For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion, Have Mercy On Us And on the Whole World

“For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world”

Words taken from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the premise of the objective of the Crucifixion.  As one sits before the Blessed Sacrament, in contemplation of His Passion, visualizing the nailing of Jesus to the cross, the raising of this wooden structure to an upright position tearing flesh as the nails holding him inflict severe pain with blood flowing out of each wound it doesn’t take much imagination to feel the very cruelty that the Romans devised to punish someone convicted of a crime.

The longer you sit, absorbing the scene before your mind’s eyes, the blood running down your arms and the intense pain that it leaves behind creates a sense of evil that should never have occurred for the Son of God, let alone us.  But is was real and placing ourselves in this position can also create a feeling of reality.    

Good Friday isn’t just a day that culminates the actions of Jesus before Pilate and Herod, followed by condemnation, conviction, and crucifixion.  It is more than all that; it is a scene of each one of us appearing in court, being accused of something contrived by an enemy and sent to the gallows without any chance for defense.  Allow, during this contemplation, to see yourself in place of that sorrowful man, who is God paying the ransom, and calling out in silent suffering as your death is imminent.

Spending 40 days in sacrifice, fasting, giving alms, and praying might appear to make our Lenten observance complete.  But unless we really take time to share that moment of contemplation on the Passion of Jesus and somehow see ourselves in a sense taking His place and feeling the absence of compassion from others the 40 days becomes just a repeat of another annual exercise. 

Ralph B. Hathaway, Good Friday meditation 2021