This month, as we journey through Lent, we suggest that you follow Psalm 87 in parallel with the Gospel, which will help us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the agony of Jesus.
Meditations for every Thursday
Thursday March 5 :
The true extent of the Passion lived in the Garden of Olives will remain forever unknown, even by disciples who actually fell asleep. It is an inner Passion, a spiritual suffering, impossible to compare with human suffering, even if it were experienced by a saint. We must keep before our eyes the whole mystery of the Son, true Man, to be able to get some idea of the extent of His sufferings, under the sobering words spoken by the Evangelists: “Father, if it is possible , let this cup pass from me. ” (The sign of contradiction, Cardinal Wojtyła, future John Paul II)
Thursday March 12 :
St Claude La Colombière, meditating on the unfathomable abyss of suffering that Christ wanted to endure to save us, wonders if “it is not too much”, when a drop of the Redeemer’s blood would have been enough to save us, a tear would have sufficed to purify us and to reconcile us with the Father. And he puts on the lips of Jesus the following words:
“Yes, it is too much to appease my Father, too much to quell the hatred of my enemies, too much to wipe out all the sins of the earth, too much to stifle all the fires of hell; but it’s not enough to touch your heart, to inspire you with the slightest feeling of gratitude “(St Claude La Colombière)
Thursday March 19 :(The “Passion” of St Joseph).
“The Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said to him,” Arise, take the child and his mother with you, and flee to Egypt; and stay there until I tell you because Herod is going to seek the child to kill Him. ” He got up, took the child and his mother with him at night, and fled to Egypt; and he stayed there until Herod died; so that this prophecy of the Lord might be fulfilled: “From Egypt I called my Son.” Then Herod, seeing that he had been duped by the Magi, was overcome with violent fury and sent his soldiers, to Bethlehem and throughout the land, to kill all the children under two years of age, according to the date that the Magi had given. “(Matthew 2)
Thursday March 26:(The “Passion” of St Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary). “Not having found Him, they returned to Jerusalem, still looking for Him. And it came to pass, after three days, they found Him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, listening to them and questioning them; and everyone who heard him was amazed at his intelligence and his answers. When they saw Him, they were overcome with emotion, and His mother said to him, “My child, why did you do this to us? See! your father and I are so anxious looking for you. ” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? ” But they did not understand the word He had just said to them. He then went down with them and returned to Nazareth; and He was subject to them. And His mother faithfully kept all these things in her heart. “(Luke 2)
Ch. Jesus, we adore you, Lord,
Jesus, we adore you, Lord,
Jesus, we adore you, Lord,
We adore you.
1. For life has made itself known.
In the dark of our sin, light has shown,
The Son of God, given for us
We come to worship and adore.
3. Jesus, the Lamb who was slain,
Let us gaze on your heart, pierced for us.
Spirit of God flows from the cross,
Water of life that makes us whole.
39 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40 When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.
LORD, you are the God who saves me;
day and night I cry out to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
3 I am overwhelmed with troubles
and my life draws near to death.
41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.”
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like one without strength.
I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care.
43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength.
44 In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.
You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.
Your wrath lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.[d]You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
my eyes are dim with grief.
I call to you, LORD, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction[e]?
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief
But I cry to you for help, LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Why, LORD, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?
Ch. Jesus, my King ! Jesus, my joy !
Jesus, You are here, come to me !
1. O Heart of love and of sweetness filled,
O Heart of peace and of tenderness,
O Heart which shared in our misery
And offered us on the cross to God, the Father.
2. O benign Heart, humble, meek and real,
O pure and strong Heart of charity,
O Heart embracing all our pains
And offers them on the cross to God, the Father.
3. O glorious Heart, burning with true love,
From there the source of life gushed forth,
Enamoured Heart opens heaven for us
And offers us to the glory of our Father.
46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
47 While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?”…. 54 Then they seized him and led him away…
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui !
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui !
Præstet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui !
Genitori Genitoque
Laus et jubilatio,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio !
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio . Amen .
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