Contemplative Haven

Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

“The mystery of God’s presence, therefore, can be touched only by a deep awareness of his absence. It is in the center of our longing for the absent God that we discover his footprints, and realize that our desire to love God is born out of the love with which he has touched us. In the patient waiting for the loved one, we discover how much he has filled our lives already.”
(Henri J.M. Nouwen: Reaching Out. The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life)

Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

“Every priest at death wants to be laid in Mary’s arms as was the Christ, Whose representative he is. As Mary said, after the Crucifixion, over her Son, Who was laid in her arms, “This is my Body”, so she will say at the death of every priest, “This is my body, my victim, my host. As I formed Jesus the Priest in my womb to be a Victim, so I helped Jesus, Sacerdos-Hostia, to grow in Thee.”

Is it any wonder, then, that she is the Woman in every priest’s life? No priest is his own. He belongs to the Mother of Jesus, once and always the Priest-Victim.”
(Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: The Priest Is Not His Own)

Jesus Dies on the Cross

“Jesus, hope of suffering humanity, our refuge and our strength, whose light pierces the black clouds that hang over our stormy sea, enlighten our eyes so that we can direct ourselves toward you who are our harbor. Guide our bark with the rudder of the nails of your cross, lest we drown in the storm. With the arms of this cross rescue us from the turbulent waters and draw us to yourself, our only repose, Morning Star, Sun of Justice, for with our eyes obscured by tears, we can catch a glimpse of you there, on the shores of our heavenly homeland.”

(Saint Raphael Kalinowski: An Introduction to His Life and Spirituality, by Szczepan T. Praskiewicz, OCD)

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

“O Jesus! Heavenly Physician, raised aloft on the cross in order that through Thy wounds ours might be healed, remember the bruises Thou didst suffer and the weakness of all Thy members, which were distended to such a degree that never was there pain like unto Thine.  From the crown of Thy head to the soles of Thy feet, there was not one spot on Thy body which was not in torment; and yet, forgetting all Thy sufferings, Thou didst not cease to pray to Thy Heavenly Father for Thy enemies…”
(Taken from: The Magnificent Prayers of Saint Bridget of Sweden – Fourth Prayer)

Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

“The Tenth Station forces me to examine my resistance to being stripped of all those things which promise life and security to me. I must face my anxiety and fear about being vulnerable and insecure. I must accept the fact that there is about human existence an uncertainty which no earthly power or possession can overcome. I can face all these and even join Jesus in being stripped of the garments of my security because of his words: Take nothing for your journey, neither staff nor bag, nor bread, nor silver, nor two tunics… (Lk9:3-4).”
(Father William F. Maestri: My Way of the Cross Journal)

Jesus Falls a Third Time

“But see: the weakness with which you weaken me can no longer be an obstacle. When I am weak, then I am strong. Let yourself be weakened by my weakness, my Bride, that the fruit of your body may grow within you, the child of our love. How much longer will you insist on my making up for your refusals by my suffering? How much longer will you shift the burden onto my shoulders, a burden which, if borne by both of us, would become the delight of the Kingdom of Heaven?”  (Hans Urs von Balthasar: Heart of the World)

Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

“…each time we approach Christ being scourged or Christ on Calvary there is a real possibility that something will be stirred in us and we shall change.”

(Pope John Paul II: The Way to Christ. Spiritual Exercises)

Jesus Falls the Second Time

“And our good Lord, with all the tender love he has for all those that shall be saved, comforts readily and sweetly, for thus is his meaning: “It is true that sin is the cause of all this pain, but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” This was said so tenderly, without blame of any kind toward me or to anybody else. Therefore it would be a great unkindness to wonder or complain of sin to God, since he puts no blame on me. As he spoke these words, I saw they held a marvelous secret hid in God that he will only make known in heaven. Then shall we see why he allowed sin to come; and that will all add to our everlasting joy.”
(Julian of Norwich: Revelation of Love)

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

“Humanity is the veil of Veronica. It is, so to speak, the suffering Face of Christ on the Via Crucis, impressed upon man, His face covered in blood and sweat and tears, just as we do literally see so many human faces now. This disfigurement is caused by sin, exactly as Christ’s historical Passion was caused by sin, so is His Passion in us. It is He Whom we meet every day and in every house and every street, and were it not that His love has transformed even the wounding and bruising of sin, we should meet the ugliness of despair everywhere. As it is, Christ, by giving Himself to our humanity as He gave the impression of His Face to the veil of Veronica, has given His own mysterious beauty and significance to every tear on man’s face, to every drop of blood shed from his veins.”
(Frances Caryll Houselander: This War is the Passion)

Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

“The Holy Spirit, who is totally devoted to the work of the Incarnation of the Son and his task on earth, to whom the Father and the Son had entrusted the hour of the birth and so the task of overshadowing and who keeps to the hour fixed by the Father for the Son’s death: this Holy Spirit takes care that the Son does not die from exhaustion before his time but receives the necessary assistance to help him reach the Father’s hour, which is also the Son’s. He inspires Simon, not yet a believer, not to refuse giving help, and through this act the Holy Spirit can take possession also of his soul.” (Adrienne von Speyr: The Passion from Within)