THOUGHTS TO PONDER FROM THE HOLY SATURDAY MATINS - GREEK ORTHODOX TEXT
He Who sustains all things is raised upon the Cross, and all creation mourns, seeing Him hanging naked on the Wood. The sun hides its rays, and the stars cast off their gleam; the earth quakes with great fright, and the sea retreats; the rocks are split asunder; many graves are opened, and the bodies of holy men arise. Hades groans below, and the Judeans plan to spread false rumors against the Resurrection of Christ, while the women cry out: “Behold, this the most-blessed Sabbath, in which Christ having fallen asleep, will rise on the third day.”
The Agony in the Garden Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before he dies.
Then Jesus came with them to a country place called Gethsemani, and he said to his disciples, “Sit down here, while I go over yonder and pray.” And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be saddened and exceedingly troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is sad, even unto death. Wait here and watch with me.” And going forward a little, he fell prostrate and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet not as I will, but as thou willest.” Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “Could you not, then, watch one hour with me? Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again a second time he went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, thy will be done.” And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And leaving them he went back again, and prayed a third time, saying the same words over. Then he came to his disciples, and said to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest! Behold, the hour is at hand when the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.” (Matthew 26:36-46)
Pray, lest you enter into temptation. —And Peter fell asleep. —And the other apostles. —And you, little friend, fell asleep..., and I too was another sleepy-headed Peter. Jesus, alone and sad, suffers and soaks the earth with His blood. Kneeling on the hard ground, He perseveres in prayer... He weeps for you... and for me: the weight of the sins of men overwhelms Him. Pater, si vis, transfer calicem istum a me. —Father, if Thou wilt, remove this chalice from me... Yet not my will, sed tua fiat, but Thine be done (Luke 22:42). An Angel from Heaven comforts Him. —Jesus is in agony. —He continues prolixius, praying more intensely... —He approaches us, who are asleep: Arise, pray —He says again—, lest you enter into temptation (Luke 22:46). Judas the traitor: a kiss. —Peter's sword gleams in the night. —Jesus speaks: Are you come, as to a robber, to apprehend Me? (Mark 14:48) We are cowards: we follow Him from afar, but awake and praying. —Prayer... Prayer... (Holy Rosary, Finding of Jesus).
The Flagellation of Jesus at the Pillar Jesus is lashed with whips.
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my followers would have fought that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to him, “Thou art then a king?” Jesus answered, “Thou sayest it; I am a king. This is why I was born, and why I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went outside to the Jews again, and said to them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you wish, therefore, that I release to you the king of the Jews?” They all therefore cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. Pilate, then, took Jesus and had him scourged. (John 18:36-40, 19:1)
Pilate speaks: It is your custom that I release one prisoner to you on the Pasch. Whom shall I set free, Barabbas —a thief jailed with others for a murder —or Jesus? (Matthew 27:17) —Put this man to death and release unto us Barabbas, cries the multitude, incited by their chief priests (Luke 23:18). Pilate speaks again: What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ? (Matt 27:22) —Crucifige eum! Crucify Him! Pilate, for the third time, says to them: Why, what evil has He done? I find no fault in Him that deserves death (Luke 23:22). The clamour of the mob grows louder: Crucify Him, crucify Him! (Mark 15:14) And Pilate, wishing to please the populace, releases Barabbas to them and orders Jesus to be scourged. Bound to the pillar. Covered with wounds. The blows of the lash sound upon His torn flesh, upon His undefiled flesh, that suffers for your sinful flesh. —More blows. More fury. Still more... It is the last extreme of human cruelty. Finally, exhausted, they unbind Jesus. —And the body of Christ yields to pain and falls limp, broken and half dead. You and I are unable to speak. —Words are not needed. —Look at Him, look at Him... slowly. After this... can you ever fear penance? Holy Rosary, Scourging at the Pillar
Jesus gave himself up for us in a holocaust of love. What about you, who are a disciple of Christ? You, a favored son of God; you, who have been ransomed at the price of the Cross; you too should be ready to deny yourself. So, no matter what situation we may find ourselves in, neither you nor I can ever allow ourselves to behave in a way that is selfish, materialistic, comfort-loving, dissipated or forgive me if I speak too candidly just plain stupid! If all you want is the esteem of your fellow men, and you long to be respected and appreciated, and you only seek a pleasant life, then you have strayed from the path... Only those who travel the rugged, narrow and austere path of tribulation are allowed to enter the city of the saints, there to rest and reign with the King for eternity (St Augustine, Sermo 85, 6 : PL 38,523).
You yourself must decide of your own free will to take up the cross; otherwise, your tongue may say that you are imitating Christ, but your actions will belie your words. That way, you will never get to know the Master intimately, or love him truly. It is really important that we Christians convince ourselves of this. We are not walking with Our Lord unless we are spontaneously depriving ourselves of many things that our whims, vanity, pleasure or self-interest clamour for. Not a single day should pass that has not been seasoned with the salt and grace of mortification; and, please get rid of the idea that you would then be miserable. What a sad little happiness you will have if you don't learn to overcome yourself, if you let your passions and fancies dominate and crush you, instead of courageously taking up your cross! Friends of God, 129
What does it matter that we stumble on the way, if we find in the pain of our fall the energy to pick ourselves up and go on with renewed vigour? Don't forget that the saint is not the person who never falls, but rather the one who never fails to get up again, humbly and with a holy stubbornness. If the book of Proverbs says that the just man falls seven times a day (John 13:23), who are we poor creatures, you and I, to be surprised or discouraged by our own weaknesses and falls! We will be able to keep going ahead, if only we seek our fortitude in him who says: Come to me all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest (John 12:1-3). Thank you, Lord, quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea (John 12:5), because you, and you alone, my God, have always been my strength, my refuge and my support. If you really want to make progress in the interior life, be humble. Turn constantly and confidently to the help of Our Lord and of his Blessed Mother, who is your Mother too. No matter how much the still open wound of your latest fall may hurt, embrace the cross once more and, calmly, without getting upset, say: With your help, Lord, I'll fight so as not to be held back. I'll respond faithfully to your invitations. I won't be afraid of steep climbs, nor of the apparent monotony of my daily work, nor of the thistles and loose stones on the way. I know that I am aided by your mercy and that, at the end of the road, I will find eternal happiness, full of joy and love for ever and ever. Later, in the same dream, our writer discovers a third path. It too is narrow and, like the second, it is both steep and rugged. Those who travel it walk solemnly and regally in the midst of countless hardships. Yet they end up falling over the same terrible precipice that the first road leads to. This is the path of the hypocrites, people who lack a right intention, who are motivated by a false zeal and pervert divine works by mixing them with their own selfish and temporal ambitions. It is folly to undertake a hard and difficult task just to be admired; to put great effort into keeping God's commandments with but an earthly reward in mind. Whoever practises virtue for the sake of some human benefit is like a person who sells off a priceless heirloom for just a few coins. He could have won Heaven, but he is content instead with fleeting praise... That is why they say that the hopes of hypocrites are like a spiders web: so much effort goes into weaving it, and in the end it is blown away by a puff of the wind of death (Romans 15:26-27). Friends of God, 131
The Crowning With Thorns Jesus is mocked and crowned with thorns.
Pilate, then, took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers, plaiting a crown of thorns, put it upon his head, and arrayed him in a purple cloak. And they kept coming to him and saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him. (John 19:1-3)
Our King's eagerness for suffering has been fully satisfied! —They lead Our Lord to the courtyard of the palace, and there they call together their whole band (Mark 15:16). —The brutal soldiers strip His most pure body. —They drape a dirty purple rag about Jesus. —A reed, as a sceptre, in His right hand... The crown of thorns, driven in by blows, makes Him a mock king... Ave Rex Judeorum! —Hail, King of the Jews (Mark 15:18). And with their blows they wound His head. And they strike Him... and they spit on Him. Crowned with thorns and clothed in rags of purple, Jesus is shown to the Jewish mob: Ecce Homo! —Behold the Man! And again the chief priests and the ministers raise the cry, saying: Crucify Him, crucify Him (John 19:5-6). —You and I..., haven't we crowned Him anew with thorns, and struck Him and spit on Him? Never more, Jesus, never more... And a firm and concrete resolution marks the end of these ten Hail Marys. (Holy Rosary, Crowning with Thorns)
Our Lord has come so close to his creatures that we all hunger in our hearts for higher things, to be uplifted, to do good. If I am now prompting similar aspirations in you, it is because I want you to be convinced of the confidence he has placed in your soul. If you let him work in you, you will become, right where you are, a useful instrument, more useful than you could ever have imagined. But to make sure that cowardice does not make you betray the confidence God has placed in you, you must avoid the presumption of naively underestimating the difficulties that you will meet in your Christian life. These difficulties shouldn't surprise us. As a consequence of our fallen nature, we carry within us a principle of opposition, of resistance to grace. It comes from the wounds inflicted by original sin, and is aggravated by our own personal sins. Therefore we have to strive ever upwards, by means of our everyday tasks, which are both divine and human and always lead to the love of God. In this we must be humble and contrite of heart and we must trust in God's help, while at the same time devoting our best efforts to those tasks as if everything depended on us. As we fight this battle, which will last until the day we die, we cannot exclude the possibility that enemies both within and without may attack with violent force. And, as if this burden were not enough, you may at times be assailed by the memory of your own past errors, which may have been very many. I tell you now, in God's name: don't despair. Should this happen (it need not happen; nor will it usually happen) then turn it into another motive for uniting yourself more closely to Our Lord, for he has chosen you as his child and he will not abandon you. He has allowed that trial to befall you so that you may love him the more and may discover even more clearly his constant protection and Love. Take heart, I insist, because Christ, who pardoned us on the Cross, is still offering us his pardon through the Sacrament of Penance. We always have an advocate to plead our cause before the Father: the Just One, Jesus Christ. He, in his own person, is the atonement made for our sins, and not only for ours, but for the sins of the whole world, [c.f. St. Teresa, Way of Perfection, 40,9 (70,4)] so that we may win the Victory. Forward, no matter what happens! Cling tightly to Our Lord's hand and remember that God does not lose battles. If you should stray from him for any reason, react with the humility that will lead you to begin again and again; to play the role of the prodigal son every day, and even repeatedly during the twenty-four hours of the same day; to correct your contrite heart in Confession, which is a real miracle of God's Love. In this wonderful Sacrament Our Lord cleanses your soul and fills you with joy and strength to prevent you from giving up the fight, and to help you keep returning to God unwearied, when everything seems black. In addition, the Mother of God, who is also our Mother, watches over you with motherly care, guiding your every step. Friends of God, 214
Haven't you gone against your own preference, your whims, some time, in something? You must realize that the One who asks you is nailed to a Cross, suffering in all his senses and faculties, with a crown of thorns on his head ... for you. Furrow, 989
It is the moment to turn to your Blessed Mother in Heaven, so that she may take you into her arms and win for you a glance of mercy from her Son. And try at once to make some practical resolutions: put a stop once and for all, even though it hurts, to that little defect that holds you back, as God and you yourself know so well. Pride, sensuality and a lack of supernatural spirit will combine forces to suggest to you: That? But what a small and insignificant little thing it is! Don't play with the temptation. Instead, answer: Yes, in this too I will surrender myself to the divine call. And you will be right, for love is shown especially in little things. Normally the sacrifices that Our Lord asks of us, even the most difficult ones, refer to tiny details, but they are as continuous and invaluable as the beating of our heart. How many mothers have you known who have been the heroines of some epic or extraordinary event? Few, very few. Yet you and I know many mothers who are indeed heroic, truly heroic, who have never figured in anything spectacular, who will never hit the headlines, as they say. They lead lives of constant self-denial, happy to curtail their own likes and preferences, their time, their opportunities for self-expression or success, so that they can carpet their children's lives with happiness. Friends of God, 134
Contemplate and live the Passion of Christ, with Him. Proffer your own shoulders frequently, daily, when he is scourged; offer your own head to be crowned with thorns. Where I come from they say: “Love is repaid with love.'' The Forge, 442
The Carrying of the Cross Jesus carries the cross that will be used to crucify him.
And from then on Pilate was looking for a way to release him. But the Jews cried out, saying, “If thou release this man, thou art no friend of Caesar; for everyone who makes himself king sets himself against Caesar.” Pilate therefore, when he heard these words, brought Jesus outside, and sat down on the judgment-seat, at a place called Lithostrotos, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day for the Passover, about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your king!” But they cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. And so they took Jesus and let him away. And bearing the cross for himself, he went forth to the place called the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. (John 19:12-17)
Carrying His Cross, Jesus goes out toward Calvary, a place that in Hebrew is called Golgotha (John 19:17). —And they lay hold of a certain Simon of Cyrene, who is coming from a farm; and they make him take the Cross and carry it after Jesus (Luke 23:26). The prophesy of Isaiah (53:12) has been fulfilled: cum sceleratis reputatus est, He was counted among the wicked: for two others, who were robbers, were led with Him to be put to death (Luke 23:32). If anyone would follow me...Little friend: we are sad, living the Passion of Our Lord Jesus. –See how lovingly He embraces the Cross. –Learn from Him. –Jesus carries the Cross for you: you...carry it for Jesus. But don't drag the Cross...Carry it squarely on your shoulder, because your Cross, if you carry it so, will not be just any Cross: it will be...the Holy Cross. Don't bear your Cross with resignation: resignation is not a generous word. Love the Cross. When you really love it, your Cross will be...a Cross, without a Cross. And surely you, like Him, will find Mary on the way. Holy Rosary, Jesus Carries His Cross
Sacrifice, sacrifice! It is true that to follow Jesus Christ is to carry the Cross – He has said so. But I do not like to hear souls who love Our Lord speak so much about crosses and renunciations, because where there is Love, it is a willing sacrifice – though it remains hard – and the cross is the Holy Cross. A soul which knows how to love and give itself in this way, is filled with peace and joy. Therefore, why insist on “sacrifice'', as if you were seeking consolation, if Christ's Cross – which is your life – makes you happy? Furrow, 249
Jesus is exhausted. His footsteps become more and more unsteady, and the soldiers are in a hurry to be finished. So, when they are going out of the city through the Judgement Gate, they take hold of a man who was coming in from a farm, a man called Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, and they force him to carry the Cross of Jesus (cf. Mark 15:21). In the whole context of the Passion, this help does not add up to very much. But for Jesus, a smile, a word, a gesture, a little bit of love is enough for him to pour out his grace bountifully on the soul of his friend. Years later, Simon's sons, Christians by then, will be known and held in high esteem among their brothers in the faith. And it all started with this unexpected meeting with the Cross. I went to those who were not looking for me; I was found by those that sought me not (Is 65:1). At times the Cross appears without our looking for it: it is Christ who is seeking us out. And if by chance, before this unexpected Cross which, perhaps, is therefore more difficult to understand, your heart were to show repugnance...don't give it consolations. And, filled with a noble compassion, when it asks for them, say to it slowly, as one speaking in confidence: “Heart: heart on the Cross! Heart on the Cross!” Way of the Cross, fifth station
Jesus gave himself up for us in a holocaust of love. What about you, who are a disciple of Christ? You, a favoured son of God; you, who have been ransomed at the price of the Cross; you too should be ready to deny yourself. So, no matter what situation we may find ourselves in, neither you nor I can ever allow ourselves to behave in a way that is selfish, materialistic, comfort-loving, dissipated or forgive me if I speak too candidly just plain stupid! If all you want is the esteem of your fellow men, and you long to be respected and appreciated, and you only seek a pleasant life, then you have strayed from the path... Only those who travel the rugged, narrow and austere path of tribulation are allowed to enter the city of the saints, there to rest and reign with the King for eternity. [St. Augustine, Sermo 85, 6 (PL 38,523)]
You yourself must decide of your own free will to take up the cross; otherwise, your tongue may say that you are imitating Christ, but your actions will belie your words. That way, you will never get to know the Master intimately, or love him truly. It is really important that we Christians convince ourselves of this. We are not walking with Our Lord unless we are spontaneously depriving ourselves of many things that our whims, vanity, pleasure or self-interest clamour for. Not a single day should pass that has not been seasoned with the salt and grace of mortification; and, please get rid of the idea that you would then be miserable. What a sad little happiness you will have if you don't learn to overcome yourself, if you let your passions and fancies dominate and crush you, instead of courageously taking up your cross! Friends of God, 129
To love the Cross means being able to put oneself out, gladly, for the love of Christ, though it's hard — and because it's hard. You have enough experience to know that this is not a contradiction. The Forge, 519
The Crucifixion Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies.
And bearing the cross for himself, he went forth to the place called the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side and Jesus in the center. And Pilate also wrote an inscription and had it put on the cross. And there was written, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews therefore read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek and in Latin. The chief priests of the Jews said therefore to Pilate, “Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, I am the King of the Jews'“ Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified him, took his garments and made of them four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven in one piece from the top. They therefore said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but let us cast lots for it, to see whose it shall be.” That the Scripture might be fulfilled which says, “They divided my garments among them; and for my vesture they cast lots.” These things therefore the soldiers did. Now there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus, therefore, saw his mother and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, thy son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, thy mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst.” Now there was standing there a vessel full of common wine; and having put a sponge soaked with the wine on a stalk of hyssop, they put it to his mouth. Therefore, when Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is consummated!” And bowing his head, he gave up his spirit. (John 19:17-30)
For Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, the throne of triumph is ready. You and I do not see Him writhe on being nailed: suffering all that can be suffered, He spreads His arms with the gesture of an Eternal Priest... The soldiers take His holy garments and divide them into four parts. —In order not to tear the tunic, they cast lots to decide whose it shall be. —And so, once more, the words of the Scripture are fulfilled: They have parted my garments among them and for my robe they have cast lots (John 19:23-24). Now He is on high... And close to her Son, at the foot of the Cross, stand Mary... and Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. And John, the disciple whom He loved. Ecce mater tua! —Behold thy mother! —He gives us His Mother for our own. Earlier they had offered Him wine mingled with gall, and when He had tasted it, He would not drink (Matt 27:34). Now He thirsts... for love, for souls. Consummatum est. —It is consummated (John 19:30). Foolish child, look: all this... He has suffered it all for you... and for me. —Can you keep from crying? Holy Rosary, The Crucifixion
Now they are crucifying Our Lord, and with him two thieves, one on his right and one on his left. Meanwhile, Jesus says: Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). It is Love that has brought Jesus to Calvary. And once on the Cross, all his gestures and all his words are of love, a love both calm and strong. With a gesture befitting an Eternal Priest, without father or mother, without lineage (cf. Heb 7:3), he opens his arms to the whole human race. With the hammerblows with which Jesus is being nailed, there resound the prophetic words of Holy Scripture: They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones, and they stare and gloat over me (Ps 21:17-18). My people, what have I done to thee, or in what have I saddened thee? Answer me! (Mich 6:3). And we, our soul rent with sorrow, say to Jesus in all sincerity: I am yours and I give my whole self to You; gladly do I nail myself to your Cross, ready to be in the cross-roads of this world a soul dedicated to You, to your glory, to the work of Redemption, the co-redemption of the whole human race. Way of the Cross, XI Station – Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
We have to fight vigorously to do good, precisely because it is difficult for us men to resolve seriously to be just, and there is a long way to go before human relations are inspired by love and not hatred or indifference. We should also be aware that even if we achieve a reasonable distribution of wealth and a harmonious organization of society, there will still be the suffering of illness, of misunderstanding, of loneliness, of the death of loved ones, of the experience of our own limitations. Faced with the weight of all this, a Christian can find only one genuine answer, a definitive answer: Christ on the cross, a God who suffers and dies, a God who gives us his heart opened by a lance for the love of us all. Our Lord abominates injustice and condemns those who commit it. But he respects the freedom of each individual. He permits injustice to happen because, as a result of original sin, it is part and parcel of the human condition. Yet his heart is full of love for men. Our suffering, our sadness, our anguish, our hunger and thirst for justice... he took all these tortures on himself by means of the cross. Christian teaching on pain is not a series of facile considerations. It is, in the first place, a call to accept the suffering inseparable from all human life. I cannot hide from you the fact that there has often been pain in my life and more than once I have wanted to cry. I tell you this joyfully, because I have always preached and tried to live the truth that Christ, who is love, is to be found on the cross. At other times, I have felt a great revulsion to injustice and evil, and I have fought against the frustration of not being able to do anything — despite my desire and my effort — to remedy those unjust situations. When I speak to you about suffering, I am not just talking theory. Nor do I limit myself to other people’s experience when I tell you that the remedy is to look at Christ, if when faced with suffering, you at some time feel that your soul is wavering. The scene of Calvary proclaims to everyone that afflictions have to be sanctified, that we are to live united to the cross. If we bear our difficulties as Christians, they are turned into reparation and atonement. They give us a share in Jesus' destiny and in his life. Out of love for men he volunteered to experience the whole gamut of pain and torment. He was born, lived and died poor. He was attacked, insulted, defamed, slandered and unjustly condemned. He knew treachery and abandonment by his disciples. He experienced isolation and the bitterness of punishment and death. And now the same Christ is suffering in his members, in all of humanity spread throughout the earth, whose head and firstborn and redeemer he is. Suffering is part of God's plans. This is the truth, however difficult it may be for us to understand it. It was difficult for Jesus Christ the man to undergo his passion: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours be done.” In this tension of pleading and acceptance of the Father’s will, Jesus goes calmly to his death, pardoning those who crucify him. This supernatural acceptance of suffering was, precisely, the greatest of all conquests. By dying on the cross Jesus overcame death. God brings life from death. The attitude of a child of God is not one of resignation to a possibly tragic fate; it is the sense of achievement of someone who has a foretaste of victory. In the name of this victorious love of Christ, we Christians should go out into the world to be sowers of peace and joy through everything we say and do. We have to fight — a fight of peace — against evil, against injustice, against sin. Thus do we serve notice that the present condition of mankind is not definitive. Only the love of God, shown in the heart of Christ, will attain the glorious spiritual triumph of men. Christ is Passing By, 168