THE THIRD MEDITATION On the Death of Christ
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Ignatius, of Loyola, Saint and Coppens, Charles
1st Prelude. Christ carried His cross a weary way up the mountain, falling repeatedly beneath it. Arrived at the top, He is despoiled of His garments, and stands there a pillar of bleeding flesh. He is most rudely nailed to the cross, which is next lifted up, and dropped with a shock into its socket. His hands and feet are torn around the nails. He exclaims: “Father, forgive them,” says to St. John: “Behold thy mother,” exclaims “Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit!” and expires. His sacred Heart is pierced.
2nd Prelude. Behold Christ hanging on the cross, amid the jeers of His triumphant enemies. He is praying for us all.
3rd Prelude. Beg for a loving compassion for His pains and for a deep sorrow for sin.
POINT I. Consider how Christ painfully carries His cross. He thus shows us the one way to Heaven, that of suffering. There would have been another way, that of innocence, by which the Angels had entered; but it was closed by the sin of Adam and by our own sins. Now we must all suffer, here or hereafter. The lookers on were of three classes: His enemies, rejoicing; His friends sorrowing; the crowd, indifferent. It is so to-day. The falls of Christ represent our moral falls; these must humble, but not discourage us. He meets His blessed Mother: sufferings bring us nearer to Mary. Condole with her.
POINT II. Christ is despoiled of His garments, that He may die in the utmost poverty, in which He has also been born. His clothes cling to His torn flesh, and are removed with no tender hands. He bleeds again at every pore. He is rudely thrown down on the cross; watch the process of the nailing, of the raising of the cross, of its dropping into the hole with a rude shock, His sacred flesh tearing about the nails. He exclaims: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” What charity! What an example for us His followers! Again He speaks: “Woman, behold thy son,” “Behold thy mother.” St. John, the only one of the Apostles present, represented the Church; in his person we were all commended to Mary by her dying Son, and we were bidden to hold her as our Mother.
As Christ hung there on the cross, He viewed and read the hearts of all men, for whom He died; He thought of me in person. He exclaimed: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!” and He expired. Let me resign myself into the hands of God with humble, loving confidence. Let me thank the Lord for His most precious death, repent of my sins, which required such expiation, and pray that sinners may be converted.
Let me lovingly kiss the cross, and in spirit bend my head beneath the stream of His sacred blood, to wash away my sins.
The sacred heart of Jesus is next pierced with a lance, to open that sanctuary for me and for all sinners. Let me adore that Divine Heart, and promise to love and honor it, and teach others to do the same.
Colloquy with Jesus, my loving Saviour; with Mary, the Mother of Sorrows; pleading for pardon, protesting my love and my boundless gratitude.