#67 THE PASSION OF CHRIST (PART II)
"IT IS THY PASSION then, that makes me hope, in spite of my sins, that I too will one day reach the society of the saints... to sing Thy mercies, and to thank and love Thee forever in paradise. "
-ST.
ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI
The PASSION AND THE death OF JESUS CHRIST
THE CARRYING OF THE
CROSS
Then a soldier pushed Jesus out of the hole-like entrance and
down a road. There were many people, all in a spirit of carnival. Two
soldiers pushed Jesus over to the side of the big crossbeam which
was carried through the crowd. It looked like a heavy log - real
rough, and a brownish wood. Two soldiers stood it up and another
put Jesus over to it. Two soldiers started to tie His hands onto
it. It was supported across His back and on the shoulders. It
looked awfully heavy and awkward. The brown leather rope was taut
across His elbow area. He seemed to be balancing and supporting
the beam as He struggled on. There were three ladies and a man
walking off to one side with Him. The ladies were weeping
silently. The man had his arm about a lady.... Jesus tripped and
fell. He was so weak now, the beam had thrown Him off balance as
He staggered. Poor Jesus fell. One nasty old man ran out of the
crowd to spit and kick Him - the nasty old beast!... Soon a
soldier grabbed a man out of the crowd.... He sure didn't want to
carry the beam, but they knew Jesus couldn't make it to the
outskirts of the town. So this man shouldered the beam while the
insane crowd taunted. Jesus was pushed and pulled along. Dirt and
blood were all over Him; He was a picture of bloody grime. I was
retching; I was sick. Oh, such a horror! Such torture! How could
they do this to Him? What did He do but love everyone! Beasts!
Beasts! Soon the soldier ran up with the five spikes. When they
reached the hill, there was a long piece of wood already on the
ground. A soldier lifted the beam from the shoulders of this
other man and threw it to the ground. Two other soldiers placed
it on top of the long piece of wood to form a cross - long all
the way down, and sort of sticking out at the top. They slammed
one spike into the two beams and the cross was made. -Veronica,
March 8, 1971
THE CRUCIFIXION
Two lousy soldiers threw Jesus to the ground, and they pulled His
arms out to stretch across the cross beam. Oh, how it hurt, the
back so torn! I could see the pain in Jesus' eyes, but He never
uttered a word. He just looked sad. Then they took brown, leather-like
cord and wrapped it around His wrists at the board, bound to the
board. Then they lifted and tied the wrists to the board, bound
and wound the leather cord around the ankles and the wood to hold
Him in place. Then the spikes were thrown onto the ground, and
one soldier got down on his knees and he placed the spike in the
center of the palm of poor Jesus' hand. With that metal mallet he
drove it in through the skin and out into the board. I screamed!
I threw up! This was repeated on the right hand. Then Jesus
looked up to the sky. They started on the legs - one large spike
into both feet, His right foot over the left, at a twisted sort
of angle, placed to lie flat against each other. I retched as I
heard the metal against flesh and bone and wood. One spike
protruded out the other side. They hammered a block of wood under
His poor feet, "to line 'em up," they said. It was
awful! I looked off into the crowd. Oh, there were only nine
people there to stay with Jesus. I now knew His Mother, Mary
Cleophas,... Mary Magdalen, and John. Oh, poor Jesus - never a
word did He say as they nailed Him to the wood. Oh, such love!
Soon two soldiers lifted the head of the wood and three the
bottom, carrying Jesus on the cross, and dropped the end into a
hole. It went in with a thump! Jesus winced. And it tore His
hands more. Blood was trickling down His face. He couldn't move
His head. The pain was awful; each movement cut deep. He sagged a
bit, but pulled upward. The sagging tore more. Mary and Mary ran
up to Him. They did not speak at first; they could talk with
their eyes to each other. They didn't need words. John came over,
for Jesus' bottom tunic fell down. Oh, dear, He was almost naked.
I turned away, but John ran over and tied sort of knots in it,
like a diaper. Oh, the humiliation to poor Jesus! Then Jesus said
to John: "Behold, John, your Mother. And this, Mother, is
Your son. I must go to the Father soon...." Jesus cried:
"Abba, abba sabba labec tori" - that is what it sounded
like - a foreign sound.... I can't spell it well, just by sound.
Then He looked up. "I thirst!" This I heard in
English.... Jesus' head hung down to His right. It became dark,
so dark. Everyone went away but the nine. They all came close,
and Mary clung to His feet, wordless in sorrow." -Veronica,
March 8, 1971
FORGIVE THEM
Now He's putting His head upward, and He's saying, "Father,
forgive them anew, for they do not know what they are
doing!" -Veronica, September 7, 1979
THE GOOD THIEF
It has grown very dark. Ah, ah, the thunder - it's like thunder,
it's loud. Everyone is frightened. They're falling and they're running
away. Oh. There are three crosses on the hill.... Oh, and the man
on the left, he's tied.... There's a man, a soldier, he's got a
big thing, looks like an ax. It's got - it's like a piece of rock
tied onto a stick and he's hitting him in the legs with it. And
the man is crying, "Have mercy on me!" And he, the
soldier, he's hitting him in his legs, crushing his bones. The
blood is pouring out. Now the man on the left, his head has
fallen forward. Oh. He's going over now - oh, he's taking this
wide stick; it has a, a point on the end. And oh!... It's Jesus
on the cross, and he's pushed it into Him just above His stomach!
Oh! Now he can't pull it out. He's being covered. It's not blood;
it's water. But... he's running; he can't seem to wash it of his
face.... Now the stick, the spear is falling onto the ground.
Oh!... The man over on the left, his legs are all crushed....
He's suffering. Ah! He is on the right side of Jesus. He's
looking over at Jesus. He says: "I, I have Your promise and
I will cleanse myself for You." -Veronica, April 21, 1973