The passion of Christ

1) Jesus' institution of the Eucharist

I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Jesus took
bread, blessed it: "Take and eat, this is My Body." Taking the wine: "This cup is
the new covenant in my Blood, shed for you." At that eucharistic meal, Jesus
celebrated the first Mass. At every Mass the sacrifice of Calvary is made present.
At the Last Supper Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Orders to perpetuate this
sacrifice. "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him."
The Eucharist is a sacrifice inasmuch as it is offered up, and a sacrament inasmuch
as it is received. In the Mass we offer ourselves to God, and God gives himself to
us. The Mass will be fruitful in the measure of our surrender to the Father.

2) Jesus' Agony & Sweat of Blood in the Garden of Gethsamene

My Son came with His apostles to the mount of Olives. There was a garden there that
He frequently went to pray: He felt a sadness; a deep, deep sadness. He felt
lonely: my Son in His humanity felt a deeper sadness than anyone could ever feel
because He was pure of heart: He was sinless. He took His closest friends, Peter
whom He was to give charge of the Church, James, and John. John was the one who was
going to take care of me after Jesus had risen from the dead. Jesus said to them:
My heart is sorrowful to the point of death: stay here and pray and keep watch
while I go and pray by Myself." Jesus went over further to pray: He wanted to pray
by Himself. He wanted to pour out His heart to His Father as I often have seen Him
do with His prayer. My Son always prayed continuously to His Father: He always
looked to the Father for His consolation. During the time He prayed, He saw all the
agony He was going to suffer: and the agony was not so much the pain of the
crucifixion as the pains of the sins of the world. Every sin, every injustice,
every infidelity He saw and felt at that very moment, caused Him to sweat blood.
His agony, His sorrow, and so much sinfulness caused the blood to burst from His
forehead. It was just another anticipation of when His Precious Blood would be shed
on the cross. That Blood that was sweat on Gethsemane blessed that very spot into
Jesus' sacred place of prayer.

My children, never seek your comfort in anyone but God. In your times of
loneliness, in your times of depression, in your times of doubt, have recourse to
prayer. When you go to the Father, offer this mystery for those who are in doubt:
those who do not know where to turn to: those who are depressed: the mentally ill:
the emotionally ill. Pray that as the Father sent an angel to comfort my Son, the
Lord in His mercy will comfort them and enlighten them.

3) Jesus' Scourging at the Pillar

My Son was sent to Pilate after being judged by the Jewish authorities, I was there
in spirit: I heard Pontius Pilate as he came out to talk to the crowd. He said: "I
find no fault in this Man worthy of death: so I will have Him scourged: then I will
set Him free." Pilate said this to placate the crowd because he knew my Son was
innocent of all the accusations that they were throwing at Him. Pilate sent my Son
to be scourged: He was whipped. The normal procedure was to be whipped thirty-nine
times. My Son was whipped furiously: the demons took possession of the soldiers.
All the anger of hell was vented out on my Son. At that moment, I asked the Father
to spare my Son from dying at the scourging and the Father answered my prayer: and
still the soldiers that scourged my Son were filled with the very hatred of hell
itself. That was the reaction they had to the purity of my Son. When Jesus received
all this scourging for the love of you, it was because He loved you that He took
all this pain: because He wanted you to be healed of your sins: of all the diseases
of the soul, mind, and body that Jesus took all this punishment. Jesus did not take
all this punishment to condemn you: He took it all to save you. Behold the love of
my Son for you and yet behold His meekness as the Lamb that is brought to the
slaughter: my Son was scourged without even opening His mouth.

My children, my Son wishes to heal you by His stripes. By the scourging He

received, He wants to set you free of all types of oppression, of all types of
bondage. By the stripes of my Son you are healed and set free. My children, pray to
the Father that He will heal the wounds of your heart so that you can pray with
love. Ask the Father to teach you how to love the way my Son loves. Pray for those
who are possessed by hatred: pray for those who have an insatiable need to seek
revenge. Pray that they too will be liberated and healed by the stripes of my Son.

4) Jesus is Crowned with Thorns

After the scourging, my Son was led to the praetorian where the soldiers wanted to
further amuse themselves. They took some twine filled with thorns and made a skull
like cap. They placed the cap on the head of Jesus and pressed causing the thorns
to penetrate His scalp until He began to bleed. Then they put a reed in His hand
and they knelt before Him and they mocked Him and said to Him, "All Hail, King of
the Jews," and they spit in His face, they hit His head with the reed, they slapped
His face, and plucked His beard. Jesus continued to say nothing. He received it
all.

My children, Jesus still receives a crown of thorns from many. It is normal for
Jesus to be mocked by His enemies but it is more painful when Jesus is mocked by
His own people. Even today, my children, Christians mock Him by living in mortal
sin, by receiving Communion in mortal sin, by not believing the truth contained in
the scriptures which is the word of God. My children, Christians mock Jesus and
crown Him with thorns when they invent their own doctrines at their convenience:
when they use the gospel of my Son, they use it to justify their own teachings,
their own doctrine. My children, I call you to make reparation to my Son. Follow
Him by leaving all sin behind: by loving Him and revering Him in the Blessed
Sacrament. When you receive Him in Holy Communion, tell Him that you love Him for
those who will not love Him. Offer this mystery to the Father in reparation for all
the blasphemes that were ever said against my Son. Pray for those who take the name
of God in vain: pray for those who will not keep Sunday holy. Promise the Father
that you will keep Sunday holy by going to Mass and receiving Holy Communion and
avoiding all unnecessary work in order to give yourself to prayer and doing the
will of God. I am praying for you, my children and I will guide you in loving Jesus
for those who will not love Him.

5) Jesus is Condemned to Death

LENTEN REFLECTION
The crowd condemns an innocent man to death and Pilate, who could have reprieved
Jesus, washed his hands of the affair and gave the people what they wanted. When
the innocent are mistreated, what is our reaction? Do we join in out of pride or
ignorance? Do we stand silently by without defending the innocent? Or, do we see
Christ in the condemned and reach out to those in need?

Lord, give me the strength and clarity to defend the innocent.

Matthew 27: 19-26

Pilate has just read my death sentence. I am to die on the cross. Should I rebel
against Pilate? How can I do that? Pilate is not my enemy. He is an envoy of my
Father and the voice of my human destiny…

Pilate told me when and how I would die. You may not get that blessing. You won’t
have a Pilate to tell you the place, the time or the circumstances of your death.
Yet you stand condemned to death as surely as I was. You were destined to die the
moment you were conceived. That is part of being human.

Do you think of that very often? If you thought about your death, you could see
more clearly that some of the things you are most obsessed with are the least
important. Even goals that seem worthwhile wouldn’t seem nearly so important if
you think of death. You surely would not be so worried about money, clothes, cars
and careers. These things don’t make you precious. These things won’t help you
when your time to die comes.

I remind you of this not because my Father and I want you to be fearful of your
future. Living in fear of death isn’t what I want for you. I remind you of your
death to help you live fully and freely as my brothers and sisters, as sons and
daughters of my Father. In my death and resurrection you will receive the power to
do that.

6) Jesus Is Made To Carry His Cross

LENTEN REFLECTION
When Jesus saw the Cross—the wood beams upon which he would suffer and then die—He
did not hesitate. He took it upon his shoulders and began to walk, willingly
embracing these excruciating hardships out of love for you and me. Out of love for
God and for each other, we too have the opportunity to sacrifice and to give of
ourselves. Christ’s words to his disciples are just as true for us as they were for
them: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and
follow me.”

Lord, give me the grace and the strength to love you more than any earthly thing or
person.

John 19:16-17

My instrument of suffering and death has been thrust on me. Should I curse this
heavy timber and those who laid it on me? No. The cross is neither bad nor good.
My response alone determines whether it will be redemptive or destructive, helpful
or worthless…

You also must carry the instruments of your own suffering and death. You were born
with defects that you may control but never abolish. You have fatal flaws that
cause pain and suffering for yourself and others. You want to be kind, patient,
and understanding, but at times you find yourself mean, short-tempered and cynical.
Yet you must not curse yourself or your limitations. That becomes like quicksand
pulling you down lower and lower.

My cross did not come only from Pilate or from the Roman soldiers. Ultimately, my
cross came when I took on my Father’s work and became human. Your crosses are much
the same. They are your credentials for being human. The question is not whether
life brings crosses, but rather your response to them.

I embraced my humanity. You must embrace your humanity. Resisting crosses leads
to self-hatred, hatred of others, and bitterness. Some woods are stronger than
steel because they bend. Learn to bend. Learn the wisdom of triumphing through
your crosses rather than in spite of them.

7) Jesus Falls The First Time

LENTEN REFLECTION
Picture Our Lord straining, falling under the weight of a Cross that he did not
deserve to bear. How incredible it is that he chose to take on the burden of that
Cross of how much he wants us to join Him one day in heaven. When we are faced with
the choice to either sin or to strive for virtue, we can remember how Christ is
weighed down with each and every time we reject him in favor of our own will and
desires.

Lord, help me to reject selfishness and imitate your loving generosity in

everything I do.

Isaiah 53:1-3

I have just fallen flat on my face. I tried to avoid it. I wanted to stay on my
feet all the way to Calvary. I wonder if I fell partly because I was trying too
hard to keep from falling…

You can learn something from my fall. You also will fall if you try too hard to
succeed all by yourself. I was so wrapped up in my efforts that I forgot to let my
Father guide me. I forgot for an instant to let my Father work through me, to let
him guide my next step.

You are often tempted to take on more than you can do well. Or to take on goals
that, however worthy in theory, may not be right for you or may be undertaken for
inferior reasons. Isn’t this how it often happens in life? …you decide what you
want and then you say to yourself: I am going to achieve this goal, and when I
succeed, even God will have to be impressed!

You do not need successes to get my Father’s attention. When you succeed, it is
because of his grace anyway. So what you would be holding up as yours is really
his already. My Father wants you, not your successes.

In all you undertake, go first to him in prayer and ask what he wants. Try to
learn my Father’s will for you. Then, when you go to work, open your heart to him
and let him work in and through you.

8) Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother

LENTEN REFLECTIONS
Every parent can imagine the incredible pain Mary must have felt when she
encountered her beloved Son and all that he was suffering. Despite the anguish she
felt, she did not try to stop her Son from making the ultimate sacrifice. It is for
this reason that she is such an advocate for those who suffer, both physically and
emotionally.

“O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear
and answer me.”

Lamentations 1:12

I have just seen my mother Mary. I wished that she and I could have been spared
that meeting, which was painful. Was I trying to hide this final agony from her,
thinking she might not be strong enough for it? …

Do you tend to avoid your loved ones, and they
a lifetime shielding their deepest selves from
sisters, husbands, wives, sons and daughters.
your death has a way of exposing your weakness
life could.
you, in times of crisis? Some spend
their mothers, fathers, brothers,
In the end, this will fail, because
to your loved ones as nothing in
Why wait until death or desperation to “meet” your loved ones? While you have the
opportunities now, share with them the aspirations, joys, fears and troubles that
are most significant to you, the things that can help them understand you better.

No matter how often you open yourself to them, especially in crises, it won’t be
easy. I know about that. You want them to see you at your best, just as I wanted
my mother to see me only at my best. I didn’t want her to see me so helpless. I
was underestimating her and losing sight of my Father’s grace. Just as he gives
you the grace to face loved ones when all hope seems lost, so he gives them the
grace to cope not only with your pain but their own as well.

9) Simon Of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

LENTEN REFLECTION
The soldiers were impatient with how long it was taking Jesus to carry the heavy
Cross alone. They pulled Simon of Cyrene out of the crowd and made him help Jesus
with his burden. Have you ever been compelled to help in a difficult situation?
What was your reaction? Like Simon, we each have the opportunity to reach out to
our loved ones, our neighbors, or a stranger in need.

Lord, grant us the desire to help those who need our assistance.

Luke 23:26

I felt badly for Simon of Cyrene. He had no way of preparing for what happened.
He was a farmhand coming in from the fields when he was made to carry my cross. I
overheard him complain to himself, “Why me?” …

Be careful not to condemn Simon. You would have been startled, reluctant and
bitter, too, if you had been in his shoes!

You must learn, as Simon learned, that life is not just or fair – and not even
predictable. Often life seems downright arbitrary. You also will be startled by
crosses thrust upon you when you least expect them. When that happens, my Father
and I will not hold against you your reflexive cry of “Why me?” But you must
quickly move beyond that to prayerful acceptance. You must not spend your life
looking for “reasons” for your crosses. You may never know until after your death.

Learn this from Simon’s plight. My Father uses anything and anyone to accomplish
salvation. He used Simon, so Simon could be said to have done the will of my
Father. But that alone doesn’t make one holy, because holiness is willing what my
Father wills, wanting what he wants, accepting it and embracing it and making it
one’s own.

Only you in the depths of your freedom can do that.

10) Veronica Wipes The Face Of Jesus

LENTEN REFLECTION
Without hesitation, Veronica lovingly uses her own veil to wipe Christ’s bloodied
face. In return, he imprints an image of His Holy Face. This is just one of many
instances where God outdoes us in generosity. What we give to Him, He returns one-
hundred fold.

Lord, help me love you more and more.

Psalm 17:15
I am grateful to Veronica for wiping the blood, sweat and dirt from my eyes. She
had not been as close to me in life as others, but she responded when I needed an
act of kindness. She was the last person in my earthly life to touch me in a
gentle act of mercy…

You never know when an act of kindness you do will be the last one a person
experiences. So you should regard every opportunity for kindness as an act that
may well last an eternity. Think of that when you catch yourself saying you’re too
busy to help others.

This single act of kindness toward me should not be considered in isolation.

Kindness is catching. Kindness begets kindness. Kindness is learned. Do you
think Veronica was the one who just happened to be at the right place at the right
time for this one celebrated act of kindness? No. She had spent a lifetime
learning to be gentle. My face wasn’t the first – or the last – that she soothed.
You, too, cannot expect to be gentle in a crisis unless you have practiced
gentleness so often that it starts to become almost natural.

Would you have wiped my face? How can you say you would have done so if you had
ignored a thousand troubled faces before you ever saw my face?

11) Jesus Falls The Second Time

LENTEN REFLECTION
Jesus, the Son of God, falls again under the weight of our sins. He is not allowed
to rest, but instead is hit and pushed, compelled to continue on. It is in this
moment that we can recognize His great love for us.

Lord, free me from vice in my daily life.

Isaiah 53:4-6

I had wanted to pace myself better to make it to Calvary without another fall. But
I tripped. I’m not sure how. Maybe it was a loose cobblestone, a rock I stubbed
my foot on or a wet spot that was too slick…

This fall shows me up for being human as nothing else on my way to Calvary. I had
enough strength and presence of mind to avoid it. Why did I fall? I think I was
lulled into a momentary lapse. Simon had eased my burden. Veronica had soothed my
sweaty face. A soft breeze had cooled my body. What flashed in my mind was that
these fleeting strokes of good fortune meant I could somehow bypass the rest of the
journey. Before I even recognized that as a temptation, I fell.

I smiled; the only time I remember smiling on my way to crucifixion. I smiled

because I recognized how deeply I was like other people in being tempted not to
drink fully the cup my Father wanted me to drink.

There’s a profound lesson here for you in your journey. Momentary good fortune
does not mean the struggle is over. If things are looking rosy, be careful. You
may be about to fall all the harder. Both good and bad are fleeting. Do not count
on good times in this life. Count on nothing except the gifts of faith and hope
from my Father.

12) The Women Of Jerusalem Weep Over Jesus

LENTEN REFLECTION
When these pious women, moved out of love for their Lord, met Jesus on his path to
Calvary, they wept. Jesus, however, told them not to weep for him, but rather for
themselves and their children. In other words, Jesus prompts us to express
contrition for our sins, for the times we have hurt our relationship with Him.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”

Luke 23:27-31

Why wasn’t I more understanding with these weeping women, who, after all, seemed to
be showing me sympathy? Instead of graciously accepting their show of concern, I
turned on them with the seemingly harsh words: “Don’t weep for me, weep for
yourselves and your children.” …

I was not condemning these women for their public display, but I spoke harshly to
them because I wanted them to be more aware of what they were doing. I was harsh
because these women were part of a great multitude of curiosity seekers who had
turned out to watch an execution. Remember that these women were engaged in a kind
of formal religious practice of mourning and lamenting for the dead or condemned.
They were weeping for the sake of weeping. They were weeping out of a rote
religious duty without knowing me.

I do not desire religious practice for its own sake. Indeed, when religious
practices are carried out mindlessly, they aren’t helpful. I detest religious
routines when they become a way to avoid your deep personal commitment to me and my
Father.

Sometimes, silence and solitude is the best religious practice. Sometimes, it is

better to be silent, to pour out your heart where no one can hear, than to shout
prayers in public. When you know for whom you weep, then come to Calvary’s road.

13) Jesus Falls The Third Time

LENTEN REFLECTION
After a painful journey, Christ finally arrives at the foot of Mount Calvary, only
to fall once again. Even though he is crushed for a third time by the weight of the
Cross, His love for us remains. How immense is the mercy of Our God!

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us

Isaiah 53:10-11

I have no regrets about this fall. My strength was gone. I did not want to fall
and I did not want to stand. I just fell. And this time I had to be helped up. I
couldn’t get up with my own strength…

You may someday fall for a third time and have no strength to get up. You will
have to be picked up by others. Don’t let that lead to despair; it does not mean
you are less than human. Do not let the reaction of those around you work to take
away your dignity when you are flat on the ground and helpless. Despite their best
intentions, others probably will be showing a mixture of pity, shock, disgust, and
anxiety at the sight of your helplessness.

“What good am I to anyone?” you may wonder as others pick you up. But if you bear
your weakness with love, you are doing wonders for yourself, as well as the whole
of creation. You are making yourself like me on my cross. You are transforming
the very fiber of life.

In this earthly life, you cannot become like me in many things. You cannot have
the power I have. You cannot have the knowledge I have. You cannot have the
wisdom I have. But you can become like me in the love and gracious acceptance you
show precisely when you are at your weakest and most helpless.
14) Jesus Is Stripped Of His Garments

LENTEN REFLECTION
When Christ arrived at Calvary, all of his garments were torn away. Wounded, torn,
and naked, Christ was left with no earthly possessions. As the prophet Isaiah
foretold, “Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth; like a
lamb led to slaughter…” He humbled Himself out of love for us!

Lord, grant me grace and humility of heart in the face of difficulties

Matthew 27:27-31

When I was stripped of all of my robes, it hurt because some of them were plastered
to my body with caked blood. But it didn’t hurt my ego. By this time, I had
nothing to cling to. I was emptied of all self-concerns…

I want you to know and learn to live the truth symbolized by the ripping off of my
clothes. My human life was an emptying of myself so I could be filled by my
Father. Your life must be a journey to reach the same goal — a new you filled with
my grace and my peace.

Clothes are very personal. You would instinctively resist having them ripped from
you. Yet clothes are a part of your outer self, and a symbol of that outer,
superficial self rather than your spirit.

The more you cling to your superficial self, the more you wrap layers of clothing
around you that will one day need to be stripped off. Your death will be the end
of your ego, and all other empires you have been building during your lifetime. If
you have died daily to yourself, the stripping of your humanity at death will not
hurt so much. You may, like me, not even clutch as your clothes — as well as your
superficial self — are stripped from you.

15) Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross

LENTEN REFLECTION
Jesus was not only put to death, he was executed in one of the most violent and
painful ways possible: crucifixion. He suffered in silence as huge nails were
pounded into his hands and feet. Later, Thomas the Apostle would doubt that Christ
had truly Risen and Christ showed Thomas his wounds. How willing are we to
sacrifice for those that we love?

Lord, give me the grace to love others as myself

Luke 23:33-34

The pain of those nails almost made me black out. They were blunt Roman spikes
that seemed to crush rather than pierce the flesh and bone. Yet it was not so much
that pain I felt. It was the agony that welled up at the thought of what was
happening. “Why, Father? Why these nails in my hands?”…

Let Me tell you the difference between pain and suffering. Pain is the blind
impersonal clashing of forces that is universal. Suffering is uniquely human. A
plant or an animal may be in pain, but there is not suffering as we experience it.
Suffering springs from a mind capable of turning raw pain into agony by asking why.
Why is this happening to me? Must it happen. Is it fair?

That is why you must never underestimate the degree of suffering of any of your
brothers or sisters. If you look only at their pain, you may wonder what they have
to complain about. “I’ve had much worse,” you may say. But you cannot see their
suffering. You don’t know how sensitive they are, how quickly their pain can
become insufferable agony. Instead of judging, do what you can to relieve both
their pain and their suffering. That is why, too, that you must never
underestimate the power of my suffering. No one sustained more pain than I. But
pain was not the issue. Suffering was. My suffering was infinite because my
capacity to ask why was infinite and my love for you was infinite.

16) Jesus Is Raised Upon The Cross And Dies

LENTEN REFLECTION
“Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”;
and when he had said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23: 46). How great the Lord’s
love is for us that He gave up his life to save us. May we be given the grace to
overcome sin in our own lives so that we may join him in heaven.

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Luke 23:44-49

I was dying — and it hurt. I was alone, so utterly alone. I had never felt that
way before. I was sinking to hell and wondered if I would come back. I said, “My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” …

Some of you may think I cried “My God, why have you forsaken me?” only because I
was reciting a psalm or fulfilling a Scripture passage. But I said that because I
felt it profoundly. I was lost. I was despairing, even if I didn’t stay in
despair for very long. This cry was not pretending. How could it be? Could I
have lived and died as a man without experiencing despair and doubt?

If someone tells you that faith and hope will keep you from experiencing doubt and
despair, do not listen to them. Faith and hope are opposite sides of doubt and
despair. But they are not as radically different as most people think. You pass
through doubt and despair, not around them.

When you are falling into hell, do what I did. Shout your anguish directly to my
Father. Complain to him to your very last breath, as I did. Your complaint will
become prayer, even as mine did… and my Father will hear and answer you.

17) Jesus Is Taken Down From The Cross

And Placed In The Arms Of His Mother

LENTEN REFLECTION
Jesus’ earthly life ended as it began, in the arms of his saintly Mother. Her life
is a testament to each one of us who would pursue the Christian life. Stay close to
the Lord in life, in suffering and in death, recognizing that His sacrifice has set
us free.

“Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death”

Luke 23:50-53

The noise has stopped. Mary and a few of my faithful disciples take me down from
the cross. They say nothing. They do nothing, except, with hearts aching, hold my
limp body. All is silent…

You may have been taught that being my disciple is primarily an active role. The
more you do to improve yourself, the Church and the world, the better. There are
times when you must work, of course, but there are even more crucial times when you
must say nothing and do nothing except be with me, your heart aching, as Mary and
the faithful disciples were with me after the crucifixion.

I had asked some of the apostles to be with me during my agony in the garden.
“Will you watch one hour with me?” I had asked. But they were so depleted from
talking, walking, planning and worrying about the future that they quickly fell
asleep. Not one of them had the energy left to be with me. How often that has
happened through the centuries!

After my crucifixion, my disciples waited and watched in silence. Some were closer
to me then than they were ever before. Do I have to die to get you to listen and
love in silence?

Be with me in silent heartfelt prayer at least once a day every day — and you will
be on the road to becoming a faithful disciple.

18) Jesus Is Laid In The Sepulcher

LENTEN REFLECTION
Scriptures tell us that Joseph of Arimethea, a member of the Council who had not
consented to Jesus’ condemnation, went and asked for the body of Jesus. What care
he took as he wrapped the body of Jesus in linens and placed it in a rock-hewn tomb
that had not yet been used. His reverence for the Body of Christ can inspire us to
similar faithfulness each time we receive Our Lord in Holy Communion.

As followers of Christ left the tomb and went home to observe the Sabbath, they
mourned, but waited in hope. We too wait with hopeful expectation for Christ’s
Resurrection and the many gifts He bestows upon our lives.

Lord, increase my hope

John 19:38-42

I had no grave of my own. My body was laid in somebody else’s tomb. Was it
fitting that I be put in a borrowed tomb? Yes. Even in death I had no place to
call my own here on earth. I didn’t own my own burial plot…

I was always borrowing things, from the very beginning of my incarnation. I

borrowed Mary’s womb for my conception. I borrowed a crib in Bethlehem to be born.
I borrowed Peter’s boat to preach from. I borrowed a donkey to ride on when I came
into Jerusalem. I borrowed bread and wine to make my body move and my blood flow
in history. I borrowed thorns, wood and nails to redeem the universe. Why should
my burial be any different?

I will go on borrowing things until the end of time, until I have borrowed them all
and made them all holy.

I will also borrow you. You will be my tongue and my throat, parched. You will be
my hands and feet, nailed. You will be my head, thorned, You will be my side,
lanced. You will be my body, stripped. You will be my corpse, buried.

And when the borrowing is over, you will be my brothers and sisters, risen.