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IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE PASSION AND DEATH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
MORNING PRAYERS (cont.)
Reading of the Holy Gospel
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
(kneeling)
XIV - The scourging and the crown of thorns
(St. Matthew 27:26-30; St. Mark 15:15-19; St. John 19:1-3)
But first Pilate took Jesus and had Him scourged. The soldiers then dragged Him away into the courtyard of the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around Him. They stripped Him of His garments and covered Him with a scarlet cloak. Then they plaited a crown with thorns and thrust it onto His head. In His right hand they put a reed. And then, genuflecting before Him in mockery, they taunted Him, saying repeatedly, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
They struck Him and spat in His face, and taking the reed, they dealt Him blows on the head.
XV - Ecce Homo – Behold the Man
(St. Mark 15:16-19; St. John 19:4-11)
When the Roman soldiers had finished mocking Jesus, they led Him back into the praetorium.
Pilate came out again and said to the people, “Behold, I present Him to you once more, that you may know well that I find in Him no grounds for condemnation.”
And indeed Jesus came, wearing the crown of thorns and covered with the scarlet cloak.
“Behold the Man!” said Pilate.
As soon as they saw Him, the Chief Priests and the attendants cried out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
“Take Him yourselves, then, and crucify Him!” shouted Pilate. “As for me, I find no guilt whatsoever in Him.”
“We have a Law,” replied the Jews, “and according to our Law He must die, because He claims to be the Son of God!”
When Pilate heard this statement, an even greater fear took hold of him. Going back into the praetorium, he said to Jesus, “Where do You come from?”
Jesus gave him no answer.
“You do not speak to me?” Pilate continued. “Do You not know that I have power to have You crucified, and that I also have power to release You?”
“You would have no power at all over Me had you not received it from Above,” answered Jesus. “And that is what aggravates the crime of the one who delivered Me to you.”
XVI - The sentence
(St. Matthew 27:24-25, 31; St. Mark 15:20; St. Luke 23:24; St. John 19:12-16)
More than ever, Pilate was looking for a way to release Jesus.
But the Jews redoubled their outcries, saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; for everyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar.”
Hearing these shouts, Pilate had Jesus brought outside, and sat down on his judgment seat, at a place called Lithostrotos (stone pavement) in Greek, and Gabbatha (terrace) in Hebrew. It was nearing the sixth hour (noon) of the day before the Passover.
Pilate said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
“Kill Him! Kill Him! Crucify Him!” they cried out.
“What?” replied Pilate. “Shall I crucify your King?”
The Chief Priests retorted, “We have no king but Caesar!”
Now Pilate, seeing that he was gaining nothing and that a riot was breaking out, had some water brought to him; and, washing his hands in sight of the crowd, he said, “I am innocent of the blood of this Just Man; you will answer for it!”
And all the people shouted out, “His blood be upon us and upon our children!”
So Pilate pronounced sentence that it be done according to the will of the Jews, and he abandoned Jesus to them to be crucified.
After mocking Him again, the soldiers tore off the scarlet cloak, gave Him back His garments and led Him outside the city to crucify Him.
XVII - The way to Calvary
(St. Matthew 27:32-34; St. Mark 15:21-23; St. Luke 23:26-33; St. John 19:17)
Jesus, burdened with His cross, started out towards the place called Calvary, or in Hebrew, Golgotha. Behind Him walked two criminals who were to be executed.
As the group was going out of the city, the soldiers met a certain passerby, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming from his farm. They requisitioned him, set the cross upon his shoulders and forced him to bear it after Jesus.
An immense crowd followed, as well as women who were weeping and lamenting.
Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. Behold, the days shall come in which men will say, ‘Blessed are the barren! Blessed are the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will cry out to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Bury us!’ For if they do these things to the green wood, what shall be done to the dry?”
They came to Calvary; there He was given a cup of wine mixed with myrrh and gall. Jesus touched His lips to it, but He refused to drink.
The contrite and humbled sinner
by saint Louis Marie de Montfort
1. Ah! I have sinned against God Himself,
I have despised my Creator.
Forgive me, forgive me, supreme goodness,
I regret it with all my heart.
I have forsaken You, good Father,
Trampling all Your benefits underfoot,
Calm, appease Your anger:
Crying, I ask for peace.
2. Do not return war for war,
See my humble and contrite heart,
I do not fear Your thunder,
Covered with the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Drop, sweet Savior, drop the weapons,
I am the price of Your Blood.
Forgive, forgive, see my tears,
No more sin from now on.
3. Come, Holy Spirit, God of flame,
Be my Bridegroom again.
Forgive, forgive, God of my soul
May I return in grace with You!
Pray for me, divine Mother,
Safe haven for the sinner.
Forgive me, forgive me, Your prayer
Can do everything near my Savior.
4. O infinite Mercy
You cannot reject me.
O sweet Jesus, sweet Mary,
You cannot turn me away.
Let all of Heaven rejoice,
The sinner passes to the rank of the saints;
Divine Savior, may we bless You
For this masterpiece of Your hands.
