The following post was first published on the 13th of April 2019. It is is taken from a Simple Exposition of the Circumstances of the Passion of Jesus Christ (1761) by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori. Our post concentrates on the seven last utterances of Christ.
I have inserted references in the text to numbered footnotes. These references are not hyperlinked but may be found by scrolling to the end of the relevant paragraph.
do? What does he say at the sight of all the outrages which he received? He prays for them that maltreat him:
[1] Father...forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Pater, dimitte illis : non enim sciunt quid faciunt. [1]
Jesus also prayed from the cross for us sinners. Let us then turn to the Eternal Father, and say to him with confidence: O Father, hear the voice of this beloved Son, who implores Thee to pardon us. To grant us pardon is an act of mercy in our regard, because we do not deserve mercy; but it is an act of justice to
Jesus Christ, who has super-abundantly atoned for our sins. Thou hast obliged Thyself to pardon us through his merits, and to receive into favour all who repent of the offences that they have offered Thee. My Father, I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee; and in the name of this Son, I ask Thy pardon. Pardon me, and receive me into Thy favour.
[1] And Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. But they, dividing his garments, cast lots.
Jesus autem dicebat : Pater, dimitte illis : non enim sciunt quid faciunt. Dividentes vero vestimenta ejus, miserunt sortes.[Luke xxiii. 34] |
| The penitent thief. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum |
Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom. [2] Thus the good thief prayed to
Jesus dying on the cross, and
Jesus answered:
[2] Amen, I say to thee, This day thou shalt be with me in paradise.
Amen dico tibi : Hodie mecum eris in paradiso. [3]
Here was verified what the Lord said long before by the prophet Ezechiel, that when sinners repent of their transgressions, God pardons them, and forgets the insults that they have offered to him:
But if the wicked do penance . . . I will not remember all his iniquities.[4] O immense mercy, O infinite goodness of my God! who will not love Thee? O my
Jesus! forget the injuries I have done Thee, and remember the painful death Thou hast suffered for my salvation, and for the sake of that death bring me to Thy kingdom in the life to come, and grant that during this life Thy holy love may reign in me. May Thy love rule in my heart, and may it be my only lord, my only desire, my only love. Happy thief, who didst merit by thy patience to partake of the fruits of the death of Jesus. And happy me, O my
Jesus! if I shall have the happiness to die loving Thee, and uniting my death to Thy holy death.
[2] And he said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom.
Et dicebat ad Jesum : Domine, memento mei cum veneris in regnum tuum. [Luke xxiii.42][3] And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise.
Et dixit illi Jesus : Amen dico tibi : Hodie mecum eris in paradiso. [Luke xxiii.43][4] But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die.
Si autem impius egerit poenitentiam ab omnibus peccatis suis, quae operatus est, et custodierit omnia praecepta mea, et fecerit judicium et justitiam, vita viet, et non morietur : [Ezech xviii. 21] |
| Mary, His mother. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum |
There stood by the cross of Jesus his mother. [5] Behold, O my soul,
Mary at the foot of the cross, transfixed with sorrow, and with her eyes fixed on her beloved and innocent Son, contemplating the external and internal pains in the midst of which he dies. She is perfectly resigned, and in peace offers to the Eternal Father the death of her Son for our salvation; but her compassion and love are to her a source of great affliction.
O God! who would not pity a mother standing beside the gibbet on which a son dies before her eyes? But here we should consider who this mother and this Son are.
Mary’s love for her Son immensely surpassed the love of all mothers for their children. She loved
Jesus, who was at the same time her Son and her God: a Son infinitely amiable, all beauty and sanctity; a Son who had been always respectful and obedient to her; a Son who had loved her so tenderly, and had, from eternity, chosen her for his mother. This was the mother who had to behold such a Son dying before her eyes on an infamous gibbet, without being able to afford Him any comfort; who saw that even the agony which she suffered at the foot of the cross, through love to Him, added to his sorrows.
O
Mary, through the pain which thou didst suffer at the death of
Jesus, have pity on me, and recommend me to thy Son. Listen to him on the cross, recommending me to thee, in the person of St. John:
[3] Woman, behold thy Son. [6]
Mulier, ecce filius tuus.
Behold thy mother.
Ecce mater tua.
[5] Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen.
Stabant autem juxta crucem Jesu mater ejus, et soror matris ejus, Maria Cleophae, et Maria Magdalene. [John xix. 25]
[6] When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son.
Cum vidisset ergo Jesus matrem, et discipulum stantem, quem diligebat, dicit matri suae : Mulier, ecce filius tuus. [John xix. 26]
After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.
Deinde dicit discipulo : Ecce mater tua. Et ex illa hora accepit eam discipulus in sua.[John xix. 27]
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Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani? JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.
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And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,
[4] Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani?
My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? [7]
Jesus, agonizing on the cross, afflicted with pain of body and sadness of soul (for the sadness which assailed Him in the garden, when He said, My soul is sorrowful unto death, [8] did not leave him until His last breath), seeks for some one to console Him, but finds none. I looked for one who would grieve together with Me, but there was none; and for one that would comfort Me, and I found none. [9]
He looks at His mother, and, as has been said, her presence gives Him no consolation; the sight of her sorrows adds to His affliction. He looks about, and sees enemies on every side; hence, finding Himself bereft of every comfort, He turns to His Eternal Father, to seek consolation.
[7] And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying: Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Et circa horam nonam clamavit Jesus voce magna, dicens : Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani? hoc est : Deus meus, Deus meus, ut quid dereliquisti me? [Matt xxvii. 46]
[8] Then he saith to them: My soul is sorrowful even unto death: stay you here, and watch with me.
Tunc ait illis : Tristis est anima mea usque ad mortem : sustinete hic, et vigilate mecum. [Matt xxvi. 38]
[9] In thy sight are all they that afflict me; my heart hath expected reproach and misery. And I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none.
in conspectu tuo sunt omnes qui tribulant me. Improperium exspectavit cor meum et miseriam; et sustinui qui simul contristaretur, et non fuit; et qui consolaretur, et non inveni. [Ps lxviii. 21]
But the Father, seeing Him charged with the sins of all men, for which He was then atoning to the divine justice on the cross, abandons Him to a death of pure unmixed pain. Then it was that Jesus cried out with a loud voice, to show the intensity of His sufferings, and said, My God, why hast Thou also forsaken me? Hence the death of Jesus Christ was more painful than the death of all the martyrs, because it was full of desolation and bereft of all comfort.
But, my Jesus, why dost Thou complain after having voluntarily offered Thyself to so cruel a death? Ah! I understand Thee; Thou dost complain in order make us comprehend the intense pain with which Thou dost expire, and at the same time to encourage us to have confidence, and to practise resignation when we find ourselves in desolation and deprived of the sensible aid of the divine grace. My sweet Redeemer, Thy abandonment makes me hope that God, although I have betrayed him, will not abandon me. O my Jesus, how have I been able to live so long forgetful of Thee? I thank Thee for not having forgotten forgotten me. Ah! I entreat Thee to remind me always of the desolation to which Thou hast submitted for my sake, that I may never more forget Thee and the love Thou hast borne me.
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| Sitio. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum |
Knowing that His sacrifice was consummated, the Saviour said that He was thirsty, and the soldiers applied to His mouth a sponge full of vinegar. Afterwards,
Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said,
[5] I thirst. . . .
Sitio.
And they putting a sponge full of vinegar about hyssop, put it to his mouth. [10] The Scripture, which was to be fulfilled, is the text of David: And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. [11] But, O Lord, Thou art silent about the intense pains which hasten Thy death, and dost Thou complain of thirst? Ah! the thirst of Jesus was very different from that which we imagine it to be. His thirst is the desire of being loved by the souls for whom he dies. Thus, my Jesus, Thou dost thirst after me, a miserable worm, and shall I not thirst after Thee, who art an infinite good? Ah, I long for Thee, I love Thee, I desire to please Thee in all things.
Assist me, O Lord, to banish from my heart all earthly desires, and grant that nothing may reign in me but the desire to please Thee and to do Thy will. O holy will of God, blessed fountain that dost fill enamoured souls! fill me also, and be the object of all my thoughts and affections.
[10] [28] Afterwards, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst.
Postea sciens Jesus quia omnia consummata sunt, ut consummaretur Scriptura, dixit : Sitio.
[29] Now there was a vessel set there full of vinegar. And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar and hyssop, put it to his mouth.
Vas ergo erat positum aceto plenum. Illi autem spongiam plenam aceto, hyssopo circumponentes, obtulerunt ori ejus. [John 19]
[11] [22] And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Et dederunt in escam meam fel, et in siti mea potaverunt me aceto. [Ps 68]
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| Jesus is offered vinegar. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
The amiable Redeemer approaches the end of life. My soul, behold those eyes grow dim; that beautiful countenance becomes pale; that heart palpitates feebly; that sacred body is abandoned to death. Jesus, therefore, when he had taken the vinegar, said,
[6] It is consummated.
Consummatum est. [12]
When on the point of expiring, Jesus placed before his eyes all the sufferings of his life,—the poverty, fatigues, pains, and injuries which he had suffered,—and, again offering them all to his Eternal Father, he said. All is now accomplished—all is consummated. All that the prophets foretold of me is consummated; in a word, the sacrifice which God expected in order to be appeased with the world is perfectly consummated, and full satisfaction is made to the divine justice.
[12] [30] Jesus therefore, when he had taken the vinegar, said: It is consummated. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost.
Cum ergo accepisset Jesus acetum, dixit : Consummatum est. Et inclinato capite tradidit spiritum. [John xix. 30]It is consummated, said Jesus, turning to his Eternal Father: It is consummated, he said, at the same time turning to us. As if he had said, O men, I have done all that I can do, in order to save your souls and to gain your love. I have done my part; do you now do yours. Love me, and be not unwilling to love a God who has gone so far as to die for you. Ah, my Jesus, that I also, at the hour of my death could say, at least for the part of my life which yet remains, It is consummated. Lord, I have accomplished Thy will: I have obeyed all Thy wishes! Give me strength, O my Jesus, for with Thy aid I purpose and hope to do Thy will in all things.
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| The last words. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said,
[7] Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.
Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum. [13]
These were the last words which Jesus spoke on the cross. Seeing that Cis blessed soul was about to be separated from His mangled body, He said, with perfect resignation to the divine will, and with filial confidence, Father, to Thee I recommend my spirit. As if He had said, My Father, I have no will; I do not wish either to live or die. If it is pleasing to Thee that I continue to suffer on this cross, behold, I am ready; into Thy hands I consign my spirit; do with it what Thou wilt. Oh that we also would say the same when we meet any cross, leaving ourselves to be guided by the Lord in all things, according to his good pleasure! This, says St. Francis de Sales, is that holy abandonment in God which constitutes all perfection. We ought to act in this manner particularly at the hour of death; but, in order to do it well then, we should practise it frequently during life.
[13] [46] And Jesus crying out with a loud voice, said: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And saying this, he gave up the ghost.
Et clamans voce magna Jesus ait : Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum. Et haec dicens, expiravit. [Luke 23]
Yes, my Jesus, in Thy hands I place my life and my death; in Thee I abandon myself entirely, and I recommend my soul to Thee now for the last moments of my life. Receive it into Thy wounds, as Thy Father received Thy spirit, when Thou didst expire on the cross.But behold, Jesus dies. O angels of heaven, come, come to be present at the death of your God; and thou, O sorrowful mother of God, approach nearer to the cross, raise thy eyes to behold thy Son; look at Him more steadfastly, for he is about to expire. Behold, the Redeemer already calls on death, and gives it permission to come and take away His life. O death, he says, perform thy office; take away my life and save my sheep.
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| The earthquake. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
Behold, the earth trembles, the graves are opened, the veil of the Temple is rent in two; behold, in fine, how the violence of his pains deprives the dying Lord of strength, of the natural heat, of respiration; his body is abandoned to death; he bows down his head on his breast, he opens his mouth, and expires: And bowing down His head, He gave up the ghost.[14]
[14] Jesus therefore, when he had taken the vinegar, said: It is consummated. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost.
Cum ergo accepisset Jesus acetum, dixit : Consummatum est. Et inclinato capite tradidit spiritum. [John xix. 30]
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| Ah, my Son, Thou art dead. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
Go forth, O beautiful soul of my Saviour, go forth; go to open paradise, which has been hitherto shut against us; go to present thyself to the divine Majesty, and to obtain for us pardon and salvation. The crowd, turning to Jesus, on account of the loud voice in which he spoke these words, look at Him with attention and in silence; they see Him expire, and, observing that He is motionless, they exclaim, He is dead—He is dead.
Mary hears this from all the bystanders, and she also says, Ah, my Son, Thou art dead. He is dead. O God, who is dead? The author of life, the only-begotten of God, the Lord of the world. O death which was the astonishment of heaven and of nature! A God to die for his creatures! O infinite charity! A God to sacrifice Himself entirely! To sacrifice His delights, His honour, His blood, His life; and for whom?
For ungrateful creatures. And to die in a sea of sorrows and insults, and in order to atone for our sins. My soul, raise thy eyes, and behold that crucified Man-God. Behold that divine Lamb sacrificed on that altar of pain; consider that He is the beloved Son of the Eternal Father, and consider He has died through the love He has borne thee. See how His arms are stretched out to embrace thee; His head bowed down to give thee the kiss of peace; His side opened to receive thee. What dost thou say? Does a God so good and so loving deserve to be loved?
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| Longinus. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
Listen to what the Lord says to thee from the cross: My Son, see if there is any one in this world who has loved thee more than I, thy God, have loved thee. Ah, my God and my Redeemer, Thou, then, hast died, and died a death the most infamous and painful. And why? To gain my love. But what love of a creature can ever compensate the love of his Creator, who has died for him?
O my adored Jesus, O love of my soul! how shall I be ever able to forget Thee? How shall I be able to love anything but Thee, after having seen Thee dying through pain on this cross in order to atone for my sins and to save my soul? How can I behold Thee dead, hanging on this tree, and not love Thee with all my strength? Can I think that my sins have reduced Thee to this condition, and not weep always with intense sorrow for the offences that I have committed against Thee?
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| Italian made crucifix. Gift to author's family in 1960s. |
O God, had the vilest of all men suffered for me what Jesus Christ has suffered; had I beheld a man torn with scourges, fastened to a cross, and made the laughing-stock of the people in order to save my life, could I remember his sufferings without feeling for him the tenderest affection? And were the likeness of my expiring lover brought before me, could I behold it with indifference, and say, Oh! the miserable man has died thus in torture for the love of me? Had he not loved me he would not have died for me. Alas, how many Christians keep a beautiful crucifix in their room, but only as a fine piece of furniture! They praise the workmanship and the expression of grief, but it makes as little impression on their hearts as if it were not the image of the incarnate Word, but of a man who was a stranger and unknown to them. Ah, my Jesus, do not permit me to be one of them. Remember that Thou didst promise that when Thou wouldst be elevated on the cross, Thou wouldst draw all hearts to Thee.
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| Presaging the future. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
Behold, my heart, softened into tenderness by Thy death, will no longer resist Thy calls. Ah, draw all its affections to Thy love. Thou hast died for me, and I wish to live only for Thee. O sorrows of Jesus, O ignominies of Jesus, O death of Jesus,
O love of Jesus! may you be fixed in my heart, and may the sweet remembrance of you remain there forever, to wound me continually, and to inflame me with love. O Eternal Father, behold Jesus dead for my sake, and, through the merits of this Son, show me mercy. My soul, be not diffident on account of the sins thou hast committed against God. It is the Father himself that has given the Son to the world for our salvation, and it is the Son that has voluntarily offered Himself to atone for our sins. Ah, my Jesus, since to pardon me Thou hast not spared Thyself, behold me with the same affection with which Thou didst one day behold me, agonizing for me on the cross.
Behold me and enlighten me; and pardon particularly my past ingratitude to Thee, in thinking so little of Thy Passion, and on the love Thou hast shown me in Thy sufferings. I thank Thee for the light which Thou givest me, in making me see in these wounds and lacerated members, as through so many lattices, Thy great and tender affection for me. Unhappy me, if, after this light, I should neglect to love Thee, or if I loved anything out of Thee. May I die (I will say with the enamoured St. Francis of Assisi) for the love of Thee, O my Jesus, who hast condescended to die for the love of me. O pierced heart of my Redeemer, O blessed dwelling of loving souls! do not disdain to receive also my miserable soul.
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| Mary cradles her lifeless son. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
O Mary, O mother of sorrows! recommend me to thy Son, whom thou dost hold lifeless in thy arms.
Behold His lacerated flesh, behold his divine blood shed for me, and see in them how pleasing it is to Him that thou shouldst recommend my salvation to Him.
My salvation consists in loving Him; this love thou hast to obtain for me, but let it be a great and eternal love.
Commenting on the words of St. Paul, The charity of Christ presseth us, [15] St. Francis de Sales says: “Since we know that Jesus, the true God, has loved us so as to suffer death, and the death of the cross, for our salvation, must not our hearts be under a press which squeezes and forces love from them by a violence which is strong in proportion as it is amiable?”[16] The saint afterwards says that “the hill of Calvary is the mountain of lovers.”[17] He then adds: “Ah, why, then, do we not cast ourselves on Jesus crucified, in order to die on the cross with him who has voluntarily died upon it for the love of us? I will hold Him, we ought to say, and will never forsake Him; I will die with Him, and will burn in the flames of His love. One and the same fire shall consume this divine Creator and His miserable creature. My Jesus gives himself to me, and I give myself entirely to him. I will live and die on His bosom; neither life nor death shall separate me from Him. O eternal love! my soul seeks Thee, and chooses Thee for eternity. Ah! come, O Holy Ghost, and inflame our hearts with the love of Thee. Either to love or to die. To die to every other love, in order to live to that of Jesus. O Saviour of our souls! grant that we may sing for eternity: “Live Jesus; I love Jesus. Live Jesus, whom I love; I love Jesus, who lives forever and ever.”[18]
Let us, in conclusion, say:
O Lamb of God, who hast sacrificed Thyself for our salvation! O victim of love, who hast been consumed by sorrows on the cross! Oh that I knew how to love Thee as Thou dost deserve to be loved! Oh that I could die for Thee, who hast died for me! By my sins I have been a cause of pain to Thee during Thy entire life; grant that I may please Thee during the remainder of my life, living only in Thee, my love, my all. O Mary, my mother, thou art my hope after Jesus; obtain for me the grace to love Jesus.
[15] [14] For the charity of Christ presseth us: judging this, that if one died for all, then all were dead.
Caritas enim Christi urget nos : aestimantes hoc, quoniam si unus pro omnibus mortuus est, ergo omnes mortui sunt : [2 Cor 5]
[16] Love of God. B 7 ch 8
[17] Ibid B 12 ch 13
[18] Ibid B 7 ch 8, B 12 ch 13
Totus tuus ego sum
et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
