John,
Chapter 12, verse 14-15:
14 Jesus found an ass and sat upon it, as is written:
15“Fear no more, O daughter
Zion; see, your king comes, seated upon an ass’s colt.”
This
verse is referring to our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem when the people
acknowledged Christ as the Messiah. The daughter of Zion is a term used by the
prophet Zachariah for Jerusalem and according to eastern traditions Kings
traditionally rode on donkeys rather than horses. Another symbol of Christ’s
entrance into Jerusalem is that of the Prince of Peace: He rode in on a donkey
rather than a war horse into a city whose name means peace.
According
to Deut. 17:15 it was forbidden for a King of Israel to acquire horses. Based
on that prohibition, the Israelites didn’t ride horses into battle either, but
were told to rely on the Lord to help them overcome superior enemy forces.
(Deut. 20:1) And Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah-King would enter
Jerusalem on a donkey.[1]
* In the original text,
Saint Faustina uses the pronoun "us" since she was offering this
prayer as a consecrated religious sister. The wording adapted here is intended
to make the prayer suitable for universal use.
Due to the high volume of traffic and
unavailability of parking at the chapel it is suggested to park at the Little
horse trail and hike into the chapel via little horse trail to chapel trail.
Directions:
Location: 35 miles south
of Flagstaff in scenic Red Rock Country.
Access:
From the junction of Routes 89A and 179 in Sedona, take 179 south 3.6 miles to
a paved turnout and trailhead parking on the left (east) at milepost 309.8, 0.2
miles south of the entrance to the United Methodist Church.
Little Horse Trail begins
as part of the Bell Rock Pathway. Follow this wide trail southward for
0.25 mile. Here, at a signed fork, take the old jeep road branching to the left
and marked with basket cairns. The road drops to cross a dry streambed, climbs
a bit and ends at the 0.75 mile point. The trail continues to the left and
climbs moderately, topping out on a large, flat expanse. Turn to the right
here. The level trail leads into a stand of Arizona cypress and intersects Chapel
Trail on the left coming from the Chapel of the Holy Cross as it nears the
"Madonna and the Nuns" spire rock formation. Beautiful views. At 1.4
miles, it passes through a gate to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Return by the
same route. Trail is mostly unshaded and hot in summer.
General
Notes:
Rating:
Easy
Hiking
Time: 2 hours roundtrip
Hiking
from Little Horse it is suggested that you begin the hiking meditation by
reflecting on the Ten Commandments and when you make the turn onto the
chapel trail to begin a meditation on the Stations of the cross ending
the last stations when you enter the chapel and view the new crucifix.
Afterward on the return hike complete the Divine Mercy reflection pg. 9
and the Rosary of the day.
1.
I am the LORD your God. You shall worship
the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
2.
You shall not take the name of the Lord
your God in vain.
3.
Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
4.
Honor your father and your mother.
5.
You shall not kill.
6.
You shall not commit adultery.
7.
You shall not steal.
8.
You shall not bear false witness against
your neighbor.
9.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You
shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
“What do they mean?”
Again, the Ten Commandments are a description of the basic freedom from sin
that is necessary to live as a Christian. They are a minimum level of living,
below which we must not go. The Ten Commandments and Catholicism have been
bound together since the time of Christ. In fact, Jesus refers to the Ten
Commandments and assures their validity in his dialog with the rich young man
in Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 19:16-21). It’s important to note that each Commandment
is simply a summary of a whole category of actions. Don’t be legalistic,
searching for a way around them because their wording doesn’t fit you
perfectly! For example, “bearing false witness against your neighbor” covers
any kind of falsehood: perjury, lying, slander, detraction, rash judgment, etc.
The Catholic Ten Commandments are linked together to form a coherent whole. If
you break one of them, you’re guilty of breaking all of them. The Commandments
express man’s fundamental duties to God and neighbor. As such, they represent
grave obligations. To violate them knowingly & willingly in a significant
way is to commit mortal sin.
2052 "Teacher,
what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" To the young man who
asked this question, Jesus answers first by invoking the necessity to recognize
God as the "One there is who is good," as the supreme Good and the
source of all good. Then Jesus tells him: "If you would enter life, keep
the commandments." And he cites for his questioner the precepts that
concern love of neighbor: "You shall not kill, You shall not commit
adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your
father and mother." Finally Jesus sums up these commandments positively:
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
2053 To
this first reply Jesus adds a second: "If you would be perfect, go, sell
what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow me." This reply does not do away with the first:
following Jesus Christ involves keeping the Commandments. The Law has not been
abolished, but rather man is invited to rediscover it in the person of his
Master who is its perfect fulfillment. In the three synoptic Gospels, Jesus'
call to the rich young man to follow him, in the obedience of a disciple and in
the observance of the Commandments, is joined to the call to poverty and
chastity. The evangelical counsels are inseparable from the Commandments.
2054
Jesus acknowledged the Ten Commandments, but he also showed the power of the
Spirit at work in their letter. He preached a "righteousness [which]
exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees" as well as that of the
Gentiles. He unfolded all the demands of the Commandments. "You have heard
that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill.' . . . But I
say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to
judgment."
2055
When someone asks him, "Which commandment in the Law is the
greatest?" Jesus replies: "You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the
greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets."
The Decalogue must be interpreted in light of this twofold yet single
commandment of love, the fullness of the Law:
The commandments:
"You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal,
You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this
sentence: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no
wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
2056
The word "Decalogue" means literally "ten words." God
revealed these "ten words" to his people on the holy mountain. They
were written "with the finger of God," unlike the other commandments
written by Moses. They are pre-eminently the words of God. They are handed on
to us in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. Beginning with the Old Testament,
the sacred books refer to the "ten words," but it is in the New
Covenant in Jesus Christ that their full meaning will be revealed.
2057
The Decalogue must first be understood in the context of the Exodus, God's
great liberating event at the center of the Old Covenant. Whether formulated as
negative commandments, prohibitions, or as positive precepts such as:
"Honor your father and mother," the "ten words" point out
the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin. The Decalogue is a path
of life:
If you love the LORD your
God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes
and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply.
This liberating power of
the Decalogue appears, for example, in the commandment about the sabbath rest,
directed also to foreigners and slaves:
You shall remember that
you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out
thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
2058 The
"ten words" sum up and proclaim God's law: "These words the Lord
spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the
cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he
wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them to me." For this reason
these two tables are called "the Testimony." In fact, they contain
the terms of the covenant concluded between God and his people. These
"tables of the Testimony" were to be deposited in "the
ark."
2059
The "ten words" are pronounced by God in the midst of a theophany
("The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst
of the fire."). They belong to God's revelation of himself and his glory.
The gift of the Commandments is the gift of God himself and his holy will. In
making his will known, God reveals himself to his people.
2060 The
gift of the commandments and of the Law is part of the covenant God sealed with
his own. In Exodus, the revelation of the "ten words" is granted
between the proposal of the covenant and its conclusion - after the people had
committed themselves to "do" all that the Lord had said, and to
"obey" it. The Decalogue is never handed on without first recalling
the covenant ("The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.").
2061
The Commandments take on their full meaning within the covenant. According to
Scripture, man's moral life has all its meaning in and through the covenant.
The first of the "ten words" recalls that God loved his people first:
Since there was a passing
from the paradise of freedom to the slavery of this world, in punishment for
sin, the first phrase of the Decalogue, the first word of God's commandments,
bears on freedom "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."
2062 The
Commandments properly so-called come in the second place: they express the
implications of belonging to God through the establishment of the covenant.
Moral existence is a response to the Lord's loving initiative. It is the
acknowledgement and homage given to God and a worship of thanksgiving. It is
cooperation with the plan God pursues in history.
2063
The covenant and dialogue between God and man are also attested to by the fact
that all the obligations are stated in the first person ("I am the
Lord.") and addressed by God to another personal subject
("you"). In all God's commandments, the singular personal pronoun
designates the recipient. God makes his will known to each person in
particular, at the same time as he makes it known to the whole people:
The Lord prescribed love
towards God and taught justice towards neighbor, so that man would be neither
unjust, nor unworthy of God. Thus, through the Decalogue, God prepared man to
become his friend and to live in harmony with his neighbor. . . . The
words of the Decalogue remain likewise for us Christians. Far from being
abolished, they have received amplification and development from the fact of
the coming of the Lord in the flesh.
2064
In fidelity to Scripture and in conformity with the example of Jesus, the
tradition of the Church has acknowledged the primordial importance and
significance of the Decalogue.
2067
The Ten Commandments state what is required in the love of God and love of
neighbor. The first three concern love of God, and the other seven love of
neighbor.
As charity comprises the
two commandments to which the Lord related the whole Law and the prophets
. . . so the Ten Commandments were themselves given on two tablets.
Three were written on one tablet and seven on the other.
2068 The
Council of Trent teaches that the Ten Commandments are obligatory for
Christians and that the justified man is still bound to keep them; the Second
Vatican Council confirms: "The bishops, successors of the apostles,
receive from the Lord . . . the mission of teaching all peoples, and
of preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain salvation
through faith, Baptism and the observance of the Commandments."
2069
The Decalogue forms a coherent whole. Each "word" refers to each of
the others and to all of them; they reciprocally condition one another. The two
tables shed light on one another; they form an organic unity. To transgress one
commandment is to infringe all the others. One cannot honor another person
without blessing God his Creator. One cannot adore God without loving all men,
his creatures. The Decalogue brings man's religious and social life into unity.
2070 The
Ten Commandments belong to God's revelation. At the same time they teach us the
true humanity of man. They bring to light the essential duties, and therefore,
indirectly, the fundamental rights inherent in the nature of the human person.
The Decalogue contains a privileged expression of the natural law:
From the beginning, God
had implanted in the heart of man the precepts of the natural law. Then he was
content to remind him of them. This was the Decalogue.
2071 The
commandments of the Decalogue, although accessible to reason alone, have been
revealed. To attain a complete and certain understanding of the requirements of
the natural law, sinful humanity needed this revelation:
A full explanation of the
commandments of the Decalogue became necessary in the state of sin because the
light of reason was obscured and the will had gone astray.
We know God's
commandments through the divine revelation proposed to us in the Church, and
through the voice of moral conscience.
2072
Since they express man's fundamental duties towards God and towards his
neighbor, the Ten Commandments reveal, in their primordial content, grave
obligations. They are fundamentally immutable, and they oblige always and
everywhere. No one can dispense from them. The Ten Commandments are engraved by
God in the human heart.
2073
Obedience to the Commandments also implies obligations in matter which is, in
itself, light. Thus abusive language is forbidden by the fifth commandment, but
would be a grave offense only as a result of circumstances or the offender's
intention.
2074 Jesus
says: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in
him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
nothing." The fruit referred to in this saying is the holiness of a life
made fruitful by union with Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, partake of
his mysteries, and keep his commandments, the Savior himself comes to love, in
us, his Father and his brethren, our Father and our brethren. His person
becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity. "This
is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
As you turn onto the Chapel Trail
reflect on the Stations of the Cross
FIRST
STATION
Jesus
in agony in the Garden of Olives
From the Gospel according to
Saint Luke. 22:41-44
Jesus withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down
and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless
not my will but yours be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven
strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat
became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground.
MEDITATION Jesus was in agony.
Grief and anguish came upon him. The sin of all mankind weighed on him heavily.
But the greater his pain, the more fervently did he pray. Pain always remains a
challenge to us. We feel left alone. We forget to pray, and break down. Some
even take their lives. But if we turn to God, we grow spiritually strong and go
out to help our fellow-beings in trouble. Jesus continues to suffer in his
persecuted disciples. Pope Benedict XVI says that even in our times “the Church
does not lack martyrs”. Christ is in agony among us, and in our times. We pray
for those who suffer. The mystery of Christian suffering is that it has a
redemptive value. May the harassments that believers undergo complete in them
the sufferings of Christ that bring salvation.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, enable us to
delve deeper into the great “mystery of evil” and our own contribution to it.
As sufferings came into human life through sin, it was your plan that humanity
be saved from sin through suffering. May none of the little annoyances,
humiliations, and frustrations that we undergo in our daily lives and the great
shocks that take us by surprise, go to waste. Linked with your own agony, may
the agonies we endure be acceptable to you and bring us hope. Lord, teach us to
be compassionate, not only to the hungry, thirsty, sick, or those in some
special need, but also to those inclined to be rude, argumentative and hurtful.
In this way, as you have helped us in all our troubles, we may in turn “comfort
those who are in any affliction, with the comfort that we ourselves have
received”.
SECOND
STATION
Jesus
is betrayed by Judas, and restrains Peter from violence
From the Gospel according to
Saint Luke 22:47-50 and according to Saint Matthew 26:52.56
While Jesus was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man
called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to
kiss him; but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a
kiss?” And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they said,
“Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the slave of the
high priest and cut off his right ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword
back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Then
all the disciples forsook him and fled.
MEDITATION It is one of his
trusted friends that betrays Jesus, and with a kiss. The way Jesus confronted
violence has a message for our times. Violence is suicidal, he tells Peter: it
is not defeated by more violence, but by a superior spiritual energy that
reaches out in the form of healing love. Jesus touches the High Priest’s slave and
heals him. The violent man today too may need a healing touch that comes from a
love that transcends the immediate issues. In times of conflict between
persons, ethnic and religious groups, nations, economic and political
interests, Jesus says, confrontation and violence are not the answer, but love,
persuasion and reconciliation. Even when we seem to fail in such efforts, we
plant the seeds of peace which will bear fruit in due time. The rightness of
our cause is our strength.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, you consider us
your friends, yet we notice traces of infidelity in ourselves. We acknowledge
our transgressions. We are presumptuous at times and over-confident. And we
fall. Let not avarice, lust or pride take us by surprise. How thoughtlessly do
we fly after ephemeral satisfactions and untested ideas! Grant that we may not
be tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine… but speaking
the truth in love, grow up in every way into Christ the head. May truth and
sincerity of purpose be our strength. Restrain, Lord, our impetuosity in
situations of violence, as you restrained Peter’s impulsive character. Keep us
unruffled in spirit before opposition and unfair treatment. Convince us that “A
gentle answer quiets anger” in our families, and that “gentleness” combined
with “wisdom” restores tranquility in society. “Lord, make me an instrument of
Your peace.”
THIRD
STATION
Jesus
is held guilty by the Sanhedrin
From the Gospel according to
Saint Matthew 26:62-66
And the High Priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to
make? What is it that these men testify against you? But Jesus was silent. And
the High Priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you
are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell
you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power,
and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the High Priest tore his robes, and
said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What do we still need witnesses? You have now
heard his blasphemy. What is your judgement? They answered, “He deserves
death.”
MEDITATION In every land, there
have been innocent persons who suffered, people who died fighting for freedom,
equality or justice. Those who struggle on behalf of God’s little ones are
promoting God’s own work. For he presses for the rights of the weak and the
oppressed. Whoever collaborates in this work, in the spirit of Jesus, brings
hope to the oppressed and offers a corrective message to the evildoer himself. Jesus’
manner of struggling for justice is not to rouse the collective anger of people
against the opponent, so that they are led into forms of greater injustice. On
the contrary, it is to challenge the foe with the rightness of one’s cause and
evoke the good will of the opponent in such a way that injustice is renounced
through persuasion and a change of heart. Mahatma Gandhi brought this teaching
of Jesus on non-violence into public life with amazing success.
PRAYER Lord, often we judge others
in haste, indifferent to actual realities and insensitive to people’s feelings!
We develop stratagems of self-justification and explain away the irresponsible
manner in which we have dealt with “the other”. Forgive us! When we are
misjudged and ill-treated, Lord, give us the inner serenity and self-confidence
that your Son manifested in the face of unjust treatment. Keep us from an
aggressive response which goes against your Spirit. On the contrary, help us to
bring your powerful word of forgiveness into situations of tension and anxiety,
so that it may reveal its dynamic power in history. “In His will is our peace.”
FOURTH
STATION
Jesus
is denied by Peter
From the Gospel according to
Saint Luke. 22:54-62
Then they seized Jesus and led him away, bringing him into the
high priest’s house. Peter followed at a distance; and when they had kindled a
fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among
them. Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in the light and gazing at him, said,
“This man was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”
And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still
another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man was also with him; for he is a
Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying.” And
immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. And the Lord turned
and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said
to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he
went out and wept bitterly.
MEDITATION Peter claimed to be
strong, but he broke down before a servant girl. Human weakness takes us by
surprise, and we collapse. That is why Jesus asks us to watch and pray. He
urges self-renunciation and closeness to God. There is a rebellious “self”
within us. We are often of “two minds”, but we fail to recognize this inner
inconsistency. Peter recognized it when his eyes met the eyes of Jesus, and he
wept. Later, Thomas, encountering the Risen Lord, acknowledged his own
faithlessness and believed. In the light of Christ, Paul became aware of the
inconsistency within himself, and he overcame it with the Lord’s help. Going
deeper still, he discovered: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who
lives in me.”
PRAYER Lord, how easily do we allow
a distance to grow between what we profess to be and what we really are! How
often do we fail to carry out our own decisions, or even fulfil our most solemn
promises! And as a result we often hesitate to make any permanent commitment,
even to you! We confess that we have failed to bring into our life that inner
discipline that is expected of any adult person and required for the success of
any human endeavor. Give sturdiness to our inner determination; help us to
bring every good work we have begun to a successful conclusion. Enable us to
stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians, “in complete obedience to
God’s will”.
FIFTH
STATION
Jesus
is judged by Pilate
A third time Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I
have found in him no crime deserving death; I will therefore chastise him and
release him”. But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be
crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that their
demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison
for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to
their will.
MEDITATION It was not the
rightness of an issue that mattered to Pilate, but his professional interests.
Such an attitude did not help him, either in this case or in his later career.
He was so unlike Jesus, whose inner rectitude made him fearless. Nor was Pilate
interested in the truth. He walks away from Jesus exclaiming, “What is truth?”
Such indifference to truth is not uncommon these days. People are often
concerned about what gives immediate satisfaction. They are content with
superficial answers. Decisions are made based not on principles of integrity,
but on opportunistic considerations. Failing to make morally responsible
options damages the vital interests of the human person, and of the human
family. We pray that the “spiritual and ethical concepts” contained in the word
of God will inspire the living norms of society in our times.
PRAYER Lord, give us the courage to
make responsible decisions when rendering a public service. Bring probity (correctness) into public life and
assist us to be true to our conscience. Lord, you are the source of all Truth.
Guide us in our search for ultimate answers. Going beyond mere partial and
incomplete explanations, may we search for what is permanently true, beautiful
and good. Lord, keep us fearless before the “slings and arrows of outrageous
fortune”. When shadows grow deep on life’s wearisome paths, and the dark night
comes, enable us to hearken to the teaching of your Apostle Paul: “Be watchful,
stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.”
SIXTH
STATION
Jesus
is scourged and crowned with thorns
From the Gospel according to
Saint Matthew. 27:26-30
Then Pilate, having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be
crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium,
and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put
a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his
head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked
him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spat upon him, and took the
reed and struck him on the head.
MEDITATION Inhumanity reaches
new heights. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns. History is full of
hatred and wars. Even today we witness acts of violence beyond belief: murder,
violence to women and children, kidnapping, extortion, ethnic conflict, urban
violence, physical and mental torture, violations of human rights. Jesus
continues to suffer when believers are persecuted, when justice is distorted in
court, corruption gets rooted, unjust structures grind the poor, minorities are
suppressed, refugees and migrants are ill-treated. Jesus’ garments are pulled
away when the human person is put to shame on the screen, when women are
compelled to humiliate themselves, when slum children go round the streets
picking up crumbs. Who are the guilty? Let us not point a finger at others, for
we ourselves may have contributed a share to these forms of inhumanity.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, we know that it
is you who suffer when we cause pain to each other and we remain indifferent.
Your heart went out in compassion when you saw the crowds “harassed and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”. Give me eyes that notice the needs of
the poor and a heart that reaches out in love. “Give me the strength to make my
love fruitful in service.” Most of all, may we share with the indigent your
“word” of hope, your assurance of care. May “zeal for your house” burn in us
like a fire. Help us to bring the sunshine of your joy into the lives of those
who are trudging the path of despair.
SEVENTH
STATION
After
Jesus is made an object of fun, he is led out to be crucified
From the Gospel according to
Saint Matthew. 27:31
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and
put his own clothes on him, and led him away to be crucified.
MEDITATION Jesus, at whose name
every knee in heaven and earth bends, is made an object of fun. We are shocked
to see to what levels of brutality human beings can sink. Jesus is humiliated
in new ways even today: when things that are most Holy and Profound in the
Faith are being trivialized; the sense of the sacred is allowed to erode; the
religious sentiment is classified among unwelcome leftovers of antiquity. Everything
in public life risks being desacralized: persons, places, pledges, prayers,
practices, words, sacred writings, religious formulae, symbols, ceremonies. Our
life together is being increasingly secularized. Religious life grows
diffident. Thus we see the most momentous matters placed among trifles, and
trivialities glorified. Values and norms that held societies together and drew
people to higher ideals are laughed at and thrown overboard. Jesus continues to
be ridiculed!
PRAYER We have faith, Lord, but not
enough. Help us to have more. May we never question or mock serious things in
life like a cynic. Allow us not to drift into the desert of godlessness. Enable
us to perceive you in the gentle breeze, see you in street corners, love you in
the unborn child. God, enable us to understand that on Tabor or Calvary, your
Son is the Lord. Robed or stripped of his garments, he is the Savior of the
world. Make us attentive to his quiet presences: in his “word”, in tabernacles,
shrines, humble places, simple persons, the life of the poor, laughter of
children, whispering pines, rolling hills, the tiniest living cell, the
smallest atom, and the distant galaxies. May we watch with wonder as he walks
on the waters of the Rhine and the Nile and the Tanganyika.
EIGHTH
STATION
Jesus
is helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross
From the Gospel according to
Saint Luke. 23:26
The soldiers led Jesus away, and as they were going, they met a
man from Cyrene named Simon who was coming into the city from the country. They
seized him, put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.
MEDITATION In Simon of Cyrene,
we have the proto-type of a faithful disciple who takes up the Cross and
follows Christ. He is not unlike millions of Christians from a humble
background, with deep attachment to Christ. No glamour, no sophistication, but
profound faith. Such believers keep rising on the soil of Africa, Asia and the
distant islands. Vocations arise from their midst. Simon reminds us of small
communities and tribes with their characteristic commitment to the common good,
deep rootedness in ethical values and openness to the Gospel. They deserve
attention and care. The Lord does not desire that “one of these little ones
should perish”. In Simon we discover the sacredness of the ordinary and the
greatness of what looks small. For the smallest has some mystic relationship
with the greatest, and the ordinary with the most extraordinary!
PRAYER Lord, it is your wonderful
plan to lift up the lowly and sustain the poor. Strengthen your Church in her
service to deprived communities: the least privileged, the marginalized, slum
dwellers, the rural poor, the undernourished, untouchables, the handicapped,
people given to addictions. May the example of your servant, Mother Teresa of
Kolkata, inspire us to dedicate more of our energies and resources to the cause
of the “poorest of the poor”. May we one day hear these words from Jesus: “I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a
stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and
you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
NINTH
STATION
Jesus
meets the women of Jerusalem
From the Gospel according to
Saint Luke. 23:27-28
And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of
women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus, turning to them, said:
“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for
your children.”
MEDITATION Before the weeping
women, Jesus is self-forgetful. His anxiety is not about his pains, but about
the tragic future that awaits them and their children. The destinies of
societies are intimately linked to the wellbeing of their women. Wherever women
are held in low esteem or their role remains diminished, societies fail to rise
to their true potentiality. In the same way, wherever their responsibility to
the rising generation is neglected, ignored, or marginalized, the future of
that society becomes uncertain. There are many societies in the world where
women fail to receive a fair deal. Christ must be weeping for them. There are
societies too that are thoughtless about their future. Christ must be weeping
for their children. Wherever there is unconcern for the future, through the
overuse of resources, the degradation of the environment, the oppression of
women, the neglect of family values, the ignoring of ethical norms, the
abandonment of religious traditions, Jesus must be telling people: “Do not weep
for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”
PRAYER Lord, you are the Master of
history. And yet you wanted our collaboration in realizing your plans. Help us
to play a responsible role in society: leaders in their communities, parents in
their families, educators and health-workers among those who need to be served,
communicators in the world of information. Arouse in us a sense of mission in
what we do, a deep sense of responsibility to each other, to society, to our
common future and to you. For you have placed the destinies of our communities
and of humanity itself into our hands. Lord, do not turn away from us when you
see women humiliated or your image disfigured in the human person; when we
interfere with life-systems, weaken the nurturing power of nature, pollute
running streams or the deep blue seas or the Northern snows. Save us from cruel
indifference to our common future, and do not let us drag our civilization down
the path of decline.
Time
your hike so you can reflect on stations 10-13 while sitting in the chapel with
our crucified Lord!
TENTH
STATION
Jesus
is crucified
From the Gospel according to
Saint Luke 23:33-37 and according to Saint Matthew. 27:46
There they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right
and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not
what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood
by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him
save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also
mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, and saying, “If you are the
King of the Jews, save yourself!” And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a
loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”, that is, “My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?”
MEDITATION The sufferings of
Jesus reach a climax. He had stood fearlessly before Pilate. He had endured the
mistreatment of the Roman soldiers. He had preserved his calm under the scourge
and the crowning with thorns. On the Cross itself, he seemed untouched by a
shower of insults. He had no word of complaint, no desire to retort. But then,
finally, a moment comes when he breaks down. His strength can stand no more. He
feels abandoned even by his Father! Experience tells us that even the sturdiest
man can descend to the depths of despair. Frustrations accumulate, anger and
resentment pile up. Bad health, bad news, bad luck, bad treatment – all can
come together. It may have happened to us. It is at such moments we need to
remember that Jesus never fails us. He cried to the Father. May we too cry out
to the Father, who unfailingly comes to our rescue in all our distress,
whenever we call upon him!
PRAYER Lord, when clouds gather on
the horizon and everything seems lost, when we find no friend to stand by us
and hope slips from our hands, teach us to trust in you, who will surely come
to our rescue. May the experience of inner pain and darkness teach us the great
truth that in you nothing is lost, that even our sins – once we have repented
of them – come to serve a purpose, like dry wood in the cold of
winter. Lord, you have a master design beneath the working of the universe
and the progress of history. Open our eyes to the rhythms and patterns in the
movements of the stars; balance and proportion in the inner structure of
elements; interrelatedness and complementarity in nature; progress and purpose
in the march of history; correction and compensation in our personal stories.
It is this harmony that you constantly keep restoring, despite the painful
imbalances that we bring about. In you even the greatest loss is a gain.
Christ’s death, in fact, points to resurrection.
ELEVENTH
STATION
Jesus
promises his Kingdom to the Good Thief
From the Gospel according to
Saint Luke. 23:39-43
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are
you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying,
“Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but
this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you
come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you
will be with me in Paradise.”
MEDITATION It is not eloquence
that convinces and converts. In the case of Peter, it is a look of love; in the
case of the Good Thief, it is unresentful serenity in suffering. Conversion
takes place like a miracle. God opens your eyes. You recognize his presence and
action. You surrender! Opting for Christ is always a mystery. Why does one make
a definitive choice for Christ, even in the face of trouble, or death? Why do
Christians flourish in persecuted places? We shall never know. But it happens
over and over again. If a person who has abandoned his faith comes across the
real face of Christ, he will be stunned by what he actually sees, and may
surrender like Thomas: “My Lord and my God!” It is a privilege to unveil the
face of Christ to people. It is even a greater joy to discover – or rediscover
-him. “Your face, O Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me.”
Theophilus of Alexandria: 'Crucifixion and
the Good Thief'.[8]
The sun of righteousness appeared in the east and gave light to those who were in the darkness and in the shadow of death (Lk. 1:79) ...The powerful lion sprang up out of the wood; all the wild beasts hid in their dens…This, if you like, is the way of Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he saw the real enemy of the whole human race, who is the devil. For the devil invaded the whole earth, and afflicted everyone with many kinds of sins, which he spreads with these great scourges, namely, idolatry, robbery, vanity, fornication, theft, murder, slander, licentiousness, envy, hatred, contempt, anger, sorcery, pollution, fraud, arrogance, perjury, falsehood, corruption, prostitution, deceit and whatever is similar in them. These are the traps which the devil set for humanity, until he brought it to perdition and dispersed it. Well now. Let us consider in what way Christ the king made war against the devil until he released our souls from him and set them free. Let us begin, then, to penetrate the great treasure house full of the fruits of life.
The sun of righteousness appeared in the east and gave light to those who were in the darkness and in the shadow of death (Lk. 1:79) ...The powerful lion sprang up out of the wood; all the wild beasts hid in their dens…This, if you like, is the way of Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he saw the real enemy of the whole human race, who is the devil. For the devil invaded the whole earth, and afflicted everyone with many kinds of sins, which he spreads with these great scourges, namely, idolatry, robbery, vanity, fornication, theft, murder, slander, licentiousness, envy, hatred, contempt, anger, sorcery, pollution, fraud, arrogance, perjury, falsehood, corruption, prostitution, deceit and whatever is similar in them. These are the traps which the devil set for humanity, until he brought it to perdition and dispersed it. Well now. Let us consider in what way Christ the king made war against the devil until he released our souls from him and set them free. Let us begin, then, to penetrate the great treasure house full of the fruits of life.
·
This
is the great holy mystery of the wood of the cross, on which the True God,
Jesus Christ, mounted out of love. When he descended into this world, he came
to the people of Israel and preached to them saying: 'Repent for the kingdom of
Heaven is at hand.' (Mt. 4:17)
·
But
they paid no heed to his holy counsels. After this he performed all the signs
of his divinity in their presence, miracles without number. He made the blind
see, the lame walk and the deaf hear. He healed lepers. He brought the dead
back to life. He drove out demons. He made paralytics stand on their feet and
forgave their sins. He made tax gatherers repent. He straightened vainglorious
hands. He evangelized the poor. He remitted the sins of adulteresses and
purified them with his divinity, restoring them to a virginal state. It was
because an adulterous woman was made worthy of this great grace that her hands
anointed the feet of him who had created her. (Lk. 7 37-8) From the moment she
participated in the purity of his divinity, the voice of God came to her. 'Your
faith has saved you; go in peace.' (Lk. 7:50)
·
In
spite of all these things accomplished by him in their presence, they did not
give him credence, but seized him and delivered him to be crucified. Having
brought him into the court of the High Priest, they treated him with contempt
rather than honor. Then the word of scripture was fulfilled. They brought evils
upon me instead of blessings, and hatred instead of my love.' (Ps. 108:5)
·
What then are the
evils which the people he created, the people who killed him, did to him? They are terrible
to describe or to hear. My tongue trembles, my eye weeps, my spirit groans, my
soul is distressed to utter them. It is God that they have seized, the Lord
that they have bound. They have pierced with nails the hands of them who
created them. They slapped the face of their Lord. They beat his head with
their fists. They placed a crown of thorns on his head. They dressed him in a
purple cloak. They gave him vinegar and gall. On this day they did all these
things to him. They crucified him with two thieves. One of them, who was
unworthy of the division of his divinity, said to the Lord, deriding him: 'If
you are the Christ, save yourself and us.' (Lk 23:39).
·
The other replied
rebuking him with indignation: 'Do you not fear God? We are receiving
the reward of our sins which we have committed, but this man has done nothing
wrong.' And he said, 'Jesus. remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And
Jesus said to him with great joy: 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with
me in Paradise.' The gate of Paradise has been closed since the time when Adam
transgressed, but I will open it today, and receive you in it. Because you have
recognized the nobility of my head on the cross, you who have shared with me in
the suffering of the cross will be my companion in the joy of my kingdom. You
have glorified me in the presence of carnal men, in the presence of sinners. I
will therefore glorify you in the presence of the angels. You were fixed with
me on the cross, and you united yourself with me of your own free will. I will
therefore love you, and my Father will love you, and the angels will serve you
with my holy food. If you used once to be a companion of murderers, behold, I
who am the life of all have now made you a companion with me. You used once to
walk in the night with the sons of darkness; behold I who am the light of the
whole world have now made you walk with me. You used once to take counsel with
murderers; behold, I who am the Creator have made you a companion with me. 'All
these things I will pardon you because you have confessed my divinity in the
presence of those who have denied me. For they saw all the signs which I
performed, but did not believe in me. You, then, a rapacious robber, a
murderer, a brigand, a swindler, a plunderer have confessed that I am God. That
is why I have pardoned your many sins, because you have loved much (Lk. 7:47).
I will make you a citizen of Paradise. I will wash your body so that it will
not see corruption before I resurrect it with me on the third day and take you
up with me. The other who has denied me will see you enveloped in glory, but he
will be enveloped in pain and same. He will see you surrounded by light, but he
will be surrounded by darkness. He will see you in a state of joy and
happiness, but he will be in a state of weeping and groaning. He will see you
enjoying ease and benediction, but he will be suffering oppression and
malediction. He will see you refreshed by the angels, but he will be troubled
by the powers of darkness. And in the midst of intense cold the worm that never
rests will consume him. Not only did he not confess me, but after having denied
me he reviled me. 'For this reason all will receive according to their works.
For as I have already said to them explicitly and in public: Everyone who
acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father who is in
heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who
is in heaven.' (Mt. 10:32-3).
So
now, brethren, what torment the man who denied the Lord brought upon himself?
We should therefore watch over ourselves that we should not be led astray, that
for the sake of things of this life, we should not be made strangers to him who
has created us. Perhaps there is someone today who is denying God for the sake
of riches because the love of money closes the eyes of those who are given to
it. Such a person takes the part of Judas, He has sold the Lord for thirty
pieces of silver. It is therefore good for us to direct our concerns towards
the Lord since it is he who takes care of us. Let us now turn to the goal
proposed to us by the cross. For the ladder which Jacob contemplated that was
fixed to the ground and reached up to heaven on which the angel of the Lord
ascended and descended (Gen. 28:12), is Our Lord Jesus Christ raised up on the
wood of the cross.
PRAYER My cry to you today, O Lord,
in tears is this: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” It is
for this Kingdom that I fondly long. It is the eternal home you have prepared
for all those who seek you with sincere hearts. “No eye has seen, no ear has
heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”.
Help me, Lord, as I struggle ahead on my way to my eternal destiny. Lift the
darkness from my path, and keep my eyes raised to the heights!
“Lead, kindly Light,
amid the encircling gloom.
Lead thou me on.
The night is dark, and I am far from home.
Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.”
amid the encircling gloom.
Lead thou me on.
The night is dark, and I am far from home.
Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.”
TWELFTH
STATION
The
Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple at the foot of the Cross
From the Gospel according to
Saint John. 19:25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s
sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother,
and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother: “Woman,
behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple: “Behold your mother!” And from
that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
MEDITATION In suffering we long
for solidarity. Mother Mary reminds us of supportive love and solidarity within
a family, John of loyalty within a community. Family cohesion, community bonds,
ties of friendship – these are essential for the flourishing of human beings.
In an anonymous society they grow weak. When they are missing, we become
diminished persons. Again, in Mary we do not notice even the least sign of
resentment; not a word of bitterness. The Virgin becomes an archetype of
forgiveness in faith and hope. She shows us the way to the future. Even those
who would like to respond to violent injustice with “violent justice” know that
that is not the ultimate answer. Forgiveness prompts hope. There are also
historic injuries that often rankle in the memories of societies for centuries.
Unless we transmute our collective anger into new energies of love through
forgiveness, we perish together. When healing comes through forgiveness, we
light a lamp, announcing future possibilities for the “life and well-being” of
humanity.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, your Mother
stood silently at your side in your final agony. She who was unseen on
occasions when you were acclaimed a great prophet, stands beside you in your
humiliation. May I have the courage to remain loyal even where you are least
recognized. Let me never be embarrassed to belong to the “little flock”. Lord,
let me remember that even those whom I consider my “enemies” belong to the
human family. If they treat me unfairly, let my prayer be only: “Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do.” It may be in such a context that
someone will suddenly recognize the true face of Christ and cry out like the
centurion: “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
THIRTEENTH
STATION
Jesus
dies on the Cross
From the Gospel according to
Saint Luke. 23:46
Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your
hands I commend my spirit!” And having said this, he breathed his last.
MEDITATION Jesus hands over his
spirit to the Father in serene abandonment. What his persecutors thought to be
a moment of defeat proves, in fact, to be a moment of triumph. When a prophet
dies for the cause he stood for, he gives the final proof of all that he has
said. Christ’s death is something more than that. It brings redemption. “In him
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.” With
that begins for me a mystic journey: Christ draws me closer to him, until I
shall fully belong to him.
“As a deer longs for flowing
streams,
So my soul longs for you, O God…
When shall I come and behold the face of God?”
So my soul longs for you, O God…
When shall I come and behold the face of God?”
PRAYER Lord Jesus, it is for my own
sins that you were nailed to the Cross. Help me to gain a deeper understanding
of the grievousness of my sins and the immensity of your love. For “while we
were still weak, Christ died for the ungodly.” I admit my faults as the
prophets did long ago:
“We have sinned and done
wrong and acted wickedly
and rebelled, turning aside
from your commandments and ordinances;
we have not listened to your servants the prophets….”
and rebelled, turning aside
from your commandments and ordinances;
we have not listened to your servants the prophets….”
There was nothing in me to deserve your kindness. Thank you for
your immeasurable goodness to me. Help me to live for you, to shape my life
after you, to be joined to you and become a new creation.
“Christ be with me, Christ
within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.”
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.”
For
the final station sit outside the chapel and reflect how you are a tomb for our
Lord
FOURTEENTH
STATION
Jesus
is taken down from the Cross and placed in the tomb
From the Gospel according to
Saint Mark. 15:46
Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him
in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the
rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
MEDITATION Tragedies make us
ponder. A tsunami tells us that life is serious. Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain
pilgrim places. When death strikes near, another world draws close. We then
shed our illusions and have a grasp of the deeper reality. People in ancient
India prayed: “Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light,
from death to immortality.” After Jesus left this world, Christians began to
look back and interpret his life and mission. They carried his message to the
ends of the earth. And this message itself is Jesus Christ, who is “the power
of God and the wisdom of God”. It says that the reality is Christ and that our
ultimate destiny is to be with him.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, enable us, as we
press forward on life’s weary way, to have a glimpse of our ultimate destiny.
And when at last we cross over, we will know that “death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” God will wipe away all tears
from our eyes. It is this Good News that we are eager to announce “in every
way”, even in places where Christ has not been heard of. For this we work hard.
We work “night and day” and wear ourselves out. Lord make us effective carriers
of your Good News. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand
upon the earth; and in my flesh I shall see God.”
When you are ready hike back to the
Little Horse trailhead; reflect on the Divine Mercy Prayer and the Rosary of
the Day. Note: It is also interesting to reflect on how on Palm Sunday our Lord
sat on a Colt (Little Horse) entering the city of His death.
Be Not Afraid
In
modern times, with all the violence that is going on in the whole world and
with America at the center of any response to terror and terrorists, how should
we respond? First and foremost, without fear for the Lord is our King. We
should search our hearts and seek to retain a heart of peace. Our response must
be measured and used with no malice. We must stop evil but not with hatred. We
should love the humanity of our enemies, pray for them and do good to them if
we can.
"If
your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to
drink." (Romans 12:20)
According
to the CIA world fact book many of the countries in which we have the greatest
troubles have the lowest per capita income per person in the world. For
example, per capita in the US is $59,500 a year versus $700 in the Central
African Republic #228 and North Korea is #214 ($1700) with Mexico@90 ($19,500) (note
the US is 20th in per capita; it is interesting to note the number
one nation in per capita is Liechtenstein at $139,100). Our enemies are
hungry and used or abused by ruff creatures of men. Imagine what could happen if we could use the
great economic power of this country to raise the good men in these regions up:
to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty: to empower men of goodwill and
remove the ruff creatures of men from power.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
2. How
I wish your bearing and conversation were such that, on seeing or hearing you,
people would say: This man reads the life of Jesus Christ.
Daily Devotions
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
·
Please
Pray for Senator
McCain and our country; asking Our Lady of Beauraing to
intercede.
[2]Extract
from my book, “Divine Mercy Hikes”
[5]http://www.beginningcatholic.com/catholic-ten-commandments
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