A Devotion to the Seven Last Words of Christ
The Seven Last Words of Christ refer not to individual words, but to the final seven phrases that Our Lord uttered as he hung on the Cross. These phrases are taken from the combined accounts of the Lord's Passion and Death in the four Gospels. Greatly revered, these last words of Jesus have been the subject of many books, sermons and musical settings. And the have been adapted into various forms of devotion for the consideration and consolation of the Christian people.
God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Read prayerfully one phrase at a time and consider it in silence for a few moments. Then, when you are ready, read the meditation and prayers that follows. Use each meditation as a guide and inspiration for your own personal reflections.
Jesus looks down from the Cross. He sees the soldiers who mocked, scourged, tortured him, and who nailed him to the Cross. He thinks about those who have sentenced him and those who let him be executed. Is Jesus not also thinking of his friends who have deserted him, of Peter who has denied him three times, of the fickle crowd who only days before praised him on his entrance to Jerusalem? Is he not also thinking of us (of me?), who daily forget him in our lives? How does Jesus react? In anger? No! At the height of his physical suffering, his love prevails and he asks the Father to forgive! Right up to his final hours on earth, Jesus preaches forgiveness. Pause to reflect. Then repeat these four prayers after each meditation. The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed by thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory Be Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
It is not just the religious leaders and the soldiers that mock Jesus, but even one of the criminals crucified with him. Yet, the other one speaks up for Jesus, saying ‘this man has done nothing wrong’. Then, turning to Jesus, he pleads, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom’ (Luke 23:42). What wonderful faith this penitent sinner has! Ignoring his own suffering, Jesus responds in mercy. The second word again is about forgiveness. Jesus shows his divinity by opening heaven for a repentant sinner - such generosity to a man that only asked to be remembered! This expression offers us hope for salvation, for if we turn our hearts and prayers to Jesus and accept his forgiveness, we will also be with him at the end of our lives. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you...
Then he said to the disciple he loved: “Here is your mother”. Jesus and Mary are together again. They were together at the beginning of his ministry in Cana and now at its fulfilment on Calvary. What sorrow must fill Mary's heart! How she must have felt meeting her Son as he carried the Cross, and watching him being nailed to it. Once again, a sword pierces Mary's soul and we are reminded of the prophecy of Simeon at the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:35). The third word is about family. As Jesus prepares to die he entrusts his mother and the disciples John to each other's care. From this moment the disciples takes Our Lady into his own home, and from this moment Mary becomes mother to all believers, to us all. A mother to me. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you...
Both Matthew’s and Mark’s gospels relate that it is in the ninth hour, after three hours of darkness, when Jesus cries out this fourth word. Jesus feels separated from his Father. This cry is from the painful heart of the human Jesus who must feel deserted by everyone - including God. There can not be a more dreadful moment than this terrible instant of despair. Jesus who came to save us is crucified. He is about to be engulfed in the raging sea of sin. The burden of all the sins of humanity for a moment overwhelm the humanity of our Saviour. Evil appears to be triumphing – as Jesus himself admits: ‘This is your hour" (Luke 22:53). But it is only for a moment. But there is more. The fourth word is also the opening line of Psalm 22, and thus Jesus’ cry from the Cross recalls the cry of Israel, and of all innocent persons who suffer. The fourth word gives voice to the times when we feel far from God, overwhelmed by our sins and regrettable decisions, or powerless before the force of evil. It is in this moments that we must cling to the Lord Jesus all the more. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you...
Jesus is now in shock. The wounds inflicted upon him by the scourging and beating he received, by the crow thorns and the falls on the way to Calvary, and by nails hammered in his flesh are now taking their toll. The fifth word speak of longing. Yes, Jesus fulfils what the Scriptures foretold about his passion (Psalm 69:21) by asking for a drink. But Jesus also thirsts in a spiritual sense. He thirsts for love. He thirsts for the love and salvation of the world. Where is our longing for the salvation Jesus brings? Do we long for the living water he gives - water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14)? Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you...
After Jesus had received the sour wine, he says, ‘It is finished’, bows his head and hands over the spirit to the Father. The sixth word isn’t just saying that Jesus’ suffering is very nearly over, but also that his mission is complete, and that his sacrifice is consummated. Jesus looks back to the many sacrifices prescribed by the old covenant and to the Passover lamb whose blood protected the firstborn of Israel. Each of these foreshadowed him: his own sacrifice on the Cross as the new Passover Lamb - and now that sacrifice in complete. Where is our gratitude for this? Where is our thanksgiving for such an amazing redemption bought at such a painful cost? Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you...
Jesus’ garments have been consigned to his executioners who cast lots on them, his blood to the earth, his body to the firm grip of the nails, his blessed Mother to John. Now the Lord entrusts all he has left to his Father in heaven. In doing so Jesus quotes Psalm 31:5. This was the prayer that people were taught to pray before they went to bed. It is still the prayer that the Liturgy of the Hours asks us to pray each night at Compline, before we turn in for the night. Jesus completes what he came to do - usher in the Kingdom of God, heal and bring life, take ours sins on himself, and lay down his own life for us. ‘He emptied himself’ to do this (Philippians 2:7). Now he surrenders everything that is left, in one last sacrificial act of obedience. What do we need to surrender to God? What obstacles have we put in the way of doing God’s will? Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you... Let us pray. Keep us in peace, O Christ our God, under the protection of your holy and venerable Cross; save us from our enemies, visible and invisible, and count us worthy to glorify you with thanksgiving, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. |
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