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 © PFARRKIRCHEN STIFTUNG ST. LAMBERT SEEON
Via Crucis, Felix Anton Scheffler - 1757
Church of Saint Martin - Ischl, Seeon (Diocese of München) - Germany

SECOND STATION
Jesus takes up his Cross
  

V/. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

 

From the Gospel according to Matthew. 27:27-31

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governorÂ’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head.  They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying:

“Hail, King of the Jews!”. 

They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.  After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him.  Then they led him away to crucify him.

 

MEDITATION

In ChristÂ’s passion, hatred was unleashed:
our own hatred, and the hatred of all humanity. [1]
In ChristÂ’s passion,
our evil recoiled before goodness,
our pride exploded with resentment
in the face of humility,
our depravity was outraged
by GodÂ’s radiant clarity.

And thus we became ... GodÂ’s cross!

We, in our silly rebellion,
we, with our foolish sins,
have made a cross of our own anxiety
and our own unhappiness: we devised our own punishment.

But God takes the cross upon his shoulders,
our cross,
and he confronts us with the power of his love.

God takes the cross!
Unfathomable mystery of goodness!
Mystery of humility, which shames us
at our unbending pride!

[1] Lk 22:53.

 


PRAYER

Lord Jesus,
you entered human history
and found it hostile to you, [2] defiant towards God,
maddened by the pride
which leads us to think
that we stand as tall
.... as our shadow!

Lord Jesus,
you did not attack us,
but let yourself be attacked by us,
by me, by everyone!

Heal me, Jesus, by your patience,
cure me by your humility,
cut me down to my rightful size,
that of a creature, a tiny creature
... yet the object of your infinite love!

[2]   Jn 1:10-11.

 

 

All:

Pater noster, qui es in cælis:
sanctificetur nomen tuum;
adveniat regnum tuum;
fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;
et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;
et ne nos inducas in tentationem;
sed libera nos a malo.

Cuius animam gementem,
contristatam et dolentem
pertransivit gladius.

 

© Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

        

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