Video – St John Paul II and Lent – CONF 316
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Ave Maria!
Stations of the Cross from Cardinal Wojtyla, Pope St. John Paul II
- Jesus is condemned to death - Pilate was trying to remain uninvolved and on the sidelines. We should be with him and be engaged with Him be being conserved with our neighbor
- Jesus carries His cross - Ecce Homo behold the man. Look what you have done to your God. Do we drive God out?
- Jesus falls the first time - Falls under the weight of the cross not using the help from the angels or his Father. Fr. Garrigou Lagrange on St Thomas how Christ chose be vulnerable and week in face of persecution.
- Jesus meets His mother - amount of suffering becomes clear when it is shared with others. When we suffer unite our sufferings with Christ.
- Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross - How long did he resent this. St Mark remarks that Simon's sons became Christians. Bear the cross by bearing the difficulties of the poor even if we are doing it imperfectly like Simon did.
- Veronica wipes the face of Jesus - Veronica does and act of charity and Jesus leaves the imprint of his face on all acts of charity. Christ kisses all monuments of charity.
- Jesus falls the second time - I am a worm an no man, Psalm 22:6 Appreciate the love of God even in suffering.
- Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem - Do not weep for me, weep for yourselves and for your children. An invitation to an examination of conscience, weep for oursins, to receive more thorough grace
- Jesus falls the third time - Christ can atone for our sins because his perfect sacrifice
- Jesus is stripped of his garments - Mary's great suffering at seeing Jesus' body mocked
- Crucifixion - Jesus is nailed to the cross - as if a thing, subhuman. If we teat someone with less that human dignity then we too sin
- Jesus dies on the cross - verticality of body vs arms are horizontal. Vertical is His Divinity and horizontal is His Humanity. We must embrace both.
- Jesus is taken down from the cross - You will conceive in you womb and his reign will never end. Birth and death Jesus is laid in her arms. Her hope in His resurrection helped her through.
- Jesus is laid in the tomb - Jesus conquered death with death. So many tombs in the world but this one is the death of death.
Reflection on the reading for Holy Saturday in the Liturgy of the Hours, Christ and death do battle.
Christ comes to us each day, Adam had to wait thousands of years
Awake sleeper come forth from your tomb which is sin.
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