Jesus dies on the cross
Luke 23:44-46
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
Reflection:
There is a lot of missed time in these stations. These stations will take 5-20 minutes to complete, and that is supposed to make up for the 12+ hours that our savior was tortured, mocked, and crucified. From the trial of Jesus to when he arrives at the cross is around 2-3 hours, and then Jesus hung on the cross for 9 hours. A quick history lesson about the cross, when you're in the position that you normally see on crucifixes around the church, you literally can not breathe, so in order to stay alive you have to pull yourself up by your hands, which have been nailed to the cross in order to stay alive. Just thinking about that gives me chills, and Jesus went through that pain for 9 hours until he died. This is true, perfect love. John 15: 13 "There is no greater love than this- to lay down one's life for one's friend." Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be with him in heaven, he went through at least 12 hours of pain and torture to fulfill the plan that God has for the world. Let us follow in Jesus's example, to persist in God's plan despite the challenges that will come. So that we can be there with Jesus in those times, carrying our crosses the whole way.
Prayer:
Jesus, on this dark day you laid down your life to give us all a fresh start, a new beginning, and a never ending stream of marvelous grace and beautiful mercy. Give us the wisdom, Jesus, to use the minds you gave us to think for ourselves; teach us to develop and listen to our conscience; fill us with grace to see and experience suffering in a way to get closer to you. We pray for all those who have wronged us and for those we have wronged. We also pray in a special way for everyone who will die today. Hold them in their transition from this life to the next. And be with us every moment of our lives, from today until the end of our journey here on earth.