He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
(Isaiah 53:7)

It took less than 50 years after the crucifixion of Jesus – the Prince of Peace, the sacrificial Lamb foretold by Isaiah – for the martial language to creep back into the church’s vocabulary.

By the time of the letter to the Ephesians, written somewhere between 62-95 AD, we have this exhortation to believers to “put on the whole armor of God.” Now granted, this is spiritual armor we’re talking about — the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-17). As a metaphor, the image works beautifully to depict discipline and confidence in the spiritual life.

But do you hear the difference?

Jesus went to his death unprotesting, silent before the slaughter. His followers in Ephesus, less than 50 years later, are being urged into an aggressive posture, armed to wage war “not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

How much longer, though, until this spiritual aggression is turned against “enemies of blood and flesh”?

Church history tells the story; just 300 more years. In 385, Priscillian, the bishop of Avila, became the first Christian to be executed for heresy by the (Christian) Roman authorities — the church finally had the power of the state behind it to enforce its will.

By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
(Isaiah 53:8)

I hear such anger in our religious discourse today that it worries me.

Religious leaders and believers alike denounce other Christians with such violence, and are so heated in their demands that society conform to their desires, that I wonder if our lust for the heat and noise of battle has made us lose our taste for “that peace which the world cannot give” (BCP 123).

I wonder if we have become totally deaf to the silent voice of the crucified Christ urging us to follow him in the way of the cross, which is “none other than the way of life and peace” (BCP 99).

This paradox of life in death and power through weakness is primary to Paul’s letters. In the first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul declares, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

It is important to know that the cross was a torture device and execution tool for the Romans. It was not always a good thing or loaded with the meaning it has for Christians. The cross was a symbol or hardcore violence of the state. That God would use such a horrid thing to bring about the redemption of the world through may say something about the nature of God or the mess we’d gotten ourselves in or both. I tend to think it is both. God used the tool that put fright in the hearts of many to redeem the world. God so loved the world that he forsook heaven died the death of a criminal, so that his strayed sons and daughters would not die, but live in and through Christ.

God died so that we might live.

That is the true meaning of the cross.

I wear a cross and for me it is a sign with Paul I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in him. (Philippians 3:8-9)

The cross is just not just something we assent to intellectually or wear around our neck. It is also something we live. It has been said rightly that we live in the shadow of the cross. Not only do we understand the cross, we also see it from both before and after Jesus. We know that the cross was a death stake, yet we also know that it is the very place where as Rob Bell says, “The cross is God’s way of taking away all of our accusations, excuses, and arguments. The cross is God taking on flesh and blood and saying, “Me too.” God not only knows and sees our pain our brokenness, but also has felt it himself. When we suffer, when we struggle God hears our cry and says me too. As we reach out to our brothers and sisters, we say me too.

The cross is something we know, affirm, and live.

The way of the cross as Jesus says in Matthew (16:24-26), “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

The call to discipleship demands that one completely abandon the natural desire to seek comfort, fame, or power. We must submit our whole life to Jesus trusting that where Jesus leads us he will be there too. To obey and identify with Jesus even unto death, not simply to bear some particular burden imposed by the Lord, but to endure even to suffer for Christ is what we are called to. This is not to punish, but to test and refine our soul.

I need to submit my entire person and life to Jesus if I am to follow him. There is no half way. It’s all or nothing. To follow Jesus will cost me my entire life. I will leave the old ways of doing life and rise into new life through the Jesus way. My wants and desires will be terminated by the teachings of Jesus. To love everyone, serve my fellow man, do the will of God, and humble myself making myself an obedient example of what a Jesus follower really is. I will not use force on others to get my way. I will make myself least and last.

These are not easy or comfortable things to do. I cannot do it on my own. I will stumble, sometimes falling flat on my face. I need Jesus. I need to not just say that Jesus is Lord and Savior, but also live my life by this truth. I need to shape my whole around Jesus and his way. I have faith in Jesus and I know that by committing to him fully that He will walk with me and show me the ways I should live.

We must not just talk theology, but live it. True orthodoxy is found in loving God and loving others in real life concrete ways, ways that heal and not harm

For about fourteen centuries, men believed that our planet was the center of the whole universe, and to think otherwise was considered a gross heresy. Ptolemy had described, in the second century, the universe as a closed system with the earth at the centre. The theory satisfied the astronomical observations that were based on the limited technology of that era, and everybody accepted it as the absolute truth. When in the sixteenth century Nicolaus Copernicus discovered that the earth was neither the center of the universe nor the planet around which all the others revolve, it took a lot of courage to publish his findings.

Your Spiritual Revolution

Every situation where Jesus is not at the center is a state of rebellion, and God is working to bring everything under the headship of Jesus.

In relation to you, His starting point is your heart; He wants you to submit it to Jesus. If you claim to believe in Jesus, and you profess to be a Christian, but Jesus is not occupying the central position in you, your life is going amiss of the main point. No matter your ‘spiritual’ experiences, your life is still in chaos, and in a state of rebellion. This is the second error we identify as a major problem that hinders many believers from experiencing the victory of the gospel. ‘Christian life’ where personal pursuits are the focus, and not Jesus, is a cause of confusion to the world, and embarrassment to God and to the Church today.

God wants to bless you, but not to the detriment of His larger program. He will provide generously for your needs, and your most extravagant desires cannot put any strain on His wealth. His problem is not how to satisfy you; His concern is for your desires not to run opposed to His program. He does not want your faith to be tied to material possession, or to criteria defined by the spirit of the world. He would not want you to compete with the children of this world in material possessions. It is their domain, and God does not want you participate in their rat race.

You need to realize that your desires are not the centre of the divine program. Christ is, although you are an important benefactor of it, and an active player in it. Recognizing that Jesus, and not you, is the center of everything that God does, would upset your ‘Self Empire’. It would contradict your concept of the gospel of Jesus, and destroy the foundation of your presumption. To think that God’s work on earth revolves around your pleasure and your desires would be very comforting, but it is not true. It is a lie on which you cannot build a spiritual life. That is why many Christians cannot grow; they remain babies because their faith is built on this false premise.

God is looking for people that would dare declare, in the midst of the self-seeking mindset of this age, that the bottom line of what God is doing is not the promotion of any man’s success, or the fulfillment of his ambition. God’s limelight is on Jesus and His cause.

The realization that the earth was not the center of our universe laid a foundation for great progress in the domain of astronomy. The error of fourteen centuries went well with the limited observations of the time, and everyone was at ease. Nevertheless, it remained an error, and nothing could be built on it; consequently, progress in astronomy was impeded. When, however, the findings of Copernicus were published in 1543, it gave a new thrust to astronomy, and triggered off the growth of science in general. His publication was described as the foundation of scientific revolution.

To set Jesus at the center of your life would lay the foundation to grow and to go far in your walk with the Lord. It would trigger a revival in you. It would be the foundation of your “spiritual revolution”.

It is all about Jesus!

Jesus was the Word of God made flesh – the compassion of God for all, especially the sick, the sinful, and the marginalized. His contemporaries viewed illness as a personal consequence of personal sin – which it sometimes was. but more often, sickness was the consequence of sin in the world, and those who suffered were by and large as innocent as anyone else. The gospels clearly teach that Jesus came to set us free, to heal us in spirit, soul, and body. Jesus’ healings were a sign that God’s Kingdom was breaking forth into our world. His very name, Yeshua, means God shall save, and indeed Jesus came to deliver us from our bondage to sin and heal us of all its effects, spiritual, physical, mental, and social. Moreover, Jesus’ healing was an attack on the kingdom of Satan. –1 John 3:8  In order to initiate the Kingdom, Jesus had to break the power of the Evil One and liberate people from his bondage. On the Cross, Jesus totally and definitively overcame sin and death, a victory that is revealed now in the Church and will be fully revealed in the Parousia. The greatest healing Christ offers us is salvation – the forgiveness of our sins and a new life – as a child of God, free of sin, and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 130 — De Profundis

Out of the depths I call to you, LORD;

Lord hear my cry!

May your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

If you, LORD, mark our sins,

LORD, who can stand?

But with you is forgiveness

and so you are revered.

I wait with longing for the LORD,

my soul waits for his word.

My soul looks for the Lord

more than sentinels for daybreak.

More than sentinels for daybreak,

let Israel look for the LORD,

For with the LORD is kindness,

with him is full redemption,

And God will redeem Israel

from all their sins.

Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God. Historically, whenever and wherever believers have exhibited vital faith, God’s presence, blessings, and healings have flowed more abundantly. Often God raises up saints to recharge, renew, and reinvigorate the faith of His people. Today is no exception. Our bodies are magnificent gifts from God, endowed with their own untold powers for healing and regeneration. God calls us to care for our bodies, which are the temples of His Holy Spirit. We need to eat nourishing food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. Even so, illnesses can attack us, in addition to our inherited tendencies to weakness or disease. Jesus linked his miracles of healing with His mission of salvation, and clearly commanded the apostles to continue this work. In a sense, miracles are visible signs of Christ’s invisible salvation. God wants us to be whole in spirit, soul, and body. However, sometimes He does not heal us immediately or even at all, because of some higher purpose of His. He may allow suffering in our life to draw us or others closer to Him. Ultimately, God desires that we offer Him our whole selves in solidarity with the offering of Christ on the cross, for His glory, and the salvation of souls.

Lord, I offer up this prayer for healing for my dear friend Mae. Please comfort her and heal her.

O Heavenly Father, God of Love, You gave us Your Son Jesus to be not only Physician of our souls but also Healer of our bodies and minds. Lord Jesus, I turn to you in this time of illness.

Please come to me now, and lay Your healing hands on me. Let the warmth, peace and healing power of Your Spirit fill me now with Your life and love. I receive You, Lord Jesus!

Heal me according to Your Divine Will, Lord Jesus, and enable me to serve You with a healthy body, soul, and spirit. May Your Joy, O Lord, be my strength this day. Amen.

The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross, is normally prayed each Friday during Lent.
In this prayer, fourteen traditional events in the passion of Jesus are recalled and meditated upon. Each
station is visited as the prayers are made; icons or stations are traditionally hung along the perimeter of
the inside walls of churches. The stations are:
1. Jesus condemned to death
2. Jesus carries his cross
3. Our Lord falls the first time
4. Jesus meets his mother
5. Simon the Cyrenean helps Jesus carry his cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. The second fall of Jesus
8. Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem
9. The third fall of Jesus
10. Jesus is stripped of his garments
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus is taken down from the cross
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb

Antiphon
We beseech Thee, O Lord! to assist and direct our actions by Thy powerful grace, and all
our prayers and works may always begin and end with Thee. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A Preparatory Act of Contrition
O Jesus, treasure of my soul, infinitely good, infinitely merciful, behold me prostrate at
Thy sacred feet! Sinner as I am, I fly to the arms of Thy mercy, and implore that grace
which melts and converts – the grace of true compunction. I have offended Thee,
adorable Jesus! I repent; let the favor of my love equal the baseness of my ingratitude.
This Way of the Cross, grant me to offer devoutly in memory of that painful journey
Thou hast travelled for our redemption, to the Cross of Calvary, with the holy design to
reform my morals, amend my life and gain these indulgences granted by Thy vicars on
earth. I apply one for my miserable soul, the rest in suffrage for the souls in purgatory,
particularly N.N. [Here mention the souls for whom you intend to apply them.] I begin
this devotion under Thy sacred protection, and in imitation of Thy dolorous Mother. Let
then this holy exercise obtain for me mercy in this life, and glory in the next. Amen.
JESUS!

Station 1: Christ is sentenced to death by Pilate

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
Our gracious Redeemer, after suffering blows and blasphemies before Annas and
Caiphas, after the cruel scourging, insulting contempts and bloody crown of piercing
thorns, is unjustly condemned to death. This iniquitous a sentence your Jesus accepted
with admirable humility. Innocence embraces condemnation to free the guilty.
Reflect that your sins were the false witnesses that condemned Him; your stubborn
impenitence the tyrant that extorted from Pilate the bloody sentence. Propose now
seriously an amendment of life, and while you reflect on the horrid injustice of Pilate,
who condemns innocence, lest he should not appear a friend of Caesar, arraign yourself
for your many sins of human respect; think how often you have offended God for fear of
displeasing the eye of the world, and turning your loving Jesus, addressed Him rather
with tears of the heart than with expressions of the tongue in the following

Prayer
O MANGLED VICTIM OF MY SINS! O suffering Jesus! I have deserved those bloody
scourges, that cruel sentence of death; and yet Thou didst die for me, that I should live
for Thee. I am convinced that if I desire to please men, I cannot by Thy servant. Let me
then displease the world and its vain admirers. I resign myself into Thy hands. Let love
take possession of my heart; let my eyes behold with contempt everything that can
alienate my affections from Thee; let my ears be ever attentive to Thy word; let me
through this painful journey accompany Thee, sighing and demanding mercy. Mercy!
Jesus! Amen.

Our Father & Hail Mary
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
You pious Christians who do now draw near,
With relenting hearts now lend a tear,
Your Lord behold with great humility,
Sentenced to die on Mount Calvary.

Station 2: Christ takes the Cross on his shoulder

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
This second Station represents the place where your most amiable Redeemer is clad in
His usual attire, after His inhuman executioners had stripped Him of the purple garment
of derision with which He was clothed, when as a visionary king they crowned Him with
plaited thorns. The heavy burthen of the Cross is violently placed on His mangled
shoulders.
Behold your gracious Saviour, though torn with wounds, covered with blood, a man of
griefs, abandoned by all – with what silent patience He bears the taunts and injuries
with which the Jews insult Him. He stretched out His bleeding arms, and tenderly
embraces the Cross. Reflect with confusion on that sensitive pride which is fired with
impatience at the very shadow of contempt – on your discontented murmurs in your
lightest afflictions – and your obstinate resistance to the will of Heaven in the crosses of
life, which are calculated to conduct you, not to a Calvary of Crucifixion, but to joys of
eternal glory; and from your heart unite in the following

Prayer
Meek and humble Jesus! my iniquity and perverseness loaded Thy shoulders with the
heavy burden of the Cross. Yet I, a vile worm of the earth, O shameful ingratitude! fly
even the appearance of mortification, and everything which would check the violence of
my passions; and if I suffered, it was with a murmuring reluctance. I now, O Savior of
the world! detest my past life, and by Thy grace am determined no more to offend Thee
mortally. Let me only glory in the Cross of my Lord, by whom the world is crucified to
me, and I to the world. Lay then on my stubborn neck the cross of true penance; let me,
for the love of Thee, bear the adversities of this life, and cleave inseparably to Thee in
the bonds pf perpetual charity. Amen, Jesus.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
No pity for the Lamb was to be found;
As a mock King my loving Lord they crowned,
To bear the heavy cross He does not tire,
To save my soul from everlasting fire.

Station 3: Jesus falls the first time under the Cross

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
This third Station represents how our Lord Jesus Christ, overwhelmed by the weight of
the Cross, fainting through loss of blood, falls to the ground the first time.
Contemplate the unwearied patience of the meek Lamb, amidst the insulting blows and
curses of His brutal executioners; while you, impatient in adversity and infirmity,
presume to complain, nay, to insult the Majesty of Heaven, by your curses and
blasphemies. Purpose here firmly to struggle against the impatient sallies of temper; and
beholding your amiable Jesus prostrate under the Cross, excite in yourself your Saviour,
for love of you, was burdened, and thus you afflicted Jesus:

Prayer
Alas, my Jesus! the merciless violence of Thy inhuman executioners, the excessive
weight of the Cross, or rather the more oppressive load of my sins, crush Thee to the
earth. Panting for breath, exhausted as Thou art, Thou dost not refuse new tortures for
me. Will I then refuse the light burden of Thy commandments; will I refuse to do
violence to my perverse passions and sinful attachments; will I relapse into those very
crimes for which I have shed false and delusive tears! O Jesus! stretch Thy holy hand to
my assistance, that I may never more fall into mortal sin; that I may at the hour of my
death secure the important affair of my salvation. Amen, Jesus.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
From loss of blood He fell unto the ground,
No comfort for my Lord was to be found,
He rose again beneath their cruel blows,
And on His bitter way unmurmering goes.

Station 4: Jesus carrying the Cross, meets His most afflicted Mother

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
The fourth Station represents to your contemplation the meeting of the desolate Mother
and her bleeding Jesus, staggering under the weight of the Cross.
Consider what pangs rent her soul, when she beheld her beloved Jesus covered with
blood, dragged violently to the place of execution, reviled and blasphemed by an
ungrateful, outrageous rabble. Meditate on her inward feelings, the looks of silent agony
exchanged between the Mother and the Son; her anguish in not being permitted to
approach, to embrace and to accompany Him to death. Filled with confusion at the
thought that neither the Son’s pains or the Mother’s grief have softened the hardness of
your heart, contritely join in the following

Prayer
O Mary! I am the cause of thy sufferings. O refuge of sinners! let me participate in these
heart-felt pangs, which rent thy tender soul, when thou didst behold thy Son trembling
with cold, covered with wounds, fainting under the Cross, more dead than alive!
Mournful Mother! fountain of love! let me feel the force of thy grief that I may weep
with thee, and mingle my tears with thine, and thy Son’s blood. O suffering Jesus! by Thy
bitter passion, and the heart-breaking compassion of Thy afflicted Mother, grant me the
efficacious grace of perseverance! Mother of Jesus, intercede for me! Jesus, behold me
with an eye of pity, and in the hour of my death receive me to the arms of Thy mercy!
Amen, Jesus.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
Exhausted, spent, see Jesus onward go,
With feeble step, in anguish faint and slow,
At last His grief-worn Mother He can see
Exclaiming: My Son, my heart is rent for Thee.

Station 5: Christ assisted by Simon the Cyrenean to carry the Cross

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
The fifth Station represents Christ fainting, destitute of strength, unable to carry the
Cross. His sacrilegious executioners compel Simon the Cyrenean to carry it, not through
compassionate pity to Jesus, but lest He should expire in their hand, before they could
glut their vengeance by nailing Him to the Cross.
Consider here the repugnance of Simon to carry the Cross after Christ; and that you with
repugnance, and by compulsion, carry the Cross that Providence has placed on your
shoulders. Will you spurn the love of your Jesus, who invites you to take up your Cross
and follow Him? Will you yet with shameless ingratitude refuse the Cross, sanctified by
His suffering? Offer up devoutly the following

Prayer
O suffering Jesus! to what excess did Thy impious executioners’ cruelty proceed!
Beholding Thee faint under the Cross that Thou mightest expire on it in the most
exquisite torture. But why should I complain of the cruelty of the Jews or the
repugnance of Simon? Have I not again crucified Thee by my crimes? Have I not suffered
with fretful impatience the light afflictions with which Thy mercy visited me? Inspire me
not, my Jesus, to detest and deplore my sinful impatience, my ungrateful murmurs, and
let me with all my heart cheerfully accompany Thee to Mount Calvary; let me live in
Thee, and die in Thee. Amen, Jesus.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
The furious Jews when Jesus fainting fell,
Simon the bear His Cross, by force compel;
Afflictions bear like Job most patiently,
And follow the Lamb with great humility.

Station 6: Veronica presents a handkerchief to Christ

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
The sixth Station represents the place where the pious Veronica, compassionating our
agonizing Redeemer, beholding His sacred face livid with blows and covered with blood
and sweat, presents a handkerchief, with which Jesus wipes His face.
Consider the heroic piety of this devout woman, who is not intimidated by the presence
of the executioners, or the clamor of the Jews; and the tender acknowledgement of
Jesus. Reflect here, that though you cannot personally discharge the debt of humanity
to your Savior, you can discharge it to His suffering members, the poor. Though you
cannot wipe away the blood and sweat from the face of Jesus, you can wipe away the
tear of wretchedness from the eye of misery. Examine, then, what returns you have
made from the singular graces and favors your bountiful Jesus bestowed on you; and
conscious of your ingratitude, address your injured Saviour in the following

Prayer
O Jesus, grant me tears to weep my ingratitude. How often have I, infatuated wretch,
turned my eyes from Thee and Thy sufferings, to fix them on the world and its vanities!
Let me henceforth be Thine without division. Stamp Thy image on my soul, that it may
never admit another love. Take possession of my heart on earth, that my soul may take
eternal possession of thee in glory. Amen, Jesus.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
Veronica pressed through to meet our Lord,
His streaming face a napkin to afford,
Lo, on its texture stamped by power divine
His sacred features breathe in every line.

Station 7: Jesus falls under the Cross the second time

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
The seventh Station represents the gate of Jerusalem, called the gate of Judgment, at
the entrance of which our Saviour, through anguish and weakness, falls to the ground.
He is compelled by blows and blasphemies to rise.
Consider your Jesus prostrate on the earth, bruised by His fall, and ignominiously
treated by an ungrateful rabble. Reflect that your self-love and pride of preference
were the cause of this humiliation. Implore, then, grace to detest sincerely your haughty
spirit and proud disposition. It was your reiterated sins which again pressed Him to the
ground. Will you then sin again, and add to the afflictions of your gracious Saviour?

Prayer
O Most Holy Redeemer! treated with the utmost contempt, deprived of fame and honor -
led out to punishment – through excess of torments, and the weakness of Thy delicate
and mangled body, Thou didst fall a second time to the earth. What impious hand has
prostrated Thee? Alas, my Jesus! I am that impious, that sacrilegious offender: my
ambitious pride, my haughty indignation, my contempt of others humbled by Thee to the
earth. Banish forever from my mind the unhappy spirit of pride. Teach my heart the
doctrine of humility, so that detesting pride, vain glory and human respect, I may
forever be united with Thee, my meek and humble Jesus. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
Prone at the city gate He fell once more,
To save our erring souls He suffered sore;
On His great mercy let us always call,
Since our vain pride has caused His triple fall.

Station 8: Christ consoles the Women of Jerusalem,

who wept over Him

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
This Station represents the place where several devout women meeting Jesus, and
beholding Him wounded and bathed in His blood, shed tears of compassion over Him.
Consider the excessive love of Jesus, who, though languishing and half dead through the
multitude of His torments, is nevertheless attentive to console the women who wept
over Him. They merited that tender consolation from the mouth of Jesus, “Weep not
over me, but over yourselves and your children.” Weep for your sins, the sources of my
affliction. Yes, O my soul! I will obey my suffering Lord, and pour out tears of
compassion. Nothing is more eloquent than the voice of those tears which flow from the
horror of those sins. Address Him the following

Prayer
O Jesus, only begotten Son of the Father! who will give water to my head, and a
fountain of tears to my eyes, that I may day and night weep and lament my sins? I
humbly beseech Thee by these tears of blood Thou didst shed for me, to soften my flinty
bosom, that tears may plentifully flow from my eyes, and contrition rend my heart, this
hardened heart, to cancel my crimes and render me secure in the day of wrath and
examination, when Thou wilt come to judge the living and the dead, and demand a
rigorous account of Thy blood. Amen, Jesus.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
With tears of love the women they did weep,
Compassionate our Redeemer sweet;
Weep for your sins who caused Him here to be
O Lamb of God Thy mercy show to me.

Station 9: Jesus falls under the Cross the third time

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
This Station represents the foot of Mount Calvary, where Jesus Christ, quite destitute of
strength, falls a third time to the ground. The anguish of His wounds is renewed.
Consider here the many injuries and blasphemous derisions thrown out against Christ, so
compel Him to rise and hasten to the place of execution, that His inveterate enemies
might enjoy the savage satisfaction of beholding Him expire on the Cross. Consider that
by your sins you daily hurry Him to the place of execution. Approach Him in thought to
the foot of Mount Calvary, and cry out against the accursed weight of sin that prostrated
Jesus, and had long since buried thee in the flames of hell, if His mercy and the merits
of His passion had not preserved thee.

Prayer
O clement Jesus! I return Thee infinite thanks for not permitting me, ungrateful sinner,
as Thou has permitted thousands less criminal, to die in their sins. I, who have added
torments to Thy torments, by heaping sin on sin, kindle in my soul the fire of charity,
fan it with Thy continual grace into perseverance, until, delivered from the body of this
death, I can enjoy the liberty of the children of God and Thy co-heirs. Amen, Jesus!

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
On Calvary’s height a third time see Him fall,
Livid with bruises that our sight appal.
O gracious Lord, this sufferest Thou for me,
To save my soul from endless misery.

Station 10: Jesus is stripped of His Garments

& offered Vinegar and Gall

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
This Station represents how our Lord Jesus Christ ascended Mount Calvary, and was by
His inhuman executioners stripped of His garments. The skin and congealed blood are
torn off with them, and His wounds renewed.
Consider the confusion of the modest Lamb, exposed naked to the contempt and
derision of an insulting rabble. They present Him with vinegar and gall for a
refreshment. Condemn here that delicacy of taste, that sensual indulgence, with which
you flatter your sinful body. Pray here for the spirit of the Christian mortification. Think
how happy you would die if, stripped of the world and its attachments, you could expire
covered with the blood and agony of Jesus.

Prayer
Suffering Jesus! I behold Thee stripped of Thy garments, Thy old wounds renewed, and
new ones added to the old. I behold Thee baked in the presence of thousands, exposed
to the inclemency of the weather; cold, trembling from head to foot, insulted by the
blasphemous derision of the spectators. Strip, O mangled Lamb of God! my heart of the
world and its deceitful affections. Divest my soul of its habits of sensual indulgence.
Embitter the poisoned cup of pleasure, that I may dash it with contempt from my lips,
and through Christian mortification arrive at Thy never fading glory. Amen, Jesus!

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
O Queen of angels, how thy heart did bleed
To see thy Son stripped naked here indeed,
And to the vile and cruel throng exposed,
Who round Him now in furious hatred closed.

Station 11: Christ is nailed to the Cross

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
This Station represents the place where Jesus Christ, in the presence of His afflicted
mother, is stretched on the Cross, and nailed to it. How insufferable the torture – the
nerves and sinews are rent by the nails.
Consider the exceeding desolation, the anguish of the tender Mother, eye-witness of this
inhuman punishment of her beloved Jesus. Generously resolve then to crucify your
criminal desires, and nail your sins to the wood of the Cross. Contemplate the suffering
resignation of the Son of God to the will of His Father, while you are impatient in trifling
afflictions, in trivial disappointments. Purpose henceforth to embrace your cross with
ready resignation to the will of God.

Prayer
O patient Jesus! meek Lamb of God! who promised, “When I shall be exalted from earth I
will draw all things to myself,” attract my heart to Thee, and nail it the the Cross. I now
renounce and detest my past impatience. Let me crucify my flesh with its concupiscence
and vices. Here burn, here cut, but spare me for eternity. I throw myself into the arms
of Thy mercy. Thy will be done in all things. Grant me resignation, grant me Thy love, I
desire no more. Amen, Jesus!

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
You Christian hearts now join with Mary’s grief;
Heaven and earth behold! deny relief;
Her heart was pierced with bitter grief to see
Her loving Jesus nailed unto a tree.

Station 12: Christ is exalted on the Cross, and dies

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
This Station represents the place where Jesus Christ was publicly exalted on the Cross
between two robbers, who, for their enormous crimes, were executed with the innocent
Lamb.
Consider here the confusion of your Saviour, exposed naked to the profane view of a
blasphemous multitude. Imagine yourself at the foot of the Cross. Behold that sacred
body streaming blood from every part. Contemplate the divine countenance pale and
languid, the heart throbbing in the last pangs of agony, the soul on the point of
separation; yet charity triumphs over His agony; His last prayers petition forgiveness of
His enemies: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” His clemency is
equally extended to the penitent thief: “This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” He
recommends in His last moments His disconsolate Mother to His beloved St. John. He
recommends His soul to His heavenly Father, and bowing down His submissive, obedient
head, resigns His spirit. Turn your eyes on the naked, bloody portrait of charity. Number
His wounds. Wash them with tears of sympathizing love. Behold the arms extended to
embrace you. Love of Jesus! thou diest to deliver us from eternal captivity.

Prayer
O suffering Son of God! I now behold Thee in last convulsive pangs of death – Thy veins
opened, Thy sinews torn, Thy hands and feet, O Fountain of Paradise! distilling blood. I
acknowledge, charitable Jesus, that my reiterated offenses have been Thy merciless
executioners, the cause of Thy bitter sufferings and death. Yet, God of mercy, look on
my sinful soul, bathe it in Thy precious blood! Let me die to vanity of the world, and
renounce its false pleasures. Thou didst pray, my Jesus, for Thy enemies. I forgive mine.
I embrace then in the bowels of Thy charity. I bury my resentment in Thy wounds.
Shelter me in the day of wrath in the sanctuary of Thy side. Let me live, let me die, in
my crucified Jesus. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
Behold the streams of blood from every part,
Behold the sharp lance that pierc’d His Sacred Heart;
On Calvary’s Mount behold Him naked hang,
To suffer for our sins pain’s utmost pang.

Station 13: Christ is taken down from the Cross

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
This Station represents the place where Christ’s most sacred body was taken down from
the Cross by Joseph and Nicodemus, and laid in the bosom of His weeping Mother.
Consider the sighs and tears of the Virgin Mother, with what pangs she embraced the
bloody remains of her beloved Jesus. Here unite your tears with those of the
disconsolate Mother. Reflect that your Jesus would not descend from the Cross until He
consummated the work of redemption; and that at His departure from, as well as at His
entrance into the world, He would be placed in the bosom of His beloved Mother. Hence
learn constancy in your pious resolutions! cleave to the standard of the Cross. Consider
with what purity that soul should be adorned which receives, in the blessed Sacrament
of the Eucharist, Christ’s most sacred body and blood.

Prayer
At length, O Blessed Virgin! Mother of sorrow! thou art permitted to embrace thy
beloved Son. But alas! the fruit of thy immaculate womb is all over mangled, in one
continued wound. Yes, O Lord! the infernal fury of the Jews has at length triumphed;
yet we renew their barbarity, crucifying Thee by our sins, inflicting new wounds. Most
afflicted mother of my Redeemer, I conjure thee by the pains and torments thou
sufferest in the common cause of Salvation, to obtain for me, by thy powerful
intercession, pardon of my sins, and grace to weep with a sympathizing feeling, thine
and thy Son’s afflictions. As often as I appear at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, let me
embrace Thee, my Jesus, in the bosom of my heart. May I worthily receive Thee as the
sacred pledge of my salvation. Amen, Jesus.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
When from the Cross they took the blessed from,
His Mother cries, my Son, I am forlorn;
My child is dead, you virgins join with me,
Bewail in tears my love’s sad destiny.

Station 14: Christ is laid in the Holy Sepulchre

V. We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Mystery
This Station represents Christ’s Sepulchre, where His blessed body was laid with piety
and devotion.
Consider the emotions of the Virgin – her eyes streaming with tears, her bosom heaving
with sighs. What melancholy, what wistful looks she cast on that monument where
treasure of her soul, her Jesus, her all, lay entombed. Here lament your want of
contrition for your sins, and humbly adore your deceased Lord, who, poor even in death,
is buried in another’s tomb. Blush at your dependence on the world, at the eager
solicitude with which you labor to grasp its perishable advantages. Despise henceforth
the world, lest you perish with it.

Prayer
Charitable Jesus, for my salvation Thou performedst the painful journey of the Cross.
Let me press the footsteps marked by Thee, gracious Redeemer – the paths which,
through the thorns of life, conduct to the heavenly Jerusalem. Would that Thou wert
entombed in my heart, that being united to Thee, I might rise to a new life of grace, and
persevere to the end. Grant me, in my last moments, to receive Thy precious Body, as
the pledge of immortal life. Let my last words be Jesus and Mary, my least breath be
united to Thy last breath on the Cross; that with a lively faith, a firm hope and ardent
love, I may die with Thee and for Thee; that I may reign with Thee for ever and ever.
Amen, Jesus.

Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be
Jesus Christ crucified, have mercy on us!
You pious Christians, raise your voices, raise,
And join with me to sing your Saviour’s praise,
Who shed His blood for us and died in pain,
To save our souls from hell’s eternal flame.

Conclusion
Compassionate Jesus! behold with eyes of mercy this devotion I have endeavored to
perform, in honor of Thy bitter passion and death, in order to obtain remission of my
sins, and the pains incurred by them. Accept of it for the salvation of the living and the
eternal repose of the faithful departed, particularly for those whom I directed it. Do
not, my Jesus, suffer the ineffable price of Thy blood to be fruitless, nor my miserable
soul ransomed by it, to perish. The voice of Thy blood is louder for mercy than my
crimes for vengeance. Have mercy then, O Lord! have mercy, and spare me for Thy
mercy’s sake! Amen, Jesus.

For more novena prayers, click here.

I have this idea of God, abundantly generous, overwhelmingly mighty, utterly creative.

Let me correct myself, it is not just an idea, it is a belief that I hold on to.

A belief handed on to me from generations, from traditions.

A belief that is now being shaken to the core.

Maybe that is not the kind of God that we have.

Maybe that is not the kind of God that we know.

Maybe we just don’t want to see and know God the way God wants to be seen and known.

Maybe we just delude ourselves that God will come, amidst lightning and thunder, chariots and all, to take us away from death-dealing poverty and hunger, to strike down our life-long oppressors, and to once again let the light of a new day shine upon us.

Maybe we delude ourselves for we cannot anymore take that deep down gnawing pain not just in our stomachs but also at the very core of our souls, for we cannot anymore accept the utter humiliation of being a failure if not all our lives, then at the end of our lives, for we cannot anymore come to terms with that despairing reality that for all our weary toils, there is no consoling light at the end of our dark journeys.

And maybe, we cling to to our own limited fantasies of God, holding on to our frail yet fervent, stubborn hope that once again he will make us tremble with awe, to avert our gaze from the shaky ground that is our lives being torn apart by violent hatred and betrayals.

Maybe, rather, certainly, God wants to be known as God is – helpless, powerless, hopeless.

One who will not take us down from our own crucifying sicknesses and deaths to assure us that all these are nothing but a bad dream for he too is crucified and dying.

One who will  not stop us from being wounded, even killed, by the sins we inflict on ourselves for he too cannot stop the onslaught of hatred tearing at his flesh.

One who cannot offer a ray of hope to all of us desperately seeking for meaning for he too agonizes over the darkness of utter abandonment.

Our God is a helpless, powerless, hopeless God for all the things we want God to be.

And for that God makes himself known as he is.

For amidst our own frenzied desires to love and be loved, for our own frantic grasping for power and influence, for our own worried searching for comfort and solace, for what we perceive as God’s helplessness in the face of our selfishness, as God’s powerlessness when confronted by our violence, as God’s hopelessness when dealt with our rejection, God does what he does best – love.

Love with all his heart till it is burst open, love with all his might till his bowed and bloody head touches our broken lives, love with all that he can, against all odds till we get tired from all our fleeing.

For that is who God really is, when it comes to loving – abundantly generous, overwhelmingly mighty, utterly creative.

“Crucified

Laid behind a stone

You lived to die

Rejected and alone

Like a rose

Trampled on the ground

You took the fall…”

(Above All – Michael W. Smith)

The texts for Sunday September 16, 2012 (Lection 24): Isaiah 50:4–9a; Psalm 116:1–9; James 3:1–12; and Mark 8:27–38.

To get to the empty tomb, you have to go through the cross.
To get to the resurrection, you have to die…

(sermon preached from outline, no transcript available)

***

Featured image: (Modified) Man carrying cross on street, Berlin, West Germany. (1961)
Photographer: Toni Frissell
Found here: http://kevinmccallister.tumblr.com/post/240160552/toni-frissell-man-carrying-cross-on-street
This photo is available for sale as a poster print from art.com and other similar sites.

Most tourists are shuttled up and down the mountain in a one day tour, which is a shame. The basilica opens at 7:30 and I plan to be the first in to see the statue of Mary and Jesus that was said to be carved by Saint Luke and brought to Spain by Saint Peter. Yesterday I watched tourists wait two hours or more in line to see the statue found in the cave near here. This morning the few that stay on the mountain will have until about 10 o’clock before the first tourists are shuttled up the mountain. This is our time to see Montserrat the way it should be viewed in its peacefulness and natural inspiring beauty.

Yesterday we arrived by cable car up this jagged mountain that seems to go straight up in the sky. The rocks of Montserrat are named for the jagged edges which seems to be serrated or cut. Evergreen oak trees completely cover large areas of the rock. In some places it does not seem as if there is a break in the green. I would discover later that the trees form such a canopy that the bushes grow larger than normal up here as they are safely hidden from the sun. Clover, ivy and thyme cover the ground between the bushes; cyprus trees spike up through it all.

This site has a long and checkered history well worth discovering. The first monks arrived in the tenth century and began building structures in the eleventh century. I can’t help but think throughout my visit, “How did they get all this stuff up here.”

Yesterday we spent over an hour in the basilica. It is one of the most ornate and well cared for religious sites I have ever seen. The frescos on the ceilings are breathtaking. The stained glass, sculptures and cravings were also of amazing quality. This is a large basilica but not a massive building. What is amazing with this structure is the detail in every inch of this building. Nothing was left without decoration of meaning, especially in the most holy areas.

We also went into the museum of the monastery. This two floor museum is jammed packed of the best of everything. No kidding, I could not believe it…. Most of the artifacts were donated or collected on the travels by one of the monks. The first room had renaissance artwork. Next room had Renoir, Monet, Picasso and Caravaggio. There was a large collection of greek orthodox religious paintings and also highlighted some interesting artists from Spain. For the frosting on the cake, there were some topnotch artifacts from a variety of time periods and countries including, Mesopotamia, Israel, Palestine and Egypt. This small two floor museum packed in a punch and we left with that “Wow” feeling.

There are several hikes including an outdoor “Way of the Cross” depicting the stations of the cross that remember the events during passion week on the Christian calendar or from Palm Sunday to Easter. Other hikes and viewpoints are accessed by funiculars which take a traveler further up or down the mountain. Unknowingly I discovered later that I chose the steepest two hikes on the mountain. On the first trail I was the only person on the way up or down the pathway. Every turn was like walking through a secret garden witnessing the vegetation below and wondering what view of the mountain or monastery I would see next. By the time I reached the fifth switchback I knew the type of hike I was in for; however, the view revealed more secrets of the mountain, almost tempting me, I couldn’t turn back. Later, when I reached the small Chapel of St. Michael’s I would learn that I could have ridden the funicular up to the top of the mountain and walked down to where I was standing…..But I am sure it would not have held the same sense of peace and accomplishment that I felt once I caught my breath.

Walking down the mountain I realized there seemed to be two types of people that make their way to Montserrat; the devout who will wait two hours to see the statue of Mary and Jesus and the hiker, here to discover nature. Either way both are sure to find some peace and discover a higher power.