(1) Jesus is Condemned to Death
It is after ten in the morning.
The trial is moving to its close.
There has been no conclusive
evidence. The judge knows that
his enemies have handed Jesus
over to him out of envy, and he
tries an absurd move: a choice
between Barabbas, a criminal
accused of robbery and murder,
and Jesus, who says he is
Christ.
The people choose
Barabbas, and Pilate exclaims:
What am I to do then, with Jesus? They all reply: Crucify
him!
(2) Jesus Takes Up His Cross
Outside the city, to the northwest of
Jerusalem, there is a little hill:
Golgotha is its name in Aramaic;
locus Calvariae, in Latin: the place of
skulls or Calvary.
Offering no
resistance, Jesus gives himself up to
the execution of the sentence. He is
to be spared nothing, and upon his
shoulders falls the weight of the
ignominious cross.
(3)Jesus Falls The First Time
The heavy Cross cuts and tears
into Our Lord's shoulders. The
crowd has swollen into a
multitude, and the legionaries can
scarcely contain the angry,
surging mob that flows through
the streets and alleyways of
Jerusalem. The worn out body of Jesus staggers now
beneath the huge Cross. A sharp pain pierces the soul of
Jesus; Our Lord falls to the ground exhausted.
(4) Jesus Is Met By His Blessed Mother
No sooner has Jesus risen from his
first fall than he meets his Blessed
Mother, standing by the wayside
where He is passing. With immense
love Mary looks at Jesus, and Jesus at
his Mother. Their eyes meet, and
each heart pours into the other its own
deep sorrow.
(5) Simon Of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
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
through the Judgment Gate, they take
hold of a man, a farmer called Simon,
and they force him to carry the Cross of
Jesus.
(6) The Face Of Jesus Is Wiped By Veronica
A woman, Veronica by name,
makes her way through the crowd,
with a white linen cloth folded in her
hands, and with this she reverently
wipes the face of Jesus. Our Lord
leaves the impression of his Holy
Face on the three parts of that veil.
(7) Jesus Falls A Second Time
Outside the walls of the city, the body of Jesus again gives
way through weakness, and he
falls a second time, amid the
shouts of the crowd and the rough
handling of the soldiers. Infirmity
of body and bitterness of soul
have caused Jesus to fall again.
All the sins of men - mine too -
weigh down on his Sacred
Humanity.
Next Weeks Bulletin of February 10