FAUSTI - "It has been fulfilled" - It is the last Word of Jesus who, by giving his clothes to the soldiers and entrusting the disciple to the Mother and this to the disciple, has just drunk our vinegar. Thus His mission is fulfilled. By showing the Glory of Extreme Love, He gives us the Spirit, which we now see and know in Him. John' Gospel is truly the "spiritual Gospel". the Good News that the Spirit, Life of God, is communicated to mankind. With His death, Jesus does not reach the end, but the aim of His existence. After the Cross begins the seventh day, when God, having completed creation, finally rests from His labor (Gen 2:2) . The Son of Man is begotten to heaven, at His feet the new humanity of God's children is born. Jesus, as He returns to the Father with our flesh, hands over to all flesh His Spirit, who makes us His brethren. What has been accomplished on Golgotha is always at our disposal in the Eucharistic memorial, a permanent gift of His Flesh and Blood, of His Body and of His Spirit. Jesus, as an active protagonist, consciously lives His death and directs the final moment of His passage from this world to the Father. As He left His enemies clothes and tunic as an inheritance, He leaves to the disciple - and in Him to all - the Mother and the Spirit, the Blood and the Water. At the end, instead of the cry of abandonment (Ps 22:2) or of entrustment (Ps 31:6), there is the proclamation: "It has been fulfilled". The suffering Messiah in John is explicitly presented as the King of Glory: the Crucified One is victorious. The departure of Jesus, culminating in the gift of the Spirit, is under the sign of fulfilment. Everything is delivered and welcomed. At the beginning there is the awareness that everything is accomplished (28a), at the end the Word that reveals it to all (30a) and in the middle the consideration of the evangelist who declares the fulfillment of Scripture (28b). "After this" all things are already done as far as Jesus is concerned. He lived Love to perfection, even within death. In fact, following the command of the Father, He laid down His life in favour of His brothers and sisters (10:18); then handing over the Mother to the disciple and this to the Mother, He gave mortals the reciprocity of love. He cannot give us any more: He gave us God Himself, who is mutual Love between Father and Son. That is all and, outside of that, there is nothing. The hour of Glory, towards which His life tended, has come. The new creation is fulfilled: He Himself is the new creature, the loving Son of the same unique Love, Father and brothers and sisters. But what is accomplished on the cross, at the foot of the cross, has only just begun with the Mother and the beloved disciple. What is already perfectly completed in Him, "from that hour" must continue to be accomplished in us until His return. Indeed, His return is now the growth in us of His Love: His return to us is our return to Him. For this reason, the beloved disciple, witness of Love, will never die (21:23): Love will never end (1 Cor 13:8), but will grow for us infinitely. For God is Love (1 Jn 4:8-16).
Book of Isaiah 52,13-15.53,1-12. See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him-- so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals-- So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; For those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it. Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, A grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, Though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. (But the LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.) If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.
Psalms 31(30),2.6.12-13.15-16.17.25. In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me, Into your hands I commend my spirit; You will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
For all my foes I am an object of reproach, a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends; they who see me abroad flee from me. I am forgotten like the unremembered dead; I am like a dish that is broken.
But my trust is in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God. In your hands is my destiny; rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors."
Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness. Take courage and be stouthearted, all you who hope in the LORD.
Letter to the Hebrews 4,14-16.5,7-9. Brothers and sisters: Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 18,1-40.19,1-42. Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them, "Whom are you looking for?" They answered him, "Jesus the Nazorean." He said to them, "I AM." Judas his betrayer was also with them. When he said to them, "I AM," they turned away and fell to the ground. So he again asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" They said, "Jesus the Nazorean." Jesus answered, "I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me, let these men go." This was to fulfill what he had said, "I have not lost any of those you gave me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?" So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man should die rather than the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. But Peter stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, "You are not one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm. The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered him, "I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said." When he had said this, one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said, "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, "Didn't I see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed. Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said, "What charge do you bring (against) this man?" They answered and said to him, "If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." At this, Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law." The Jews answered him, "We do not have the right to execute anyone," in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he would die. So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?" Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants (would) be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" They cried out again, "Not this one but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck him repeatedly. Once more Pilate went out and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, "Behold, the man!" When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him." The Jews answered, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God." Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid, and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him, "Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?"Jesus answered (him), "You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin." Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, "If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar." When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge's bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your king!" They cried out, "Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews." Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that he said, 'I am the King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, "Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be," in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled (that says): "They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots." This is what the soldiers did. Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst." There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished." And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may (come to) believe. For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: "Not a bone of it will be broken." And again another passage says: "They will look upon him whom they have pierced." After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.
UNIVERSAL PRAYER I. FOR THE HOLY CHURCH Let us pray, brothers and sisters, for the holy Church of God. * May the Lord grant her unity and peace, protect her throughout the earth, * and grant us, in a serene and secure life, + to give glory to God the Father almighty. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, who in Christ revealed your glory to all peoples, guard the work of your mercy, so that your Church, spread throughout the earth, may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your name. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.
II. FOR THE POPE Let us pray for our holy father, Pope N. * May the Lord our God, who chose him for the episcopal order, * grant him life and health and preserve him for his holy Church + as leader and shepherd of the holy people of God. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, wisdom that rules the universe, listen to your family in prayer, and protect with your goodness the pope whom you have chosen for us, so that the Christian people, entrusted by you to his pastoral guidance, may always progress in faith. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.
III. FOR ALL THE FAITHFUL OF EVERY ORDER AND GRADE Let us pray for our bishop N.*, * for all the bishops, priests and deacons, * and for all the faithful people. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, who by your Spirit guide and sanctify the whole body of the Church, accept the prayers we address to you, so that according to the gift of your grace all the members of the community in their order and grade may faithfully serve you. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.
* Here it is also permitted to name the coadjutor bishop or the auxiliaries, as indicated in n. 149 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.
IV. FOR CATECHUMENS Let us pray for [our] catechumens. * May the Lord our God open their hearts to hear and open the door of mercy, * so that through the washing of regeneration they may receive forgiveness of all their sins * and be incorporated into Christ Jesus, our Lord. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, who make your Church ever fruitful with new children, increase in [our] catechumens the understanding of faith, so that, born to new life in the baptismal font, they may be welcomed among your adopted children. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.
V. FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY Let us pray for all our brothers and sisters who believe in Christ. * May the Lord our God gather and keep in his one Church * all those who bear witness to the truth with their works. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, who gather your children scattered everywhere and keep them in unity, turn your gaze on the flock of your Son, so that those who have been consecrated by a single Baptism may be one in the integrity of faith and in the bond of love. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.
VI. FOR THE JEWS Let us pray for the Jews. * May the Lord our God, who first addressed his word to them, * help them to always progress in the love of his name + and in fidelity to his covenant. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, who entrusted your promises to Abraham and his descendants, graciously hear the prayers of your Church, so that the firstborn people of your covenant may reach the fullness of redemption. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.
VII. FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN CHRIST Let us pray for those who do not believe in Christ. * Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, * may they too enter the way of salvation. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, grant that those who do not believe in Christ may find the truth by walking in your presence with a sincere heart, and that we may be more authentic witnesses of your charity in the world, progressing in mutual love and in full knowledge of the mystery of your life. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.
VIII. FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD Let us pray for those who do not believe in God. * By practicing justice with a sincere heart, * they may come to the knowledge of the true God. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, you have placed in the hearts of men such a deep longing for you that only when they find you do they have peace: make it so that, amid the difficulties of life, all may recognize the signs of your goodness and, stimulated by our testimony, have the joy of believing in you, the only true God and Father of all men. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen. IX. FOR GOVERNORS Let us pray for those who are called to govern the civil community. * May the Lord our God enlighten their minds and hearts * to seek the common good + in true freedom and true peace. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, in your hands are the hopes of men and the rights of every people: assist with your wisdom those who govern us, so that, with your help, they may promote throughout the earth a lasting peace, the prosperity of peoples and religious freedom. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.
X. FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN TRIAL Let us pray, brothers and sisters, to God the Father almighty, * that he may purify the world from errors, drive away illnesses, conquer hunger, * restore freedom to prisoners, break chains, grant safety to those who travel, the return of those far from home, * health to the sick + and eternal salvation to the dying. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God, consolation of the afflicted, support of the suffering, hear the cry of those who are in trial, so that all in their need may experience the joy of having found the help of your mercy. Through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen.
Saint Augustine (354-430) Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
The hope and glory of the cross of Christ , St Augustine Admirable Exchange: He died to give us life!! The passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the hope of glory and a lesson in patience. What may not the hearts of believers promise themselves as the gift of God’s grace, when for their sake God’s only Son, co-eternal with the Father, was not content only to be born as man from human stock but even died at the hands of the men he had created? What may not the hearts of believers promise themselves as the gift of God’s grace, when for their sake God’s only Son, co-eternal with the Father, was not content only to be born as man from human stock but even died at the hands of the men he had created? It is a great thing that we are promised by the Lord, but far greater is what has already been done for us, and which we now commemorate.
Where were the sinners, what were they, when Christ died for them? When Christ has already given us the gift of his death, who is to doubt that he will give the saints the gift of his own life? Why does our human frailty hesitate to believe that mankind will one day live with God? Who is Christ if not the Word of God: in the beginning was the Word, and the Words was with God, and the Word was God?
This Word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us. He had no power of himself to die for us: he had to take from us our mortal flesh. This was the way in which, though immortal, he was able to die; the way in which he chose to give life to mortal men: he would first share with us, and then enable us to share with him. Of ourselves we had no power to live, nor did he of himself have the power to die. In other words, he performed the most wonderful exchange with us. Through us, he died; through him, we shall live.
FAUSTI - "It has been fulfilled" - It is the last Word of Jesus who, by giving his clothes to the soldiers and entrusting the disciple to the Mother and this to the disciple, has just drunk our vinegar. Thus His mission is fulfilled.
RispondiEliminaBy showing the Glory of Extreme Love, He gives us the Spirit, which we now see and know in Him. John' Gospel is truly the "spiritual Gospel". the Good News that the Spirit, Life of God, is communicated to mankind.
With His death, Jesus does not reach the end, but the aim of His existence.
After the Cross begins the seventh day, when God, having completed creation, finally rests from His labor (Gen 2:2) .
The Son of Man is begotten to heaven, at His feet the new humanity of God's children is born.
Jesus, as He returns to the Father with our flesh, hands over to all flesh His Spirit, who makes us His brethren. What has been accomplished on Golgotha is always at our disposal in the Eucharistic memorial, a permanent gift of His Flesh and Blood, of His Body and of His Spirit.
Jesus, as an active protagonist, consciously lives His death and directs the final moment of His passage from this world to the Father. As He left His enemies clothes and tunic as an inheritance, He leaves to the disciple - and in Him to all - the Mother and the Spirit, the Blood and the Water.
At the end, instead of the cry of abandonment (Ps 22:2) or of entrustment (Ps 31:6), there is the proclamation: "It has been fulfilled". The suffering Messiah in John is explicitly presented as the King of Glory: the Crucified One is victorious. The departure of Jesus, culminating in the gift of the Spirit, is under the sign of fulfilment. Everything is delivered and welcomed.
At the beginning there is the awareness that everything is accomplished (28a), at the end the Word that reveals it to all (30a) and in the middle the consideration of the evangelist who declares the fulfillment of Scripture (28b).
"After this" all things are already done as far as Jesus is concerned. He lived Love to perfection, even within death. In fact, following the command of the Father, He laid down His life in favour of His brothers and sisters (10:18); then handing over the Mother to the disciple and this to the Mother, He gave mortals the reciprocity of love. He cannot give us any more: He gave us God Himself, who is mutual Love between Father and Son. That is all and, outside of that, there is nothing.
The hour of Glory, towards which His life tended, has come. The new creation is fulfilled: He Himself is the new creature, the loving Son of the same unique Love, Father and brothers and sisters.
But what is accomplished on the cross, at the foot of the cross, has only just begun with the Mother and the beloved disciple. What is already perfectly completed in Him, "from that hour" must continue to be accomplished in us until His return. Indeed, His return is now the growth in us of His Love:
His return to us is our return to Him. For this reason, the beloved disciple, witness of Love, will never die (21:23): Love will never end (1 Cor 13:8), but will grow for us infinitely.
For God is Love (1 Jn 4:8-16).
Book of Isaiah
Elimina52,13-15.53,1-12.
See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.
Even as many were amazed at him-- so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals--
So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; For those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it.
Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem.
Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all.
Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people,
A grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, Though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood.
(But the LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.) If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.
Psalms 31(30),2.6.12-13.15-16.17.25.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me,
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
You will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
For all my foes I am an object of reproach,
a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends;
they who see me abroad flee from me.
I am forgotten like the unremembered dead;
I am like a dish that is broken.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God.
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors."
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
Take courage and be stouthearted,
all you who hope in the LORD.
Letter to the Hebrews
4,14-16.5,7-9.
Brothers and sisters: Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
Eliminaaccording to Saint John 18,1-40.19,1-42.
Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered.
Judas his betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them, "Whom are you looking for?"
They answered him, "Jesus the Nazorean." He said to them, "I AM." Judas his betrayer was also with them.
When he said to them, "I AM," they turned away and fell to the ground.
So he again asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" They said, "Jesus the Nazorean."
Jesus answered, "I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me, let these men go."
This was to fulfill what he had said, "I have not lost any of those you gave me."
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus.
Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?"
So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him,
and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.
But Peter stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.
Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, "You are not one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not."
Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm.
The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine.
Jesus answered him, "I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing.
Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said."
When he had said this, one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said, "Is this the way you answer the high priest?"
Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?"
Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not."
One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, "Didn't I see you in the garden with him?"
Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.
So Pilate came out to them and said, "What charge do you bring (against) this man?"
They answered and said to him, "If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you."
At this, Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law." The Jews answered him, "We do not have the right to execute anyone,"
in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.
So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants (would) be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
EliminaSo Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in him.
But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"
They cried out again, "Not this one but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak,
and they came to him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck him repeatedly.
Once more Pilate went out and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him."
So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, "Behold, the man!"
When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him."
The Jews answered, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God."
Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid,
and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" Jesus did not answer him.
So Pilate said to him, "Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?"Jesus answered (him), "You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin."
Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, "If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar."
When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge's bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your king!"
They cried out, "Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,
and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha.
There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews."
Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that he said, 'I am the King of the Jews.'"
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down.
So they said to one another, "Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be," in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled (that says): "They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots." This is what the soldiers did.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
EliminaThen he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst."
There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished." And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may (come to) believe.
For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: "Not a bone of it will be broken."
And again another passage says: "They will look upon him whom they have pierced."
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.
Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.
So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.
UNIVERSAL PRAYER
RispondiEliminaI. FOR THE HOLY CHURCH
Let us pray, brothers and sisters, for the holy Church of God. *
May the Lord grant her unity and peace,
protect her throughout the earth, *
and grant us, in a serene and secure life, +
to give glory to God the Father almighty. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
who in Christ revealed
your glory to all peoples,
guard the work of your mercy,
so that your Church,
spread throughout the earth,
may persevere with steadfast faith
in the confession of your name.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
II. FOR THE POPE
Let us pray for our holy father, Pope N. *
May the Lord our God,
who chose him for the episcopal order, *
grant him life and health and preserve him for his holy Church +
as leader and shepherd of the holy people of God. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
wisdom that rules the universe,
listen to your family in prayer,
and protect with your goodness
the pope whom you have chosen for us,
so that the Christian people,
entrusted by you to his pastoral guidance,
may always progress in faith.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
III. FOR ALL THE FAITHFUL OF EVERY ORDER AND GRADE
Let us pray for our bishop N.*, *
for all the bishops, priests and deacons, *
and for all the faithful people. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
who by your Spirit guide and sanctify
the whole body of the Church,
accept the prayers we address to you,
so that according to the gift of your grace
all the members of the community
in their order and grade
may faithfully serve you.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
* Here it is also permitted to name the coadjutor bishop or the auxiliaries, as indicated in n. 149 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.
IV. FOR CATECHUMENS
Let us pray for [our] catechumens. *
May the Lord our God open their hearts to hear
and open the door of mercy, *
so that through the washing of regeneration
they may receive forgiveness of all their sins *
and be incorporated
into Christ Jesus, our Lord. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
who make your Church ever fruitful with new children,
increase in [our] catechumens
the understanding of faith,
so that, born to new life in the baptismal font,
they may be welcomed among your adopted children.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
V. FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
Let us pray for all our brothers and sisters who believe in Christ. *
May the Lord our God gather and keep in his one Church *
all those who bear witness to the truth with their works. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
who gather your children scattered everywhere and keep them in unity,
turn your gaze on the flock of your Son,
so that those who have been consecrated by a single Baptism
may be one in the integrity of faith
and in the bond of love.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
VI. FOR THE JEWS
RispondiEliminaLet us pray for the Jews. *
May the Lord our God, who first addressed his word to them, *
help them to always progress in the love of his name +
and in fidelity to his covenant. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
who entrusted your promises
to Abraham and his descendants,
graciously hear the prayers of your Church,
so that the firstborn people of your covenant
may reach the fullness of redemption.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
VII. FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN CHRIST
Let us pray for those who do not believe in Christ. *
Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, *
may they too enter
the way of salvation. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
grant that those who do not believe in Christ
may find the truth by walking in your presence with a sincere heart,
and that we may be more authentic witnesses
of your charity in the world, progressing in mutual love
and in full knowledge of the mystery of your life.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
VIII. FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD
Let us pray for those who do not believe in God. *
By practicing justice with a sincere heart, *
they may come to the knowledge of the true God. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
you have placed in the hearts of men
such a deep longing for you
that only when they find you do they have peace:
make it so that, amid the difficulties of life,
all may recognize the signs of your goodness
and, stimulated by our testimony,
have the joy of believing in you,
the only true God and Father of all men.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
IX. FOR GOVERNORS
Let us pray for those
who are called to govern the civil community. *
May the Lord our God enlighten their minds and hearts *
to seek the common good +
in true freedom and true peace. **
Silent prayer; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
in your hands are the hopes of men
and the rights of every people:
assist with your wisdom those who govern us,
so that, with your help,
they may promote throughout the earth
a lasting peace,
the prosperity of peoples
and religious freedom.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
X. FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN TRIAL
Let us pray, brothers and sisters, to God the Father almighty, *
that he may purify the world from errors,
drive away illnesses, conquer hunger, *
restore freedom to prisoners, break chains,
grant safety to those who travel,
the return of those far from home, *
health to the sick +
and eternal salvation to the dying. **
Prayer in silence; then the priest says:
Almighty and eternal God,
consolation of the afflicted,
support of the suffering,
hear the cry of those who are in trial,
so that all in their need
may experience the joy of having found
the help of your mercy.
Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
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Saint Augustine (354-430)
EliminaBishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
The hope and glory of the cross of Christ , St Augustine
Admirable Exchange: He died to give us life!!
The passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the hope of glory and a lesson in patience. What may not the hearts of believers promise themselves as the gift of God’s grace, when for their sake God’s only Son, co-eternal with the Father, was not content only to be born as man from human stock but even died at the hands of the men he had created? What may not the hearts of believers promise themselves as the gift of God’s grace, when for their sake God’s only Son, co-eternal with the Father, was not content only to be born as man from human stock but even died at the hands of the men he had created? It is a great thing that we are promised by the Lord, but far greater is what has already been done for us, and which we now commemorate.
Where were the sinners, what were they, when Christ died for them? When Christ has already given us the gift of his death, who is to doubt that he will give the saints the gift of his own life? Why does our human frailty hesitate to believe that mankind will one day live with God? Who is Christ if not the Word of God: in the beginning was the Word, and the Words was with God, and the Word was God?
This Word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us. He had no power of himself to die for us: he had to take from us our mortal flesh. This was the way in which, though immortal, he was able to die; the way in which he chose to give life to mortal men: he would first share with us, and then enable us to share with him. Of ourselves we had no power to live, nor did he of himself have the power to die. In other words, he performed the most wonderful exchange with us. Through us, he died; through him, we shall live.
PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO JOHN HANDEL MESSIAH DOMINUS DIXIT
RispondiEliminahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTjcYXxc17U
Video VIA CRUCIS MISERICORDIA PASSION MATTHEUS BACH wlmp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSaZVoquWlM
THE WAY OF THE CROSS - ARVO PART
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2aqFTwd1Pw