- Adoramus te Christe et benedicimus tibi (We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee)
- Quia per Crucem tuam redemisti mundum (For by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.)
The way of the Lord is unimaginably difficult! It was not only the physical suffering that tormented Him, but above all the weight of sin that He carried to the cross for us men. If a single sin weighs immensely on us until we have presented it to the Lord and received His forgiveness, how much more the countless faults of all mankind!
“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with His stripes we are healed” (Isa 53:5).
Only in eternity will we be able to see and acknowledge, full of gratitude, the immensity of Jesus’ suffering, and never tire of praising Him.
The Lord’s fall under the cross can also be a consolation for us.
Those who try to follow Jesus can sometimes feel that they have no strength left: aging, sickness, inner struggles, the rejection of temptations, the defeats they experience along the way, among so many other things. All this can weaken and wear us down to the point of falling under the weight of the cross.
But then we must look to the Lord! He falls and gets up again for us, and continues on His way to fulfil His mission to the end. By this act, He gives us the strength to get up after every fall and to keep on walking after Him. Let us follow Him step by step, day by day. We may no longer be able to move forward in leaps and bounds, but only in small, perhaps sometimes miniscule steps. But we keep on walking for the love of Jesus. Then we will realise that it was He who supported us, because we too must carry out our mission to the end.
Prayer: “Lord, graciously grant us salvation and peace, that your Church, having overcome all obstacles and errors, may serve you in full freedom, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit and is God for ever and ever. Amen.”
Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be