Good Friday Message

Prayer to Our Crucified Lord

 

Heavenly Father, in the Holy Name of Your Son Jesus, crucified for my sins, and in the love of the Holy Spirit, I come very humbly before You, with sorrow for my sins. I acknowledge that You suffered so much for me and for all, and that we are indebted to You forever.

Father, I appreciate very much Your sufferings for me and for the rest of humanity. I thank You for saving me through Your crushing pain, through Your many wounds, through Your tiredness and agony and through Your Precious Blood shed with so much pain and love for us; through Your difficulty to breath, through Your sweat and tears, through Your merciful patience, through every effort that You made and through Your total offering for my sins and for the sins of the whole world.

 

Lord, I complain sometimes when I have a little misfortune, a wound or when I am sick or tired, rejected, despised or prosecuted. But You were covered through Your entire Body with painful wounds; You were pierced with pain by the crown of thorns, You were stripped of Your Flesh by the scourging, You were insulted with terrible blasphemies, You were spat upon, You were humiliated, You were inflicted new wounds upon Your wounded shoulder by the crushing weight of the cross, You were inflicted more wounds upon Your wounds by the brutal stripping of Your garments, You were pierced painfully by the nails on the cross, You were hanged upon the cross to bleed painfully to death, You suffered asphyxiation as You found it very painful to breathe, and yet Your physical agony was only part of Your suffering compared to Your spiritual agony because You are God, and Your Holy Soul was sorrowful unto death as You surrendered Your life in exchange for our eternal life.

 

You saw the ingratitude of men for Your great sacrifice, and You suffered for the pride of our sins, for the aggressiveness of those whom You created with so much love, for the hatred of men who always receive all Your love if only they come to You. My Lord Jesus, I come humbly before You, everlasting fountain of healing and life, Powerful Source of our Resurrection, food for our souls, eternal refuge of Divine Light, gate to the Majesty and Glory of the Father and our only hope and salvation.

 

Divine Merciful Lord, I pray and beseech on behalf of all humanity for Your Mercy and compassion, for Your healing and blessings and for Your Salvation.

O Precious Treasure from Heaven, You who are hidden to the proud, fill my heart with humility and purity that I may be worthy to receive the promises of everlasting life in Your Glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

 

Lord into Your Sacred Heart I place my heart united to all my needs and desires, I present humbly my petitions, please listen to my plea, embrace me with Your love, respond to my soul, look at me Your child who comes attracted by Your love.

 

Father, in Your crucified Body I reverently place my sinfulness, my sicknesses and those of the people that I pray for; since You bore our diseases and infirmities, since You endured our sufferings and paid for our sins. Please dissolve them in Your mercy; grant me these petitions in Your Holy Name. Amen
 

John:	Hear the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John. (John 18.1 – 19.end)
John:	Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them,
Jesus:	Whom are you looking for?
John:	They answered,
Soldiers:	Jesus of Nazareth.
John:	Jesus replied,
Jesus:	I am he.
John:	Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he,’ they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them,
Jesus:	Whom are you looking for?
John:	And they said,
Soldiers:	Jesus of Nazareth.
John:	Jesus answered,
Jesus:	I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.
John:	This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, ‘I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.’ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,
Jesus:	Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?
John:	So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter,
a Woman:	You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?
John:	Peter said,
Peter:	I am not.
John:	Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered,
Jesus:	I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.
John:	When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying,
a Soldier:	Is that how you answer the high priest?
John:	Jesus answered,
Jesus:	If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?
John:	Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him,
Soldiers and Slaves:	You are not also one of his disciples, are you?
John:	Peter denied it and said,
Peter:	I am not.
John:	One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked,
a Slave:	Did I not see you in the garden with him?
John:	Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said,
Pilate:	What accusation do you bring against this man?
John:	They answered,
Chief Priests:	If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.
John:	Pilate said to them,
Pilate:	Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.
John:	The Jews replied,
Chief Priests:	We are not permitted to put anyone to death.
John:	(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him,
Pilate:	Are you the King of the Jews?
John:	Jesus answered,
Jesus:	Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?
John:	Pilate replied,
Pilate:	I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?
John:	Jesus answered,
Jesus:	My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.
John:	Pilate asked him,
Pilate:	So you are a king?
John:	Jesus answered,
Jesus:	You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
John:	Pilate asked him,
Pilate:	What is truth?
John:	After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them,
Pilate:	I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?
John:	They shouted in reply,
Chief Priests:	Not this man, but Barabbas!
John:	Now Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying,
Soldiers:	Hail, King of the Jews!
John:	and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them,
Pilate:	Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.
John:	So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them,
Pilate:	Here is the man!
John:	When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted,
Chief Priests and Soldiers:	Crucify him! Crucify him!
John:	Pilate said to them,
Pilate:	Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.
John:	The Jews answered him,
Chief Priests:	We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.
John:	Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus,
Pilate:	Where are you from?
John:	But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him,
Pilate:	Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?
John:	Jesus answered him,
Jesus:	You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.
John:	From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out,
Chief Priests:	If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.
John:	When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. Pilate said to the Jews,
Pilate:	Here is your King!
John:	They cried out,
Chief Priests:	Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!
John:	Pilate asked them,
Pilate:	Shall I crucify your King?
John:	The chief priests answered,
Chief Priests:	We have no king but the emperor.
John:	Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
Chief Priests:	Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’
John:	Pilate answered,
Pilate:	What I have written I have written.
John:	When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another,
Soldiers:	Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.
John:	This was to fulfill what the scripture says, ‘They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.’ And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother,
Jesus:	Woman, here is your son.
John:	Then he said to the disciple,
Jesus:	Here is your mother.
John:	And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture),
Jesus:	I am thirsty.
John:	A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said,
Jesus:	It is finished.
John:	Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.