Pope Francis leads the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession during Good Friday at the Colosseum in Rome March 29, 2013. Holy Week is celebrated in many Christian traditions during the  week before Easter. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

By Philip Pullella

ROME (Reuters) – Thousands of people holding candles turned out at Rome’s Colosseum to see Pope Francis mark the first Good Friday of his pontificate with a traditional “Way of the Cross” procession around the ancient amphitheatre.

Francis, who was elected on March 13, sat under a red canopy on Rome’s Palatine Hill as representatives of the faithful from around the world alternated carrying a wooden cross on the day Christians commemorated Jesus’s death by crucifixion.

“Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent,” the Argentine pope said, speaking slowly in Italian and in a somber voice at the end of the evening service.

“And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness. It is also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us,” he said.

“Christians must respond to evil with good,” he said, urging them to beware “the evil that continues to work in us and around us”.

The meditations for the 14 “stations of the cross” which commemorate events in the last hours of Jesus’s life – from when Pontius Pilate condemned him to death to his burial in a rock tomb – were written by young people from Lebanon.

The wooden cross was passed from one group and person to another – including a person in a wheelchair. Those who carried it came from Italy, India, China, Nigeria, Syria, Lebanon and Brazil.

Several of the meditations, read by actors, referred to conflict in the Middle East and the suffering of its people.

One meditation called the Middle East “a land lacerated by injustice and violence”.

Francis praised those Lebanese Christians and Muslims who tried to live together and who, he said, in doing so gave a sign of hope to the world.

Prayers were read out for exploited and abused children, refugees, the homeless and victims of religious intolerance, war, violence, terrorism, poverty, injustice and drug addiction.

There were also prayers against abortion and euthanasia.

Good Friday is the second of four hectic days leading up to Easter Sunday, the most important day in the Christian liturgical calendar.

On Holy Thursday, two young women were among 12 people whose feet the pope washed and kissed at a traditional ceremony in a Rome youth prison, the first time a pontiff has included females in the rite.

After celebrating an Easter eve service, on Easter Sunday he will deliver his first “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message in St. Peter’s Square.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Michael Roddy)

We have decided to go to Via Dolorosa (White Cross) at Pinagmisahan St. Antipolo City. Though we waited for almost an hour just to proceed to the main gate due to vast number of people there, still we waited patiently, because this is just one way of returning God’s goodness to us.

People gathered in the main entrance of the White Cross.

Below is a rhythmic poetry of the stations of the cross I have searched in the internet. This is just a simple guide and reminder of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection we need to reflect on.

The Stations of the Cross

By James J. Metcalfe

The First Station

(Jesus is condemned to death)

 Lord Jesus Christ, You died for me,

You gave Your every breath,

It was not Pilate — it was I, who sentenced You to death.

My sins condemned You to the cross, as surely on that day,

As if I had pronounced myself, that You be put away.

Dear Jesus, please forgive me all, the sins that stain my soul,

Condemn me not as I condemned, but make me clean and whole.

Allow me now to follow You, along Your journey sad,

And to repent the wayward life, and pleasures I have had.

Let me take up the cross with You, in deep sincerity,

And let me walk beside You on, the road to Calvary.

The Second Station

(Jesus takes up his cross)

 Lord Jesus Christ, for love of me,

You bore Your Heavy cross,

That I might follow and avoid, my soul’s eternal loss.

For love of me You carried it, in sweat and blood and tears,

To bring me hope and confidence, and courage through the years.

So let me be with You today, and give me strength to bear,

The crosses and the sufferings, that are my daily share.

The cross of pain or poverty, of sickness or distress,

Of enemies who injure me, without the least redress.

Dear Jesus, give me patience and, the perseverance true,

To carry every cross in life, and humbly follow You.

The Third Station

(Jesus falls the first time)

 Lord Jesus Christ, when first you fell

Your cross was not the weight,

But you were burdened with the sins

I need to expiate.

It was my selfishness, my greed

That made you stumble there,

It was my bitterness, my hate

And sometimes my despair.

And there were countless other faults

That made you fall that day,

As wearily you plodded on

Along your tearful way.

Dear Jesus, I am sorry for

The wrongs that I have done,

And for the evils of this life

I should have tried to shun.

Please, give me greater courage and

The grace I need to win,

And never let me fall into

The state of mortal sin.

The Fourth Station

(Jesus meets his Mother)

 Lord Jesus Christ, how sorrowful

That picture must have been,

When You and Mother Mary met

Upon that path of sin.

The road where all the rabble cried

And sneered and jeered at You,

And all my shameful thoughts and words

And deeds were present too.

How deep became her anguish when

You had to be apart!

How many swords of sorrow pierced

Your Mother’s loving heart!

Dear Jesus, at Your Mother’s side

Along Your weary way,

I bend my knee, I bow my head

And I sincerely pray.

That by her intercession and

Your everlasting grace,

In your eternal kingdom

I shall have some humble place.

The Fifth Station

(Simon helps Jesus carry His cross)

 Lord Jesus Christ, I only wish

Like Simon of Cyrene,

I could have trudged along with You

And share that tragic scene.

I wish I could have helped You then

To bear Your burden great,

And all the sorrow over sin

That added to the weight.

But now, dear Jesus, I will bear

Each cross that comes to me,

And I will carry it for You

Alone and willingly.

I will not murmur in my heart

And I will not complain,

However dark the day and night

However long the rain.

I will be faithful unto You

In every storm and strife,

With everlasting gratitude

To You Who gave Your life.

The Sixth Station

(Veronica wipes the face of Jesus)

 Lord Jesus Christ, You suffered so

And all for love of me,

When You could barely lift and move

Your cross to Calvary.

And there Veronica approached

To wipe Your bleeding face,

And on her cloth Your features left

Their everlasting trace.

Dear Jesus, as Your enemies

Impaired Your beauty then,

So have I marred and scarred my soul

Yes, time and time again.

And now I beg You for Your grace

And Your forgiveness too,

And pray that You will help me be

More worthy unto You.

For only You can give me back

The beauty of my soul,

And only You can help me gain

My everlasting goal.

The Seventh Station

(Jesus falls the second time)

(Jesus falls the second time)

Lord Jesus Christ, once more You fell

Along Your weary way,

And once again it was my sins

That made You fall that day.

I told You I repented and

I promised with my heart,

That I would never sin again

And we would never part.

And then I failed You and I broke

The promise I had made,

And cruelly I hurt You in

The moment that I strayed.

Dear Jesus please forgive me as

I promise You once more,

That I will strive to merit all

The blessings I implore.

I know my many weaknesses

I realize I am frail,

But in Your mercy and Your love

I feel I cannot fail.

The Eighth Station

Lord Jesus Christ, You saw their tears

And You admonished them,

“Weep not for Me but for yourselves

And young Jerusalem.

Weep not for me but for the world

And for your children too,

And all the sins and wrongs that are

A burden unto you.”

I weep, dear Jesus, for my sins

For every thoughtless deed,

And every time I did not help

A soul in dire need.

I weep for my transgressions and

I beg You to forgive,

And ask that You will teach my heart

The perfect way to live.

I thank You for Your sufferings

And every loving tear,

And I will praise and honor You

As long as I am here.

The Ninth Station

(Jesus falls the third time)

 Lord Jesus Christ, I failed You once

And then I failed You twice,

And now You have to fall again

To pay that awful price.

The price of every faithful vow

That I declared to You,

Each promise on my bended knee

That I have failed to do.

I know that what there is to say

Except that I regret,

And hope that You are willing to

Forgive and to forget.

I think of You beneath Your cross

And once again I pray,

That I may share the agony

You suffered on that day.

I want to kneel at Calvary

And soulfully entreat,

I want to drink Your tears and kiss

The dust beneath Your feet.

The Tenth Station

(Jesus is stripped of His garments)

 Lord Jesus Christ, as You were stripped

Of all the clothes You wore,

So may my heart and soul be freed

Of sin forevermore.

And as Your bloody garments stuck

And tore Your flesh away,

So let me suffer for Your sake

And make amends today.

By that humiliation when

Your body was made bare,

I beg of You, dear Jesus, that

You listen to my prayer.

 I pray for perfect chastity

In thought and word and deed,

And all the other virtues that

In every way I need.

I want to strip myself of all

The sins that burden me,

And follow in Your footsteps to

Your great eternity.

The Eleventh Station

(Jesus is nailed to the cross)

 Lord Jesus Christ, with all their might

They drove those nails through You,

As cruelly and horribly

As only demons do.

The nails that pierced Your holy hands

And those that tore Your feet,

To hang Your body on the cross

And make Your shame complete.

But every blow the hammer struck

Was one more sin of mine,

And every drop of blood You shed

Was part of my design.

I nailed You to the cross that day

I made Your body bleed,

With all my self-indulgence and

My comfort and my greed.

Dear Jesus, I adore You and

I worship You alone,

Forgive me all my sinful deeds

And help me to atone.

The Twelfth Station

(Jesus dies on the cross)

 Lord Jesus Christ, You died for me

At three o’clock today,

And there are not sufficient thanks

My soul can ever say.

What more is there upon this earth

That anyone can give,

Beyond the beating of the heart

And all the joy to live.

You gave Yourself, You gave Your all

That I might strive to be,

Another soul, another saint

In Your eternity.

You said “Forgive them, Father, for

They know not what they do,”

And I was one who went his way

And turned his back on You.

Dear Jesus, I am sorry and

I wish I could have died,

And shared in all Your suffering

When You were crucified.

The Thirteenth Station

(Jesus is taken down from the cross)

(Jesus is taken down from the cross)

 Lord Jesus Christ, when life was gone

Your good disciples came,

And took Your body from the cross

For Mary dear to claim.

They gave You to Your Mother and

She held You tenderly,

While sorrow pierced her loving heart

In deepest agony.

Dear Jesus, let me comfort You

And to Your Mother pray,

That I may never sin again

And never turn away.

Let not my spirit weaken now

And let me not despair,

But give me strength and confidence

And keep me in Your care.

Sincerely and devoutly I

Implore and I entreat,

That I may live my life for You

And worship at Your feet.

The Fourteenth Station

(Jesus is placed in the sepulcher)

Lord Jesus Christ, may all my sins

Be buried in Your grave,

My worldly thoughts, my passions and

The pleasures that I crave.

With tears of sorrow and regret

I fervently implore,

Your guidance and Your loving grace

That I may sin no more.

Dear Jesus, let me rise with You

In body, mind and soul,

Above this earth, beyond the tomb

To that eternal goal.

I long to join Your angels as

They sing Your lasting praise,

And worship You forever for

Your great and wondrous ways.

Give me Your tender mercy and

This humble prayer fulfill,

Just let me love You, Lord, and then

Do with me what You will.

Jesus has suffered so much for us. He endured every pain just to save us. What  we can offer Him is just little for what he’ve done so big. Prayer. He listens to us everyday. He never failed to hear our heart. We just need to trust Him. Just a little sacrifice is what he wants us to give. Because more than those endless battles He had face, He loves us dearly that He has suffered enough for our life. Jesus loves us so much.

The White Cross

After the tireless step on the way to the Cross

As the above photos give an inkling, our Good Friday Stations of the Cross Service for Children, which was followed by a craft and hot cross buns, blessed the hearts of all who were a part of it. It was awesome to have 36 participants, ranging in age from 8 months to 80 years. And it was especially wonderful to see how engaged the children were throughout our time together! Thank you so much, Margaret Anne and Norman Knowles, for sharing this with us! The identities of the children are masked in the photos to protect their safety. 

Embedded below is the Taize Chant “Jesus, Remember Me,” which we sang, accompanied by Margaret Anne on her recorder, in between each of the Stations.

Background

Since my last previous post, my wife and I have moved across country, and are now living in Fort Worth, Texas. We have joined St. Timothy’s parish in Bishop Iker’s Episcopal Diocese, and I am simply worshipping as a ordinary man in the pew on Sundays. Only once have I taken any official part in the service. I filled in for the Vicar one evening at Benediction, blessing the people with the Blessed Sacrament at the appointed time. Otherwise, I am one of several priests who worship in the parish without taking a leadership role in the liturgy.

During Lent, the parish has been having a series of Friday evening suppers, followed by Stations of the Cross, a meditation with slides of Jerusalem, Benediction, and Unction each week. We have attended each Friday since our arrival about the third week of Lent.

The Event

Several weeks ago, I noticed at these Friday evening gatherings, a fairly tall, very forward, brassy, blond who intruded herself into the worship portion of the evening by taking photographs. She was always very stylishly dressed, and had long peroxide blond hair! She looked like a Revlon commercial. She would walk up to the front pew, stand and walk back and forth across the width of the pew taking pictures, taking her time and framing them to her satisfaction. She was oblivious of the rest of the congregation. It was a performance for her benefit, evidently.

Last night, of course, was Maundy Thursday, and following the washing of feet there was a High Mass. I spent much of the time on the kneeler in front of me, with my feet extending under the pew behind be. When the service began, there was an elderly woman sitting behind be, and that was all. Early in the service, she was joined by a little girl. I began to be aware of someone kicking my feet. I tried to ignore it, to write it off as an accident. When it continued, I turned around to find the little girl standing there, so I knew what the problem was. I gave her a disapproving look, and went back to the Mass.

This happened several times, more kicks, followed by a look of disapproval each time. Finally, in the middle of the Agnus Dei, I turned to the little girl and said, “Stop kicking my feet. That is extremely rude. Shame.” She burst into tears, the older woman holding her looked somewhat shaken up, and the brassy blond came rushing up. Mind you, all this in the middle of the Agnus Dei!! She said, “What’s going on?” but she did not wait to find out, she simply hustled the little girl away. We were able to return to the Mass in what was left of the peace.

Following the Mass, I saw the blond woman on the side walk outside the Church, by the parking lot. I waited until she came near and then I stepped toward her. I wanted to let her know exactly what had happened. I told her that her little girl was kicking my feet during Mass. She blazed out at me, “He is a little boy!” Well, he certainly looked like a girl to me, with a bushy hair-do, and girlish clothing, to which I said, “Whatever,” which probably was not a good response, it was just what came naturally. It made her blood boil! I went on to tell her that her child’s behavior was not acceptable and must change. She hissed at me, “You dared him.” That is completely nuts, but whatever. At that point, I added, “And I have a few words for you as well. Do you have any idea how distracting it is when you are dashing about taking pictures at the front of the nave? Most of us are here to worship God Almighty!”

That is when I saw the face of evil. She was under the control of a demon, and I had called him out. Her face contorted, became almost the face of a monkey. That evil face snarled, “I’ll keep that in mind,” to which I replied, “Please do.” Then we parted. But that face is stuck in my memory; I had called out a demon who did not want to be seen, and he was ugly as sin.

At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

—Mark: 15:34-37

The death of Jesus stands at the center if Christian thought and theology. Whatever came before, or follows after, the mission of Jesus is marked by the undeniable fact of his death. The Gospels lean forward to it. The Epistles look back to it. A messiah who is dead. His death is the black hole, the irresistible force of gravity which draws all who would examine the Christian faith to it. He dies an example, a martyr to his cause, a statement of injustice and judicial miscarriage. Yet his death is more than that. Christian thought had always insisted the death of Jesus mean more than example. It’s weight is more than that of other events of history. It’s significance no comparable to the Rubicon or the death of Alexander. That something more happened than just the unjust death of an innocent man. That something called atonement took place.

Yet it is first in this stark moment, before all theological interpretations and explanations are attached, that we see a man hanging dead on the cross, a man who was claimed to be messiah, a teacher, a prophet. Dead. And somehow, too, seeing him we see God. Dead. Here is Jesus, dead. Here is God, dead. A Messiah who all thought was to lead a revolt against Rome, to establish Israel as autonomous from the nations. Dead. A God who was suppose to visit his people with salvation and victory. Dead. The Messiah and the God who were suppose to help. Dead.

Today. As we come to the thirteenth station we see Jesus forsaken, abandon by friend and God, dead on the cross. Entrusting himself to death unsure of the future. We would like to come to the cross to find God strong. We find him weak. We would like to come to the cross to find God present. We find him absent. We would like to come to the cross to find a God who can help us. We find God in need of help. We would like to come to the cross to find God living. We find him dead.

Bonhoeffer, in his days in prison before his death wrote the following poem. It’s words are haunting. Showing us the weak God, the needing God. It is a fitting meditation for the God who dies on Good Friday.

Christians and Pagans

All people go to God when they are sore bestead,
Pray to him for succour, for his peace, for bread,
For mercy for them sick, sinning, or dead;
All people do so, Christian and unbelieving.

All people go to God when he is sore bestead,
Find him poor and scorned, without shelter or bread,
Whelmed under weight of the wicked, the weak, the dead;
Christians stand by God in his hour of grieving.

God goes to every person when sore bestead,
Feeds body and spirit with his bread;
For Christians, pagan alike he hangs dead,
And both alike forgiving.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
from Letters and Papers from Prison.

Lord Jesus, you died on the cross
and enetered the bleakest of all circumstances:
give courage to those who die at the hands of others.
In death you entered into the darkest place of all:
illuminate our darkness with your glorious presence.
To you, Jesus, your lifeless body hanging on the tree of shame,
be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever. Amen.

Pope Francis led the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome today. The meditation used were written by two Lebanese youth, under the direction of Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, who is the Patriarch of the Maronite Church. You can read the meditations here.

Anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows of my love for the Maronites, and will have no difficulty imagining how excited this makes me… Pope Francis was the Ordinary for Eastern Catholics in Argentina, and it seems that he is determined to continue his love and care for our brothers and sisters from other sui juris Catholic Churches. Praise be to God!

“Blessed be our Redeemer, who has given us life by his death. O Redeemer, realize in us the mystery of your redemption, through your passion, death and resurrection” (Maronite Liturgy).

Reproduced with permission from Gwyneth Leech

“There was a good and righteous man named Joseph who came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid.” (Luke 23:50-53, NRSV)

*

I believe in God, who died.

Where do we go from here?

It isn’t quite over for us. Not yet.

In every place on Earth where blood has been spilled, people remember. We remember in the battlefields of France and Belgium. We remember on the sands of the Middle East and the Gulf. We stand by the graves of the known soldiers and the unknown ones, of the martyrs and the heroes, of the people whose deaths have changed the course of human history, and we remember.

And now we bury our dead.

It is the last thing we will ever do for them. It is the last thing we will do for him.

*

God of the grieving, we turn to you in our hour of despair.
As we lay your Son in his tomb,
we weep for the dead.
We pray for all those who have died in conflict.
For all those who have died as a result of ethnic cleansing.
For all those who have died on the streets of Glasgow.
For all those who have died violently.
For all those who have died with their names unknown.
For all those who have died alone.
For all those who will die tonight.
And we pray that they, with your Son and the souls of all the departed, may rest now in peace.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God.

Way of the Cross at the Coliseum, Stations of the Cross led by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, on Good Friday: The Passion of the Lord Meditations by Lebanese young people under the guidance of His Eminent Beatitude Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï.

[Whenever I pray the 5^th station, I think of our suffering brother and sister Palestinians in Beit Jala. I like to think that, in some small way that might help them to keep hope, we help them carry their cross.]

V Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 23:26

As they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the Cross, to carry it behind Jesus.

Jesus’ meeting with Simon of Cyrene took place in silence, providing us with a lesson for our lives: God does not want suffering and he does not accept evil. The same is true of the human being. But suffering, accepted in faith, is transformed into a path of salvation. Then we accept it as Jesus did, and we help to carry it as Simon of Cyrene did.

Lord Jesus,
you have involved man in the carrying of your Cross.
You have invited us to share your sufferings.
Simon of Cyrene is like us
and he teaches us to accept the Cross
that we encounter on the paths of life.

Following your example, Lord,
we too carry the Cross
of suffering and illness today,
but we accept it because you are with us.
It can nail us to our chair,
but it cannot prevent us from dreaming;
it can obscure our vision,
but it cannot touch our conscience;
it can deafen our ears,
but it cannot prevent us from listening;
it can bind our tongue
but it cannot suppress our thirst for truth;
it can weigh down our spirit,
but it cannot rob us of our freedom.

Lord,
we want to be your disciples
so as to carry your Cross every day;
we will carry it with joy and hope
because you are carrying it with us,
because you have triumphed over death for us.

We give you thanks, Lord,
for every sick or ailing person
who knows how to bear witness to your love,
and for every “Simon of Cyrene”
whom you place on our journey.
Amen.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

Darkness descends

and it seems as though

death has spoken in her finality.

You died.

Hung there between two thieves,

but all alone.

God in flesh, alone.

God in flesh forsaken.

God in flesh dead.

But with your final breath, you commended your spirit to the Father.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Banksy: Stations of the Cross

How appropriate for Easter, a Banksy entitled Stations of the Cross, but according to the Huffington Post, a fake Banksy.

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross by Jonathan Irwin (2011)

Betrayed, broken, beaten, condemned.

You suffered every indignity

and then they stretched out your arms and legs

and nailed you to a cross.

Did you scream in anguish as the soliders drove the nails?

Did You know that God’s plan of redemption would hurt so much?

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Meanwhile, standing near 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 beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.”  Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”  And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

—John 19:26-27

As Mary looked upon her dying son, she must’ve come to the bitter reality that this would be the last time she would see him alive, save the resurrection of the faithful in Israel.  This would be, for Mary, the great act of letting go.  Outside of Nazareth in 6AD, when Jesus was a boy, 2000 Jews were crucified for rebelling against the Roman Empire.  Scholars speculate that Joseph, Mary’s husband, who is not present in the gospels after Jesus’ birth, was among the crucified that day.  If that is true, this would not be the first time she stood at the foot of the cross, knowing that she would have move on without her loved one.  Recognizing her pain and feeling her loneliness, knowing that this act of cruelty and injustice not only affected Him but her as well, Jesus ministered to her.  In a sense, Jesus made sure that His mother would be taken care of after His death.

We cannot be certain that Mary knew Jesus would soon rise from the dead.  More, we cannot be certain that knowing this would have stopped the torrent of pain.  One of my favorite movie quotes from “Life of Pi” is when Pi recalls the relationships that he painfully had to leave behind.  “I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.”  In this intimate scene in John’s gospel, we see Mary and Jesus taking that moment to say goodbye.  On this Good Friday, homilies and sermons will be proclaimed throughout the world regarding the suffering of Jesus and the pain of the Father, but few will speak of the pain of Jesus’ mother, who, like a bear deprived of her cubs, felt excruciating pain, grief, and fear, but could do nothing except say goodbye and let go.

Lord Jesus, your mother and your dearest friend stayed with you to the bitter end,
yet while racked with pain you ministered to them:
be with all broken families today and care for those who long for compassion
You cared for your loved ones even in your death-throes:
give us a love for one another that is stronger even than the fear of death.
To you, Jesus, loving in the face of death
be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever. Amen.

The Good Friday we celebrate remember today happened centuries and centuries ago in a very real, but also very far away time and place. 

Consider the Good Friday’s that have happened between then and now.
Consider your own Good Friday moments.

To often we rush in.  Let me fix it.  Let me help you. What can I do?

We talk away the moments of tension, paradox, and pain by moving onto the next thing – sometimes simply because it is the next thing.  We make the struggles of others about ourselves and our ability to help, rather than simply offering our presence.  Good Friday and its practices – praying the Stations of the Cross and the Veneration of Cross challenge us to sit, to be present, to pray without the ability to fix, help, or do a damn thing.  And, it is hard.  When you have nothing else, you offer the gift of yourself.

The Stations of the Cross invite all of us to consider the life of Jesus, our own lives, and the lives of the poor, marginalized, abused, and outcast.  We remember the falsely accused, the wrongly condemned, and the innocent victims of violence.

As we remember Jesus of Nazareth, child of God and child of humanity, we also remember the countless sons and daughters who have ben abandoned, falsely accused, and wrongfully executed.  We remember those pressed into service for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.  We remember those who have been tortured.

Let us remember the various ways of the cross which have been and continue to be walked. 

Consider Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and remember the Earth which we have abused and neglected. Like Jesus’ disciples, we have fallen asleep to our impact on the planet and our call to steward the Earth’s resources. We are failing the test of living as a sacred community of life created by God.

Let us stand as witness to the destruction of the our home, our selfishness and greed.
Let us hold space for their voice and their pain.

Consider Jesus’ betrayal by Judas and remember the survivors of sexual abuse. Betrayed most often not by some stranger in an alley, but by someone in their family, a trusted friend or adult. Their terror is Jesus’ terror, their confusion, betrayal, distress, and unfounded shame, his as well.

Let us stand as loud witness to these quiet crimes that take place behind closed doors. Let us hold space for their voice and their pain.

Consider Jesus being whipped at the pillar and remember Matthew Shepard, who was kidnapped, tied to a split-rail fence in the middle of nowhere Wyoming, severely assaulted him with the butt of a pistol, beaten, and left to die. The fence was his pillar and a pistol for a whip.

Let us stand as witness to the struggles and crossed of our GLBTQ brothers and sisters. Let us hold space for their voice and their pain.

Consider Jesus being given his cross and compare the crosses carried by the poor across the world. Denied food, clean water, education, health care, dignity they are encumbered by heavy burdens. Injustice stoops their shoulders as it did Jesus’.

Let us stand as witness to the stories where much is lacking and crosses are heavy. Let us hold space for their voice and their pain.

Consider Jesus’ death on the cross and remember Timothy Evans, Leo Jones, Claude Jones, Jesse Tafero, Cameron Todd Willingham, Larry Griffin, Ruben Cantu, David Spence, Carlos De Luna, and Joseph O’Dell all killed as punishment by the state and later found to be innocent.

Consider the tomb and remember all the places of darkness, the places with no air, consider the oppressive feelings of despair and hopelessness. Consider where these places are in our world, nations, communities, and hearts.
Let us stand as witness to the darkness.
Let us light a candle and offer our presence.
Let us hold space for the voices of pain.

Compassionate God,
your generous presence
is always attuned to hurting ones.
Your listening ear is bent
toward the cries of the wounded
Your heart of love
fills with tears for the suffering.

Turn my inward eye to see
that I am not alone.
I am a part of all of life.
Each one’s joy and sorrow
is my joy and sorrow,
and mine is theirs.
May I draw strength
from this inner communion.
May it daily recommit me
to be a compassionate presence
for all who struggle with life’s pain.

—Joyce Rupp

Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

The took your clothes and divided them.

You were left naked.

All dignity was taken from you.

You would die naked on a cross.

You knew fully our shame.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

My son has just finished his third tour in the Middle East.  I am so thankful that he will come home safely to my arms.  There are many mothers who will not be so lucky.  Their last visions of their sons and husbands will be in a morgue where the touch will be cold and the loss senseless.  

I knew an elderly woman who was dying of cancer.  When I visited her once, she said to me, if you come here and feel sorry for me, I don’t ever want you to come back.  Feeling sorry for someone is pity, not compassion.  Pity puts one in a stance of looking down upon the sick one.  Compassion (with – suffering) puts one side by side.  This elderly woman had found that the only healing possible in this world of medical miracles is the ability to accept one’s death even as one fights to hang on to life.  With this healing comes hope.  With this attitude comes compassion.  With this inner peace comes resurrection.  When this woman died, I was there holding on to her hand.  At her funeral, I was there holding her as a pall bearer of life.  

In the Pieta, Mary holds her Son on her lap as though he were again a boy she would comfort after a fall.  This gives me the inspiration to comfort the mourning, to minister to bereaved families, to keep vigil with those made homeless, orphaned or widowed, disabled or powerless by their experience of war.   Unlike many other mother’s I will get to hold my living son.

Jesus, how brutally you were put to death. How gently you are taken from the cross. Your suffering and pain are ended, and you are put in the lap of your mother. The dirt and blood are wiped away. You are treated with love.
 
Sometimes we seem to be kinder when someone dies. If only we could learn to see the good things about them while they were alive. If only we would tell those around us how much we love them, while we still have the opportunity to do so.
 
Help us look for the good in those around us, especially those we love the most. Help us live each day as if it were the last. Help us become more gentle and loving people through our greater appreciation for those around us.  Amen.

Jesus Falls a Third Time

You fell a third time.

Physically You were spent,

but trust in the Father

and His plan of Salvation

sustained You.

You had nothing left to give

but Your life.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

• The Divine Mercy Chaplet (I really like this one and I’m super excited to pray it! A. Because it’s amazing. B. Because it might be one to share with Protestant friends and family.)

Using rosary beads:

1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

2. On the Our Father Beads say: 
”Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”

3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

4. Conclude with (three times): “
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

• Stations of the Cross (I have gone through these a bit, but I haven’t really sat down and prayed/meditated through them yet – excited to get to the stations though!)

1. Jesus is condemned.
2. Jesus takes up his cross.
3. Jesus falls.
4. Jesus meets his mother.
5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus.
6. Veronica wipes Jesus’ face.
7. Jesus falls again.
8. Jesus meets the weeping women.
9. Jesus falls a third time.
10. Jesus is stripped.
11. Jesus is crucified.
12. Jesus dies.
13. Jesus is taken down from the cross.
14. Jesus is buried.

• Holy Spirit Novena (I just found this one, and I love it! I’m going to start praying it on Sunday, the day after I’ll officially be Catholic! I think it’ll be a good prayer to begin that time in my life. So excited!)

Pray theses prayers every day:

Act of the Consecration to the Holy Spirit – “On my knees, before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to you, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of your purity, the unerring keenness of your justice, and the might of your love. You are the strength and light of my soul. In you I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve you by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against you. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for your light, and listen to your voice, and follow your gracious inspirations. I cling to you and give myself to you and ask you, by your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced feet of Jesus and looking at his five wounds, and trusting in his precious blood and adoring his opened side and stricken heart, I implore you, adorable Spirit, helper of my infirmity, so to keep me in your grace that I may never sin against you. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to you always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening” Amen.”

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit – “O Lord Jesus Christ who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish your work in the souls of your apostles and disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that he may perfect in my soul, the work of your grace and your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with you and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of your true disciples, and animate me in all things with your Spirit. Amen.”

Then pray these different prayers based on what day it is:

First Day

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light!
From Your clear celestial height,
Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit

Only one thing is important – eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared – sin. Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for “The Spirit helps our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asks for us.”

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, who has permitted to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and has given us forgiveness of all sins, permit to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary once. Glory be to the Father seven times.

Second Day

Come, Father of the poor.
Come, treasures which endure;
Come, Light of all that live!

The Gift of Fear

The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. “They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in his sight will sanctify their souls.”

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend you, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God without end. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary once. Glory be to the Father seven times.

Third Day

You, of all consolers best,
Visiting the troubled breast,
Do refreshing peace bestow.

The Gift of Piety

The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for his sake persons and things consecrated to him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, his Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in his service, and for his sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary once. Glory be to the Father seven times.

Fourth Day

You in toil are comfort sweet,
Pleasant coolness in the heat,
solace in the midst of woe.

The Gift of Fortitude

By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to undertake without hesitation the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. “He that perseveres to the end, shall be saved.”

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from You, my God and greatest Good. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary once. Glory be to the Father seven times.

Fifth Day

Light immortal! Light Divine!
Visit these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!

The Gift of Knowledge

The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth – in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. “Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesses it.”

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Your glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to you, and your eternal rewards. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary once. Glory be to the Father seven times.

Sixth Day

If You take your grace away,
nothing pure in man will stay,
All his good is turned to ill.

The Gift of Understanding

Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. By faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to “walk worthy of God, pleasing Him in all things, and increasing in His knowledge.”

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in your Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of you and the Father and the Son. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary once. Glory be to the Father seven times.

Seventh Day

Heal our wounds – renew our strength;
On our dryness pour your dew,
Wash the stains of guilt away.

The Gift of Counsel

The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must be done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. “Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct your way in truth.”

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do your holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of your commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long.

Our Father and Hail Mary once. Glory be to the Father seven times.

Eighth Day

Bend the stubborn heart and will,
melt the frozen, warm the chill.
Guide the steps that go astray!

The Gift of Wisdom

Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is written “all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands.” It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish divine things, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, while the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Saviour: “Take up your cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary once. Glory be to the Father seven times.

Ninth Day

On those who evermore confess you and adore you,
in your sevenfold gifts, descend;
Give them comfort when they die; Give them joys which never end. Amen

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as fruits of the Holy Spirit. These fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.

Prayer

Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with your heavenly fruits, your charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never grow weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to your inspiration may merit to be united eternally with you in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary once. Glory be to the Father seven times.

• Prayers related to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (my confirmation Saint)

Prayer of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

O Father, the first rule of our dear Savior’s life was to do Your Will. Let His Will of the present moment be the first rule of our daily life and work, with no other desire but for its most full and complete accomplishment. Help us to follow it faithfully, so that doing what You wish we will be pleasing to You. Amen.

Prayer by Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
Lord Jesus, Who was born for us in a stable, lived for us a life of pain and sorrow, and died for us upon a cross; say for us in the hour of death, Father, forgive, and to Your Mother, Behold your child. Say to us, This day you shall be with Me in paradise. Dear Savior, leave us not, forsake us not. We thirst for You, Fountain of Living Water. Our days pass quickly along, soon all will be consummated for us. To Your hands we commend our spirits, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Lord God, you blessed Elizabeth Seton with gifts of grace as wife and mother, educator and foundress, so that she might spend her life in service to your people. Through her example and prayers may we learn to express our love for you in love for others. 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. Amen.

Do you have any favorite devotions or prayers?

Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem by Carolyn Gates

The daughters of Jeruslem wept as they followed.

You rebuked them, “Do not weep for me. . .

Weep for yourselves . . .If people do these things

when the tree is green, what happens

when it is dry.”

Your words were compassionate warnings.

You offered what comfort you could

but knew that the crowd’s rash judgments would one day

be the city’s undoing.

No stone would be left on the other.

You told those standing by to consider what was coming

and to look at the condition of their own souls.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Reproduced with permission from Gwyneth Leech

“At three o’clock, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, eloi, lema sabacthani?“, which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.” (Mark 15: 33-34, 36-37. NRSV)

*

I believe in God, who so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believed in him would not perish but would have everlasting life.

There is nothing left for us here. There is a God-shaped hole in the world, and we are left with only an ugly raw wound in our souls where he used to be.

The darkness has fallen.

The light of the world has gone out.

As we stand at the foot of the cross, we think of all that we have loved and all that we have lost.

Jesus Fell A Second Time. [Picture taken from picturesthatpreach.wordpress.com]

the love of Your mother

and the compassion of a St,

You stumbled and fell again.

You knew in Your depths

the weakness of humanity.

Your body buckled, your strength failed.

The God of all Glory brought low

as You stumbled and fell.

Again.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.