“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

THURSDAY, April 1st   Jn. 13: 1-15   “Jesus rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.”

“Then He said. ‘You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

• Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet was something a slave would do. Jesus is telling the Apostles and us that there is no service we can render to someone in need that is beneath us!  
• Like Jesus, like the Apostles, we are here to serve others, not to be served. This is the only way we will be saved. (Read Mt. 25: 31-46 The Sheep and the Goats; Lk. 11: 25-37 The Good Samaritan; Lk. 16: 19-31 The Rich Man and Lazarus.)
• However, if we are to serve, we must first be nourished. There is only one bread that can sustain a life of service to others: the Bread of Life. On this Holy Thursday, we celebrate the institution of two Sacraments: the Most Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood that will perpetuate the Eucharist until the end of time. Did not Jesus promise that He would not leave us orphans!???

JESUS TRULY IS THE BREAD OF LIFE. 15 BIBLICAL PASSAGES POINTING TO THE EUCHARIST… By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

One of the many channels that can be utilized to augment our faith, devotion, and love for the greatest of all the Sacraments, the most Holy Eucharist, is by reading and meditating upon key Biblical passages, in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. The Old Testament presents symbols or what Bible scholars term Types, Biblical Typology of references or allusions to the Eucharist that become a reality in the New Testament. In other words, what is present in a hidden, mysterious, and symbolic form in the Old Testament breaks out in transparent Truth in the New Testament.

This being said, we will start with Old Testament Biblical types of the Mass, the Eucharist, and the priesthood which will lead us to the reality in the New Testament where the Eucharist—meaning Thanksgiving—was actually instituted by Jesus Himself at the Last Supper. Now let us delve deep into the infinite treasures, the infinite ocean of God’s presence in His living and penetrating Word, which we call the Bible!

OLD TESTAMENT REFERENCES TO THE EUCHARIST

1. GENESIS Chapter 3: 6. THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT. In this chapter we encounter Adam and Eve, our first parents, who were commanded not to eat from the tree of the forbidden fruit. They disobeyed by eating this fruit—first Eve, then Adam. This we call ORIGINAL SIN. Death entered the world through the sin of disobedience of our first parents in eating the forbidden fruit.

2. JOHN Chapter 6: 35-54. THE BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE. Death came from eating and disobedience. To the contrary, eternal life will come about by eating and obedience. The eating this time must be from the fruit of the tree of Calvary, which is the Body and Blood of Jesus.The Son of God Himself asserted: “I am the Bread of life. Whoever eats my Body and drinks my Blood will have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.” (6: 35, 54) In a clear and unequivocal fashion, Jesus states that our salvation, our eternal life, depends upon eating Himself.

3. GENESIS Chapter 14: 18-20 / HEBREWS 4: 14-15. BREAD AND WINE OFFERED BY MELCHIZEDEK. This mysterious figure of the past symbolizes Jesus the High Priest. Without the person of the priest, the Eucharist or Bread of Life cannot become a reality. The priesthood is essential for the whole reality of the Mass, the Consecration, the Eucharist, and Holy Communion.

4. EXODUS Chapter 14: 21-28. THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA. The clear symbolism in this passage is that the Jews passed from slavery to freedom led by Moses their leader. They were freed from the oppression and slavery of the Egyptians. Their passage was through the RED SEA. In a parallel sense, sin is slavery in our lives. By shedding His RED BLOOD on the cross on Calvary that Good Friday, Jesus attained for us the true freedom of the sons and daughters of God. By receiving His Body and Blood we are strengthened, purified, and made strong so as to cross from this life to eternal life in heaven.\

5. EXODUS Chapter 16: 4. THE MANNA IN THE DESERT. The Israelite’s were famished from their long journey through the desert. God, through the instrumentality and leadership of Moses, rained down bread from heaven called manna—a word meaning “What is this?” Without eating, we are all destined to die on a human and natural plane. Likewise, if we do not nourish our souls with the Bread of Life, we are destined to die and perish for all eternity. The Manna in the desert is a symbol or type of the Holy Eucharist. Actually, Jesus in the Bread of Life discourse makes reference to Moses and the manna in the desert: “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which one may eat and not die.” (Jn. 6: 48-50)

6. 1 KINGS Chapter 19: 1-9. THE GREAT PROPHET ELIJAH. Fleeing for his life from the wicked Queen Jezebel and King Ahab, after one day’s journey, Elijah collapsed in a state of profound desolation. This translated to falling into a deep slumber. God sent an angel to Elijah to awaken the man of God. The angel presented bread for Elijah to eat, once and then a second time. After eating twice, Elijah walked forty days and forty nights from the strength that came from the bread. This bread communicated to Elijah a super energy to help him walk all the way to the holy mountain where he encountered God in the gentle breeze. Our journey towards the eternal mountain that we call HEAVEN is a long, perilous, tiring, and dangerous one. We need energy and strength to persevere on the journey. That all-powerful energy comes from Jesus, who is truly the Bread of Life and nourishment for the journey to our heavenly homeland.

7. PSALM 23. THE PSALM OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Possibly to the surprise of many, there are indeed symbolic Eucharistic overtones present in this Psalm. Yes! In what way? “You anoint my head with oil… my cup overflows… I believe I will dwell in the House of the Lord for years without end.” These three separate and distinct phrases certainly have Eucharistic overtones and represent symbols or types. Anointing refers to the priesthood necessary to celebrate the Mass. Cup refers to the Blood of Christ. House of the Lord refers to heaven—meaning, that if we nourish ourselves on the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation we will arrive at our eternal and permanent home: HEAVEN!!!

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES TO THE EUCHARIST.

Now we will move from the Old Testament to the New Testament and delve into the many inspiring sources that we are all called to read and meditate upon so that we will grow in faith, love, and devotion for Jesus who is truly present in the Bread of Life.

1. JOHN Chapter 6: 1-71. JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE. Once again we return to the all-important chapter of John 6. This long chapter of 71 verses offers three essential themes for our meditation:

• Jesus multiplies the loaves. Here Jesus works a miracle over nature multiplying bread and fish for the multitude, and also for us so as to dispose and prepare our minds, hearts, and souls for the miracle of the Eucharist.

• Jesus walks on water, showing His power over His own body, again preparing us for the miracle of the Eucharist. In Mt. 14: 22-33, Jesus walks on water and gives Peter the power to walk on water as long as he keeps his eyes on the Lord! If we truly believe in the Lord, we can carry out miracles. “Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief.” (Mk. 9: 24)

• Finally, close to two thirds of Chapter 6 of John is THE BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE. This magnificent preaching of Jesus teaches without stammer or stutter, with the greatest clarity, that if we want to live forever we must nourish ourselves on the Bread of Life: “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (Jn. 6: 53)

2. MATTHEW Chapter 26: 26-28 / LUKE 22: 19. THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST. In the context of the Last Supper, Jesus celebrates the First Mass on that Holy Thursday night. In the same context Jesus institutes and ordains the first priests; these are the Apostles. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them saying, ‘Take and eat, this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” In the Last Supper account of Luke, Jesus then says to the apostles, “Do this in remembrance of me.” In awe and thanksgiving let us lift our hearts in praise to the Lord for this most sublime gift! Let us beg for greater faith and love for the Eucharist, as well as implore the Lord for good and holy priests.

3. REVELATION Chapter 3: 20. JESUS STANDS AND KNOCKS. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” This short but challenging passage presents Jesus as a pilgrim-traveler knocking at the door. The owner can either choose to leave the door shut and ignore the traveler’s knock or he can open the door to the weary traveler and invite him to supper. The Eucharistic Lord is knocking at the door of your heart now! What is your response???

4. I CORINTHIANS Chapter 11: 17-34. THE EUCHARISTIC ABUSE. This passage in the Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians explodes! Unfortunately, in this early Christian Community there were members who were abusing the Eucharist. The more affluent were eating and drinking, even getting drunk, and neglecting the poor. Then after this scandal, they would be eating and drinking the Body and Blood of the Lord, and Saint Paul says, to their own condemnation. This Biblical passage gives us the foundation for the importance of receiving the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus, in the state of grace. Otherwise, we could be eating and drinking, not for our salvation, but for our own condemnation!

5. LUKE Chapter 24: 13-35. THE DISCIPLES ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS. This beautiful and heartwarming Easter passage offers us a summary of Holy Mass in miniature. Two disciples, walking away from Jerusalem after Christ’s crucifixion and death, are in the depths of desolation, until a stranger joins them. That “stranger” is the risen Jesus, unrecognized by them. Their journey on the way to their little cottage talking with Jesus and listening to Him is the Liturgy of the Word. “Jesus said to them, ‘Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Approaching their destination, they urge Jesus to stay with them. Breaking of the Bread in the little cottage in Emmaus is the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Sitting down at the table, he takes bread, gives thanks, breaks the bread, and gives the bread, only it is no longer bread, it is His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” One key interpretation: when we live and walk without Jesus, we live and walk in utter darkness, desolation, and sadness. However, once we allow Jesus to walk with us in His Word in Sacred Scripture, and dwell within us in His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, Jesus, the Son of God and the Light of the World, breaks through the clouds and shines on our path, the clouds of sadness dissipate, and we experience an overflowing and abundant joy!

6. MATTHEW Chapter 6: 9-13. In THE LORD’S PRAYER, that we commonly call THE OUR FATHER, there are seven petitions. One of these refers to the Eucharist and Holy Communion. “Give us this day our daily bread…” One way in which this can be interpreted is the challenge, inasmuch as it is possible according to your daily obligations, to attend Mass and to receive Holy Communion even on a daily basis. In other words, this daily bread could be interpreted as daily Mass and Holy Communion. Those who have formed the habit of daily Mass and Holy Communion find that they cannot live without this nourishment of our Eucharistic Lord! Try it out—daily Mass and Holy Communion, and see how your life improves!

7. LUKE Chapter 1: 38; JOHN 1: 14 MARY AND RECEIVING JESUS. As soon as Our Lady gave her consent to God through the Archangel Gabriel with the words of her Fiat, her Yes: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word” (Lk. 1: 38), at that very moment, “The word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn. 1: 14) Saint Pope John Paul II makes a parallel between Mary’s YES to God and our AMEN when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion. In this sense, Mary’s Yes resulted in receiving Jesus into her heart, mind, body, and soul; so also our Amen when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion results in Jesus entering into our heart and into the very center of our  being. For that reason, it is important to beg Mary for the grace to receive Jesus with great faith, devotion, and love in Holy Communion.

8. LUKE Chapter 1: 46-55. MARY’S MAGNIFICAT. We conclude on a Marian note taken from the great Marian lover, Saint Louis de Montfort, who gave us True Devotion to Mary. Related to the Mass, Holy Communion, and the Eucharist, de Montfort says that one of the best ways that we can render a proper thanksgiving to Jesus after receiving Him in Holy Communion is by praying Mary’s MAGNIFICAT. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”

Through the intercession of the most pure and Immaculate Heart of Mary, may all of you grow in your belief, your devotion, and your love for Jesus truly present in the Holy Eucharist, through frequent and fervent Masses and Holy Communions. Indeed, Jesus is the Bread of Life and whoever eats His Body and drinks His Blood will have eternal life in joy, peace, and happiness forever in Heaven. “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.”

“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.

1. 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!!!

2. 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!

3. 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!

4. 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.”

5. 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!

6. 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!

7. 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!!!

8. 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!

9. 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)

10.  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:

1. 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!”

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

TUESDAY, March 30th   Jn. 12: 21-33, 36-38   “Peter said to him, ‘Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ Jesus answered, ‘you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times.’”

• Today, we will pray over and contemplate Jesus’ Crowning with Thorns, and all the blasphemies and humiliations heaped on his head besides! The Scourging was primarily for sins against the flesh. The Crowning with Thorns is primarily for sins against the intellect and the will.
• May our compassion and love for Jesus hanging on the cross, and Mary beneath the cross, move us to deep gratitude for Our Lord and Savior, and help us to enter deeply into this next sorrowful scene!
• 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…

CRUEL CROWNING WITH SHARP THORNS

After the atrocious and diabolic scourging of Jesus at the Pillar, we proceed to contemplate Jesus being crowned with sharp and painful thorns. Not only that, but the sheer mockery of the thorns being woven into a mock-crown added to the cruel bitterness of such an atrocious gesture.

IGNATIAN CONTEMPLATION.  Therefore, let us set the stage, compose the scene, and beg for the graces necessary to derive abundant fruit from this Ignatian contemplation. Let us call to mind the place, the circumstances, the time, the persons involved, the words spoken, and derive abundant fruit from the supreme act of love that Jesus suffered for love of you and me.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO BRING TO THIS CONTEMPLATION.  It is essential that we constantly call to mind the reason behind these scenes, why Jesus underwent so much suffering physically, mentally, emotionally, morally, and spiritually in His cruel and bitter Passion. It was precisely for this reason: His intense and over-flowing love for all of humanity. However, on a very personal note, He suffered every detail of His most bitter Passion, leading to the shedding of every drop of His Precious Blood on the cross, for love of you. If you were the only person existing in the world, Jesus would have undergone all of His suffering for love of you and the eternal salvation of your immortal soul!!!

FROM SCOURGING TO CROWNING.  After the scourging of Jesus at the Pillar, eventually culminating in the carrying of the cross and His crucifixion on Good Friday, Jesus spent long and painful hours in custody in a relatively small chamber with torturers. This chamber was indeed small with little ventilation and He was surrounded by individuals who had as their sole purpose to taunt Him, mock Him, deride Him, scoff at Him, in a word to torture Him. This is the overall context of the CROWNING WITH THORNS.

REFERENCE TOOL.  As a contemplative guide and reference tool, as was suggested in the Scourging at the Pillar, you can utilize the spectacular movie of Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ. Saint Ignatius insists on the proper training and use of our imagination as a source and tool to augment and fortify our prayer life. However, the movie should be viewed to supplement the contemplation and not to supplant it. Also, the movie should be viewed not simply as a Hollywood rendition but as a contemplative prayer.

BIBLICAL PASSAGE: READ Matthew 27:28-29—View movie of Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ

POINTS TO MEDITATE: CROWNING WITH THORNS…

1. TRANSITION FROM THE SCOURGING TO THE CROWNING.  It should not be forgotten that very recently, a few hours earlier, Jesus has been brutally scourged at the Pillar, a treatment that would have easily decimated and killed almost anybody else. Therefore, it is to be recalled that Jesus has lost immense amounts of blood and underneath His garments, His body is basically a gaping, oozing, open wound! In other words, the entire Body of Jesus experiences constant and intense suffering. All of this was done for love of you and the salvation of your soul. Stop and talk to Jesus about His great love for you! Ask Him to help you to love Him more and more.

2. BOUND AND DRAGGED. Almost like an animal, Jesus is roped, dragged, and pushed around until he arrives at his destiny—the little chamber where He will undergo almost unspeakable torments and tortures for several hours this night, Holy Thursday night, leading up to Good Friday! Jesus is bound so as to give us freedom from our mortal enemy number one—SIN!

3. THE TORTURES CONTINUE: NOW WITH THEIR HANDS!  The cruel torturers have Jesus the whole night and they ceaselessly taunt, mock, deride, and torture Him with very little relief. They smack Jesus’ Sacred Face with their hands, then punch Him with their fists mercilessly and with utter cruelty. They even tug at and pluck His beard as prophesied in the Old Testament.  In silence Jesus suffers all this like a lamb led to the slaughter—as prophesied by Isaiah. Try to be present to this scene and console the Lord with your words and your heart, with your compassion and your love.

4. MORE TORTURES: SPITTING IN HIS FACE.  Most of us would agree that one of the most terrible and humiliating insults that could be leveled against us is to be spat upon, but worse yet, to actually be spat upon in the face! This is done to Jesus again and again! Try to be present and contemplate this terrible insult.

5. TORTURING JESUS BY THEIR WORDS.  Not only does Jesus suffer through physical actions of torture as mentioned already, but Jesus is tortured by words: insults, derision, taunting, diabolic jeers and laughter, biting sarcasm, vulgarities. How true the statement: words can kill!!! How often have we been responsible for hurting Jesus by our words??? Enter into this scene and try to imagine the coarse and insulting words hurled at Jesus. For your part, try to console our suffering Savior!

6. ANOTHER IDEA TO ADD TO JESUS’ SUFFERING: THE CROWN.  One of the torturers hatches another diabolical idea and plan: Jesus has been hailed by some as a King, the King of the Jews; if that is the case then He needs a crown!!! The idea surfaces: why not make Him a crown, a mock-crown of sharp thorns!

7. IMAGINE THE FASHIONING OF THE CROWN.  Be present to this diabolic construction of the CROWN OF THORNS. Outside there must have been some rose bushes from which thorns, sharp-thorns could be extracted. Contemplate the evil and malicious intent of this individual torturer as he molds and weaves this mock crown—THE CROWN OF THORNS! 

8. PICTURE THE CROWN IN YOUR MIND’S EYE!  The mock-crown of thorns is woven in a circular fashion with almost countless thorns. Some thorns are bigger than others. SHARP!!! These thorns are very sharp, able to both pierce and penetrate causing excruciating pain. See how carefully the torturer holds it after terminating his diabolic construct so that he will not be cut by one of the thorns.

9. THE MOCK-CROWNING.  Contemplate this most painful scene. As depicted in the movie, The Passion of the Christ, the torturer who constructed the Crown of Thorns loudly cries out derisive and sarcastic insults: HAIL, THE KING OF THE WORMS!!! Then the torturer presses and pushes the sharp crown of thorns deep into the Sacred Head of humble and gentle Jesus.

10.  CONTEMPLATE WHAT HAPPENS TO JESUS.  Upon receiving the Crown of Thorns, Jesus winces in agonizing pain but accepts this suffering for love of you and me. Try to imagine in your contemplation the thorns passing through Jesus’ hair, piercing His brow, penetrating His skull, some say even arriving at His brain. Contemplate the Crown of Thorns encircling Jesus’ entire Head and the pain reverberating through His whole being.

11. HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD.  Of course, due to the thrust and sharpness of the thorns, Jesus’ Precious Blood comes spurting forth. Muster up courage to contemplate the Precious Blood of Jesus running down His face, running down His cheeks, entering into His beard, even trickling down to the floor. Talk to Jesus, console Him and thank Him for shedding His Precious Blood for the salvation of your immortal soul. Sorrow with and for Jesus humbly enduring the painful crown of thorns embedded in His Sacred Head, and the endless blasphemies hurled at Him the whole night and even into the morning.

12.  THE REED: GIVE HIM A SCEPTER IF HE IS INDEED KING!  To further humiliate Jesus, they concoct another derisive and insulting plan: why not find a reed that can serve to represent the scepter that a King holds as a symbol of his power. So that is what they do. They find and force a reed into His bound hands, and there Jesus sits with a crown of sharp and penetrating thorns on His head and a reed—a mock-scepter in His hands. Now they are ready to salute and hail Jesus as King with the utmost sarcasm and venom. Contemplate Jesus and console Him as much as you can with a sincere and compassionate heart. Tell Jesus how much you desire for Him to be the Lord of Lords and King of Kings of your entire life!!!

13.  A NIGHT OF SUFFERING, INSULTS, AND MOCKERY.  So this is how Jesus spends the entire night before He is forced to carry His cross and stretch out His hands to be nailed to the cross, all for love of you and me. You might even try to imagine that you are present in the background in that small, asphyxiating, foul-smelling, and dungeon-like cell where Jesus is spending the last hours of His life before being crucified. Imagine what they say to Him, imagine what they do to Him, and then console and comfort your loving Savior. Be assured that your love and presence are a great solace to Him!

14.  LIKE A LAMB LED TO THE SLAUGHTER; HE OPENED NOT HIS MOUTH. Contemplate the Prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah in depicting Jesus as the gentle and innocent Lamb that was led to the slaughter and did not resist. Talk to Jesus about your own sufferings and beg Jesus for the grace to understand the meaning of suffering, especially the meaning of your sufferings in the light of His Passion and Suffering.

TRIPLE COLLOQUY.  Saint Ignatius invites us at times to make a triple Colloquy or conversation. By Colloquy is meant a heart to heart conversation.

1. Talk to Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, about the suffering of Jesus that you have been contemplating—Jesus the suffering-servant. Conclude with the Hail Mary.

2. Talk to Jesus from the depths of your heart and tell Him how much you love Him and how much you want to console His Broken Heart. Conclude with the prayer Anima Christi—Soul of Christ.

3. Talk to God the Father who allowed Jesus to suffer for all of humanity, but in a special way for your own personal salvation. Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer—the Our Father…

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

MONDAY, March 29th   Jn. 12: 1-11   “Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.”

• Yesterday we meditated upon Jesus’ Agony in the Garden. Today we meditate upon Jesus’ Scourging at the Pillar. Let us keep in our mind and heart that Jesus suffered all of this for love of you and me. In return, let us beg for the grace to show extravagant love for Jesus, as Mary did in today’s Gospel, by our willingness to accompany Jesus in the cruel scourging at the pillar.
• Keep in mind that Jesus is both God and man. Hence, just as Jesus saw all your sins raining down upon Him in the Garden causing Him mortal anguish, so too, in His scourging, Jesus sees you there with Hus Mother Mary and Magdalene, loving Him, and suffering for Him and with Him!  

THE SCOURGING OF JESUS AT THE PILLAR—No greater love than to suffer for the loved ones. By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

BIBLICAL PASSAGE: READ John 19:1—View movie of Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ

One of the most salutary and efficacious practices to grow in the love of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is by serious pondering, meditating upon, and contemplating the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS. Traditionally, the month of July has been the month dedicated to the meditation of the Precious Blood of Jesus, our loving Savior.

We would invite all to meditate upon the SCOURGING OF JESUS AT THE PILLAR, but also to make this meditation/contemplation more extensive in the sense that we invite you to meditate upon the many times that Jesus shed His Precious Blood as a clear manifestation of His infinite love for the world, but also His infinite love for you and for me. 

Therefore, enter into this meditation with great generosity, docility, and openness to plumb the depths of the love that Jesus has for you. Saint Ignatius reminds us of the fact that Jesus died for all of humanity, but He suffered and died for you. In fact, if you were the only person in the world, Jesus would have suffered even the most bitter details of His Suffering, Passion and death for love of you! How immense is Jesus’ love for you!

DIFFERENT MOMENTS OF THE SHEDDING OF JESUS’ PRECIOUS BLOOD.

1. CIRCUMCISION. At the tender age of only 8-days, Jesus willingly allowed His Precious Blood to be shed at His circumcision. This painful action would have been carried out by Saint Joseph—the first drops of the Precious Blood of Jesus were shed as a mere Child, as a tender Baby. He willingly suffered this for love of you and me!

2. THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE.  Entering into His Bitter Passion, Jesus shed His Precious Blood. The context? Immediately after the Last Supper in which Jesus left us both the Priesthood and the greatest Gift of His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist, Jesus travels with His Apostles to His habitual place of prayer—the Garden of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane. In anguish, with all the sins of humanity cascading down upon Him like a torrential downpour of rain, and the Apostles sleeping instead of praying with Him, Jesus enters into a bitter agony and sweats big drops of Blood which then fall to the ground. Contemplate Jesus’ Holy Face in anguish and agony, with His Precious Blood dripping profusely to the ground. Be the Angel of Consolation—draw close to Jesus, console Him and comfort Him in His mortal anguish

3. THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR.  Of course one of the most bitter and painful scenes in the movie The Passion of the Christ is the 2nd Sorrowful Mystery—the Scourging at the Pillar. If you like, watch or call to mind the scene in the movie of the scourging of Jesus. Have enough courage to be present there at this heart-rending scene. Stay close to Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, as well as the Magdalene, to witness this bitter treatment of Jesus. All of this should be done as a powerful prayer, meditation, and contemplation to arrive at the keen awareness of how much Jesus really loves you and me. Let us take some of the details of the scourging and derive abundant fruit from this excruciating moment in the life of our loving Savior.

1) JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS.  How embarrassing and humiliating for Jesus!!! One of the principle reasons for this extreme humiliation that Jesus most willingly accepted from God the Father was to repair for the all-pervasive sin of immodesty that has inundated our world like an immoral deluge of impurity. Our Lady of Fatima told Saint Jacinta Marto that many immodest fashions would enter the world that would gravely offend God. Beg Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness for the many times in the past that perhaps you have given into the decadent culture and succumbed to immodest fashions. Perhaps you have allowed your children to dress and live immodestly. Beg pardon and be converted!

2) MARRIAGES NOT PLEASING TO GOD.  Our Lady also revealed to Saint Jacinta Marto that many marriages are not pleasing to God. Our Lady did not give the reasons, but common sense and common knowledge point to lust, impurity, pornography and unfaithfulness as being key factors in the all-too-prevalent reality of poor marriages.

3) JESUS BOUND WITH ROPES.  Jesus is basically treated like a slave or even an animal as He is bound with ropes. Jesus allows His liberty to be taken from Him so that He can attain for us liberty and freedom from sin, the true freedom of the sons and daughters of God!

4) BOUND TO A PILLAR.  His hands are tied and bound to a pillar such that He can barely even move.

5) EXECUTIONERS MALICE.  The executioners, permeated with diabolic, sarcastic, derisive, and malicious smiles, gloat as they prepare the torture weapons they will use to inflict the most excruciating pain on the innocent Body of Jesus—the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

6) PONTIUS PILATE’S UNJUST ORDER.  Upon the order of Pilate, the executioners commence their malevolent and cruel torture. How interesting the injustice of this whole parody! Pilate stated that he could find nothing wrong in Jesus who was being condemned as a criminal. Yet Pilate has Him scourged. For what? No crime at all!!! Yet Jesus takes the sins of all of humanity upon His Innocent Body.

7. BEATING IN ALTERNATION.  The executioners take turns beating Jesus with the sticks in their hands, doing it with all the energy and strength they can muster! Jesus willingly accepts this process of torture without complaint. Well did the Prophet Isaiah prophecy about Jesus: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. He was like a lamb led to the slaughter, and He opened not His mouth. By his wounds we are healed.” (Is. 53: 5,7)

8. THE ROMAN FLAGELLUM.  After utilizing sticks to beat the Body of Jesus, the executioners change instruments, using one of the most painful of all torture-instruments—the infamous Roman flagellum! This particularly vicious instrument of torture is a whip made of leather thongs knotted with spikes of iron pieces and animal bones with almost razor-blade sharpness, designed to rip the skin off the victim being whipped.

9. RIPPING INTO THE TENDER BODY OF JESUS.  Upon command, the two executioners begin the brutal torture of Jesus using the flagellum, alternating their attacks. Even though this may cause us great pain, make a concerted effort to be present to Jesus in this scene with Mary and the Magdalene.

10) THE CRUEL AND GRUESOME REALITY.  The spikes dig into Jesus’ flesh, ripping the flesh from His Sacred Body. Try to imagine the excruciating and indescribable pain that Jesus is going through for love of all of humanity, but also for love of you and me. “No greater love has a man than this, to lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn. 15: 13)

11) THE START OF THE BLOOD-FLOW.  Jesus writhes in pain at every infliction of the flagellum and rivulets of Blood start to stream from His torn flesh. Contemplate the Precious Blood of Jesus spilling forth from His Sacred Body.

12) THE CRUELTY INCREASES.  The executioners begin to attack Jesus with greater violence and velocity, infuriated because never have they encountered a condemned man with as much physical strength and stamina as Jesus manifests.

13) HIS BODY AN OPEN AND GAPING WOUND.  The executioners’ malice and violence have no limits. Their blows reach from the nape of Jesus’ neck, descending down to His shoulders, to His torso even wrapping around His stomach, to His buttocks, to His legs. In a word, His entire Body is transformed into a huge open and gaping wound.

14) BLOOD FLOW INCREASES.  Now the Precious Blood of Jesus is streaming from His Precious Body and gushing to the ground. Due to the profuse amount of Blood shed, pools of Blood start to form on the ground. Contemplate this piteous scene with the eyes and heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God and Our Lady of Sorrows.

15) JESUS FALLS UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE BLOWS.  Jesus’ strength declines and He can no longer stand. He collapses laying in a pool of His own Blood. Still the executioners strike Him with violent and cruel strength.

16) SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH—JESUS RISES.  To the shock of the men attacking Him, they witness Jesus rising, willing to receive more brutal blows. This they do.

17) JESUS INTENTION.  In all of this bitter torture, suffering, and blood loss, Jesus is obedient to the will of the Heavenly Father. He has you and me in His mind as He submits to this unspeakable torture. Talk to Jesus, tell Him how much you love Him and how much you truly appreciate all He is willing to undergo for love of you.

18) ENOUGH! It is the Roman guard who finally cries out: ENOUGH, ENOUGH!!! Do not kill him!

19) RELEASE.  Jesus is finally released from the barbaric and diabolic scourging as He lays on the ground in pools of His own Blood.

20. THE TOWELS.  Claudia, wife of Pontius Pilate, had a dream of the innocence of Jesus. Witnessing at least to a limited degree the brutal treatment of Jesus, she now offers to the Blessed Mother and to the Magdalene towels which they willingly receive to wipe up the Precious Blood of Jesus.

21. JOIN THEM.  In your contemplation, why not have the courage and the compassion to join them. On your hands and knees begin to wipe up the Precious Blood of Jesus with the towels. Remembering that He shed His Precious Blood for love of you and me and our eternal salvation.

22. REASON FOR THE EXCRUCIATING SUFFERING OF THE SCOURGING.  Most of the saints agree as to the reason for Jesus immense suffering in the Scourging at the Pillar. Jesus willingly suffered so much, shedding so much of His Precious Blood, in reparation for sins against the virtue of purity. Our Lady of Fatima stated that most souls are lost and merit the eternal pains and sufferings of Hell due to the sins of impurity.

23. BEG FOR THE GRACE.  This being the case, we should beg for the grace of purity, beg for the grace of chastity. Let us beg for the grace to live out the Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.” (Mt. 5: 8)

24. PURITY IN ALL OUR SENSES. As we contemplate the brutal scourging of Jesus and His loss of an enormous quantity of Blood, let us beg for the very special grace of purity. Let us beg through the intercession of Mary Immaculate for purity of our eyes, our memory, our understanding, and our imagination. Let us also beg for purity of our body because it is the Temple of the Holy Spirit through Baptism. Still more, let us beg for purity of our emotions and affections, of our actions, and even of our intentions. May all we think, say, do, even intend, be done through the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the honor and glory of God and the salvation of immortal souls!

COLLOQUY. Saint Ignatius challenges us with three questions that we should consider in prayer in this moment:

What have I done for Jesus?

What am I doing for Jesus right now?

What am I willing to do for Jesus in the future?

Having striven to plumb the depths of the great love Jesus has for you, indeed you should be ready and willing to give your whole being to Jesus for His honor and service.

TRIPLE COLLOQUY. 

1. Enter into conversation with Our Lady of Sorrows and unload your heart.

2. Talk to Jesus pouring out your heart in contrition, gratitude, and supplication begging for greater love for Him.

3. Talk to the Eternal Father… beg to know and do His holy will in your life. Close with the Our Father.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SUNDAY, March 28th   Mk. 15: 1-39    “Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.”

Part 1: Introductory Points for Holy Week.

Part 2: THE PASSION AND DEATH OF JESUS FOR LOVE OF YOU AND ME. By Father Ed Broom, OMV

• We are entering Holy Week – the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, observed with special solemnity as a time of devotion to the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This time is marked by special observances.

From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, known as USCCB:

“The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum—from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ’s Paschal Mystery.

The single celebration of the Triduum marks the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil.

The liturgical services that take place during the Triduum are:

1. Mass of the Lord’s Supper

2) Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

3) Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord

• There is one Mass celebrated on Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Last Supper with the institution of the most Holy Eucharist and the priesthood. After Mass, the Holy Eucharist is removed from the tabernacle and the doors are left open for us to see and experience that He is gone!
• Good Friday we again experience the loss of the Lord in the empty tabernacle as we commemorate the Lord’s Passion with the Stations of the Cross, adoration of the Holy Cross, and a Communion Service.
• Holy Saturday is a day of prayer and silence in the absence of the Beloved, a loss truly felt until the Easter Vigil Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord!
• This is the greatest act of love over known to man. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (Jn. 3: 16)
• For this reason, during Holy Week we will provide for your holy hours daily Scripture passages with meditations written by Fr. Ed Broom on the sufferings Jesus bore for love of you and me and our eternal salvation in His Passion and death on the cross! (Taken from the second scheme of meditations for the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola composed by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV)

PART 2: THE PASSION AND DEATH OF JESUS FOR LOVE OF YOU AND ME. By Father Ed Broom, OMV

GRACE TO BEG FOR:  Beg for the grace to meditate upon how much Jesus suffered for love of you and me, but in return beg for the grace to suffer with Christ.

SEE MEDITATION & BIBLE VERSE AFTER INTRODUCTION…

AGONY OF JESUS IN THE GARDEN: FOR YOU & ME

ESSENCE AND HEART OF LOVE.  The very essence and heart of love is the readiness and willingness to suffer for the loved one. Jesus Himself said:  “No greater love has a man than this, to lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn. 15: 13) Absolutely all that Jesus suffered and underwent in His Passion was accepted and endured for love of all of humanity. However, Saint Ignatius highlights another aspect of this mystery of love: Jesus suffered the most bitter torments and agony for you in a personal and individual way. In fact, if you were the only person that God ever created, Jesus would have suffered His most bitter and painful Passion for love of you and the salvation of your immortal soul. Indeed, how great is the love of Jesus for you and for me! In the Diary of Saint Faustina we read and meditate upon the concept of suffering, in which Jesus communicates to Saint Faustina and to us that love is truly measured by the willingness to suffer for the loved ones.

LOVE DEMANDS A RESPONSE OF LOVE.  This being said, it must be emphasized that while it is true that Jesus loves us so much, as will be evident in the following meditations, it is also true that the lover, who is Jesus the Lord, ardently desires for us to love Him in return. We want to beg for this special grace.

GRACE TO BEG FOR.  The grace to beg for in the week of the Passion of Jesus is not an easy grace. We beg for the grace to meditate upon how much Jesus suffered for love of you and me, but in return to Him, we beg for the grace to suffer with Jesus. Some sentiments we may beg for would be the following: to suffer with the loved One, have compassion for the Lord, console the Heart of Jesus, and at least to some degree enter into Jesus’ agony, then strive to penetrate the reason for such excruciating suffering.

BIBLICAL PASSAGE: READ Mark 14: 32-41/Luke 22: 39-46/Matthew 26: 36-46)

ENTERING INTO THE SCENE: THE GARDEN OF OLIVES (GETHSEMANE).  With calmness, trust, generosity, magnanimity, and great love, let us enter with Jesus into the Garden of Gethsemane, a place where He went habitually to pray. With His Best Friends—Peter, James, and John, let us accompany Jesus and derive abundant fruit from our meditation.

1. CREATE THE SCENE WITH YOUR IMAGINATION.  Imagine it being night, somewhat chilly with a slight breeze, a full moon enlightening the contour, landscape, and vegetation of the Garden which of course abounds in olive trees. Be truly present in the scene.

2. PICTURE JESUS IN THIS MOVING SCENE.  He is a young man about 33 years of age. For the last three years, in the company of the 12 Apostles, He has been actively engaged in His public ministry which consisted basically of three activities: abundant preaching, miracles over nature and physical healings, and several exorcisms—the casting out of devils. All of this was done for love of you and me and for the salvation of many souls.

3. JESUS’ DEMEANOR AND ASPECT.  Unlike any other time, on this night Jesus manifests sadness, fear, tension, vulnerability, real suffering, and even agony. Bewildered at seeing the Lord Jesus in such a state, the Apostles are confused, disoriented, and themselves sad. During the course of the Spiritual Exercises we have learned the word that expresses the spiritual state of Jesus, His state of soul—that of DESOLATION.

4. BE WITH JESUS.  Like the Apostles, be with Jesus, accompany Him and enter into His heart, mind, and soul. Jesus begins to experience a sadness even unto death. We know, though it be a very sad truth, that when Jesus most needs His best friends—Peter, James, and John, they fall asleep. For your part, strive to stay awake and enter into the heart of Jesus, into the very soul of Jesus. Be the Angel of Consolation for Jesus. Be His best friend!

5. LISTEN TO THE HEART-RENDING WORDS OF JESUS.  He opens up the depths of His soul in filial confidence to Abba—Father. This is a model prayer for us and for the whole world. Jesus’ words express humility, trust, confidence, obedience, docility, filial trust, total conformity and acceptance of the will of the Heavenly Father. The words of Jesus: “Father (Abba), if it be possible, remove this cup (chalice) from me. However, not my will but your will be done.” (Mt. 26: 39) Listen attentively to the words of Jesus and strive to penetrate the deep meaning of this message for you. The Apostles, however, fall into a slumber. Instead of fighting against the desolation, they give in to it. How important it is for us to recognize when we are in the state of desolation and to fight manfully and forcefully against it—the Ignatian agere contra!

6. JESUS WORDS TO THE APOSTLES AND TO US.  Seeing His friends asleep, Jesus exhorts them: “Stay awake and pray so that you do not be put to the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Mt. 26: 41) Despite these words of fervent exhortation, the Apostles return to their sleep.  Perhaps like the Apostles our will has weakened and we too have fallen asleep when we should have been fervently dedicated to prayer. Rewinding the film of our own life: how often has it happened that our falling into sin was preceded by a state of desolation, a drifting away from prayer, a spiritual slumber, and then crash—the fall into sin. In truth, our fall into sin is almost in direct proportion to our weakness in prayer, our sleep in prayer, or our abandonment of prayer.

7. IN THE DEPTHS OF DESOLATION, JESUS MODELS PRAYER FOR US.  In desolation the Apostles fail to pray, whereas Jesus prays more and with more intense fervor!!! So fervent is His prayer in Gethsemane that Jesus actually begins to sweat big drops of Blood which then trickle to the ground. Be with Jesus in spirit and contemplate the huge drops of Blood, His Blood sweat, and contemplate these drops falling to the ground. What a splendid example of perseverance for us. How easy it is for us to give up prayer for any pretext whatsoever. But not with Jesus! In the midst of the most intense desolation, He prays with admirable and astounding fervor and passion, with all His being—heart, emotions, mind, body, and soul. Let us humbly beg the Lord Jesus for fervor in our prayer life and that we would learn from Jesus to pray with every fiber of our being.

8. WHY THE SUFFERING AND THE SWEATING OF BLOOD???  Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen explains the WHY of Jesus suffering so much, the reason behind the excruciating AGONY OF JESUS IN THE GARDEN. This is the reason: all the sins of humanity descend upon Jesus in the Garden of Olives. Jesus, the God-man takes upon Himself the guilt of the sins of the whole of mankind—past, present, and future—which now descend upon Jesus like a torrential downpour of rain; from the original sin of Adam and Eve traversing the sins of mankind throughout the course of time including the last sin of the last person in human history. Jesus takes upon Himself all these sins and as a consequence, huge drops of Blood pour out of the pores of His Sacred Body and fall to the ground.   

9. OUR SINS TOO.  We cannot deny the fact that our sins are also descending upon the suffering and bleeding Body of Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Let us humbly beg the Lord Jesus to have sorrow, contrition, and firm purpose of amendment for our many sins and thereby receive Jesus’ mercy. Indeed, Jesus is really and truly suffering for all of the sins of the world, but for yours and mine and in a very personal way!

20. THE ANGEL OF CONSOLATION.  Contemplate and enter into this most touching scene. In the midst of the excruciating pain of Jesus, His agony and sweating of huge drops of Blood, God the Father sends to Jesus an angel. This angel might be called THE ANGEL OF CONSOLATION. 

Contemplate the angel who draws close to Jesus and even embraces the Lord in His suffering. In truth, this ANGEL OF CONSOLATION is you! Yes! 

You must be this Angel of Consolation. Draw close to the Lord. Embrace Him with great love. Talk to Him from the very depths of your heart. Beg of Jesus pardon and mercy for your sins. Beg of Jesus pardon and mercy for the sins of your family members. Beg of Jesus pardon and mercy for the sins of the Church. Beg of Jesus pardon and mercy for the sins of the whole world! Beg the Lord Jesus for the grace of conversion of poor sinners, especially of deathbed sinners, those sinners who will die within the next day.  Console the Lord and thank the Lord Jesus for all that He underwent for you, starting in the Garden of Gethsemane. And love the Lord with your whole heart and being!