the first time
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the Book
of the Prophet Isaiah. 53:4-6
Surely he has
born our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him
stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him
was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we
are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the
iniquity of us all.
MEDITATION
Man has fallen, and he continues to fall: often he becomes a
caricature of himself, no longer the image of God, but a mockery
of the Creator. Is not the man who, on the way from Jerusalem to
Jericho, fell among robbers who stripped him and left him
half-dead and bleeding beside the road, the image of humanity
par excellence? Jesus' fall beneath the Cross is not just the
fall of the man Jesus, exhausted from his scourging. There is a
more profound meaning in this fall, as Paul tells us in the
Letter to the Philippians: "though he was in the form of God, he
did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the
likeness of men... He humbled himself and became obedient unto
death, even death on a Cross" (Phil 2:6-8). In Jesus'
fall beneath the weight of the Cross, the meaning of his whole
life is seen: his voluntary abasement, which lifts us up from
the depths of our pride. The nature of our pride is also
revealed: it is that arrogance which makes us want to be
liberated from God and left alone to ourselves, the arrogance
which makes us think that we do not need his eternal love, but
can be the masters of our own lives. In this rebellion against
truth, in this attempt to be our own god, creator and judge, we
fall headlong and plunge into self-destruction. The humility of
Jesus is the surmounting of our pride; by his abasement he lifts
us up. Let us allow him to lift us up. Let us strip away our
sense of self-sufficiency, our false illusions of independence,
and learn from him, the One who humbled himself, to discover our
true greatness by bending low before God and before our
downtrodden brothers and sisters.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, the weight of the cross made you fall to the ground.
The weight of our sin, the weight of our pride, brought you
down. But your fall is not a tragedy, or mere human weakness.
You came to us when, in our pride, we were laid low. The
arrogance that makes us think that we ourselves can create human
beings has turned man into a kind of merchandise, to be bought
and sold, or stored to provide parts for experimentation. In
doing this, we hope to conquer death by our own efforts, yet in
reality we are profoundly debasing human dignity. Lord help us;
we have fallen. Help us to abandon our destructive pride and, by
learning from your humility, to rise again.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
O quam tristis
et afflicta
fuit illa benedica
mater Unigeniti!
FOURTH STATION
Jesus meets his Mother
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the
Gospel according to Luke. 2:34-35,51
Simon blessed
them and said to Mary his mother: "Behold, this child is set for
the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is
spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul
also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed". And
his mother kept all these things in her heart.
MEDITATION
On Jesus' Way of the Cross, we also find Mary, his Mother.
During his public life she had to step aside, to make place for
the birth of Jesus' new family, the family of his disciples. She
also had to hear the words: "Who is my mother and who are my
brothers?... Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is
brother, and sister and mother" (Mt 12:48-50). Now we see
her as the Mother of Jesus, not only physically, but also in her
heart. Even before she conceived him bodily, through her
obedience she conceived him in her heart. It was said to Mary:
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. He
will be great and the Lord God will give to him the throne of
his father David" (Lk 1:31ff.). And she would hear from
the mouth of the elderly Simeon: "A sword will pierce through
your own soul" (Lk 2:35). She would then recall the words
of the prophets, words like these: "He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was like a lamb that
is led to slaughter" (Is 54:7). Now it all takes place.
In her heart she had kept the words of the angel, spoken to her
in the beginning: "Do not be afraid, Mary" (Lk 1:30). The
disciples fled, yet she did not flee. She stayed there, with a
Mother's courage, a Mother's fidelity, a Mother's goodness, and
a faith which did not waver in the hour of darkness: "Blessed is
she who believed" (Lk 1:45). "Nevertheless, when the Son
of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk 18:8).
Yes, in this moment Jesus knows: he will find faith. In this
hour, this is his great consolation.
PRAYER
Holy Mary, Mother of the Lord, you remained faithful when the
disciples fled. Just as you believed the angels incredible
message that you would become the Mother of the Most High, so
too you believed at the hour of his greatest abasement. In this
way, at the hour of the Cross, at the hour of the world's
darkest night, you became the Mother of all believers, the
Mother of the Church. We beg you: teach us to believe, and grant
that our faith may bear fruit in courageous service and be the
sign of a love ever ready to share suffering and to offer
assistance.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Quæ mærebat et
dolebat
pia mater, cum videbat
Nati pnas incliti.
FIFTH STATION
The Cyrenian helps Jesus carry the Cross
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the
Gospel according to Matthew. 27:32; 16:24
As they went out,
they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they
compelled to carry his cross. Jesus told his disciples, "If any
man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me.
MEDITATION
Simon of Cyrene is on his way home, returning from work, when he
comes upon the sad procession of those condemned for him,
perhaps, it was a common sight. The soldiers force this rugged
man from the country to carry the Cross on his own shoulders.
How annoying he must have thought it to be suddenly caught up in
the fate of those condemned men! He does what he must do, but
reluctantly. Significantly, the Evangelist Mark does not only
name him, but also his children, who were evidently known as
Christians and as members of that community (cf. Mk
15:21). From this chance encounter, faith was born. The Cyrenian,
walking beside Jesus and sharing the burden of the Cross, came
to see that it was a grace to be able to accompany him to his
crucifixion and to help him. The mystery of Jesus, silent and
suffering, touched his heart. Jesus, whose divine love alone can
redeem all humanity, wants us to share his Cross so that we can
complete what is still lacking in his suffering (cf. Col
1:24). Whenever we show kindness to the suffering, the
persecuted and defenseless, and share in their sufferings, we
help to carry that same Cross of Jesus. In this way we obtain
salvation, and help contribute to the salvation of the world.
PRAYER
Lord, you opened the eyes and heart of Simon of Cyrene, and you
gave him, by his share in your Cross, the grace of faith. Help
us to aid our neighbors in need, even when this interferes with
our own plans and desires. Help us to realize that it is a grace
to be able to share the cross of others and, in this way, know
that we are walking with you along the way. Help us to
appreciate with joy that, when we share in your suffering and
the sufferings of this world, we become servants of salvation
and are able to help build up your Body, the Church.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Quis est homo
qui non fleret,
matrem Christi si videret
in tanto supplicio?
SIXTH STATION
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the Book
of the Prophet Isaiah. 53:2-3
He had no form or
comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we
should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men
hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
From the Book
of Psalms. 27:8-9
You have said,
"Seek my face". My heart says to you, "Your face, Lord, do I
seek". Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in
anger, you who have been my help. Cast me not off, forsake me
not, O God of my salvation.
MEDITATION
"Your face, Lord, do I seek. Hide not your face from me" (Ps
27:8-9). Veronica Bernice, in the Greek tradition embodies
the universal yearning of the devout men and women of the Old
Testament, the yearning of all believers to see the face of God.
On Jesus' Way of the Cross, though, she at first did nothing
more than perform an act of womanly kindness: she held out a
facecloth to Jesus. She did not let herself be deterred by the
brutality of the soldiers or the fear which gripped the
disciples. She is the image of that good woman, who, amid
turmoil and dismay, shows the courage born of goodness and does
not allow her heart to be bewildered. "Blessed are the pure in
heart", the Lord had said in his Sermon on the Mount, "for they
shall see God" (Mt 5:8). At first, Veronica saw only a
buffeted and pain-filled face. Yet her act of love impressed the
true image of Jesus on her heart: on his human face, bloodied
and bruised, she saw the face of God and his goodness, which
accompanies us even in our deepest sorrows. Only with the heart
can we see Jesus. Only love purifies us and gives us the ability
to see. Only love enables us to recognize the God who is love
itself.
PRAYER
Lord, grant us restless hearts, hearts which seek your face.
Keep us from the blindness of heart which sees only the surface
of things. Give us the simplicity and purity which allow us to
recognize your presence in the world. When we are not able to
accomplish great things, grant us the courage which is born of
humility and goodness. Impress your face on our hearts. May we
encounter you along the way and show your image to the world.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Pro peccatis
suæ gentis
vidit Iesum in tormentis
et flagellis subditum.
SEVENTH
STATION
Jesus falls for the second time
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the Book
of Lamentations. 3:1-2,9,16
I am the man who
has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven
and brought me into darkness without any light. He has blocked
my way with hewn stones, he has made my paths crooked. He has
made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes.
MEDITATION
The tradition that Jesus fell three times beneath the weight of
the Cross evokes the fall of Adam the state of fallen humanity
and the mystery of Jesus' own sharing in our fall. Throughout
history the fall of man constantly takes on new forms. In his
First Letter, Saint John speaks of a threefold fall: lust of the
flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. He thus
interprets the fall of man and humanity against the backdrop of
the vices of his own time, with all its excesses and
perversions. But we can also think, in more recent times, of how
a Christianity which has grown weary of faith has abandoned the
Lord: the great ideologies, and the banal existence of those
who, no longer believing in anything, simply drift through life,
have built a new and worse paganism, which in its attempt to do
away with God once and for all, have ended up doing away with
man. And so man lies fallen in the dust. The Lord bears this
burden and falls, over and over again, in order to meet us. He
gazes on us, he touches our hearts; he falls in order to raise
us up.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you have borne all our burdens and you
continue to carry us. Our weight has made you fall. Lift us up,
for by ourselves we cannot rise from the dust. Free us from the
bonds of lust. In place of a heart of stone, give us a heart of
flesh, a heart capable of seeing. Lay low the power of
ideologies, so that all may see that they are a web of lies. Do
not let the wall of materialism become insurmountable. Make us
aware of your presence. Keep us sober and vigilant, capable of
resisting the forces of evil. Help us to recognize the spiritual
and material needs of others, and to give them the help they
need. Lift us up, so that we may lift others up. Give us hope at
every moment of darkness, so that we may bring your hope to the
world.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Quis non
posset contristari,
Christi matrem contemplari,
dolentem cum Filio?
EIGHTH STATION
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem who weep for him
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the
Gospel according to Luke. 23:28-31
Jesus turning to
them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep
for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are
coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the
wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!'
Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and
to the hills, 'Cover us'. For if they do this when the wood is
green, what will happen when it is dry?"
MEDITATION
Hearing Jesus reproach the women of Jerusalem who follow him and
weep for him ought to make us reflect. How should we understand
his words? Are they not directed at a piety which is purely
sentimental, one which fails to lead to conversion and living
faith? It is no use to lament the sufferings of this world if
our life goes on as usual. And so the Lord warns us of the
danger in which we find ourselves. He shows us both the
seriousness of sin and the seriousness of judgment. Can it be
that, despite all our expressions of consternation in the face
of evil and innocent suffering, we are all too prepared to
trivialize the mystery of evil? Have we accepted only the
gentleness and love of God and Jesus, and quietly set aside the
word of judgment? "How can God be so concerned with our
weaknesses?", we say. "We are only human!" Yet as we contemplate
the sufferings of the Son, we see more clearly the seriousness
of sin, and how it needs to be fully atoned if it is to be
overcome. Before the image of the suffering Lord, evil can no
longer be trivialized. To us too, he says: "Do not weep for me,
weep for yourselves... if they do this when the wood is green,
what will happen when it is dry?".
PRAYER
Lord, to the weeping women you spoke of repentance and the Day
of Judgment, when all of us will stand before your face: before
you, the Judge of the world. You call us to leave behind the
trivialization of evil, which salves our consciences and allows
us to carry on as before. You show us the seriousness of our
responsibility, the danger of our being found guilty and without
excuse on the Day of Judgment. Grant that we may not simply walk
at your side, with nothing to offer other than compassionate
words. Convert us and give us new life. Grant that in the end we
will not be dry wood, but living branches in you, the true vine,
bearing fruit for eternal life (cf. Jn 15:1-10).
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Tui Nati
vulnerati,
tam dignati pro me pati,
pnas mecum divide.
NINTH STATION
Jesus falls for the third time
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the Book
of Lamentations. 3:27-32
It is good for a
man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in
silence when he has laid it on him; let him put his mouth in the
dust - there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the
smiter, and be filled with insults. For the Lord will not cast
off for ever, but, though he cause grief, he will have
compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
MEDITATION
What can the third fall of Jesus under the Cross say to us? We
have considered the fall of man in general, and the falling of
many Christians away from Christ and into a godless secularism.
Should we not also think of how much Christ suffers in his own
Church? How often is the holy sacrament of his Presence abused,
how often must he enter empty and evil hearts! How often do we
celebrate only ourselves, without even realizing that he is
there! How often is his Word twisted and misused! What little
faith is present behind so many theories, so many empty words!
How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who,
in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him! How much
pride, how much self-complacency! What little respect we pay to
the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where he waits for us, ready to
raise us up whenever we fall! All this is present in his
Passion. His betrayal by his disciples, their unworthy reception
of his Body and Blood, is certainly the greatest suffering
endured by the Redeemer; it pierces his heart. We can only call
to him from the depths of our hearts: Kyrie eleison Lord, save
us (cf. Mt 8: 25).
PRAYER
Lord, your Church often seems like a boat about to sink, a boat
taking in water on every side. In your field we see more weeds
than wheat. The soiled garments and face of your Church throw us
into confusion. Yet it is we ourselves who have soiled them! It
is we who betray you time and time again, after all our lofty
words and grand gestures. Have mercy on your Church; within her
too, Adam continues to fall. When we fall, we drag you down to
earth, and Satan laughs, for he hopes that you will not be able
to rise from that fall; he hopes that being dragged down in the
fall of your Church, you will remain prostrate and overpowered.
But you will rise again. You stood up, you arose and you can
also raise us up. Save and sanctify your Church. Save and
sanctify us all.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Eia mater,
fons amoris,
me sentire vim doloris
fac, ut tecum lugeam.
TENTH STATION
Jesus is stripped of his garments
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti
mundum.
From the
Gospel according to Matthew. 27:33-36
And when they
came to a place called Golgotha (which means the place of a
skull), they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall, but
when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had
crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting
lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
MEDITATION
Jesus is stripped of his garments. Clothing gives a man his
social position; it gives him his place in society, it makes him
someone. His public stripping means that Jesus is no longer
anything at all, he is simply an outcast, despised by all alike.
The moment of the stripping reminds us of the expulsion from
Paradise: God's splendor has fallen away from man, who now
stands naked and exposed, unclad and ashamed. And so Jesus once
more takes on the condition of fallen man. Stripped of his
garments, he reminds us that we have all lost the "first
garment" that is God's splendor. At the foot of the Cross, the
soldiers draw lots to divide his paltry possessions, his
clothes. The Evangelists describe the scene with words drawn
from Psalm 22:19; by doing so they tell us the same thing that
Jesus would tell his disciples on the road to Emmaus: that
everything takes place "according to the Scriptures". Nothing is
mere coincidence; everything that happens is contained in the
Word of God and sustained by his divine plan. The Lord passes
through all the stages and steps of man's fall from grace, yet
each of these steps, for all its bitterness, becomes a step
towards our redemption: this is how he carries home the lost
sheep. Let us not forget that John says that lots were drawn for
Jesus' tunic, "woven without seam from top to bottom" (Jn
19:23). We may consider this as a reference to the High Priest's
robe, which was "woven from a single thread", without stitching
(Fl. Josephus, a III, 161). For he, the Crucified One, is the
true High Priest.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you were stripped of your garments, exposed to
shame, cast out of society. You took upon yourself the shame of
Adam, and you healed it. You also take upon yourself the
sufferings and the needs of the poor, the outcasts of our world.
And in this very way you fulfill the words of the prophets. This
is how you bring meaning into apparent meaninglessness. This is
how you make us realize that your Father holds you, us, and the
whole world in his hands. Give us a profound respect for man at
every stage of his existence, and in all the situations in which
we encounter him. Clothe us in the light of your grace.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Fac ut ardeat
cor meum
in amando Christum Deum,
ut sibi complaceam.
ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus is nailed to the Cross
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the
Gospel according to Matthew 27:37-42
And over his head
they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus the
King of the Jews". Then two robbers were crucified with him, one
on the right hand and one on the left. And those who passed by
derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would
destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If
you are the Son of God, come down from the Cross". So also the
chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him, saying,
"He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of
Israel; let him come down now from the Cross and we will believe
in him".
MEDITATION
Jesus is nailed to the Cross. The shroud of Turin gives us an
idea of the unbelievable cruelty of this procedure. Jesus does
not drink the numbing gall offered to him: he deliberately takes
upon himself all the pain of the Crucifixion. His whole body is
racked; the words of the Psalm have come to pass: "But I am a
worm and no man, scorned by men, rejected by the people" (Ps
22:7). "As one from whom men hide their faces, he was
despised... surely he has borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows" (Is 53:3f.). Let us halt before this image of
pain, before the suffering Son of God. Let us look upon him at
times of presumptuousness and pleasure, in order to learn to
respect limits and to see the superficiality of all merely
material goods. Let us look upon him at times of trial and
tribulation, and realize that it is then that we are closest to
God. Let us try to see his face in the people we might look down
upon. As we stand before the condemned Lord, who did not use his
power to come down from the Cross, but endured its suffering to
the end, another thought comes to mind. Ignatius of Antioch, a
prisoner in chains for his faith in the Lord, praised the
Christians of Smyrna for their invincible faith: he says that
they were, so to speak, nailed with flesh and blood to the Cross
of the Lord Jesus Christ (1:1). Let us nail ourselves to him,
resisting the temptation to stand apart, or to join others in
mocking him.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you let yourself be nailed to the Cross,
accepting the terrible cruelty of this suffering, the
destruction of your body and your dignity. You allowed yourself
to be nailed fast; you did not try to escape or to lessen your
suffering. May we never flee from what we are called to do. Help
us to remain faithful to you. Help us to unmask the false
freedom which would distance us from you. Help us to accept your
"binding" freedom, and, "bound" fast to you, to discover true
freedom.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Sancta mater,
istud agas,
Crucifixi fige plagas
cordi meo valide.
TWELFTH STATION
Jesus dies on the Cross
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the
Gospel according to John 19:19-20
Pilate also wrote
a title and put it on the Cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth,
the King of the Jews". Many of the Jews read this title, for the
place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was
written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
From the
Gospel according to Matthew 27:45-50,54
Now from the
sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth
hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice,
"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" That is, "My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders hearing it said,
"This man is calling Elijah". And one of them at once ran and
took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and
gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see
whether Elijah will come to save him". And Jesus cried again
with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit". When the centurion
and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the
earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe, and
said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
MEDITATION
In Greek and Latin, the two international languages of the time,
and in Hebrew, the language of the Chosen People, a sign stood
above the Cross of Jesus, indicating who he was: the King of the
Jews, the promised Son of David. Pilate, the unjust judge,
became a prophet despite himself. The kingship of Jesus was
proclaimed before all the world. Jesus himself had not accepted
the title "Messiah", because it would have suggested a mistaken,
human idea of power and deliverance. Yet now the title can
remain publicly displayed above the Crucified Christ. He is
indeed the king of the world. Now he is truly "lifted up". In
sinking to the depths he rose to the heights. Now he has
radically fulfilled the commandment of love, he has completed
the offering of himself, and in this way he is now the
revelation of the true God, the God who is love. Now we know who
God is. Now we know what true kingship is. Jesus prays Psalm 22,
which begins with the words: "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?" (Ps 22:2). He takes to himself the whole
suffering people of Israel, all of suffering humanity, the drama
of God's darkness, and he makes God present in the very place
where he seems definitively vanquished and absent. The Cross of
Jesus is a cosmic event. The world is darkened, when the Son of
God is given up to death. The earth trembles. And on the Cross,
the Church of the Gentiles is born. The Roman centurion
understands this, and acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God. From
the Cross he triumphs ever anew.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, at the hour of your death the sun was
darkened. Ever anew you are being nailed to the Cross. At this
present hour of history we are living in God's darkness. Through
your great sufferings and the wickedness of men, the face of
God, your face, seems obscured, unrecognizable. And yet, on the
Cross, you have revealed yourself. Precisely by being the one
who suffers and loves, you are exalted. From the Cross on high
you have triumphed. Help us to recognize your face at this hour
of darkness and tribulation. Help us to believe in you and to
follow you in our hour of darkness and need. Show yourself once
more to the world at this hour. Reveal to us your salvation.
All:
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Fac me vere tecum flere,
Crucifixo condolore,
donec ego vixero.
THIRTEENTH STATION
Jesus is taken down from the Cross and given to his Mother
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the
Gospel according to Matthew 27:54-55
When the
centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus,
saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with
awe, and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" There were also
many women there, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus
from Galilee, ministering to him.
MEDITATION
Jesus is dead. From his heart, pierced by the lance of the Roman
soldier, flow blood and water: a mysterious image of the stream
of the sacraments, Baptism and the Eucharist, by which the
Church is constantly reborn from the opened heart of the Lord.
Jesus' legs are not broken, like those of the two men crucified
with him. He is thus revealed as the true Paschal lamb, not one
of whose bones must be broken (cf. Es 12:46). And now, at
the end of his sufferings, it is clear that, for all the dismay
which filled men's hearts, for all the power of hatred and
cowardice, he was never alone. There are faithful ones who
remain with him. Under the Cross stand Mary, his Mother, the
sister of his Mother, Mary, Mary Magdalen and the disciple whom
he loved. A wealthy man, Joseph of Arimathea, appears on the
scene: a rich man is able to pass through the eye of a needle,
for God has given him the grace. He buries Jesus in his own
empty tomb, in a garden. At Jesus' burial, the cemetery becomes
a garden, the garden from which Adam was cast out when he
abandoned the fullness of life, his Creator. The garden tomb
symbolizes that the dominion of death is about to end. A member
of the Sanhedrin also comes along, Nicodemus, to whom Jesus had
proclaimed the mystery of rebirth by water and the Spirit. Even
in the Sanhedrin, which decreed his death, there is a believer,
someone who knows and recognizes Jesus after his death. In this
hour of immense grief, of darkness and despair, the light of
hope is mysteriously present. The hidden God continues to be the
God of life, ever near. Even in the night of death, the Lord
continues to be our Lord and Savior. The Church of Jesus Christ,
his new family, begins to take shape.
PRAYER
Lord, you descended into the darkness of death. But your body is
placed in good hands and wrapped in a white shroud (Mt
27:59). Faith has not completely died; the sun has not
completely set. How often does it appear that you are asleep?
How easy it is for us to step back and say to ourselves: "God is
dead". In the hour of darkness, help us to know that you are
still there. Do not abandon us when we are tempted to lose
heart. Help us not to leave you alone. Give us the fidelity to
withstand moments of confusion and a love ready to embrace you
in your utter helplessness, like your Mother, who once more
holds you to her breast. Help us, the poor and rich, simple and
learned, to look beyond all our fears and prejudices, and to
offer you our abilities, our hearts and our time, and thus to
prepare a garden for the Resurrection.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Vidit suum
dulcem Natum
morientem, desolatum,
cum emisit spiritum.
FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus is laid in the tomb
V/.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the
Gospel according to Matthew 27:59-61
Joseph took the
body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his
own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a
great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed. Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the
sepulcher.
MEDITATION
Jesus, disgraced and mistreated, is honorably buried in a new
tomb. Nicodemus brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a
hundred pounds weight, which gives off a precious scent. In the
Son's self-offering, as at his anointing in Bethany, we see an
"excess" which evokes God's generous and superabundant love. God
offers himself unstintingly. If God's measure is superabundance,
then we for our part should consider nothing too much for God.
This is the teaching of Jesus himself, in the Sermon on the
Mount (Mt 5:20). But we should also remember the words of
Saint Paul, who says that God "through us spreads the fragrance
of the knowledge of Christ everywhere. We are the aroma of
Christ" (2 Cor 2:14ff.). Amid the decay of ideologies,
our faith needs once more to be the fragrance which returns us
to the path of life. At the very moment of his burial, Jesus'
words are fulfilled: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain
of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if
it dies, it bears much fruit" (Jn 12:24). Jesus is the
grain of wheat which dies. From that lifeless grain of wheat
comes forth the great multiplication of bread which will endure
until the end of the world. Jesus is the bread of life which can
satisfy superabundantly the hunger of all humanity and provide
its deepest nourishment. Through his Cross and Resurrection, the
eternal Word of God became flesh and bread for us. The mystery
of the Eucharist already shines forth in the burial of Jesus.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, in your burial you have taken on the death of
the grain of wheat. You have become the lifeless grain of wheat
which produces abundant fruit for every age and for all
eternity. From the tomb shines forth in every generation the
promise of the grain of wheat which gives rise to the true
manna, the Bread of Life, in which you offer us your very self.
The eternal Word, through his Incarnation and death, has become
a Word which is close to us: you put yourself into our hands and
into our hearts, so that your word can grow within us and bear
fruit. Through the death of the grain of wheat you give us
yourself, so that we too can dare to lose our life in order to
find it, so that we too can trust the promise of the grain of
wheat. Help us grow in love and veneration for your Eucharistic
mystery to make you, the Bread of heaven, the source of our
life. Help us to become your "fragrance", and to make known in
this world the mysterious traces of your life. Like the grain of
wheat which rises from the earth, putting forth its stalk and
then its ear, you could not remain enclosed in the tomb: the
tomb is empty because he the Father "did not abandon you to
the nether world, nor let your flesh see corruption" (Acts
2:31; Ps 16:10 LXX). No, you did not see corruption. You
have risen, and have made a place for our transfigured flesh in
the very heart of God. Help us to rejoice in this hope and bring
it joyfully to the world. Help us to become witnesses of your
resurrection.
All: Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Quando corpus
morietur,
fac ut animæ donetur
paradisi gloria. Amen.
BLESSING
V/.
Dominus vobiscum. [The Lord be with you]
R/. Et cum spiritu tuo. [And with thy Spirit]
V/. Sit
nomen Domini benedictum.[Let us bless the name of the Lord]
R/. Ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum. [Now and
forever]
V/.
Adiutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. [Our help is in the
name of the Lord]
R/. Qui fecit cælum et terram. [Who has made
heaven and earth]
V/.
Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus
Sanctus. +
May the almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit]
R/. Amen.
