The Passion of Jesus
March 27, 1994
Brother John Raymond
It is a common practice among the saints to have a special
devotion to the Passion of Our Lord. Some of them so identified with
Jesus's Passion as to reflect His Wounds in their own bodies. St.
Francis of Assisi bore wounds in his side, hands and feet. St. Rita
shared in the Crown of Thorns. She bore the wound of one thorn on
her forehead. The list could go on and on. The important point to
learn from this is that devotion to the Passion can really help
one's life of prayer.
Jesus wants us to remember His Passion. He instituted the Holy
Mass with the words "do this in remembrance of Me." What is the Holy
Mass essentially make present and remember? Let us look at what the
Consecration says. "This is My Body which will be given up for you.
. . This is the Cup of My Blood. . . It will be shed for you. Our
Lord is most definitely talking about His Passion and Death. He
wants us to meditate on it and be thankful for it. The "you" in the
Consecration is important to hear. Jesus died for you! It is a
personal relationship - Jesus and you. He saw you during His Passion
and Death.
That is what makes meditating or praying about the Passion and
Death of Jesus so important - that He died for love of you. "No
greater love does a man have than to lay down his life for his
friends." Jesus wanted to show you and me how much love he had for
us - nobody has more! When we think and pray about the Passion and
Death of Jesus we are drawn to love Jesus more and more. We come to
a deeper and deeper appreciation of His love. We want to honor Him
by honoring the Wounds He bore for us. We want to compassionate Him
by entering into His Passion. Jesus in turn loves when we pray about
what He did for us. He told one holy soul that it was worth more to
Him for someone to meditate on His Passion than to spend a whole
year fasting on bread and water. That's how important it is to pray
about the Passion.
Another example of the importance of this practice would be the
Divine Mercy devotion. Our Lord wanted people every day to stop at 3
o'clock and recall His Passion. Even the Sacred Heart devotion
brings us to the Passion. Jesus showed St. Margaret Mary His wounded
Heart surrounded with thorns. And showing her His Heart Jesus said,
"BEHOLD THIS HEART, WHICH HAS LOVED MEN SO MUCH, THAT IT HAS SPARED
NOTHING, EVEN TO EXHAUSTING AND CONSUMING ITSELF, IN ORDER TO
TESTIFY TO THEM ITS LOVE."
There are many ways of meditating on or praying about the
Passion. One can read about the Passion in Sacred Scripture or as
revealed through various writings of the mystics and reflect over
it. Also, there are many devotional prayers dedicated to the
Passion. Some of these are very familiar to us: The Way of the
Cross, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, etc. One particular
devotion that I have recommended before is the Fifteen Prayers of
St. Bridget of Sweden. Many people, young and old, have drawn near
our suffering Lord by the instrumentality of these prayers. In fact,
a young man visiting us now has been praying them every day since
last May. (You can obtain a copy of these prayers by ordering "The
Pieta Prayer Booklet" from the Miraculous Lady of the Roses, 1186
Burlington Drive, Hickory Corners, Michigan 49060. Telephone:
616-731-4490)
As we move toward Good Friday let us cultivate a love for the
Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us honor His Wounds by which
we are healed. Let us be another Simon of Cyrene being with Jesus as
He carries His Cross.