Apr. 10, 2020

April 10, 2020: GOOD FRIDAY (Part IV)

April 10, 2020: GOOD FRIDAY

“O God my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my sins… But I am a worm, and no man: the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people. All they that saw me have laughed me to scorn: they have spoken with the lips and wagged the head. He hoped in the Lord (say they), let him deliver him: let him save him, seeing he delighteth in him. For thou art he that hast drawn me out of the womb: my hope from the breasts of my mother. l was cast upon thee from the womb: From my mother’s womb than art my God, depart not from me… Many calves have surrounded me: fat bulls have besieged me. They have opened their mouths against me, as a lion ravening and roaring… My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue hath cleaved to my jaws: and thou hast brought me down into the dust of death. For many dogs have encompassed me: the council of the malignant hath besieged me. They have dug my hands and feet. They have numbered all my bones. And they have looked and stared upon me. They parted my garments amongst them; and upon my vesture they cast lots.”
(Ps, xxi)

 

[Part IV - Reproaches & Plaint]

A Prophecy of the Passion of Christ – Isaias, Ch. liii.
(It is Isaias that instructs us upon the sufferings of the Man of Sorrows. So explicit is his description of our Lord's Passion, that the holy Fathers have called him the fifth Evangelist)

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? And he shall grow up as a tender plant before him, and as a root out of a thirsty ground: there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him: Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth. He was taken away from distress, and from judgment: who shall declare his generation? because he is cut off out of the land of the living: for the wickedness of my people have I struck him. And he shall give the ungodly for his burial, and the rich for his death: because he hath done no iniquity, neither was there deceit in his mouth. And the Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity: if he shall lay down his life for sin, he shall see a long-lived seed, and the will of the Lord shall be prosperous in his hand. Because his soul hath laboured, he shall see and be filled: by his knowledge shall this my just servant justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I distribute to him very many, and he shall divide the spoils of the strong, because he hath delivered his soul unto death, and was reputed with the wicked: and he hath borne the sins of many, and hath prayed for the transgressors.


 

 

GOSPEL.

The Holy Church today relates to us the history of our Saviour’s Passion according to St. John. He is the fourth of the Evangelists, and an eye-witness of what took place on Calvary, who is about to describe to us the last moments of Jesus’ mortal life. Let us be all attention, and beg our Lord to give us something of that devotion, which filled the soul of his Beloved Disciple as he stood at the foot of the Cross.

Click here, to read the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of St. John.

 


 

 

“THE IMPROPERIA”
(The Reproaches made by our Saviour)

I. My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me. Because I brought thee out of the land of Egypt, thou hast prepared a Cross for thy Saviour.

O Holy God!
O Holy God!
O Holy and Strong!
O Holy and Strong!
O Holy and Immortal! Have mercy on us.
O Holy and Immortal! Have mercy on us.

 

II. Because I was thy guide through the desert for forty years, and fed thee with manna, and brought thee into an excellent land, thou hast prepared a Cross for thy Saviour.

O Holy God!
O Holy God!
O Holy and Strong!
O Holy and Strong!
O Holy and Immortal! Have mercy on us.
O Holy and Immortal! Have mercy on us.

 

III. What more should I have done to thee, and have not done? I have planted thee for my most beautiful vineyard: and thou hast proved very bitter to me, for in my thirst thou gavest me vnegar to drink; and piercedst the side of thy Saviour with a spear.

O Holy God!
O Holy God!
O Holy and Strong!
O Holy and Strong!
O Holy and Immortal! Have mercy on us.
O Holy and Immortal! Have mercy on us.

 

IV. For thy sake I scourged Egypt with her first-born; and thou hast delivered me up to be scourged.
My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

 

V. I led thee out of Egypt, having drowned Pharoah in the Red Sea; and thou hast delivered me up to the chief priests.
My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

 

VI. I opened the sea before thee; and thou hast opened my side with a spear.
My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

 

VII. I went before thee in a pillar of cloud; and thou hast brought me to the court of Pilate.
My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

 

VIII. I fed thee with manna in the desert; and thou hast beaten me with buffets and stripes.
My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

 

IX. I gave thee wholesome water to drink out of the rock, and thou has given me for my drink gall and vinegar.
My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

 

X. For thy sake I smote the king of Canaan; and thou hast smote my head with a cane.
My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

 

XI. I gave thee a royal sceptre, and thou hast given to my head a crown of thorns.
My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

 

XII. By great might I raised thee on high; and thou hast hanged me on the gibbet of the Cross.
My people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

Taken from: The Liturgical Year - Passiontide and Holy Week, Dublin, Edition 1870.


 

 

PLAINT OF OUR LADY

Hear me, all good Christian souls, passing by the way—
When did ever woman grieve like unto me!
See me how I weep and mourn,
How my mother’s heart is torn,
Whene’er I think of my firstborn—
Jesus my Son.

When amid the winter snows, at the midnight hour,
In the stall of Bethlehem, Jesus I bore,
God alone could truly know
How my troubled soul would flow
With grief, to see mine infant's woe—
Jesus my Son.

What a load of anxious thoughts on my heart did lay,
As I watched my gentle child day after day,
Living poor at Nazareth,
Suffering to His last drawn breath,
His passion and His cruel death
Jesus my Son.

When I saw His bitter wounds, in their sad array—
Him I loved so tenderly passing away,
How I tossed upon a sea
Of unceasing misery:
For what was all the world to me!
Jesus my Son.

When at last this anguish deep had in part gone by,
Sterner strokes were yet to come, ‘ere I could die:
Evil deeds that men would do,
Guilt and crimes that must ensue,
All this I saw with steadfast view—
Jesus my Son.

Oh, what sorrow rent my heart none can ever say,
When in thought I viewed the world, far far away:
Sins of pride and blasphemy,
Sins against sweet purity,
In hideous forms disclosed to me—
Jesus my Son.

Hear me all good Christian souls passing by the way—
Saw ye ever mother grieve like unto me!
Wicked men my heart would break,
Still to heaven one prayer I make,
Oh spare them for Thy mother’s sake—
Jesus my Son.

Taken from: Manual of the Confraternity of La Salette, by Rev. John Wyse (Catholic Priest), 1855.


 

 

Meditation on Good Friday, and other Fridays - to Our Lady in her DESOLATION

Amongst all the sorrows and sufferings of our Blessed Mother, one of the most intense and the least known and venerated, is the bitter anguish she experienced when Jesus was laid in the Sepulchre and she was left alone in her desolation. Pope Pius VII, who had a deep devotion to the Sorrows of Mary, enriched this devotion with many Indulgences, recommending it to the fervent practice of the faithful. Click here, to view these prayers.


 

 

Click here, for devotional prayers on the Passion of our Lord.

Click here, for devotional prayers to the Virgin Most Sorrowful.


 

 

Litany of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

Antiphon. The Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ our Lord is in the glory of God the Father (Phil, ii. 8-11).

Lord, have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us, Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us, Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Jesus, Eternal Wisdom, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast born of the Virgin Mary, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast a sojourner among men, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast hated without a cause, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast vexed with reproaches, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast transfigured on the Mount before the Father, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who as a meek King didst enter Jerusalem, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who didst weep for pity, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast sold for thirty pieces of silver, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who didst bend to the feet of Thy disciples, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast comforted of an Angel, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who in agony wast bathed in the Bloody Sweat, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast betrayed by Judas with a kiss, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast bound by the servants, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast forsaken by Thy disciples, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast brought before Annas and Caiaphas, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast struck with the palm of the hand by the servant of the high priest, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast accused by false witnesses, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast judged guilty of death, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast spit upon in the face, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast blindfolded, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast buffeted, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast thrice denied of Peter, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast delivered bound to Pilate, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast set at nought by Herod, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast clad in a white robe, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast rejected for Barabbas, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast scourged, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast bruised for our iniquities, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast counted as a leper, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast clad in a purple robe, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast crowned with thorns, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast smitten with a reed, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast of the Jews required to be crucified, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast condemned to the most shameful of deaths, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast delivered to the will of the Jews, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast oppressed with the burden of Thy Cross, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast led as a lamb to the slaughter, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast stript of Thy garments, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast fixed with nails to the Cross, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast wounded for our iniquities, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who didst entreat the Father for Thine enemies, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast numbered with the transgressors, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast blasphemed and mocked on the Cross, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast reviled by one of the thieves, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who to the repentant thief didst promise Paradise, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who didst commend John as a son to Thy Mother, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who didst declare Thyself forsaken of the Father, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who in Thy thirst wast given gall and vinegar to drink, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who didst bear witness that all things written of Thee were fulfilled, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who didst commend Thy Spirit into the hands of Thy Father, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast made obedient unto the death of the Cross, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast pierced with a spear, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast made a propitiation for us, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who wast taken down from the Cross, have mercy on us.

Be merciful to us, Spare us, O Lord.
Be merciful to us, Graciously hear us, Lord.

From all evil, deliver us, O Lord.
From all sin, deliver us, O Lord.
From thy wrath, deliver us, O Lord.
From the scourge of earthquakes, deliver us, O Lord.
From plague, famine, and war, deliver us, O Lord.
From sudden and unprovided death, deliver us, O Lord.
From the snares of the devil, deliver us, O Lord.
From anger, hatred, and all ill-will, deliver us, O Lord.
From the spirit of fornication, deliver us, O Lord.
From lightning and tempest, deliver us, O Lord.
From everlasting death, deliver us, O Lord.

Through the mystery of thy holy Incarnation, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy Coming, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy Nativity, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy lowly Circumcision, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy Baptism and holy Fasting, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy Labours and Watchings, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy dolorous Scourging and Crowning, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy Thirst, Tears, and Nakedness, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy Cross and Passion, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy precious Death and Cross, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy Death and Burial, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy holy Resurrection, deliver us, O Lord.
Through thy admirable Ascension, deliver us, O Lord.
Through the coming of the Holy Ghost the Comforter, deliver us, O Lord.
In the day of Judgment, deliver us, O Lord.

We sinners, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou spare us, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou be gracious unto us, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou pardon us, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to bring us to true penance, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to mercifully pour into our hearts the grace of the Holy Spirit, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to govern and preserve thy holy Church, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to preserve our Apostolic Prelate, and all ecclesiastical orders, in holy religion, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to grant us true peace, humility, and charity, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to humble the enemies of thy holy Church, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to give peace and true concord to Christian Kings and Princes, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to grant peace and unity to all Christian people, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou call back to the unity of the Church all who have strayed from her fold, and to guide all unbelievers into the light of the Gospel, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to comfort and preserve us in thy holy service, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou lift up our minds to heavenly desires, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou render eternal good things to all our benefactors, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou deliver our souls, and those of our brethren, kinsfolks and benefactors, from unclean thoughts, from the temptations of the devil, and from eternal damnation, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to unite us with the company of Thy Saints, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to give eternal rest to all the Faithful departed, we beseech, thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe graciously to hear us, we beseech, thee, hear us.
O Son of God, we beseech, thee, hear us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us, Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us, Christ, graciously hear us.

Lord, have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us.

Our Father. (In secret.)
℣. And lead us not into temptation.
℟. But deliver us from evil.

℣. We adore and bless Thee, O Christ.
℟. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

℣. Remember, Lord, Thy compassions.
℟. And Thy loving-kindnesses, which have been ever of old.

℣. Behold my humility and my trouble.
℟. And forgive me all my sins.

℣. Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Let us pray.

O God, whose mercies are without number, and the treasure of whose goodness is infinite; we thank Thy most loving Majesty for the good things which Thou hast bestowed upon us; always imploring Thy clemency, that Thou, who dost grant our petitions, wilt not forsake us, but dispose us towards Thy everlasting rewards. Through Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. ℟. Amen.

℣. Let us bless the Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.

℣. May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
℟. Amen.

Taken from: Devotions Commemorative of the Most Adorable Passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, with the Office of Tenebrӕ.

 

1. April 10, 2020: Good Friday (Part I – The Morning).
2. April 10, 2020: Good Friday (Part II – The Afternoon).
3. April 10, 2020: Good Friday (Part III – The Evening).

 

Related Links –
1. The Passiontide and Holy Week.
2. The Holy Season of Lent.
3. Laws of Fasting and Abstinence.
4. Perfect Contrition.
5. The Seven Penitential Psalms.
6. Devotion to our Lord’s Passion.
7. Devotion to our Lady’s Sorrows.

 

Mother most Desolate, pray for us.