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WAY OF THE CROSS
AT THE COLOSSEUM
LED BY THE
HOLY FATHER
BENEDICT XVI
GOOD FRIDAY 2009
MEDITATIONS
AND PRAYERS BY
The Most
Reverend
THOMAS MENAMPARAMPIL, S.D.B.
Archbishop of Guwahati (India)
INTRODUCTION
The Holy Father:
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
R. Amen.
MEDITATION
My dear brothers and
sisters, we come to sing together a “hymn of hope”. We want
to tell ourselves that all is not lost in hard times. When bad news
comes, one bit after another, we grow anxious. When misfortune hits
us close to home, we grow disheartened. When we fall direct victims
of a disaster, our self-confidence is totally shaken and our faith
is put to the test. But all is not lost yet. Like Job we search for
meaning.[1]
In this effort we have a
model. Abraham believed and hoped, even when there was no
reason for hoping.[2]
Indeed, in testing times we see no reason for believing and
hoping. And yet we believe. And yet we hope. This can
happen in our personal lives. It happens in the wider society.
We ask ourselves with the
Psalmist: “Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled? I will put my
hope in God.”[3]
We renew and strengthen our faith, and continue to trust in the
Lord. For he saves those who have lost all hope.[4]
And this hope does not ultimately disappoint us.[5]
It is truly in Christ
that we understand the full meaning of suffering. During this
meditation, while we watch with anguish the painful side of Jesus’
suffering, we shall also give attention to its redemptive value. It
was God’s plan that the “Messiah had to suffer”,[6]
and that these sufferings should be for us.[7]
An awareness of this fills us with living hope.[8]
It is this hope that keeps us joyful and patient in
our troubles.[9]
A journey of faith and
hope is a long spiritual journey, as we ponder the deeper design
of God in the cosmic processes and the events of human history. For,
below the surface of cataclysmic calamities, wars, revolutions and
conflicts of every kind, there is a quiet presence, there is
purposeful divine action. God stays hidden in the world, in society,
in the universe. Science and technology reveal the marvels of his
greatness and love: “There is no speech, nor are there words; their
voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.”[10]
God breathes hope.
God reveals his plans
through his “word”, showing how he draws good out of evil both from
the little events in our personal lives and the great happenings of
human history. His “word” makes known the “rich and glorious” plan
of God, which says that he frees us from our sins and that Christ
is in you.[11]
May this message of
hope echo from the Hoang-Ho to Colorado, from the Himalayas
to the Alps and the Andes, from the Mississipi to the Brahmaputra.
It says: “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who
hope in the Lord.”
[12]
PRAYER
The Holy Father:
Let us pray.
A moment of silence
follows
All-powerful God,
by the suffering and death of your Son,
strengthen and protect us in our weakness.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
From the Gospel according
to Saint Luke. 22:41-44
Jesus withdrew from them
about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you
are willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will but
yours be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven
strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and
his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the
ground.
MEDITATION
Jesus was in agony. Grief
and anguish came upon him. The sin of all mankind weighed on him
heavily. But the greater his pain, the more fervently did he pray.
Pain always remains a
challenge to us. We feel left alone. We forget to pray, and break
down. Some even take their lives. But if we turn to God, we grow
spiritually strong and go out to help our fellow-beings in trouble.[1]
Jesus continues to suffer
in his persecuted disciples. Pope Benedict XVI says that even in our
times “the Church does not lack martyrs”.[2]
Christ is in agony among us, and in our times.
We pray for those who
suffer. The mystery of Christian suffering is that it has a
redemptive value. May the harassments that believers undergo
complete in them the sufferings of Christ that bring salvation.[3]
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, enable us to
delve deeper into the great “mystery of evil” and our own
contribution to it. As sufferings came into human life through sin,
it was your plan that humanity be saved from sin through suffering.
May none of the little annoyances, humiliations, and frustrations
that we undergo in our daily lives and the great shocks that take us
by surprise, go to waste. Linked with your own agony, may the
agonies we endure be acceptable to you and bring us hope.[4]
Lord, teach us to be
compassionate, not only to the hungry, thirsty, sick, or those
in some special need, but also to those inclined to be rude,
argumentative and hurtful. In this way, as you have helped us in all
our troubles, we may in turn “comfort those who are in any
affliction, with the comfort that we ourselves have received”.[5]
[2]
Sacramentum Caritatis, 85.
[4]
Cf. Rom 5:4.
BETRAYAL OF
JUDAS From the Gospel according
to Saint Luke 22:47-50
and according to Saint Matthew 26:52.56
While Jesus was still
speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the
twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; but
Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a
kiss?” And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they
said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck
the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all
who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Then all the disciples
forsook him and fled.
MEDITATION
It is one of his trusted
friends that betrays Jesus, and with a kiss. The way Jesus
confronted violence has a message for our times. Violence is
suicidal, he tells Peter: it is not defeated by more violence, but
by a superior spiritual energy that reaches out in the form of
healing love. Jesus touches the High Priest’s slave and heals
him. The violent man today too may need a healing touch that comes
from a love that transcends the immediate issues.
In times of conflict
between persons, ethnic and religious groups, nations, economic and
political interests, Jesus says, confrontation and violence are not
the answer, but love, persuasion and reconciliation.
Even when we seem to fail in such efforts, we plant the seeds of
peace which will bear fruit in due time. The rightness of our cause
is our strength.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you consider us
your friends, yet we notice traces of infidelity in ourselves. We
acknowledge our transgressions. We are presumptuous at times and
over-confident. And we fall. Let not avarice, lust or pride take us
by surprise. How thoughtlessly do we fly after ephemeral
satisfactions and untested ideas! Grant that we may not be tossed to
and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine… but speaking
the truth in love, grow up in every way into Christ the head.
[1]
May truth and sincerity
of purpose be our strength. Restrain, Lord, our impetuosity in
situations of violence, as you restrained Peter’s impulsive
character. Keep us unruffled in spirit before opposition and unfair
treatment.[2]
Convince us that “A gentle answer quiets anger”[3]
in our families, and that “gentleness” combined with “wisdom”
restores tranquillity in society.[4]
“Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.”
[5]
[5]
Attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi.
TOP
THE TRIAL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN From the Gospel according
to Saint Matthew 26:62-66
And the High Priest
stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that
these men testify against you? But Jesus was silent. And the High
Priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you
are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said
so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at
the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then
the High Priest tore his robes, and said, “He has uttered blasphemy.
What do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy.
What is your judgement? They answered, “He deserves death.”
MEDITATION
In every land, there have
been innocent persons who suffered, people who died fighting for
freedom, equality or justice. Those who struggle on behalf of God’s
little ones are promoting God’s own work. For he presses for the
rights of the weak and the oppressed.[1]
Whoever collaborates in this work, in the spirit of Jesus, brings
hope to the oppressed and offers a corrective message to the
evildoer himself.
Jesus’ manner of struggling
for justice is not to rouse the collective anger of people against
the opponent, so that they are led into forms of greater injustice.
On the contrary, it is to challenge the foe with the rightness of
one’s cause and evoke the good will of the opponent in such a
way that injustice is renounced through persuasion and a change of
heart. Mahatma Gandhi brought this teaching of Jesus on non-violence
into public life with amazing success.
PRAYER
Lord, often we judge others
in haste, indifferent to actual realities and insensitive to
people’s feelings! We develop stratagems of self-justification and
explain away the irresponsible manner in which we have dealt with
“the other”. Forgive us!
When we are misjudged and
ill-treated, Lord, give us the inner serenity and self-confidence
that your Son manifested in the face of unjust treatment. Keep us
from an aggressive response which goes against your Spirit. On the
contrary, help us to bring your powerful word of forgiveness
into situations of tension and anxiety, so that it may reveal its
dynamic power in history.
“In His will is our peace.”[2]
[2]
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Paradiso, Canto
III, v. 85.
TOP
THE DENIAL OF PETER From the Gospel according
to Saint Luke. 22:54-62
Then they seized Jesus
and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. Peter
followed at a distance; and when they had kindled a fire in the
middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.
Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in the light and gazing at him,
said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I
do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said,
“You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And
after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying,
“Certainly this man was also with him; for he is a Galilean.” But
Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying.” And
immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. And the
Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of
the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you
will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
MEDITATION
Peter claimed to be strong,
but he broke down before a servant girl. Human weakness takes us by
surprise, and we collapse. That is why Jesus asks us to watch and
pray.[1]
He urges self-renunciation and closeness to God.
There is a rebellious
“self” within us. We are often of “two minds”,[2]
but we fail to recognize this inner inconsistency. Peter recognized
it when his eyes met the eyes of Jesus, and he wept. Later, Thomas,
encountering the Risen Lord, acknowledged his own faithlessness and
believed. In the light of Christ, Paul became aware of the
inconsistency within himself, and he overcame it with the Lord’s
help.[3]
Going deeper still, he discovered: “It is no longer I who live, but
it is Christ who lives in me.”[4]
PRAYER
Lord, how easily do we
allow a distance to grow between what we profess to be and what we
really are! How often do we fail to carry out our own decisions, or
even fulfil our most solemn promises! And as a result we often
hesitate to make any permanent commitment, even to you!
We confess that we have
failed to bring into our life that inner discipline that is expected
of any adult person and required for the success of any human
endeavour. Give sturdiness to our inner determination; help us to
bring every good work we have begun to a successful conclusion.
Enable us to stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians,
“in complete obedience to God’s will”.[5]
THE TRIAL BEFORE
PILATE From the Gospel according
to Saint Luke. 23:22-25
A third time Pilate said
to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no crime
deserving death; I will therefore chastise him and release him”. But
they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be
crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that
their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been
thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for;
but Jesus he delivered up to their will.
MEDITATION
It was not the rightness
of an issue that mattered to Pilate, but his professional
interests. Such an attitude did not help him, either in this case or
in his later career. He was so unlike Jesus, whose inner rectitude
made him fearless.
Nor was Pilate interested
in the truth. He walks away from Jesus exclaiming, “What is truth?”[1]
Such indifference to truth is not uncommon these days. People are
often concerned about what gives immediate satisfaction. They are
content with superficial answers. Decisions are made based not on
principles of integrity, but on opportunistic considerations.
Failing to make morally responsible options damages the vital
interests of the human person, and of the human family. We pray that
the “spiritual and ethical concepts” contained in the word of God
will inspire the living norms of society in our times.[2]
PRAYER
Lord, give us the courage
to make responsible decisions when rendering a public
service. Bring probity into public life and assist us to be true to
our conscience.[3]
Lord, you are the source of
all Truth. Guide us in our search for ultimate answers. Going beyond
mere partial and incomplete explanations, may we search for what is
permanently true, beautiful and good.
Lord, keep us fearless
before the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”.[4]
When shadows grow deep on life’s wearisome paths, and the dark night
comes, enable us to hearken to the teaching of your Apostle Paul:
“Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.”[5]
[2]
XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops,
Message to the People of God, 24 October 2008, No. 15.
[4]
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III,1.
THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR From the Gospel according
to Saint Matthew. 27:26-30
Then Pilate, having
scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of
the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the
whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet
robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his
head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they
mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spat upon
him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
MEDITATION
Inhumanity reaches new
heights. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns. History is full
of hatred and wars. Even today we witness acts of violence
beyond belief: murder, violence to women and children, kidnapping,
extortion, ethnic conflict, urban violence, physical and mental
torture, violations of human rights.
Jesus continues to suffer
when believers are persecuted, when justice is distorted in court,
corruption gets rooted, unjust structures grind the poor, minorities
are suppressed, refugees and migrants are ill-treated. Jesus’
garments are pulled away when the human person is put to shame on
the screen, when women are compelled to humiliate themselves, when
slum children go round the streets picking up crumbs.
Who are the guilty? Let us
not point a finger at others, for we ourselves may have contributed
a share to these forms of inhumanity.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, we know that it
is you who suffer when we cause pain to each other and we remain
indifferent. Your heart went out in compassion when you saw
the crowds “harrassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”.[1]
Give me eyes that notice the needs of the poor and a heart that
reaches out in love. “Give me the strength to make my love fruitful
in service.”[2]
Most of all, may we share
with the indigent your “word” of hope, your assurance of care. May “zeal
for your house” burn in us like a fire.[3]
Help us to bring the sunshine of your joy into the lives of
those who are trudging the path of despair.
[2]
Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali, 36.
THE CONDEMNATION BY PILATE
Matthew
27:15-26 ~
Mark 15:6-15
~ Luke
23:13-25 ~
John 19:1-16
15During Passover the governor always
freed a prisoner chosen by the people. 16At that time a
well-known terrorist named Jesus Barabbas was
in jail. 17So when the crowd came together, Pilate asked
them, "Which prisoner do you want me to set free? Do you
want Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the
Messiah?" 18Pilate knew that the leaders had brought Jesus
to him because they were jealous. 19While Pilate was judging
the case, his wife sent him a message. It said, "Don't have
anything to do with that innocent man. I have had nightmares
because of him."
20But the chief
priests and the leaders convinced the crowds to ask for
Barabbas to be set free and for Jesus to be killed. 21Pilate
asked the crowd again, "Which of these two men do you want
me to set free?"
"Barabbas!" they replied.
22Pilate asked them, "What am I to do
with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?"
They all yelled, "Nail him to a
cross!"
23Pilate answered, "But what crime
has he done?"
"Nail him to a cross!" they yelled
even louder.
24Pilate saw
that there was nothing he could do and that the people were
starting to riot. So he took some water and washed his
hands in
front of them and said, "I won't have anything to do with
killing this man. You are the ones doing it!" 25Everyone
answered, "We and our own families will take the blame for
his death!"
26Pilate set Barabbas free. Then he
ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a whip and nail him
to a cross.
Matthew
27:15-26 ~
Mark 15:6-15
~ Luke
23:13-25 ~
John 19:1-16
6During
Passover, Pilate always freed one prisoner chosen by
the people.
7And at that time there was a prisoner named
Barabbas. He and some others had been arrested for
murder during a riot.
8The
crowd now came and asked Pilate to set a prisoner
free, just as he usually did.
9Pilate
asked them, "Do you want me to free the king of the
Jews?" 10Pilate
knew that the chief priests had brought Jesus to him
because they were jealous.
11But
the chief priests told the crowd to ask Pilate to
free Barabbas.
12Then
Pilate asked the crowd, "What do you want me to do
with this man you say is
the king of the Jews?"
13They
yelled, "Nail him to a cross!"
14Pilate
asked, "But what crime has he done?"
"Nail
him to a cross!" they yelled even louder.
15Pilate
wanted to please the crowd. So he set Barabbas free.
Then he ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a
whip and nail him to a cross.
Matthew
27:15-26 ~
Mark 15:6-15
~ Luke
23:13-25 ~
John 19:1-16
13Pilate
called together the chief priests, the
leaders, and the people.
14He
told them, "You brought Jesus to me and said
he was a troublemaker. But I have questioned
him here in front of you, and I have not
found him guilty of anything that you say he
has done.
15Herod
didn't find him guilty either and sent him
back. This man doesn't deserve to be put to
death!
16-17I will just have him beaten with
a whip and set free."
18But
the whole crowd shouted, "Kill Jesus! Give
us Barabbas!"
19Now
Barabbas was in jail because he had started
a riot in the city and had murdered someone.
20Pilate
wanted to set Jesus free, so he spoke again
to the crowds.
21But
they kept shouting, "Nail him to a cross!
Nail him to a cross!"
22Pilate
spoke to them a third time, "But what crime
has he done? I have not found him guilty of
anything for which he should be put to
death. I will have him beaten with a whip
and set free."
23The
people kept on shouting as loud as they
could for Jesus to be put to death.
24Finally,
Pilate gave in.
25He
freed the man who was in jail for rioting
and murder, because he was the one the crowd
wanted to be set free. Then Pilate handed
Jesus over for them to do what they wanted
with him.
Matthew
27:15-26 ~
Mark 15:6-15
~ Luke
23:13-25 ~
John 19:1-16
39And since I usually set a
prisoner free for you at Passover,
would you like for me to set free
the king of the Jews?"
40They shouted, "No, not him!
We want Barabbas." Now Barabbas was
a terrorist.
John 19
1Pilate
gave orders for Jesus to be beaten
with a whip.
2The soldiers made a crown out
of thorn branches and put it on
Jesus. Then they put a purple robe
on him.
3They came up to him and said,
"Hey, you king of the Jews!" They
also hit him with their fists.
4Once again Pilate went out.
This time he said, "I will have
Jesus brought out to you again. Then
you can see for yourselves that I
have not found him guilty."
5Jesus came out, wearing the
crown of thorns and the purple robe.
Pilate said, "Here is the man!"
6When the chief priests and
the temple police saw him, they
yelled, "Nail him to a cross! Nail
him to a cross!"
Pilate told
them, "You take him and nail him to
a cross! I don't find him guilty of
anything."
7The crowd replied, "He
claimed to be the Son of God! Our
Jewish Law says that he must be put
to death."
8When Pilate heard this, he
was terrified.
9He went back inside and asked
Jesus, "Where are you from?" But
Jesus did not answer.
10"Why won't you answer my
question?" Pilate asked. "Don't you
know that I have the power to let
you go free or to nail you to a
cross?"
11Jesus replied, "If God had
not given you the power, you
couldn't do anything at all to me.
But the one who handed me over to
you did something even worse."
12Then Pilate wanted to set
Jesus free. But the crowd again
yelled, "If you set this man free,
you are no friend of the Emperor!
Anyone who claims to be a king is an
enemy of the Emperor."
13When Pilate heard this, he
brought Jesus out. Then he sat down
on the judge's bench at the place
known as "The Stone Pavement." In
Aramaic this pavement is called "Gabbatha."
14It was about noon on the day
before Passover, and Pilate said to
the crowd, "Look at your king!"
15"Kill him! Kill him!" they
yelled. "Nail him to a cross!"
"So you
want me to nail your king to a
cross?" Pilate asked.
The chief
priests replied, "The Emperor is our
king!"
16Then Pilate handed Jesus
over to be nailed to a cross.
Jesus was
taken away,
Matthew
27:15-26 ~
Mark 15:6-15
~ Luke
23:13-25 ~
John 19:1-16
TOP
JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS From the Gospel according
to Saint Matthew. 27:31
And when they had mocked
him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him,
and led him away to crucify him.
MEDITATION
Jesus, at whose name every
knee in heaven and earth bends,[1]
is made an object of fun. We are shocked to see to what levels of
brutality human beings can sink. Jesus is humiliated in new ways
even today: when things that are most Holy and Profound in the Faith
are being trivialized; the sense of the sacred is allowed to
erode; the religious sentiment is classified among unwelcome
leftovers of antiquity.
Everything in public life
risks being desacralized: persons, places, pledges, prayers,
practices, words, sacred writings, religious formulae, symbols,
ceremonies. Our life together is being increasingly secularized.
Religious life grows diffident. Thus we see the most momentous
matters placed among trifles, and trivialities glorified. Values and
norms that held societies together and drew people to higher ideals
are laughed at and thrown overboard. Jesus continues to be
ridiculed!
PRAYER
We have faith, Lord, but
not enough. Help us to have more.[2]
May we never question or mock serious things in life like a cynic.
Allow us not to drift into the desert of godlessness. Enable us to
perceive you in the gentle breeze, see you in street corners, love
you in the unborn child.
God, enable us to
understand that on Tabor or Calvary, your Son is the Lord. Robed or
stripped of his garments, he is the Saviour of the world.[3]
Make us attentive to his quiet presences: in his “word”, in
tabernacles, shrines, humble places, simple persons, the life of the
poor, laughter of children, whispering pines, rolling hills, the
tiniest living cell, the smallest atom, and the distant galaxies.
May we watch with wonder as
he walks on the waters of the Rhine and the Nile and the Tanganyika.
JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS From the Gospel according
to Saint Luke 23:33-37
and according to Saint Matthew. 27:46
There they crucified
him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by,
watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others;
let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”
The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar,
and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 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?”
MEDITATION
The sufferings of Jesus
reach a climax. He had stood fearlessly before Pilate. He had
endured the mistreatment of the Roman soldiers. He had preserved his
calm under the scourge and the crowning with thorns. On the Cross
itself, he seemed untouched by a shower of insults. He had no word
of complaint, no desire to retort. But then, finally, a moment comes
when he breaks down. His strength can stand no more. He feels
abandoned even by his Father!
Experience tells us that
even the sturdiest man can descend to the depths of despair.
Frustrations accumulate, anger and resentment pile up. Bad
health, bad news, bad luck, bad treatment – all can come together.
It may have happened to us. It is at such moments we need to
remember that Jesus never fails us. He cried to the Father.
May we too cry out to the Father, who unfailingly comes to our
rescue in all our distress, whenever we call upon him![1]
PRAYER
Lord, when clouds gather on
the horizon and everything seems lost, when we find no friend to
stand by us and hope slips from our hands, teach us to trust in you,
who will surely come to our rescue.[2]
May the experience of inner pain and darkness teach us the great
truth that in you nothing is lost, that even our sins
– once we have repented of them – come to serve a purpose, like dry
wood in the cold of winter.[3]
Lord, you have a master
design beneath the working of the universe and the progress of
history. Open our eyes to the rhythms and patterns in the movements
of the stars; balance and proportion in the inner structure of
elements; interrelatedness and complementarity in nature; progress
and purpose in the march of history; correction and compensation in
our personal stories. It is this harmony that you
constantly keep restoring, despite the painful imbalances that we
bring about. In you even the greatest loss is a gain. Christ’s
death, in fact, points to resurrection.
[1]
Cf. Ps 107:6,13,19,20.
[3]
Cf. Frère Roger of Taizé.
TOP
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS From the Gospel according
to Saint Luke. 23:46
Then Jesus, crying with
a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!”
And having said this, he breathed his last.
MEDITATION
Jesus hands over his spirit
to the Father in serene abandonment. What his persecutors thought to
be a moment of defeat proves, in fact, to be a moment of triumph.
When a prophet dies for the cause he stood for, he gives the final
proof of all that he has said. Christ’s death is something more than
that. It brings redemption.[1]
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses.”[2]
With that begins for me a
mystic journey: Christ draws me closer to him, until I shall
fully belong to him.[3]
“As a deer longs for
flowing streams,
So my soul longs for you, O God…
When shall I come and behold the face of God?”[4]
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, it is for my
own sins that you were nailed to the Cross. Help me to gain a deeper
understanding of the grievousness of my sins and the immensity of
your love. For “while we were still weak, Christ died for the
ungodly.”[5]
I admit my faults as the prophets did long ago:
“We have sinned and
done wrong and acted wickedly
and rebelled, turning aside
from your commandments and ordinances;
we have not listened to your servants the prophets….”
[6]
There was nothing in me to
deserve your kindness. Thank you for your immeasurable goodness to
me. Help me to live for you, to shape my life after you,[7]
to be joined to you and become a new creation.[8]
“Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.”[9]
[3]
Cf. Jn 12:32; Phil 3:12-14; Gal
2:20.
[9] “Saint
Patrick’s Breastplate” (Eighth-century Irish hymn).
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JESUS IS
TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS From the Gospel according
to Saint Mark. 15:46
Joseph bought a linen
shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and
laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he
rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
MEDITATION
Tragedies make us ponder. A
tsunami tells us that life is serious. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
remain pilgrim places. When death strikes near, another world draws
close. We then shed our illusions and have a grasp of the deeper
reality. People in ancient India prayed: “Lead me from the unreal to
the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.”[1]
After Jesus left this
world, Christians began to look back and interpret his life and
mission. They carried his message to the ends of the earth. And this
message itself is Jesus Christ, who is “the power of God and the
wisdom of God”.[2]
It says that the reality is Christ
[3]
and that our ultimate destiny is to be with him.[4]
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, enable us, as
we press forward on life’s weary way, to have a glimpse of our
ultimate destiny. And when at last we cross over, we will know that
“death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no
more.”[5]
God will wipe away all tears from our eyes.
It is this Good News that
we are eager to announce “in every way”,[6]
even in places where Christ has not been heard of.[7]
For this we work hard.[8]
We work “night and day”[9]
and wear ourselves out.[10]
Lord make us effective carriers of your Good News.
“I know that my Redeemer
lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and in my flesh I
shall see God.”[11]
[1]
Brihadaranyaka Upanishads 1.III.28.
[8]
Cf. Acts 20:35; Rom 12:8.
THE
EMPTY TOMB
Matthew 28:1-10
~
Mark 16:1-8
~ Luke 24:1-12
~ John 20:1-10
1The
Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
2Suddenly a strong
earthquake struck, and the Lord's angel came down from heaven.
He rolled away the stone and sat on it.
3The angel looked
as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
4The guards shook
from fear and fell down, as though they were dead.
5The angel said to
the women, "Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus,
who was nailed to a cross.
6He isn't here!
God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come,
see the place where his body was lying.
7Now hurry! Tell
his disciples that he has been raised to life and is on his way
to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. That is what I came
to tell you."
8The women were
frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and
ran to tell his disciples.
9Suddenly Jesus
met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his
feet, and worshiped him.
10Then Jesus said, "Don't be afraid! Tell my followers to
go to Galilee. They will see me there."
Matthew 28:1-10
~
Mark 16:1-8
~ Luke 24:1-12
~ John 20:1-10
1After
the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother
of James bought some spices to put on Jesus' body.
2Very
early on Sunday morning, just as the sun was coming up,
they went to the tomb.
3On their
way, they were asking one another, "Who will roll the
stone away from the entrance for us?"
4But when
they looked, they saw that the stone had already been
rolled away. And it was a huge stone!
5The women
went into the tomb, and on the right side they saw a
young man in a white robe sitting there. They were
alarmed.
6The man
said, "Don't be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus from
Nazareth, who was nailed to a cross. God has raised him
to life, and he isn't here. You can see the place where
they put his body.
7Now go
and tell his disciples, and especially Peter, that he
will go ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there,
just as he told you."
8When the
women ran from the tomb, they were confused and shaking
all over. They were too afraid to tell anyone what had
happened.
Matthew 28:1-10
~
Mark 16:1-8
~ Luke 24:1-12
~ John 20:1-10
1Very early on Sunday morning
the women went to the tomb, carrying
the spices that they had prepared.
2When they found the stone
rolled away from the entrance,
3they went in. But they did
not find the body of the Lord
Jesus,
4and they did not know what to
think. Suddenly two men in shining
white clothes stood beside them.
5The women were afraid and
bowed to the ground. But the men
said, "Why are you looking in the
place of the dead for someone who is
alive?
6Jesus isn't here! He has been
raised from death. Remember that
while he was still in Galilee, he
told you,
7'The Son of Man will be
handed over to sinners who will nail
him to a cross. But three days later
he will rise to life.' "
8Then they remembered what
Jesus had said.
9-10Mary Magdalene, Joanna,
Mary the mother of James, and some
other women were the ones who had
gone to the tomb. When they
returned, they told the eleven
apostles and the others what had
happened.
11The apostles thought it was
all nonsense, and they would not
believe.
12But Peter ran to the tomb.
And when he stooped down and looked
in, he saw only the burial clothes.
Then he returned, wondering what had
happened.
1On
Sunday morning while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw
that the stone had been rolled away from
the entrance.
2She ran to Simon Peter and to
Jesus' favorite disciple and said, "They
have taken the Lord from the tomb! We
don't know where they have put him."
3Peter and the other disciple
started for the tomb.
4They ran side by side, until the
other disciple ran faster than Peter and
got there first.
5He bent over and saw the strips
of linen cloth lying inside the tomb,
but he did not go in.
6When Simon Peter got there, he
went into the tomb and saw the strips of
cloth.
7He also saw the piece of cloth
that had been used to cover Jesus' face.
It was rolled up and in a place by
itself.
8The disciple who got there first
then went into the tomb, and when he saw
it, he believed.
9At that time Peter and the other
disciple did not know that the
Scriptures said Jesus would rise to
life.
10So the two of them went back to
the other disciples.
Matthew 28:1-10
~
Mark 16:1-8
~ Luke 24:1-12
~ John 20:1-10
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