I. Jesus is condemned to death. Consider, o my soul, how Pilate grown timid endeavored three times to deliver Jesus; and that perfidious people shouted three times asking for his death. Away with Him; away with Him, crucify Him. Pilates could do justice; on the contrary, while he proclaims Jesus innocent, he delivers Barabbas, and for fear of man he gives up Jesus to the mercy of his enemies that He should be crucified. 

     A herald published that, by order of the Emperor, and according to Roman laws, Jesus of Nazareth, having wished to make himself King of the Jews, was condemned to die on a cross between two thieves, who were sentenced to the same punishment for their thefts. 

     My soul, here is the instant when thy Jesus, thy God, thy Creator, the Savior of men, was sentenced by men to be killed by their very hands on an infamous gallows. Who can hear this cruel sentence of death without horror? And what dost thou do? Pray Mary to accept thee in her company in the sorrowful journey She takes today with her Son as far as Calvary.

     O Mary, o Mother of Dolorous, dost thou not hear the furious cries of death against thy Son? How canst thou remain in the midst of this inhuman crowd? How canst thou resist such a ferocity? Thy Jesus then, the life of thy life, the King of Heaven and earth, the Creator of men, the only hope of sinners is sentenced to die? His enemies welcome this sentence with joy, his friends and disciples are dismayed at it; but this innocent Lamb, in spite of repugnant nature and of the sorrow for this so great injustice, accepts even death with an affectionate obedience!

  Oh, the tormenting pains of thy Heart, my Jesus! Thou hearest the extreme unthankfulness of this people shouting: We have no king but Caesar... His blood be upon us and upon our children. Ungrateful people! even today thou bearest the penalty of thy crime, always homeless on earth, hateful to everybody, without king, without fatherland, without army, without Temple, without Sacrifices.

     What a terrible lesson for thee, my soul! How many times hast thou imputed to the devil and the frailty of flesh the sin that thou committedst out of a free movement of thy will? So the Jews, blinded by their hatred,  deemed it a trifling thing for the blood of God to be on their heads and their children's. The confused cries of that mob were united to the voice of thy sins, that were present since then to the Everlasting Father, to ask him for the death of the Savior, who took upon himself the sins of the world. This caused St. Paul to say, that those who sin crucify again the Son of God, because they renew the cause of his death.

     Forgive me, my God, because I am more wicked than this people. He does He does not wish to see thee, because he does not know thee: and I who believe in thee, who adore thee, who acknowledge thee for what Thou art, how many times have I turned away my eyes from thee when Thou camest to me to draw me to thee? Remedy my faults, O Lord, let me never lose sight of thee, and be Thou always the object of my looks, wishes and love.

     Hear, sinful soul, the herald's voice; look at the soldier's bustle to execute the deadly sentence. In the midst of this tumult admire the silence, peace, meekness and charity of Jesus, who hears all, sees all, suffers all, without complaining and without the least mark of impatience.

     O God of my soul, how can I see what I see, and hear what I hear? Thou, a false King? Thou, the faithful friend of our soul, a perfidious man? Thou, the chief of thieves, who art the generous source of all good? Thou, worthy of death, who art the author of life? Ah! it is I who am guilty of such faults; and the guilty lives,  and the innocent dies? The master loses his life, to preserve that of his slave? O divine love, o pure love, why dost thou not consume me with thy flames? why dost thou not entirely submit me to thee, almighty Heart, that sacrificest thyself for me?

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     II. Jesus is loaded with the Cross. In order that Jesus Christ might be recognized by everyone, they violently take off that old mantle from Him, thus renewing His wounds and pains, because it had closely stuck to them, and they put his garment on him again. I being without seam, and its front not open, it was necessary to put it on by the head; but it was entangled in the thorns; so that the crown was harshly shaken, the pain of the punctures was renewed, and the blood began to flow again.

     When everything was ready, the Savior came out from Pilate's house in the midst of a double row of soldiers, who dispersed the crowd, and on going out He found the Cross that had been prepared for Him. This was the most infamous of all gallows, destined to the slaves or criminals submitted to public curse, so that no one approached it for fear of infamy. This heavy and long Cross they will put on the bruised and aching shoulders of Jesus! And Jesus was not in the least deterred by it, thought it was about fifteen feet long!

     He always looked upon the Cross as his dear spouse, as the shelter of his friends, as the star that was to guide his elect among the rocks of this world, as the trophy of his glory and the eternal monument of his infinite love.

     Come out then from Pilate's house, o divine Jesus, my King, my chief, my love. Come out, and thou wilt find thy long wished for spouse.

     As soon as the Savior was lead before the Cross, He fixed his eyes and heart on it, and said to it, not by words but with his soul: O dear amiable Cross, that I have longed for all my life! thou art the spouse promised to me, and in order to obtain thee I have served thirty-three years. Thou art the dispenser of all my goods, the trophy of my victories, the glory and crown of my love. This is the day on which we shall be closely united. Thou shalt be the standard of my elect, who shall attain glory only by the Cross. Thou the glory of my servants: those who will glory in thee, shall be honored; those who will be ashamed of thee, shall live in infamy. Today thou shalt receive me with open arms, and I will wet thee with my Blood, and thou shalt become the Mother of all Nations. Come then,  my faithful companion, let us go to Calvary together, where I must undergo death, that shall snatch my body from thy arms, but shall not take away my heart from thee. Thou shalt be the terror of Hell and the joy of Paradise. Those who will seek me and follow me, shall take thee as their guide, and shall obtain by thee everything they may wish for.

     With these feelings of esteem and affection for the Cross, He suffered himself to be loaded with it; He tenderly embraced it, and so He preceded us as the chief and model of the elect. And as there was not anyone superior to his Virgin Mother, He gave her the first place under this standard. She followed him in the streets of Jerusalem, following his bloody tracks, as She herself revealed to St. Bridget. And while Jesus bore this heavy Cross on his shoulders, She bore one in her heart, more sorrowful than all those that all men have been bearing since the creation of the world.

     Thus He wished to teach us these three truths: the firsts, that it is a great grace to bear the Cross after Jesus Christ; the second, that he who has no cross to bear is very far from perfection; the third, that it is great blindness not to accept with resignation the crosses that God sends us.

     Jesus wished to be seen loaded with his Cross openly, wearing his own garments, in the presence of a whole people, in the high streets of Jerusalem, from Pilate's house to Calvary, in order to confirm by his example what He had taught us in his doctrine, that he that taketh not up his cross after him, is not worthy to be his disciple.

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    III. Jesus bears the Cross. My soul, consider thy Savior going out of the Praetorium bent with the enormous weight of the cross, exhausted with the blood He had shed, so that He can hardly stand. In such a state He was walking towards Calvary preceded by a herald and two thieves, that were to be crucified with him, surrounded by the soldiers who did not cease injuring him, and followed by the chiefs of the priests, the doctors of the law, the Pharisees, and the chief Jews; who led him themselves, and who abandoned him only when they had seen him give up the ghost.

     Meanwhile, the most meek Jesus Christ was panting, sweating and losing breath; and all his wounds opened again through the efforts He made. At last, when He was out of the town, sinking from weakness, He fell upon his face under the Cross. The soldiers load Him with blows and injuries to make him rise again; but the Jews, fearing He might die before they enjoyed the ferocious spectacle of crucifying him, having met Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, they forced him to take up his cross, and carry it as far as Calvary. And there followed him a great multitude of people and women, who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus, more occupied with our evils than with his pains, turning to them said: Weep not over me, but weep for yourselves and for your children... For if in the green wood they do these things, what will be done in the dry?

     In this moment Mary, crossing a shorter street, as St. Bonaventure thinks, places herself where her afflicted Son was to pass. He arrives, but alas! his wounds, his in bruises, his blackened blood made Him look like a leper. Mary loving and fearing looks at him, and Jesus taking off a clot of blood from his eyes (as He revealed to St. Bridget), looked at his Mother. Sorrowful looks that broke the two noblest, holiest and most loving Hearts on earth and in Heaven. My Son!... said the mournful Mother, and she said no more, because her sorrow was so vehement, that if it had been shared by all creatures, says St. Bernardine, it would have caused them all to die of sorrow. And the Prophet had said: o all ye that pass by the way, attend and see if there be any sorrow like my sorrow. The Mother wished to embrace Him, but the ministers expel her with injuries, and press on the grieved Lord; and Mary follows Him.

     But one of the most painful wounds that gave pain to our Redeemer in this journey, was, as the Venerable Taulero and St. Bernard say, a wound in his shoulder: because the heavy beam of the Cross having been placed on it, caused him a large wound, the great number he had becoming one. The pain was so intense, that it penetrated the fibers of his heart. And as the Cross was very long, the extremity of it striking the stones of the streets, made a terrible noise and gave great pain to the suffering Lord. 

     O Holy Cross, consecrated by the sweat and Blood of my Savior, I too embrace thee. Thou shalt be, for the future, my shelter, my light, my science and all my wisdom. Do not forsake me, never go far from me, although my flesh fear and flee from thee. In thee we find health, life, the victory over malignant spirits, the joy of our heart, the perfection of virtue. Thou hast confirmed the Apostles, fortified the Martyrs, sustained the Virgins, sanctified all the Just. Thou rejoicest the Angels, defendest the Church, fillest Heaven, and, on the dreadful day of final judgment,  thou shalt appear with Jesus for the glory of his elect and for eternal confusion of his enemies.

     My miserable and sinful soul, what hast thou found when thou hast fled the cross? Whatever effort thou mayst make to shun it, in spite of thee thou always meetest with it, because thou livest in a place of exile and in a vale of tears. If thou shunnest it on one side, thou fallest on the other side into a great many other pains, that afflict, trouble, disturb, deject, oppress thee and leave thee no hope. If thou givest thyself up to worldly joys, thou losest the peace of thy heart, thy inward consolation, heavenly wisdom, the world divides thee, anguishes thee, and drags thee along with it. If thou fleest it to follow sensual pleasures, thou findest thyself in continual inconstancy and agitation. if thou runnest after vanities, thou remainest void, hungry, always greedy, never satisfied. Meanwhile the good, thou valuedst so much, disappears every moment: now thou losest thy health, now thy honor, then thy richest, at last thy friends. What thou wishest for, never arrives: and if sometimes it comes, it does not last. Thou canst no rely upon life: death is accompanied with fears and tortures, for all that surrounds thee stains thy conscience. At every step thou findest a thousand displeasures; and after so many useless cares, thou often hast only bitter tears left, as well as a comfortless sorrow and a resourceless loss.

     Here is, o Holy Cross, the danger I have been in for having fled thee, when thou hast presented thyself to me, for not having embraced thee with all my heart. O Holy Cross, the light of Heaven, the secure shelter of the afflicted, receive me into thy arms, and vouchsafe that, by thy help, I may be united with Him who has redeemed me on thee. So be it.

 

A Prayer to Jesus Bearing His Cross

 

     O Jesus, my Lord and Savior, on this Cross Thou bearest all the sins of the world; and these make thy load so heavy. While Thou goest up the cliffs of Calvary, thy sighs penetrate Heaven. By the beatings of thy most Holy Heart Thou movest the Eternal Father's in behalf of poor sinners, and openest the way of glory for them. Thou keepest a deep silence; but this silence is remarked from afar, and invites all men to follow thee. Here Thou appearest the Chief and Leader of the Just and makest war to the world. O my Guide and King, my Hope, my true life, my sovereign Good, do not suffer me to be driven way from this society, where thy Holy Mother has the first place after thee, and where all thy faithful friends have been received. Lead me with thee, o Lord, or drag me along after thee, that I may never lose sight of thee and of thy Cross. I wish  to follow and imitate thee; and prefer being crucified with thee to enjoying all the delights of life. But I am weak and a coward, O my God: I acknowledge my misery. However Thou art my fortitude.

     Where goest Thou alone, life of my soul?

 Dost Thou not hear the voice of him who cries after thee, and can follow thee only from afar? Shall Thou go up Calvary without me? Give me this thy Cross. But since Thou wishest to be reputed as the chief of malefactors, here is one of thy suite. Instead of one thief, Thou shalt save two with me, O my Redeemer, my brother, my God. So be it.