Text of Pope’s Good Friday ‘Way of the Cross” meditations by Indian Archbishop Thomas
Menamparampil of Guwahati
(April 10, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI presides over the “Way of the Cross” on Good Friday
night at Rome’s famous landmark, the Colosseum. On the request of the Pope, Archbishop
Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati wrote the meditations for the fourteen Stations of
the Cross that recall the last moments of Jesus as he was led away to His death on
the Cross. The booklet prepared by the Vatican for the occasion carries vivid
illustrations of the Stations of the Cross depicted in the Church of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bangalore, Karnataka state. The Indian style paintings
are the work of Indian nun, Sister Marie Claire Naidu , done in the second half of
the twentieth century. The full text of these meditations follows:
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. In this effort we have a model. Abraham believed and
hoped, even when there was no reason for hoping. 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."
We renew and strengthen our faith, and continue to trust in the Lord. For he saves
those who have lost all hope. And this hope does not ultimately disappoint us. 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",
and that these sufferings should be for us. An awareness of this fills us with living
hope. It is this hope that keeps us joyful and patient in our troubles. 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."
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. 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."
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.
FIRST STATION
Jesus
in agony in the Garden of Olives V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R.
Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
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. Jesus continues to suffer in his persecuted disciples. Pope Benedict
XVI says that even in our times "the Church does not lack martyrs." 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.
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.
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."
All: Pater noster, qui es in
caelis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in
caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita
nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem;
sed libera nos a malo.
Stabat mater dolorosa, iuxta crucem lacrimosa, dum
pendebat Filius.
SECOND STATION
Jesus is betrayed by Judas,
and restrains Peter from violence V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R.
Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
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.
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. Convince us that "A gentle answer quiets anger" in our families,
and that "gentleness" combined with "wisdom" restores tranquility in society. "Lord,
make me an instrument of Your peace."
All: Pater noster, qui es in caelis:
sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo,
et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed
libera nos a malo.
Cuius animam gementem contristatam et dolentem pertransivit
gladius.
THIRD STATION
Jesus is held guilty by the Sanhedrin V.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti
mundum.
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 judgment? 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. 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."
All: Pater noster, qui es
in caelis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut
in caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis
debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem;
sed libera nos a malo.
O quam tristis et afflicta fuit illa benedicta mater
Unigeniti!
FOURTH STATION
Jesus is denied by Peter V.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti
mundum.
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. He urges
self-renunciation and closeness to God. There is a rebellious "self" within us.
We are often of "two minds", 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. Going deeper still, he discovered: "It is no longer I who live, but it
is Christ who lives in me."
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."
All: Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur
nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et
nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos
a malo.
Quae moerebat et dolebat pia mater, cum videbat nati poenas incliti.
FIFTH STATION
Jesus is judged by Pilate V. Adoramus te,
Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
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?" 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.
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. 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." 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."
All: Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur nomen tuum;
adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum
cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus
debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo.
Quis
est homo qui non fleret, matrem Christi si videret in tanto supplicio?
SIXTH STATION
Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns V.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti
mundum.
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." 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." 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. Help us to bring the sunshine of your joy into the lives
of those who are trudging the path of despair. All: Pater noster, qui es in caelis:
sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo,
et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed
libera nos a malo.
Pro peccatis suae gentis vidit Jesum in tormentis et
flagellis subditum.
SEVENTH STATION
After Jesus is
made an object of fun, he is led out to be crucified V. Adoramus te, Christe, et
benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
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,
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. 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. 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.
All: Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur
nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et
nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos
a malo.
Quis non posset contristari piam matrem contemplari dolentem
cum Filio?
EIGHTH STATION
Jesus is helped by Simon of
Cyrene to carry the Cross V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia
per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the Gospel according to Saint
Luke. 23:26 The soldiers led Jesus away, and as they were going, they met a man
from Cyrene named Simon who was coming into the city from the country. They seized
him, put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.
MEDITATION In
Simon of Cyrene, we have the proto-type of a faithful disciple who takes up the Cross
and follows Christ. He is not unlike millions of Christians from a humble background,
with deep attachment to Christ. No glamour, no sophistication, but profound faith.
Such believers keep rising on the soil of Africa, Asia and the distant islands. Vocations
arise from their midst. Simon reminds us of small communities and tribes with their
characteristic commitment to the common good, deep rootedness in ethical values and
openness to the Gospel. They deserve attention and care . The Lord does not desire
that "one of these little ones should perish." In Simon we discover the sacredness
of the ordinary and the greatness of what looks small. For the smallest has some mystic
relationship with the greatest, and the ordinary with the most extraordinary!
PRAYER Lord,
it is your wonderful plan to lift up the lowly and sustain the poor. Strengthen your
Church in her service to deprived communities: the least privileged, the marginalized,
slum dwellers, the rural poor, the undernourished, untouchables, the handicapped,
people given to addictions. May the example of your servant, Mother Teresa of
Kolkata, inspire us to dedicate more of our energies and resources to the cause of
the "poorest of the poor." May we one day hear these words from Jesus: "I was hungry
and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you
welcomed me; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me, I was
in prison and you came to me."
All: Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur
nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et
nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos
a malo.
Tui nati vulnerati, tam dignati pro me pati poenas mecum divide.
NINTH STATION
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem V. Adoramus
te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From
the Gospel according to Saint Luke. 23:27-28 And there followed him a great multitude
of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus, turning to them,
said: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for
your children."
MEDITATION Before the weeping women, Jesus is self-forgetful.
His anxiety is not about his pains, but about the tragic future that awaits them and
their children. The destinies of societies are intimately linked to the wellbeing
of their women. Wherever women are held in low esteem or their role remains diminished,
societies fail to rise to their true potentiality. In the same way, wherever their
responsibility to the rising generation is neglected, ignored, or marginalized, the
future of that society becomes uncertain. There are many societies in the world
where women fail to receive a fair deal. Christ must be weeping for them. There are
societies too that are thoughtless about their future. Christ must be weeping for
their children. Wherever there is unconcern for the future, through the overuse of
resources, the degradation of the environment, the oppression of women, the neglect
of family values, the ignoring of ethical norms, the abandonment of religious traditions,
Jesus must be telling people: "Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for
your children."
PRAYER Lord, you are the Master of history. And yet you
wanted our collaboration in realizing your plans. Help us to play a responsible role
in society: leaders in their communities, parents in their families, educators and
health-workers among those who need to be served, communicators in the world of information.
Arouse in us a sense of mission in what we do, a deep sense of responsibility to each
other, to society, to our common future and to you. For you have placed the destinies
of our communities and of humanity itself into our hands. Lord, do not turn away
from us when you see women humiliated or your image disfigured in the human person;
when we interfere with life-systems, weaken the nurturing power of nature, pollute
running streams or the deep blue seas or the Northern snows. Save us from cruel indifference
to our common future, and do not let us drag our civilization down the path of decline.
All:
Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat
voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;
et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne
nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo.
Eia mater, fons amoris, me
sentire vim doloris fac, ut tecum lugeam.
TENTH STATION
Jesus
is crucified V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam
crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
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!
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. 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. 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. All: Pater noster, qui es in caelis:
sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo,
et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed
libera nos a malo.
Fac ut ardeat cor meum in amando Christum Deum ut
sibi complaceam.
ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus promises his Kingdom
to the Good Thief V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per
sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From the Gospel according to Saint Luke.
23:39-43 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not
the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not
fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly;
for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."
And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to
him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
MEDITATION It
is not eloquence that convinces and converts. In the case of Peter, it is a look of
love; in the case of the Good Thief, it is unresentful serenity in suffering. Conversion
takes place like a miracle. God opens your eyes. You recognize his presence and action.
You surrender! Opting for Christ is always a mystery. Why does one make a definitive
choice for Christ, even in the face of trouble, or death? Why do Christians flourish
in persecuted places? We shall never know. But it happens over and over again. If
a person who has abandoned his faith comes across the real face of Christ, he will
be stunned by what he actually sees, and may surrender like Thomas: "My Lord and my
God!" It is a privilege to unveil the face of Christ to people. It is even a greater
joy to discover - or rediscover -him. "Your face, O Lord, do I seek. Do not hide
your face from me."
PRAYER My cry to you today, O Lord, in tears is this:
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." It is for this Kingdom that
I fondly long. It is the eternal home you have prepared for all those who seek you
with sincere hearts. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what
God has prepared for those who love him." Help me, Lord, as I struggle ahead on my
way to my eternal destiny. Lift the darkness from my path, and keep my eyes raised
to the heights!
"Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom. Lead thou me
on. The night is dark, and I am far from home. Lead thou me on. Keep thou my feet;
I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me."
All: Pater
noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas
tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte
nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas
in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo.
Sancta mater, istud agas, crucifixi
fige plagas cordi meo valide.
TWELFTH STATION
The
Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple at the foot of the Cross V. Adoramus te,
Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
From
the Gospel according to Saint John. 19:25-27 Standing by the cross of Jesus were
his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to
his mother: "Woman, behold your son!" Then he said to the disciple: "Behold your mother!"
And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
MEDITATION In
suffering we long for solidarity. Mother Mary reminds us of supportive love and solidarity
within a family, John of loyalty within a community. Family cohesion, community bonds,
ties of friendship - these are essential for the flourishing of human beings. In an
anonymous society they grow weak. When they are missing, we become diminished persons.
Again, in Mary we do not notice even the least sign of resentment; not a word
of bitterness. The Virgin becomes an archetype of forgiveness in faith and hope. She
shows us the way to the future. Even those who would like to respond to violent injustice
with "violent justice" know that that is not the ultimate answer. Forgiveness prompts
hope. There are also historic injuries that often rankle in the memories of societies
for centuries. Unless we transmute our collective anger into new energies of love
through forgiveness, we perish together. When healing comes through forgiveness, we
light a lamp, announcing future possibilities for the "life and well-being" of humanity.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, your Mother stood silently at your side in your final
agony. She who was unseen on occasions when you were acclaimed a great prophet, stands
beside you in your humiliation. May I have the courage to remain loyal even where
you are least recognized. Let me never be embarrassed to belong to the "little flock."
Lord, let me remember that even those whom I consider my "enemies" belong to the
human family. If they treat me unfairly, let my prayer be only: "Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do." It may be in such a context that someone will suddenly
recognize the true face of Christ and cry out like the centurion: "Truly this man
was the Son of God!"
All: Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur nomen
tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra. Panem
nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus
debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo.
Fac
me vere tecum flere, crucifixo condolere, donec ego vixero.
THIRTEENTH 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 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. "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of our trespasses." With that begins for me a mystic journey: Christ draws me
closer to him, until I shall fully belong to him. "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?"
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." 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...."
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,to be joined to you and become a new
creation. "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."
All:
Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat
voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;
et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne
nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo.
Vidit suum dulcem Natum morientem
desolatum, cum emisit spiritum.
FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus
is taken down from the Cross and placed in the tomb V. Adoramus te, Christe, et
benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
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."
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." It says that the
reality is Christ and that our ultimate destiny is to be with him.
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." God will wipe away all tears
from our eyes. It is this Good News that we are eager to announce "in every way",
even in places where Christ has not been heard of. For this we work hard. We work
"night and day" and wear ourselves out. 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."
All: Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificetur
nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et
nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos
a malo.
Quando corpus morietur fac ut animae donetur paradisi Gloria.
Amen.
ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER AND APOSTOLIC BLESSING The Holy Father
addresses those present. At the end of his address, the Holy Father imparts the
Apostolic Blessing: V. Dominus vobiscum. R. Et cum spiritu tuo. V. Sit nomen
Domini benedictum. R. Ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum. V. Adiutorium nostrum
in nomine Domini. R. Qui fecit cælum et terram. V. Benedicat vos omnipotens
Deus,
Pater †, et † Filius, et † Spiritus Sanctus. R. Amen.