“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
WEDNESDAY, March 31st Mt. 26: 14-25 “One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.”
- Today, we will pray over and contemplate Jesus’ Carrying of the Cross and our carrying of the cross! We all have crosses in our lives, it is what we do about our crosses that makes each one of us different, as Fr. Broom points out.
- Remember, Jesus and Mary suffered all this out of their great love for you and me!
GRACE TO BEG FOR: Beg for the grace to meditate upon how much Jesus suffered for love of you and me, and in return beg for the grace to suffer with Christ.
SEE MEDITATION & BIBLE VERSE AFTER INTRODUCTION…
CARRYING OF THE CROSS AND OUR LIVES
THE CRUCIFIXION. After Jesus’ brutal and merciless scourging at the Pillar where He lost streams of His Precious Blood, after He was cruelly and derisively crowned with sharp thorns and scorned as mock-king, now Jesus is condemned by Pontius Pilate to the worst of all deaths—that of crucifixion, all for the sake of your salvation and mine. Jesus willingly accepts this most cruel torture of crucifixion in obedience to the will of the Heavenly Father and as the clearest manifestation of His infinite love for all of humanity, but also His love for you and me. Saint Ignatius insists on this fact: Jesus suffered all this for love of you. This infinite love of Jesus for you should motivate you to strive to love Him with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and be willing to sacrifice yourself for Him and the salvation of souls to the very limits of your being!
CARRYING OF THE CROSS. The Crucifixion of Jesus is preceded by the Carrying of the Cross up mount Calvary. This parody or mock procession of Jesus, King of the Jews, carrying the heavy cross would of course cause Jesus immense suffering. Not only would Jesus’ suffering be physical, but emotional, moral and spiritual. Nobody ever suffered more than Jesus, and all of this suffering was accepted because He loves you so much and desires the salvation of your immortal soul! Jesus Himself preached this: “No greater love has a man than this, to lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn. 15: 13)
Our meditation/contemplation will consist in taking some of the scenes from the WAY OF THE CROSS, to reflect upon them, consider them, pray over them, and beg for the grace to apply these scenes to our own personal lives. Ignatius says to gather fruit—that is to say, spiritual fruit for our own personal sanctification.
SPECIFIC FRUIT. Once we engage upon meditating the Passion of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Saint Ignatius insists that we beg for the grace to be willing to suffer with Jesus who suffered so much for us. Beg Our Lady for the grace to be able to enter into the very Heart of the suffering Jesus. It is a difficult grace to beg for, but truly necessary if we want to be true, noble, and loyal friends of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
BIBLICAL PASSAGE: READ Matthew Chap 27/ Some of the Stations of the Cross
COMPOSITION OF PLACE—ENTER INTO THE SCENES AS IF YOU WERE REALLY THERE. Now strive with all of the energy of your will to place yourself in the scenes and allow the Passion of Christ to transform you.
- PONTIUS PILATE. Meditate upon the person and the actions of Pontius Pilate. To be blunt and to the point: Pilate was a coward. He was really a people-pleaser more than a God-pleaser! Knowing that Jesus was innocent, still he had Jesus scourged, crowned with thorns, and condemned to death. He did not want to rock the boat. He wanted to please people more than God. Let us stop to examine our own lives and examine our own consciences with honesty. Perhaps in our lives we capitulated to prudence of the flesh, to public opinion, giving into what others think, say, and do because we don’t want to be different. In a word, we gave in because we wanted to be liked, we wanted to avoid conflict, we desired to establish a false sense of peace. However, in the depths of our heart, we knew better—like Pontius Pilate. we betrayed God by not carrying out His holy will in our lives!!!
- PURITY OF INTENTION. In all of our actions we should be motivated by how we can give the greatest honor and glory to God. This is the motto of Saint Ignatius: A.M.D.G—All for the honor and glory of God! Pontius Pilate chose to be a people-pleaser rather than a God-pleaser. Let us beg for the grace that in all of our actions, be they large or very small, they may be done with the intention of honoring God and saving souls! The secret and essence of the holiness of Saint Therese of Lisieux is precisely that: “Doing the ordinary things of daily life with extraordinary love.” The great Apostle Saint Paul expressed it in these concise but potent words: “Whether we eat or drink, do all for the honor and glory of God.” (1 Cor 10: 31) What was pleasing to the Lord Jesus in the offering of the widow? Was it the two pennies that she offered in the Temple or the love with which she gave the offering? We know the thoughts of Jesus on this. Therefore, as you contemplate the person of Pontius Pilate, beg for the grace to purify your intentions and actions so that you will do and intend to do all for the honor and glory of God!
- JESUS AND THE CROSS. +++ Jesus is compelled to carry a heavy cross. Enter into this scene and be part of it, and then enter into the very person and Heart of Jesus. The Lord Jesus is already very tired. He has been mocked and humiliated by many, has lost much of His Precious Blood, and He is hungry and thirsty. Still He willingly accepts the cross. Contemplate Jesus! The crown of thorns is still piercing His brow. His garments are stuck and clinging to the dried blood from many of His wounds, while other wounds are still open and gaping. His Sacred Face is both bruised and bleeding from the many blows during the night. In prayer, constantly remind yourself that Jesus endured this as an act of obedience to the will of the Heavenly Father, but also as an act of love for you and the salvation of your immortal soul. The cross is heavy, very heavy, splintery and hard to carry. Be with Jesus as He carries the cross. Be close to Him, accompany Him, be His Intimate Friend, even in the midst of His intense sorrows and sufferings. Be a Faithful Friend to Jesus!
- FALLS UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE CROSS. Exhausted, Jesus succumbs to the heavy weight of the cross and collapses, falling to the dusty path of Calvary that leads to His crucifixion. The heavy weight of the cross spiritual writers almost unanimously interpret as the weight of the sins of humanity, as well as our own personal sins. Talk to Jesus about your sins, your tendencies and temptations to sin, the tug and pull of your flesh to betray the Lord. Beg the Lord Jesus, loaded down by the heavy weight of the cross bearing the sins of the whole world, and that includes your sins and mine, for the grace to reject temptation in all forms, kinds, and colors, and to strive even to avoid the near occasions that lead you to sin! By praying and doing such, you will be alleviating and lightening the heavy load of the cross of Christ! You may desire to make the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi your prayer: “We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”
- JESUS MEETS MARY, THE SORROWFUL MOTHER, WITH HIS CROSS. No doubt a most touching and moving scene, Jesus meets His Sorrowful Mother, Mary most holy, as He carries the heavy cross. Enter deeply into this scene and try to penetrate to the depths of what went on in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary! Beg the Holy Spirit for light and grace! Contemplating the face of Mary; Jesus suffers more because she suffers. At the same time, Jesus receives consolation from His Sorrowful Mother because He experiences the inexpressible love that flows from the Immaculate Heart of His Mother, the person who loves Him most on earth. Therefore, Jesus experiences both suffering and consolation by meeting His Mother on the way to His crucifixion. Talk to Mary and Jesus. Express to both of them the great love, compassion, and gratitude, but also the pain that you yourself are experiencing in this most touching scene. Beg for the grace of a transformation of your own heart—that the hardness of your heart will be transformed by the love of the Hearts of Mary and Jesus!
- SIMON OF CYRENE HELPS JESUS TO CARRY HIS CROSS. Aware of Jesus’ growing weakness, the decline of His energy and strength, and possibly fearing that Jesus might not make it to the top of the Hill of Calvary, the soldiers look for some man to help Jesus carry the cross. Behold a man coming in from the country, possibly at the end of a long day’s work, with the name Simon of Cyrene. He is the man that the Roman soldiers fix their eyes on to help Jesus carry the cross. Perhaps we can identify our own inner dispositions of heart with that of Simon of Cyrene. Obviously Simon has no intention at first of helping anybody, least of all Jesus. Most likely he is tired after a long-day’s work and is looking forward to a good meal and a good night’s rest. In other words, Simon does not volunteer to help Jesus; rather, he is forced or compelled to help Jesus carry the cross. Pray seriously over this! How often has it happened in our lives that we avoid the cross, put off the cross until tomorrow, or to be honest, we simply run away from the cross that God has willed to place on our shoulders? Most likely, we all have some of the Simon of Cyrene within us??? However, there is a change! After Simon draws close to Jesus, places the cross on his wide-shoulders and takes the first few steps, suddenly the resistant disciple accepts the cross and actually desires to carry the cross with Jesus. The key for our meditation and edification is that Simon now has given his interior YES to carrying the cross. However, of great significance and importance is the following: Simon is not carrying the cross alone. He is carrying the cross with Jesus, step by step!
- SIMON’S CONVERSION. Following up and going deeper into the person of Simon of Cyrene, in the The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson shows the big, strong Simon carrying the weight of the cross willingly, helping Jesus up when He falls and supporting Jesus. When Jesus is taunted and scourged, Simon strongly defends Jesus. A most touching scene in the movie shows the arms of Jesus and Simon intertwined, interlocked as they carry the cross together. Allow the person of Simon and this scene to touch you to the very core of your heart. Accept your crosses, but of greatest importance, make sure that you are not carrying your crosses alone, but that you are inviting Jesus to be with you and to help carry your crosses! On a later note, Simon’s family was converted to Christianity, most likely because of the conversion of the father—Simon of Cyrene. In the early Church, two of the sons of Simon of Cyrene were faithful disciples of Jesus and the Apostles. Their names? Alexander and Rufus—the sons of Simon of Cyrene. How important it is for fathers to enthusiastically communicate and transmit their faith in Jesus to their family— wife, sons and daughters!!!
- VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS. His Sacred Face is caked and cloaked with dirt, with still dripping Blood and hardened Blood, with sweat, spittle, mud, and possibly even flies descending upon Him, when this most valiant woman named VERONICA musters up the courage motivated by her great love for Jesus, to offer Him a most tender and striking gesture of love, concern, and compassion. Breaking through the crowd, and even past the soldiers who accompany Jesus, Veronica presses her veil to the Sacred Face of Jesus the Lord.
This gesture is richly rewarded by Jesus. By pressing her veil on His face, there is left on the veil a striking image of the suffering, bruised, bloody, and wounded Face of Jesus! Our Lord Jesus can never be outdone in generosity! Pray deeply and meditate upon this scene. Perhaps you can connect this scene to yourself and call to mind the very day of your Baptism. Indeed, this was the day in which our Triune God, One in Three, the most Blessed Trinity came to dwell in the very depths of your soul. With this you had the Face of Jesus impressed upon your soul. Possibly you have bruised His Sacred Face due to your sins. You can wipe and cleanse the Face of Jesus in your soul at any time through repentance and a well-prepared and well-done Sacramental Confession! God is slow to anger and rich in mercy always!
- JESUS FALLS AGAIN BUT GETS UP. Weariness becomes more pronounced in Jesus’ Body, in all the members of His Body, but He still carries the cross willingly and with great love for you and for me. Pray and meditate over this second fall of Jesus. Most possibly this thought might penetrate your heart—NUNC COEPI!!! This is a classical phrase for the Religious Oblates of the Virgin Mary, two words in Latin from their Founder, Venerable Father Bruno Lanteri. NUNC COEPI—translated means: NOW I BEGIN!!! In other words, Jesus falls but He gets up again under the heavy weight of the cross despite His weariness. Therefore, when we fall we should never give in to discouragement, much less despair. Rather, with great humility and trust in the Infinite Mercy of our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, we should rise, repent, confess and once again experience the goodness of God. In the words of the Psalmist: “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” (Ps. 34: 8)
- OUR CROSS AND THE CROSS OF JESUS. As you contemplate Jesus carrying the cross, examine your own life and the crosses you have had to carry or that you might be carrying right now. The cross and suffering can either make us better or bitter, either sanctify us or crush us! It all depends on our attitude, on our perspective of the cross. The following are various visions or perspectives with respect to the cross:
- IGNORANCE. Maybe we are simply ignorant of the cross that God has decided to give us.
- DENIAL. Another attitude might be that we are vaguely aware of the cross but we choose to deny it is real.
- REJECTION. Another attitude might be that we acknowledge the cross but there is a total rejection of the cross, a total unwillingness to carry it on our part.
- ANGER. Somewhat related to this would be that we are aware of the cross and angry over the reality of such a cross.
- RECOGNITION AND PARTIAL ACCEPTANCE. There is still another attitude or perspective—a partial acceptance of the cross. We have a cross and we recognize there is no way around it so we carry it, but with resentment. In other words: FATALISM!!!
- ACCEPTANCE. In this case, we are keenly aware of our cross or crosses, we talk to the Lord about them, and come to accept them as our lot.
- ACCEPTANCE AND UNION WITH JESUS. Finally, there is the person who recognizes and accepts their cross (or crosses) fully and totally, turns to Jesus and begs the Lord Jesus for the grace to carry the cross, and even more, begs the Lord Jesus to help them carry the cross the whole way to Calvary, relying upon His strength and not their own! Moreover, this person is keenly aware of the fact that the cross is not the last word. Rather, the last word is that Jesus is truly risen from the dead! In the words of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: “There is no Good Friday without the glory of the Resurrection!”
