Time to reflect

Every year, I look forward to Lent. It’s time away from work and time spent with family, but personally, I appreciate that we have this time to reflect. I find it useful to read about Jesus, because it helps me to be in the moment. The book, The Jesuit Guide to Everything, was my reading companion for weeks. Now, I’m reading Mother Theresa’s No Greater Love that I alternate with Conclave by John Allen Jr., which got me interested after the installation of Pope Francis.

Ah, Pope Francis! Most of us are humbled by his lowly gesture of mingling with the crowd, with the sick and the children. This Maundy Thursday, the Pope will again change tradition. His Holiness will celebrate Mass in Rome’s Casal Del Marmo prison for minors, not in St. Peter’s Basilica. When Pope Francis was still Cardinal of Argentina, he celebrated Mass either in a hospital or prison.

Just observing Pope Francis gives us something to reflect on. He reflects the life of Jesus, a life of humility and sacrifice.

Here’s an excerpt from the first homily of our Holy Father.

He said, “To walk, build and confess without the cross means that we are not true disciples of the Lord.

“We must confess the one cross, and in that way we will be a true church.

“I would like that all of us, following these days of grace, have the courage — the very courage — to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the cross of the Lord.

This Holy Week, may we all find the time to reflect on the Cross.

To those who still do not have a copy of The Way of the Cross (I always lose mine), here’s something I got from lawyer Romulo Macalintal — The Way of the Cross in poetry.

The Stations of the Cross

By James J. Metcalfe

The First Station

(Jesus is condemned to death)

Lord Jesus Christ, You died for me,

You gave Your every breath,

It was not Pilate — it was I, who sentenced You to death.

My sins condemned You to the cross, as surely on that day,

As if I had pronounced myself, that You be put away.

Dear Jesus, please forgive me all, the sins that stain my soul,

Condemn me not as I condemned, but make me clean and whole.

Allow me now to follow You, along Your journey sad,

And to repent the wayward life, and pleasures I have had.

Let me take up the cross with You, in deep sincerity,

And let me walk beside You on, the road to Calvary.

The Second Station

(Jesus takes up his cross)

Lord Jesus Christ, for love of me,

You bore Your Heavy cross,

That I might follow and avoid, my soul’s eternal loss.

For love of me You carried it, in sweat and blood and tears,

To bring me hope and confidence, and courage through the years.

So let me be with You today, and give me strength to bear,

The crosses and the sufferings, that are my daily share.

The cross of pain or poverty, of sickness or distress,

Of enemies who injure me, without the least redress.

Dear Jesus, give me patience and, the perseverance true,

To carry every cross in life, and humbly follow You.

The Third Station

(Jesus falls the first time)

Lord Jesus Christ, when first you fell

Your cross was not the weight,

But you were burdened with the sins

I need to expiate.

It was my selfishness, my greed

That made you stumble there,

It was my bitterness, my hate

And sometimes my despair.

And there were countless other faults

That made you fall that day,

As wearily you plodded on

Along your tearful way.

Dear Jesus, I am sorry for

The wrongs that I have done,

And for the evils of this life

I should have tried to shun.

Please, give me greater courage and

The grace I need to win,

And never let me fall into

The state of mortal sin.

The Fourth Station

(Jesus meets his Mother)

Lord Jesus Christ, how sorrowful

That picture must have been,

When You and Mother Mary met

Upon that path of sin.

The road where all the rabble cried

And sneered and jeered at You,

And all my shameful thoughts and words

And deeds were present too.

How deep became her anguish when

You had to be apart!

How many swords of sorrow pierced

Your Mother’s loving heart!

Dear Jesus, at Your Mother’s side

Along Your weary way,

I bend my knee, I bow my head

And I sincerely pray.

That by her intercession and

Your everlasting grace,

In your eternal kingdom

I shall have some humble place.

The Fifth Station

(Simon helps Jesus carry His cross)

Lord Jesus Christ, I only wish

Like Simon of Cyrene,

I could have trudged along with You

And share that tragic scene.

I wish I could have helped You then

To bear Your burden great,

And all the sorrow over sin

That added to the weight.

But now, dear Jesus, I will bear

Each cross that comes to me,

And I will carry it for You

Alone and willingly.

I will not murmur in my heart

And I will not complain,

However dark the day and night

However long the rain.

I will be faithful unto You

In every storm and strife,

With everlasting gratitude

To You Who gave Your life.

The Sixth Station

(Veronica wipes the face of Jesus)

Lord Jesus Christ, You suffered so

And all for love of me,

When You could barely lift and move

Your cross to Calvary.

And there Veronica approached

To wipe Your bleeding face,

And on her cloth Your features left

Their everlasting trace.

Dear Jesus, as Your enemies

Impaired Your beauty then,

So have I marred and scarred my soul

Yes, time and time again.

And now I beg You for Your grace

And Your forgiveness too,

And pray that You will help me be

More worthy unto You.

For only You can give me back

The beauty of my soul,

And only You can help me gain

My everlasting goal.

The Seventh Station

(Jesus falls the second time)

Lord Jesus Christ, once more You fell

Along Your weary way,

And once again it was my sins

That made You fall that day.

I told You I repented and

I promised with my heart,

That I would never sin again

And we would never part.

And then I failed You and I broke

The promise I had made,

And cruelly I hurt You in

The moment that I strayed.

Dear Jesus please forgive me as

I promise You once more,

That I will strive to merit all

The blessings I implore.

I know my many weaknesses

I realize I am frail,

But in Your mercy and Your love

I feel I cannot fail.

The Eighth Station

(Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem)

Lord Jesus Christ, You saw their tears

And You admonished them,

“Weep not for Me but for yourselves

And young Jerusalem.

Weep not for me but for the world

And for your children too,

And all the sins and wrongs that are

A burden unto you.”

I weep, dear Jesus, for my sins

For every thoughtless deed,

And every time I did not help

A soul in dire need.

I weep for my transgressions and

I beg You to forgive,

And ask that You will teach my heart

The perfect way to live.

I thank You for Your sufferings

And every loving tear,

And I will praise and honor You

As long as I am here.

The Ninth Station

(Jesus falls the third time)

Lord Jesus Christ, I failed You once

And then I failed You twice,

And now You have to fall again

To pay that awful price.

The price of every faithful vow

That I declared to You,

Each promise on my bended knee

That I have failed to do.

I know that what there is to say

Except that I regret,

And hope that You are willing to

Forgive and to forget.

I think of You beneath Your cross

And once again I pray,

That I may share the agony

You suffered on that day.

I want to kneel at Calvary

And soulfully entreat,

I want to drink Your tears and kiss

The dust beneath Your feet.

The Tenth Station

(Jesus is stripped of His garments)

Lord Jesus Christ, as You were stripped

Of all the clothes You wore,

So may my heart and soul be freed

Of sin forevermore.

And as Your bloody garments stuck

And tore Your flesh away,

So let me suffer for Your sake

And make amends today.

By that humiliation when

Your body was made bare,

I beg of You, dear Jesus, that

You listen to my prayer.

I pray for perfect chastity

In thought and word and deed,

And all the other virtues that

In every way I need.

I want to strip myself of all

The sins that burden me,

And follow in Your footsteps to

Your great eternity.

The Eleventh Station

(Jesus is nailed to the cross)

Lord Jesus Christ, with all their might

They drove those nails through You,

As cruelly and horribly

As only demons do.

The nails that pierced Your holy hands

And those that tore Your feet,

To hang Your body on the cross

And make Your shame complete.

But every blow the hammer struck

Was one more sin of mine,

And every drop of blood You shed

Was part of my design.

I nailed You to the cross that day

I made Your body bleed,

With all my self-indulgence and

My comfort and my greed.

Dear Jesus, I adore You and

I worship You alone,

Forgive me all my sinful deeds

And help me to atone.

The Twelfth Station

(Jesus dies on the cross)

Lord Jesus Christ, You died for me

At three o’clock today,

And there are not sufficient thanks

My soul can ever say.

What more is there upon this earth

That anyone can give,

Beyond the beating of the heart

And all the joy to live.

You gave Yourself, You gave Your all

That I might strive to be,

Another soul, another saint

In Your eternity.

You said “Forgive them, Father, for

They know not what they do,”

And I was one who went his way

And turned his back on You.

Dear Jesus, I am sorry and

I wish I could have died,

And shared in all Your suffering

When You were crucified.

The Thirteenth Station

(Jesus is taken down from the cross)

Lord Jesus Christ, when life was gone

Your good disciples came,

And took Your body from the cross

For Mary dear to claim.

They gave You to Your Mother and

She held You tenderly,

While sorrow pierced her loving heart

In deepest agony.

Dear Jesus, let me comfort You

And to Your Mother pray,

That I may never sin again

And never turn away.

Let not my spirit weaken now

And let me not despair,

But give me strength and confidence

And keep me in Your care.

Sincerely and devoutly I

Implore and I entreat,

That I may live my life for You

And worship at Your feet.

The Fourteenth Station

(Jesus is placed in the sepulcher)

Lord Jesus Christ, may all my sins

Be buried in Your grave,

My worldly thoughts, my passions and

The pleasures that I crave.

With tears of sorrow and regret

I fervently implore,

Your guidance and Your loving grace

That I may sin no more.

Dear Jesus, let me rise with You

In body, mind and soul,

Above this earth, beyond the tomb

To that eternal goal.

I long to join Your angels as

They sing Your lasting praise,

And worship You forever for

Your great and wondrous ways.

Give me Your tender mercy and

This humble prayer fulfill,

Just let me love You, Lord, and then

Do with me what You will.