Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine, ad ajuvandum me festina.
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Yesterday, 03,13,13, the Catholic Church received a new chief shepherd. We are learning that he is a most humble man, dedicated to the poor and one who shies away from the "show" of office. How he will govern is yet to be seen. As so many men who have the papacy thrust upon them, he apparently sees this as a cross rather than a crown. And as so many popes before him, he may suffer spiritual crucifixion. He has much to do to reform and re-energize many things in the Church. It is interesting that he chose Francis for his name. Francis of Assisi received a message from God to "rebuild my Church."
A quote from the Old Testament: "The Lord made to him a covenant of peace, and made him a prince: that the dignity of priesthood should be to him forever. O Lord, remember David: and all his meekness." (Ecclesiasticus 45: 30; Psalm 131: 1)
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The Twelfth Station: Jesus is raised upon the Cross and Dies
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider how thy Jesus, after three hours of agony on the cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies.
O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the cross on which Thou didst die for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death, but Thy death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Thy death, give me grace to die, embracing Thy feet and burning with love for Thee. I commit my soul into Thy hands. I love Thee with my whole heart; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be....
Lord Jesus, crucified,
Have mercy on us!
Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all our sins was slain.
Who for me in torments died.
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For a spiritual reading for Lent I recommend The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, based on detailed visions of Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, in the early 1800s. Mel Gibson's "Passion" movie was based quite a bit on this book. If you want to read a clinical account, which is an eye-opener, read A Doctor at Calvary: the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ as Described by a Surgeon, by Pierre Harbet, M.D. It can be heartrending and a good source of meditation.
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