ZENIT, April 23, 2000 - DAILY FEATURES -
The World Seen From Rome
==================================================================
WORLD FEATURES
* Easter in Jerusalem: Message of Peace
* Easter in Sierra Leone: Return from Exile
* Church-State Relations in Putin's Russia
==================================================================
HAPPY EASTER!
ZENIT will not be published from Easter Tuesday to Easter Saturday.
==================================================================
Visit our web page at http://www.zenit.org/
To subscribe/unsubscribe: http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html
To give a ZENIT gift subscription:
http://www.zenit.org/english/gift.html
Support ZENIT with a donation:
http://www.zenit.org/donation/order/donation.html
--------------------------------------------------------
WORLD FEATURES
--------------------------------------------------------
EASTER IN JERUSALEM: MESSAGE OF PEACE
Beautiful Celebrations in Basilica of Holy Sepulcher
JERUSALEM, APR 23 (ZENIT.org).- The profession of faith raised in the
very place that verified the event that marked human history forever
just under 2000 years ago, was an electrifying "Jesus is risen" in this
Jubilee Easter in the Holy Land.
The climax of Holy Week in Jerusalem was the Mass celebrated before the
empty tomb, including a triple candle-lit procession around it. In this
holy place the liturgy was characterized by the proclamation of all four
Gospel narratives of Jesus' Resurrection from four different parts of
the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, which was overflowing with pilgrims.
Following the Catholic celebration of Easter, Orthodox faithful, many of
whom had come from Cyprus and the Aegean, commemorated Palm Sunday,
since they celebrate Holy Week 7 days later. Consequently, in just one
day, there were several extraordinary processions: solemn ornaments,
standards, and beautiful singing, especially by the Armenians.
In his Easter homily, when recalling John Paul II's messages during his
recent pilgrimage to these lands, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah said,
"Adoring the mystery of Christ together with the inhabitants of this
Holy Land, with all believing Jews, Muslims and Druses we, Christians,
say that we can conquer the spirit of evil. Here, in this land of the
Resurrection, we are called to give testimony of justice and peace."
ZE00042306
--------------------------------------------------------
EASTER IN SIERRA LEONE: RETURN FROM EXILE
Interview with Bishop Sergio Biguzzi of Makeni
MAKENI, APR 23 (ZENIT.org).- This was be a very different Easter for
Bishop Sergio Biguzzi of Makeni, Sierra Leone, who is returning from the
terrible experience of war and exile. The Bishop spoke on Vatican Radio
about the hopeful signs in this small African country.
-- Bishop Biguzzi: A year ago, for the first time since I became Bishop
of Makeni, I celebrated Easter away from the diocese. It was because of
the war and the rebels' invasion, which forced us to leave all the
parishes. The events are well known: kidnapping of missionaries, and the
killing here, in Freetown, of Mother Teresa's Sisters. The situation was
so tense, we had to leave our houses. This year, however, thanks to the
signing of peace accords and thanks to greater calm in the country, we
can return. For me it is very significant and also very moving to be
able to return and celebrate these great Easter events precisely in the
Makeni Cathedral. As I said to some friends. it is a returning from
exile with a heart full of pride and the desire of the pious Israelite
who *** always hoped that the next year he would be in Jerusalem. That
"next year" has come to Makeni this year for the Lord's Easter.
-- In this small African country, martyred by civil war, have you been
able to fully carry out the various Holy Week rites?
-- Bishop Biguzzi: Yes, completely and I would say normally. We have
been able to insure the liturgical service for the whole of Holy Week
and, particularly, for the Easter Triduum, even in the diocesan
parishes. This is very moving. I take the opportunity to thank the
diocesan priests and missionaries, including some who are very elderly,
who have agreed to spend Holy Week in different parishes, in spite of
the fact that in some of them there no longer is a parish house, as it
has been destroyed or sacked, and in spite of the fact that in some
zones rebels are still present, who have everything somewhat under
control. As I was saying earlier, this is a return from exile, and our
priests have guaranteed the liturgical service to all the parishes of
the diocese.
-- What does it mean for a pastor and missionary like you to live the
Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ in a country that is trying
to rise from war?
-- Bishop Biguzzi: The meaning has become a reality. We don't have to
search too much for hidden meanings, because everything as been
experienced day by day by our people. The passion has been lived by many
who are still refugees, dispersed or in a situation of insecurity. The
fact that there are signs of peace already shows the road, the presence
of the Resurrected One. This certainly goes to the depth of the soul and
with great emotion we see that the Lord walks with us, with our people,
carrying the Cross, but also with glorious signs of Resurrection.
Through his Resurrection, the Lord has also given us certainty. It is a
time of great hope. The signs of the Passion are still with us, the
Cross still remains, the damage continues, but it has the certainty of a
different light. All this gives us priests hope but also our people who
have given witness to the faith in a really wonderful way, during these
very difficult years.
Child Soldiers
Bishop Biguzzi is widely known for his initiative to buy back child
soldiers, who number 300,000 (under 18) in the world today. They are
desired by many countries with guerrillas and regular armies in
conflict; they are recruited by force, separated from their families and
subjected to traumatic violent experiences. In support of the Bishop of
Makeni's initiative, the Vatican Jubilee Committee launched a worldwide
campaign at the beginning of the Jubilee Year to rescue the greatest
possible number of these children. Among the 100,000 boys and girls who
participated in the Children's Jubilee in St. Peter's Square on January
2, there were 10 boys from Sierra Leone, who had guns instead of toys
during their childhood. Bishop Biguzzi brought them to the Eternal City,
in representation of the hundreds of child soldiers the Church has freed
in that country.
ZE00042101
--------------------------------------------------------
CHURCH-STATE IN PUTIN'S RUSSIA
Revelations of Keston Institute Report
LONDON, APR 23 (ZENIT.org).- Geraldine Fagan and Lawrence Uzzell of
England's Keston Institute have written a very painstaking report on
religious freedom and Church-State relations in President-elect Vladimir
Putin's Russia.
According to the study, in Church-State relations, as in other areas,
observers report mixed signals from the new administration. Putin
himself is spending the period leading up to his official inauguration
in May by visiting the Russian armed forces and presiding at
prize-giving ceremonies, rather than discussing policy initiatives.
A Question of Image
As regards religious freedom, the concrete steps Putin has taken so far
point to entirely different directions. In March, the mainstream media
gave comparatively wide coverage to Putin's signing of the March law
extending the deadline for re-registration of religious organizations.
This suggests a conscious attempt to appear in favor of religious
freedom. However, this is largely a routine amendment, very much
supported by the Moscow Patriarchy and the old-line Muslim spiritual
directorates. It most certainly is not a sign of tolerance towards
religious minorities
It is important to recall that Russia's most notorious violations of
religious freedom have little to do with such legalistic questions. For
example, the native Protestant congregations (and, increasingly,
religious bodies connected with foreign churches) that are refused the
right to rent public halls for their worship, often have full legal
registration, and all the rights that ostensibly flow therefrom.
Greater Restrictions of Foreign Missionaries?
The elements of religious policy buried in the lengthy decree on a new
national security policy signed by Putin on January 10, received almost
no media coverage, even though they may be more representative of the
new administration's future policy. The now superseded December 1997
document on national security policy had emphasized the "important role
of the Russian Orthodox Church" in preserving spiritual values. The new
text omits all reference to the Russian Church, stipulating that the
"spiritual and moral education of the population" should be regulated by
State policy. The 1997 text saw the main threat in the "destructive role
of various types of religious sects." The new text stresses "the
negative influence of foreign missionaries."
This new national security policy could result in increased restrictions
on Western Christian missionaries, especially those from the United
States. It is difficult to pinpoint the precise extent to which such
missionaries are being pressured to scale down their activity or leave
Russia. Some maintain that they do not encounter difficulties,
especially if they keep a low profile. Those who do encounter problems,
are often very reluctant to report them to the U.S. Embassy or speak
candidly to reporters for fear of repercussions on their congregations.
However, judging by known cases, which at present are confidential, it
appears that the federal intelligence service (FSB) pays special
attention to such missionaries and regards missionary activity as being
a particularly effective cover for the CIA. Such suspicions are
exacerbated when missionaries try to enter Russia with visas stating
non-religious purposes, as many increasingly do, the Keston report
reveals.
It is quite likely that the local FSB departments will interpret the
religious aspects of the new security policy as a signal to step up
intimidation. Given the fact that it is usually possible to do this
without the missionaries making public complaints, the methods used to
restrict missionary activity will thus continue to be intimidation and
attempts to prosecute under criminal law (e.g. for non-payment of taxes,
smuggling foreign currency in or out of the country, etc.)
Religious Liberty and State Centralization
One of Putin's main concerns at present is to consolidate centralized
power in Moscow and weaken the provinces; his apparent stance in favor
of religious freedom must be seen in this light. By enforcing some
democratic principles, he is able to subdue regional governors opposed
to such principles.
Religious freedom is a convenient principle to support, since, unlike
freedom of speech, it is of immediate concern to a far smaller number of
people and is easier to control. As long as Putin purports to uphold
religious freedom, it is likely that there will be attempts to restrict
it in provinces where the administration is eager to maintain a large
degree of autonomy from Moscow, or is procommunist, or is under strong
pressure from an Orthodox bishop who is intolerant of other confessions
(or is a combination of all these).
Incidents reflecting this phenomenon have already taken place. In
reaction to the provincial governments' efforts to preserve the degree
of centralization, which they achieved during the 1990s, Putin will push
for more centralized structures in all areas of life, almost certainly
including religion. The new administration will probably create some
kind of structure along the lines of the Council of Religious Affairs,
which was barred by law from 1990 to 1997, in order to make local
officials answerable to Moscow and not to local mayors and governors,
the study explains.
Relations with the Orthodox Church
Likewise, the report points out that after the initial, largely symbolic
portrayal of a close relationship between Putin and Patriarch Aleksi in
early January, the new administration is now maintaining a greater
distance from the Moscow Patriarchy. This seems likely to continue.
At present Putin is cultivating the image of a lukewarm Orthodox
believer and no longer making public statements supporting Russia's
"traditional" confessions in the same way as, for example, Communist
Party leader Gennady Zyuganov. A close alliance with the Moscow
Patriarchy is now politically risky due to continued revelations about
the Church's illicit trading activities and the increasingly public
close relationship between the Patriarch and the shady figure of Gulya
Sotnikova. Although Putin receives unstinting support from the Moscow
Patriarchy for the war in Chechnya, Patriarch Alexy recently upbraided
the West for double standards in its criticism of the Chechen war, the
Patriarchy appears to have received little in return other than a
presidential guard for Alexy.
The Hour of Truth
At some point, Putin's claim to uphold democratic principles is going to
be difficult to reconcile with his primary image as promoter of a
powerful state, which is what allowed him to attract such a large share
of the communist vote. When it becomes impossible to maintain this
balance the Kremlin will probably switch to a nationalist,
pseudo-Orthodox model more in keeping with Putin's primary, populist
image.
One likely moment for this switch to take place will be after the new
re-registration deadline at the end of 2000. The dramatic, albeit
isolated, case of the move to liquidate 13 religious organizations in
the Voronezh region of central Russia may be a foretaste of what will
happen in 2001, when all local justice departments will be legally
obliged to do what the one in Voronezh chose to do (it disregarded the
express warning of the Ministry of Justice on the postponement of the
time available for re-registration).
The same scenario is likely to be played out in every region of Russia
at the end of the year 2000 and the beginning of 2001. The question is
whether the Putin administration will allow this, or introduce a further
change in the law to prevent it. This in turn depends upon how long
Putin chooses to continue cultivating an image of favoring religious
freedom, the Keston report concludes.
ZE00042001
==================================================================
ZENIT, April 23, 2000 - DAILY DOSSIER - The World Seen From Rome
==================================================================
VATICAN DOSSIER
* Pope Baptizes 8 Persons During Jubilee Easter Vigil
* Pope Presides at Unique Easter Sunday in St. Peter's Square
NEWS BRIEFS
* Edith Stein Alerted Pius XI about Nazism
--------------------------------------------------------
VATICAN DOSSIER
--------------------------------------------------------
POPE BAPTIZES 8 PERSONS DURING JUBILEE EASTER VIGIL
A 5-year Old Japanese Girl Made Him Smile Several Times
VATICAN CITY, APR 23 (ZENIT.org).- Eight catechumens were baptized and
confirmed by John Paul II, during the luminous Jubilee Easter Vigil in
St. Peter's Square. They ranged in age from 5 to 40, and came from
Japan, China, Cameroon, Albania and Italy. At the end of the ceremony,
they received their First Communion from the Pontiff's hands. Given the
extraordinary number of pilgrims, this was the first time a Pope has
celebrated this all important Christian feast outside the Basilica.
The Holy Father encouraged the new Catholics, who would become "intimate
sharers in the mystery of the love of God, Father and Son and Holy
Spirit," to make of their life "a song of praise to the Most Holy
Trinity, and a witness of love that knows no bounds."
The Vigil began with the blessing of the Paschal fire at the foot of the
obelisk in St. Peter's Square, witness of St. Peter's martyrdom in
Nero's circus. The Paschal candle was moved forward, in the silence of
the night, until it arrived in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica,
shedding its light along with that of thousands of candles being carried
by pilgrims.
"At the Easter Vigil, 'the mother of all vigils,' everyone can likewise
acknowledge their own personal history of salvation, which has its basic
moment in our rebirth in Christ through Baptism," the Holy Father said,
explaining the reason he administered Baptism to the new Christians,
among whom was a darling 5-year old Japanese girl. She was baptized
along with her parents. Several times during the ceremony, she made the
Holy Father smile. In the last 4 days, John Paul II has presided over
close to 20 hours of celebrations.
At the end of the Vigil, when the catechumens went to greet the Pope, he
kissed the little radiant Japanese girl twice, in the presence of her
overwhelmed young parents. The other baptized included a 30-year-old man
from Cameroon, a 38-year-old Italian, and a 30-year-old Albanian.
Particularly significant was the baptism of two Chinese, Peter Cong
Shen, 28, and Elena Hong Ye, 38, not only because of the difficult
situation of the Church in China and the Holy Father's hope to visit
that country, but also because of the stressful circumstances faced by
Chinese immigrants in Italy, who must often deal with a type of mafia,
which controls some communities of the diaspora. Some underground
workshops oblige them to work in inhuman conditions.
The open-air celebration in the dead of night implicitly underlined the
cosmic character of Jesus' Resurrection. "Yes, Christ is truly risen and
we are witnesses of this," the Pope exclaimed. "We proclaim this witness
to the world, so that the joy, which is ours, will reach countless other
hearts, kindling in them the light of the hope that does not
disappoint."
ZE00042305
--------------------------------------------------------
POPE PRESIDES AT UNIQUE EASTER IN ST. PETER'S SQUARE
Calls for Defense of Human Dignity and Opposes Xenophobia
VATICAN CITY, APR 23 (ZENIT.org).- In giving his traditional Easter
message, at the end of the Mass on Resurrection Sunday, John Paul II
wished a "just and lasting peace" for humanity in the third millennium.
The crowds in St. Peter's Square beat all records. There were at least
150,000 pilgrims, but some reporters think the figure was more like
200,000.
The space embraced by Bernini's colonnade was not large enough to
accommodate all those who came to receive the "urbi et orbi" papal
blessing; the river of humanity spilled over into adjacent streets,
particularly the Via della Conciliazione. There were 58 television
channels transmitting the ceremony throughout the world.
The Holy Father himself beat a personal record: in celebration of Jesus'
Resurrection, he greeted Catholics worldwide in 60 languages. The scene
was nothing short of spectacular: the atrium of the Vatican Basilica was
transformed into a veritable "Garden of Resurrection," thanks to 50,000
bushes, plants, and flowers donated by the Netherlands.
On Resurrection Day of the Great Jubilee Year, which the Holy Father has
been preparing for since the day he was elected Pope, John Paul II
addressed the world, speaking about the evils and wars causing
bloodshed, announcing the message of universal love, and new life and
hope on Easter Sunday. "Yes, life and death were locked in combat, and
Life was victorious for ever. All is once again oriented to life, to
Eternal Life!," the Pope exclaimed. "The Risen Christ signals the paths
of hope along which we can advance together towards a more just and
mutually supportive world, in which the blind egoism of the few will not
prevail over the cries of pain of the many, reducing entire peoples to
conditions of degrading misery."
As the Pope pronounced these words, the sun broke through a gray and
misty Roman morning. "May the message of life, proclaimed by the angel
near the stone rolled back from the tomb, overturn the hardness of our
hearts; may it lead to removing unjustified barriers and promote a
fruitful exchange between peoples and cultures. May the image of the new
man, shining on the face of Christ, cause everyone to acknowledge the
inalienable value of human life," he added.
In his Easter message, the Pontiff implored that Christ "grant the human
family of the third millennium a just and lasting peace" and "bring to a
happy outcome the talks undertaken by people of good will who, despite
so many doubts and difficulties, are trying to bring an end to the
troubling conflicts in Africa, the armed clashes in some countries of
Latin America, the persistent tensions affecting the Middle East, vast
areas of Asia, and some parts of Europe."
Christ's Resurrection is not something of the past but is forever. In
the name of this same Jesus, John Paul II called mankind "to overcome
old and new rivalries, by rejecting attitudes of racism and xenophobia."
There was a special liturgical touch to this Jubilee Easter Sunday. The
Resurrection was proclaimed by a deacon before the icon of the Most Holy
Savior, known as the "Acheropita," which means, "not executed by the
human hand," which is kept in the Chapel of the "Sancta Sanctorum" of
the Scala Santa in Rome. This was a Medieval tradition, which
disappeared when the See of the Bishop of Rome was moved to Avignon in
1309, but which the Holy Father decided to restore on this occasion.
With the blessing, John Paul II, who will be 80 in May, concluded the
marathon of celebrations and liturgical events he has presided this Holy
Week. At the end of the ceremony, he climbed into a jeep with his golden
priestly ornaments so that the pilgrims could see him close up. By this
time, 1 p.m., the sun was strong, but John Paul II smiled at the crowds,
despite the past week's punishing schedule.
ZE00042304
--------------------------------------------------------
NEWS BRIEFS
--------------------------------------------------------
EDITH STEIN ALERTED PIUS XI ABOUT NAZISM
ROME, APR 23 (ZENIT.org).- A very distressing letter from Edith Stein
(St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross) about the dangers of Hitler's
ideology might have been the origin of Pope Pius XI's encyclical "Mit
brennender Sorge." The pontifical document was published on March 14,
1937. It denounced the incompatibility between Nazism's racist, pagan
propositions and Catholicism.
Philosopher Edith Stein, of Jewish origin, a convert to Catholicism and
a Carmelite nun, wrote a letter to the Pontiff as soon as the racial
persecutions began, in which she foresaw all the consequences of
Hitler's fury. This information was disclosed by professor Angela Ales
Bello, dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Pontifical Lateran
University, during an interview on television channel Sat 2000. The
letter is preserved in the Vatican Archives.
ZE00042302
==================================================================
ZENIT, April 23, 2000 - DOCUMENTS I - The World Seen From Rome
==================================================================
DOCUMENTS
* Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum
--------------------------------------------------------
DOCUMENTS I
--------------------------------------------------------
STATIONS OF THE CROSS AT THE COLOSSEUM
Written by Pope John Paul II, Good Friday 2000
OPENING PRAYER
The Holy Father:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
R. Amen.
"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me" (Mt 16:24).
Good Friday evening.
For twenty centuries the Church has gathered on this evening to remember
and to re-live the events of the final stage of the earthly journey of
the Son of God. Once again this year, the Church in Rome
meets at the Colosseum, to follow the footsteps of Jesus, who "went out,
carrying his cross, to the place called the place of the skull, which is
called in Hebrew Golgotha" (Jn 19:17).
We are here because we are convinced that the Way of the Cross of the
Son of God was not simply a journey to the place of execution. We
believe that every step of the Condemned Christ, every action and every
word, as well as everything felt and done by those who took part in this
tragic drama, continues to speak to us. In his suffering and death too,
Christ reveals to us the truth about God and man.
In this Jubilee Year we want to concentrate on the full meaning of that
event, so that what happened may speak with new power to our minds and
hearts, and become the source of the grace of a real sharing in it.
To share means to have a part. What does it mean to have a part
in the Cross of Christ? It means to experience, in the Holy Spirit,
the love hidden within the Cross of Christ. It means to recognize, in
the light of this love, our own cross. It means to take up that cross
once more and, strengthened by this love, to continue our journey... To
journey through life, in imitation of the one who endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of
God" (Heb 12:2).
Brief pause for silence.
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, fill our hearts with the light of your Spirit,
so that by following you on your final journey we may come to know the
price of our Redemption and become worthy of a share in the fruits of
your Passion, Death and Resurrection. You who live and reign for ever
and ever.
R. Amen.
FIRST STATION: Jesus is condemned to death
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
- "Are you the King of the Jews?" (Jn
18:33).
- "My Kingdom is not of this world; if my Kingdom
were of this
world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the
Jews; but my Kingdom is not from the world" (Jn 18:36).
Pilate said to him:
- "So you are a king?"
Jesus answered:
- "You say that I am a king. For this I was born,
and for this I
have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is
of the truth hears my voice.
Pilate said in answer:
"What is truth?".
At this point, the Roman Procurator saw no need for further questions.
He went to the Jews and told them: "I find no crime in him" (cf. Jn
18:37-38).
The tragedy of Pilate is hidden in the question: What is truth? This was
no philosophical question about the nature of truth, but an existential
question about his own relationship with truth. It was an attempt to
escape from the voice of conscience, which was pressing him to
acknowledge the truth and follow it. When someone refuses to be guided
by truth he is ultimately ready even to condemn an innocent person to
death.
The accusers sense this weakness in Pilate and so do not yield. They
relentlessly call for death by crucifixion. Pilate's attempts at half
measures are of no avail. The cruel punishment of scourging inflicted
upon the Accused is not enough. When the Procurator brings Jesus,
scourged and crowned with thorns, before the crowd, he seems to be
looking for words which he thinks might soften the intransigence of the
mob. Pointing to Jesus he says: Ecce homo! Behold the man! But the
answer comes back: "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate then tries to buy
time: "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him"
(Jn 19:5-7).
He is increasingly convinced that the Accused is innocent, but this is
not enough for him to decide in his favour. The accusers use their final
argument: "If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar;
everyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar" (Jn
19:12). This is clearly a threat. Recognizing the danger, Pilate finally
gives in and pronounces the sentence. But not without the contemptuous
gesture of washing his hands: "I am innocent of this ... blood; see to
it yourselves!" (Mt 27:24).
Thus was Jesus, the Son of the living God, the Redeemer of the world,
condemned to death by crucifixion.
Over the centuries the denial of truth has spawned suffering and death.
It is the innocent who pay the price of human hypocrisy. Half measures
are never enough. Nor is it enough to wash one's hands. Responsibility
for the blood of the just remains. This is why Christ prayed so
fervently for his disciples in every age: Father, "sanctify them in the
truth; your word is truth" (Jn 17:17).
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you accepted an unjust judgment. Grant to us and to
all the men and women of our time the grace to remain faithful to the
truth.Do not allow the weight of responsibility for the sufferings of
the innocent fall upon us and upon those who come after us. To you, O
Jesus, just Judge, be honour and glory for ever and ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
At the Cross her station keeping
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.
SECOND STATION: Jesus takes up his Cross
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
The cross. The instrument of a shameful death. It was not lawful to
condemn a Roman citizen to death by crucifixion: it was too humiliating.
The moment that Jesus of Nazareth took up the Cross in order to carry it
to Calvary marked a turning-point in the history of the cross. The
symbol of a shameful death, reserved for the lowest classes, the cross
becomes a key. From now on, with the help of this key, man will open the
door of the deepest mystery of God. Through Christ's acceptance of the
Cross, the instrument of his own self-emptying, men will come to know
that God is love.
Love without limits: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life"
(Jn 3:16).
This truth about God was revealed in the Cross. Could it not have been
revealed in some other way? Perhaps. But God chose the Cross.
The Father chose the Cross for his Son, and his Son shouldered it,
carried it to Mount Calvary and on it offered his life. "In the Cross
there is suffering, in the Cross there is salvation, in the Cross there
is a lesson of love. O God, he who once has understood you, desires
nothing else, seeks nothing else" (Polish Lenten hymn).
The Cross is the sign of a love without limits!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, who accept the Cross at the hands of men to make of
it the sign of God's saving love for humanity, grant us and all the men
and women of our time the grace of faith in this infinite love. By
passing on to the new millennium the sign of the Cross, may we be
authentic witnesses to the Redemption. To you, O Jesus, Priest and
Victim, be praise and glory for ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
all his bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword had passed
THIRD STATION: Jesus falls the first time
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world
"God laid on him the sins of us all" (cf. Is 53:6). "All we like sheep
have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord
has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Is 53:6).
Jesus falls under the Cross. This will happen three times along the
comparatively short stretch of the "via dolorosa". Exhaustion makes him
fall. His body is stained with blood from the scourging, his head is
crowned with thorns. All this causes his strength to fail. So he falls,
and the weight of the Cross crushes him to the ground.
We must go back to the words of the Prophet, who foresaw this fall
centuries earlier. It is as though he were contemplating it with his own
eyes: seeing the Servant of the Lord, on the ground under the weight of
the Cross, he tells us the real cause of his fall. It is this: "God laid
on him the sins of us all". It was our sins that crushed the divine
Condemned One to the ground. It was our sins that determined the weight
of the Cross that he carries on his shoulders. It was our sins that made
him fall.
With difficulty Christ gets up again to continue his journey. The
soldiers escorting him urge him on with shouts and blows. After a moment
the procession sets out again.
Jesus falls and gets up again. In this way, the Redeemer of the world
addresses in a wordless way all those who fall. He exhorts them to get
up again. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the wood of the
cross, that we might no longer live for sin but for righteousness by
his wounds we have been healed" (cf. 1 Pt 2:24).
PRAYER
O Christ, as you fall under the weight of our faults and rise again for
our justification, we pray, help us and all who are weighed down by sin
to stand up again and continue the journey. Give us the strength of the
Spirit to carry with you the cross of our weakness. To you, O Jesus,
crushed under the weight of our faults be our praise and love for ever.
R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
Oh, how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother highly blessed
of the sole begotten One!
FOURTH STATION: Jesus meets his Mother
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold,
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his
name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most
High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and his kingdom will
have no end" (Lk 1:30-33).
Mary remembered these words. She often returned to them in the secret of
her heart. When she met her Son on the way of the Cross, perhaps these
very words came to her mind. With particular force. "He will reign...
His kingdom will have no end", the heavenly messenger had said. Now, as
she watches her Son, condemned to death, carrying the Cross on which he
must die, she might ask herself, all too humanly: So how can these words
be fulfilled? In what way will he reign over the House of David? And how
can it be that his kingdom will have
no end?
Humanly speaking, these are reasonable questions.
But Mary remembered that, when she first heard the Angel's message, she
had replied: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to
me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). Now she sees that her word is
being fulfilled as the word of the Cross. Because she is a mother, Mary
suffers deeply. But she answers now as she had answered then, at the
Annunciation: "May it be done to me according to your word". In this
way, as a mother would, she embraces the cross together with the divine
Condemned One. On the way of the Cross Mary shows herself to be the
Mother of the Redeemer of the world.
"All you who pass by the way, look and see whether there is any
suffering like my suffering, which has been dealt me" (Lam 1:12). It is
the Sorrowful Mother who speaks, the Handmaid who is obedient to the
last, the Mother of the Redeemer of the world.
PRAYER
O Mary, who walked the way of the Cross with your Son, your mother's
heart torn by grief, but mindful always of your fiat and fully confident
that He to whom nothing is impossible would be able to fulfil his
promises, implore for us and for the generations yet to come the grace
of surrender to God's love. Help us, in the face of suffering,
rejection, and trial, however prolonged and severe, never to doubt his
love. To Jesus, your Son, honour and glory for ever and ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father
Stabat Mater:
Christ above in torment hangs,
she beneath beholds the pangs
of her dying glorious Son.
FIFTH STATION: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his Cross
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world
They compelled Simon (cf. Mk 15:2 1). The Roman soldiers did this
because they feared that in his exhaustion the Condemned Man would not
be able to carry the Cross as far as Golgotha. Then they would not be
able to carry out the sentence of crucifixion. They were looking for
someone to help carry the Cross. Their eyes fell on Simon. They
compelled him to take the weight upon his shoulders. We can imagine that
Simon did not want to do this and objected. Carrying the cross together
with a convict could be considered an act offensive to the dignity of a
free man.
Although unwilling, Simon took up the Cross to help Jesus.
In a Lenten hymn we hear the words: "Under the weight of the Cross Jesus
welcomes the Cyrenean". These words allow us to discern a total change
of perspective: the divine Condemned One is someone who, in a certain
sense, "makes a gift" of his Cross. Was it not he who said:
"He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me"
(Mt 10:38)?
Simon receives a gift. He has become "worthy" of it. What the crowd
might see as an offence to his dignity has, from the perspective of
redemption, given him a new dignity. In a unique way, the Son of God has
made him a sharer in his work of salvation.
Is Simon aware of this? The evangelist Mark identifies Simon of Cyrene
as the "father of Alexander and Rufus" (15:2 1).
If the sons of Simon of Cyrene were known to the first Christian
community, it can be presumed that Simon too, while carrying the Cross,
came to believe in Christ. From being forced, he freely accepted, as
though deeply touched by the words: "Whoever does not carry his cross
with me is not worthy of me."
By his carrying of the Cross, Simon was brought to the knowledge of the
gospel of the Cross.
Since then, this gospel has spoken to many, countless Cyreneans, called
in the course of history to carry the cross with Jesus.
PRAYER
O Christ, you gave to Simon of Cyrene the dignity of carrying your
Cross. Welcome us too under its weight, welcome all men and women and
grant to everyone the gift of readiness to serve. Do not permit that we
should turn away from those who are crushed by the cross of illness
loneliness, hunger or injustice. As we carry each other's burdens, help
us to become witnesses to the gospel of the Cross and witnesses to you,
who live and reign for ever and ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?
SIXTH STATION: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Veronica does not appear in the Gospels. Her name is not mentioned, even
though the names of other women who accompanied Jesus do appear. It is
possible, therefore, that the name refers more to what the woman did. In
fact, according to tradition, on the road to Calvary a woman pushed her
way through the soldiers escorting Jesus and with a veil wiped the sweat
and blood from the Lord's face. That face remained imprinted on the
veil, a faithful reflection, a "true icon". This would be the reason for
the name Veronica. If this is so, the name which evokes the memory of
what this woman did carries with it the deepest truth about her.
One day, Jesus drew the criticism of onlookers when he defended a sinful
woman who had poured perfumed oil on his feet and dried them with her
hair. To those who objected, he replied: "Why do you trouble this woman?
For she has done a beautiful thing to me... In pouring this ointment on
my body she has done it to prepare me for burial" (Mt 26:10, 12). These
words could likewise be applied to Veronica.
Thus we see the profound eloquence of this event. The Redeemer of the
world presents Veronica with an authentic image of his face.
The veil upon which the face of Christ remains imprinted becomes a
message for us. In a certain sense it says: This is how every act of
goodness, every gesture of true love towards one's neighbour,
strengthens the likeness of the Redeemer of the world in the one who
acts that way.
Acts of love do not pass away. Every act of goodness, of understanding,
of service leaves on people's hearts an indelible imprint and makes us
ever more like the One who "emptied himself, taking the form of a
servant" (Phil 2:7). This is what shapes our identity and gives us our
true name.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you accepted a woman's selfless gesture of love,
and in exchange ordained that future generations should remember her
by the name of your face. Grant that our works and the works of all who
will come after us will make us like unto you and will leave in the
world the reflection of your infinite love. To you, O Jesus, splendour
of the Father's glory, be praise and glory for ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother's untold pain?
SEVENTH STATION: Jesus falls the second time
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
"I am a worm, and no man; scorned by men, and despised by the people"
(Ps 22:6). These words of the Psalm come to mind as we see Jesus fall to
the ground a second time under the Cross.
Here in the dust of the earth lies the Condemned One. Crushed by the
weight of his Cross. His strength drains away from him more and more.
But with great effort he gets up again to continue his march.
To us sinners, what does this second fall say? More than the first one,
it seems to urge us to get up, to get up again on our way of the cross.
Cyprian Norwid wrote: "Not behind us with the Saviour's Cross, but
behind the Saviour with our own Cross." A brief saying, but one that
conveys much truth. It explains how Christianity is the religion of the
Cross. It tells us that every person here below meets Christ who carries
the Cross and falls under its weight. In his turn, Christ, on the way to
Calvary, meets every man and woman and, falling under the weight of the
Cross, does not cease to proclaim the good news.
For two thousand years the gospel of the Cross has spoken to man. For
twenty centuries Christ, getting up again from his fall, meets those who
fall.
Throughout these two millennia many people have learned that falling
does not mean the end of the road. In meeting the Saviour they have
heard his reassuring words: "My grace is sufficient for you; for my
power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9). Comforted, they have
gotten up again and brought to the world the word of hope which comes
from the Cross. Today, having crossed the threshold of the new
millennium, we are called to penetrate more deeply the meaning of this
encounter. Our generation must pass on to future centuries the good news
that we are lifted up again in Christ.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you fall under the weight of human sin and you get up
again in order to take it upon yourself and cancel it. Give to us, weak
men and women, the strength to carry the cross of daily life and to get
up again from our falls, so that we may bring to future generations the
Gospel of your saving power. To you, O Jesus, our support when we are
weak, be praise and glory for ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
she beheld her tender Child,
all with bloody scourges rent.
EIGHTH STATION: Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world
"Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and
for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say,
'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts
that never gave suck!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains,
'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do this when the
wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" (Lk 23:28-31).
These are the words of Jesus to the women of Jerusalem who were weeping
with compassion for the Condemned One.
"Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." At
the time it was certainly difficult to understand the meaning of these
words. They contained a prophecy that would soon come to pass.
Shortly before, Jesus had wept over Jerusalem, foretelling the terrible
fate that awaited the city. Now he seems to be referring again to that
fate: "Weep for your children..
Weep, because these, your very children, will be witnesses and will
share in the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jerusalem which "did not know
the time of her visitation" (cf. Lk 19:44).
If, as we follow Christ on the way of the Cross, our hearts are moved
with pity for his suffering, we cannot forget that admonition. "For if
they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
For our generation, which has just left a millennium behind, rather than
weep for Christ crucified, it is now the time for us to recognize "the
time of our visitation". Already the dawn of the resurrection is shining
forth. "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of
salvation" (2 Cor 6:2).
To each of us Christ addresses these words of the book of Revelation:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I
myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne" (3:20-2 1).
PRAYER
O Christ, you came into this world to visit all those who await
salvation. Grant that our generation will recognize the time of its
visitation and share in the fruits of your redemption. Do not permit
that there should be weeping for us and for the men and women of the new
century because we have rejected our merciful Father's outstretched
hand. To you, O Jesus, born of the Virgin Daughter of Zion, be honour
and praise for ever and ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father
Stabat Mater:
Let me share with you his pain
who for all my sin was slain,
who for me in torments died.
NINTH STATION: Jesus falls the third time
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world
Once more Christ has fallen to the ground under the weight of the Cross.
The crowd watches, wondering whether he will have the strength to rise
again.
Saint Paul writes: "Though he was in the form of God, he did not count
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself taking the
form of a servant, being born in human likeness. And being found in
human form, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even
death on a Cross" (Phil 2:6-8).
The third fall seems to express just this: the self-emptying the kenosis
of the Son of God, his humiliation beneath the Cross. Jesus had said to
the disciples that he had come not to be served but to serve (cf. Mt
20:28). In the Upper Room, bending low to the ground and washing their
feet, he sought, as it were, to prepare them for this humiliation of
his. Falling to the ground for the third time on the way of the Cross,
he cries out loudly to us once more the mystery of himself. Let us
listen to his voice! This Condemned Man, crushed to the ground beneath
the weight of the Cross, now very near the place of punishment, tells
us: "I am the way, and the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). "He who
follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life"
(Jn 8:12).
Let us not be dismayed by the sight of a condemned man, who falls to the
ground exhausted under the cross. Within this outward sign of the death
which is approaching the light of life lies hidden.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, through your humiliation beneath the Cross you
revealed to the world the price of its redemption. Grant to the men and
women of the third millennium the light of faith, so that, as they
recognize in you the Suffering Servant of God and man, they may have the
courage to follow the same path which, by way of the Cross and
self-emptying, leads to life without end. To you, O Jesus, our support
when we are weak, be honour and glory for ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father
Stabat Mater:
O you Mother, fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with yours accord.
TENTH STATION: Jesus is stripped and offered gall and vinegar to drink
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
"When he tasted it, he would not drink it" (Mt 27:34). He did not want a
sedative, which would have dulled his consciousness during the agony. He
wanted to be fully aware as he suffe red on the Cross, accomplishing the
mission he had received from the Father.
That was not what the soldiers in charge of the execution were used to.
Since they had to nail the condemned man to the Cross, they tried to
dull his senses and his consciousness. But with Christ this could not
be. Jesus knows that his death on the Cross must be a sacrifice of
expiation. This is why he wants to remain alert to the very end.
Without consciousness, he could not, in complete freedom, accept the
full measure of suffering.
Behold, he must mount the Cross, in order to offer the sacrifice of the
New Covenant. He is the Priest. By means of his own blood, he must enter
the eternal dwelling-places, having accomplished the world's redemption
(cf. Heb 9:12).
Conscience and freedom: these are the essential elements of fully human
action. The world has so many ways of weakening the will and of
darkening conscience. They must be carefully defended from all violence.
Even the legitimate attempt to control pain must always be done with
respect for human dignity.
If life and death are to retain their true value, the depths of Christ's
sacrifice must be understood, and we must unite ourselves to that
sacrifice if we are to hold firm.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, who, with supreme dedication, accepted death on the Cross
for our salvation, grant to us and to all the world's people a share in
your sacrifice on the Cross, so that what we are and what we do
may always be a free and conscious sharing in your work of salvation.
To you, O Jesus, Priest and Victim, be honour and glory for ever. R.
Amen.
All:
Our Father
Stabat Mater:
Make me feel as you have felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ our Lord.
ELEVENTH STATION: Jesus is nailed to the Cross
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world
"They tear holes in my hands and my feet; I can count every one of my
bones" (Ps 21:17-18). The words of the Prophet are fulfilled.
The execution begins. The torturers' blows crush the hands and feet of
the Condemned One against the wood of the Cross. The nails are driven
violently into his wrists. Those nails will hold the condemned man as he
hangs in the midst of the inexpressible torments of his agony. In his
body and his supremely sensitive spirit, Christ suffers in a way beyond
words.
With him there are crucified two real criminals, one on his right, the
other on his left. The prophecy is fulfilled: "He was numbered among the
transgressors" (Is 53:12).
Once the torturers raise the Cross, there will begin an agony that will
last three hours. This word too must be fulfilled: "When I am lifted up
from the earth, I will draw all people to myself' (Jn 12:32).
What is it that "draws" us to the Condemned One in agony on the Cross?
Certainly the sight of such intense suffering stirs compassion. But
compassion is not enough to lead us to bind our very life to the One who
hangs on the Cross.
How is it that, generation after generation, this appalling sight has
drawn countless hosts of people who have made the Cross the hallmark of
their faith? Hosts of men and women who for centuries have lived and
given their lives looking to this sign?
From the Cross, Christ draws us by the power of love, divine Love, which
did not recoil from the total gift of self; infinite Love, which on the
tree of the Cross raised up from the earth the weight of Christ's body,
to counterbalance the weight of the first sin; boundless Love, which has
utterly filled every absence of love and allowed humanity to find refuge
once more in the arms of the merciful Father.
May Christ lifted high on the Cross draw us too, the men and women of
the new millennium! In the shadow of the Cross, let us "walk in love, as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God" (Eph 5:2).
PRAYER
O Christ lifted high, O Love crucified, fill our hearts with your love,
that we may see in your Cross the sign of our redemption
and, drawn by your wounds, we may live and die with you, who live and
reign with the Father and the Spirit, now and for ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
Holy Mother, pierce me through;
in my heart each wound renew
of my Saviour crucified.
TWELFTH STATION: Jesus dies on the Cross
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Lk 23:34). At
the height of his Passion, Christ does not forget man, especially those
who are directly responsible for his suffering. Jesus knows that more
than anything else man needs love; he needs the mercy which at this
moment is being poured out on the world.
"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (Lk 23:43).
This is how Jesus replies to the plea of the criminal hanging on his
right: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Lk 23:42).
The promise of a new life. This is the first fruit of the Passion and
imminent Death of Christ. A word of hope to man.
At the foot of the Cross stood Mary, and beside her the disciple, John
the Evangelist. Jesus says: "Woman, behold your son!" and to the
disciple: "Behold your mother!" (Jn 19:26-27). "And from that moment the
disciple took her to his own home" (Jn 19:27). This is his bequest to
those dearest to his heart. His legacy to the Church. The desire of
Jesus as he dies is that the maternal love of Mary should embrace all
those for whom he is giving his life, the whole of humanity.
Immediately after, Jesus cries out: "I am thirsty" (Jn 19:28). A word
which describes the dreadful burning which consumes his whole body. It
is the one word which refers directly to his physical suffering.
Then Jesus adds: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (Mt 27:46;
cf. Ps 22:2). These words of the Psalm are his prayer. Despite their
tone, these words reveal the depths of his union with the Father.
In the last moments of his life on earth, Jesus thinks of the Father.
From this moment on, the dialogue will only be between the dying Son and
the Father who accepts his sacrifice of love.
When the ninth hour comes, Jesus cries out: "It is accomplished!" (Jn
19:30). Now the work of the redemption is complete. The mission, for
which he came on earth, has reached its goal.
The rest belongs to the Father: "Father, into your hands I commit my
spirit" (Lk 23:46). And having said this, he breathed his last. "The
curtain of the temple was torn in two..." (Mt 27:5 1). The "Holy of
Holies" of the Jerusalem Temple is opened at the moment when it is
entered by the Priest of the New and Eternal Covenant.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, in the moment of your agony you were not indifferent
to humanity's fate, and with your last breath you entrusted to the
Father's mercy the men and women of every age, with all their weaknesses
and sins. Fill us and the generations yet to come with your Spirit of
love, so that our indifference will not render vain in us the fruits of
your death. To you, crucified Jesus, the wisdom and the power of God, be
honour and glory for ever and ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
She looked upon her sweet Son,
saw him hang in desolation,
till his spirit forth he sent.
THIRTEENTH STATION: Jesus is taken down from the Cross and given to his
Mother
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
O quam tristis et afflicta
Fuit illa benedicta
Mater Unigeniti.
In the arms of his Mother they have placed the lifeless body of the Son.
The Gospels say nothing of what she felt at that moment. It is as though
by their silence the Evangelists wished to respect her sorrow, her
feelings and her memories. Or that they simply felt incapable of
expressing them. It is only the devotion of the centuries that has
preserved the figure of the "Pietà", providing Christian memory with the
most sorrowful image of the ineffable bond of love which blossomed in
the Mother's heart on the day of the Annunciation and ripened as she
waited for the birth of her divine Son. That love was revealed in the
cave at Bethlehem and was tested already during the Presentation in the
Temple. It grew deeper as Mary stored and pondered in her heart all that
was happening (cf. Lk 2:51).
Now this intimate bond of love must be transformed into a union which
transcends the boundary between life and death.
And thus it will be across the span of the centuries: people pause at
Michelangelo's statue of the Pietà, they kneel before the image of the
loving and sorrowful Mother in the Church of the Franciscans in Krakow,
before the Mother of the Seven Sorrows, Patroness of Slovakia, they
venerate Our Lady of Sorrows in countless shrines in every part of the
world. And so they learn the difficult love which does not flee from
suffering, but surrenders trustingly to the tenderness of God, for whom
nothing is impossible (cf. Lk 1:37).
PRAYER
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordice; vita dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus... illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte et
Iesum, benedictumfructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exilium ostende.
Implore for us the grace of faith, hope and charity, so that we, like
you, may stand without flinching beneath the Cross until our last
breath. To your Son, Jesus, our Saviour, with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, all honour and glory for ever and ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
Let me mingle tears with you,
mourning him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live.
FOURTEENTH STATION: Jesus is laid in the tomb
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world
"He was crucified, died and was buried..." The lifeless body of Christ
has been laid in the tomb. But the stone of the tomb is not the final
seal on his work. The last word belongs not to falsehood, hatred and
violence. The last word will be spoken by Love, which is stronger than
death.
"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains
alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (Jn 12:24). The tomb is the
last stage of Christ's dying through the whole course of his earthly
life; it is the sign of his supreme sacrifice for us and for our
salvation.
Very soon this tomb will become the first proclamation of praise and
exaltation of the Son of God in the glory of the Father. "He was
crucified, died and was buried,.., on the third day he rose from the
dead". Once the lifeless body of Jesus is laid in the tomb, at the foot
of Golgotha, the Church begins the vigil of Holy Saturday. In the depths
of her heart, Mary stores and ponders the Passion of her Son; the women
agree to meet on the morning of the day after the Sabbath, in order to
anoint Christ's body with aromatic ointments; the disciples gather in
the seclusion of the Upper Room, waiting for the Sabbath to pass.
This vigil will end with the meeting at the tomb, the empty tomb of the
Saviour. Then the tomb, the silent witness of the Resurrection, will
speak. The stone rolled back, the inner chamber empty, the cloths on the
ground, this will be what John sees when he comes to the tomb with
Peter: "He saw and he believed" (Jn 20:8). And with him the Church
believed, and from that moment she never grows weary of communicating to
the world this fundamental truth of her faith: "Christ has been raised
from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor
15:20).
The empty tomb is the sign of the definitive victory of truth over
falsehood, of good over evil, of mercy over sin, of life over death. The
empty tomb is the sign of the hope which "does not deceive" (Rom 5:5).
"[Our] hope is full of immortality" (cf. Wis 3:4).
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you were drawn by
the Father from the darkness of death to the light of a new life in
glory. Grant that the sign of the empty tomb may speak to us and to
future generations and become a wellspring of living faith, generous
love, and unshakeable hope. To you, O Jesus, whose presence, hidden and
victorious, fills the history of the world, be honour and glory for ever
and ever. R. Amen.
All:
Our Father...
Stabat Mater:
While my body here decays,
may my soul your goodness praise,
safe in paradise with you. Amen.
(Official Translation)
ZE00042320
==================================================================
ZENIT, April 23, 2000 - DOCUMENTS II - The World Seen From Rome
==================================================================
DOCUMENTS
* Papal Message after Stations of the Cross
* John Paul II's Easter Vigil Homily
* Urbi et Orbi Message
--------------------------------------------------------
DOCUMENTS II
--------------------------------------------------------
MESSAGE OF HOLY FATHER AFTER STATIONS OF THE CROSS
April 21, 2000
1. "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and
enter into his glory?" (Lk 24:26).
These words of Jesus to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus echo
deep within us this evening, at the end of the Way of
the Cross at the Colosseum. Like us, they had heard talk of the events
surrounding the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus. On the
way back to their village, Christ draws near as an unknown pilgrim, and
they hasten to tell him everything "about Jesus..., who
was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people" (Lk
24:19), and how the chief priests and rulers
delivered him up to be condemned to death and how he was crucified (cf.
Lk 24:20-21). And they conclude sadly: "But we had
hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this happened" (Lk 24:21).
"We had hoped...". The disciples are discouraged and dejected. For us
too it is difficult to understand why the way of salvation
should pass through suffering and death.
2. "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and
enter into his glory?" (Lk 24:26). Let us too ask this
question at the end of the traditional Stations of the Cross at the
Colosseum.
Soon, from this place sanctified by the blood of the first martyrs, we
shall go away, each on our own way. We shall return
home, turning over in our minds the very same events which the disciples
of Emmaus were discussing.
May Jesus draw near to each one of us; may he become for us too a
companion on the road! As he walks with us, he will
explain that it was for our sake that he went to Calvary, for us that he
died, in fulfilment of the Scriptures. Thus the sorrowful
event of the Crucifixion, which we have just meditated upon will become
for each of us an eloquent lesson.
Dear Brothers and Sisters! The people of today need to meet Christ
crucified and risen!
Who, if not the condemned Saviour, can fully understand the pain of
those unjustly condemned?
Who, if not the King scorned and humiliated, can meet the expectations
of the countless men and women who live without hope
or dignity?
Who, if not the crucified Son of God, can know the sorrow and loneliness
of so many lives shattered and without a future?
The French poet Paul Claudel wrote that the Son of God "has shown us the
way out of suffering and the possibility of its
transformation" (Positions et propositions). Let us open our hearts to
Christ: he himself will respond to our deepest yearnings.
He himself will unveil for us the mysteries of his Passion and Death on
the Cross.
3. "Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him" (Lk 24:31). As
Jesus speaks, the hearts of the two disconsolate
travellers find a new serenity and begin to burn with joy. They
recognize the Master in the breaking of bread.
Like them, may the people of today be able to recognize in the breaking
of bread, in the mystery of the Eucharist, the presence
of their Saviour. May they encounter him in the Sacrament of his
Passover, and welcome him as their fellow traveller along the
way. He will listen to them and bring them comfort. He will become their
guide, leading them along the paths of life towards the
Father's house.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy Cross,
you have redeemed the world!
(Official Translation)
ZE00042321
--------------------------------------------------------
PAPAL HOMILY IN EASTER VIGIL MASS
April 22, 2000
1. "You have a guard of soldiers; go and secure the tomb as best as you
can" (Mt 27:65).
The tomb of Jesus had been closed and sealed. At the request of the
Chief Priests and the Pharisees, soldiers were placed on guard, lest
anyone steal the body (Mt 27:62-64). This is the event from which the
liturgy of the Easter Vigil begins.
Those who had sought the death of Christ, those who considered him an
"imposter" (Mt 27:62), were keeping watch beside the tomb. They wanted
him and his message to be buried for ever.
Not far away, Mary was keeping watch, and with her the Apostles and a
few women. In their hearts they pondered the distressing events which
had just taken place.
2. The Church keeps watch this night, in every corner of the world, and
she re-lives the principal stages of salvation history. The solemn
liturgy which we are celebrating is the expression of this "keeping
watch" which, in a way, evokes the watch kept by God himself. The Book
of Exodus tells us: "It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring
them out of the land of Egypt. This night is a night of watching kept to
the Lord in every generation" (Ex 12:42).
In his provident and faithful love, which transcends time and space, God
keeps watch over the world. As the Psalmist sings: "He sleeps not nor
slumbers, Israel's guard... The Lord is your guard ... The Lord will
guard you... both now and for ever" (Ps 121:4-5,8).
The passage from the second to the third millennium, which we are
experiencing, is also guarded in the mystery of the Father. He "is
working still" (Jn 5:17) for the salvation of the world, and through his
Incarnate Son he leads his people from slavery to freedom, from death to
life. All the "work" of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 is in some
way linked to this night of Vigil, which brings to fulfilment the night
of the Lord's Nativity. Bethlehem and Calvary evoke the same mystery of
the love of God, who "so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn
3:16).
3. As she keeps watch on this Holy Night, the Church closely scrutinizes
the texts of Sacred Scripture. They portray God's plan from Genesis to
the Gospel and, together with the liturgical rites of fire and water,
give this remarkable celebration a cosmic dimension. The whole created
universe is summoned to keep watch this night at the tomb of Christ. The
history of salvation passes before our eyes, from Creation to the
Redemption, from the Exodus to the Covenant on Mount Sinai, from the Old
to the New and Eternal Covenant. On this Holy Night, God's eternal plan
reaches fulfilment, the plan which embraces the history of humanity and
of the cosmos.
4. At the Easter Vigil, "the mother of all vigils", everyone can
likewise acknowledge their own personal history of salvation, which has
its basic moment in our rebirth in Christ through Baptism.
In a very special way, this is your experience too, dear brothers and
sisters who are about to receive the Sacraments of Christian Initiation:
Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.
You come from various countries throughout the world: Japan, China,
Cameroon, Albania and Italy.
The variety of your native countries points to the universality of the
salvation brought by Christ. Soon, dear friends, you will become
intimate sharers in the mystery of the love of God, Father and Son and
Holy Spirit. May your lives become a song of praise to the Most Holy
Trinity and a witness of love which knows no limits.
5. "Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the
world: come, let us worship!". Yesterday the Church chanted these words,
lifting up the wood of the Cross, "on which hung Christ, the Saviour of
the world". "He was crucified, died and was buried", as we say in the
Creed.
The tomb! Behold the place where they buried him (cf. Mk 16:6). There
the community of the Church throughout the world is spiritually present.
We too are there with the three women going to the tomb before dawn to
anoint the lifeless body of Jesus (cf. Mk 16:1). Their loving concern is
our concern too. With them we discover that the large tombstone has been
rolled away and that the body is no longer there. "He is not here", the
angel proclaims, pointing to the empty tomb and the winding cloth on the
ground. Death no longer has power over him (cf. Rom 6:9).
Christ is risen! So the Church proclaims, at the end of this Easter
night, even as yesterday she proclaimed Christ's death on the Cross. It
is a proclamation of truth and life.
"Christ is risen from the tomb, who for our sakes hung upon the Cross.
Alleluia!". The Lord, who for us was nailed to the Cross, is risen from
the tomb!
Yes, Christ is truly risen and we are witnesses of this.
We proclaim this witness to the world, so that the joy which is ours
will reach countless other hearts, kindling in them the light of the
hope which does not disappoint.
Christ is risen, alleluia!
(Official Translation)
ZE00042322
--------------------------------------------------------
URBI ET ORBI MESSAGE
April 23, 2000
1. "Mors et vita duello conflixere mirando . . ."
"Death and life have contended in that stupendous combat: The Prince of
life, who died, reigns immortal" (Easter Sequence).
Once again, today, the whole Church pauses in amazement at the empty
tomb. Like Mary Magdalen and the other women, who came to anoint with
spices the body of the Crucified One, like the Apostles Peter and John
who came running at the word of the women, the Church bows before the
tomb in which her Lord was placed after the crucifixion.
A month ago, as a pilgrim in the Holy Land, I had the grace of kneeling
before the stone slab which marks the place of Jesus' burial.
Today, Easter Sunday, I make my own the proclamation of the heavenly
messenger: "He is risen, he is not here" (Mk 16:6).
Yes, life and death were locked in combat and Life was victorious for
ever. All is once again oriented to life, to Eternal Life!
2. "Victimae paschali laudes immolent christiani . . ."
"Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer sacrifice and praise. The sheep
are ransomed by the Lamb; and Christ, the undefiled, has sinners to his
Father reconciled".
The words of the Easter Sequence marvellously express the mystery
accomplished in Christ's Passover. They point to the power of renewal
flowing from his Resurrection. With the weapons of love, God has
defeated sin and death.
The Eternal Son, who emptied himself to become the obedient servant to
the point of dying on the Cross (cf. Phil 2:7-8), has conquered evil at
its roots by opening to contrite hearts the path of return to the
Father. He is the Gate of Life who at Easter overcomes the gates of
hell. He is the Door of salvation, opened wide for all, the Door of
divine mercy, who sheds a new light on human existence.
3. The Risen Christ signals the paths of hope along which we can advance
together towards a world more just and mutually supportive, in which the
blind egoism of the few will not prevail over the cries of pain of the
many, reducing entire peoples to conditions of degrading misery.
May the message of life proclaimed by the angel near the stone rolled
back from the tomb overturn the hardness of our hearts; may it lead to
removing unjustified barriers and promote a fruitful exchange between
peoples and cultures.
May the image of the new man, shining on the face of Christ, cause
everyone to acknowledge the inalienable value of human life; may it
encourage effective responses to the increasingly felt demand for
justice and equal opportunity in all areas of society; may it impel
individuals and States to full respect for the essential and authentic
rights rooted in the very nature of the human person.
4. Lord Jesus, our Peace (Eph 2:14),
Word made flesh two thousand years ago, who by rising from the dead have
conquered evil and sin, grant the human family of the third millennium a
just and lasting peace; bring to a happy outcome the talks undertaken by
people of good will who, despite so many doubts and difficulties, are
trying to bring an end to the troubling conflicts in Africa, the armed
clashes in some countries of Latin America, the persistent tensions
affecting the Middle East, vast areas of Asia, and some parts of Europe.
Help the nations to overcome old and new rivalries, by rejecting
attitudes of racism and xenophobia. May the whole of creation, inundated
by the splendour of the Resurrection, rejoice because "the brightness of
the eternal King has vanquished the darkness of the world" (Easter
Proclamation).
Yes, Christ has risen victorious, and has offered man, Adam's heir in
sin and death, a new heritage of life and glory.
5. "Ubi est mors stimulus tuus?".
"O death, where is your sting?" (1 Cor 15:55), exclaims the Apostle
Paul, touched on the road to Damascus by the light of the Risen Christ.
His cry echoes down the centuries as the proclamation of life for the
whole of human civilization. We too, the men and women of the
twenty-first century, are invited to be mindful of this victory of
Christ over death, revealed to the women of Jerusalem and the Apostles,
when they arrived hesitantly at the tomb.
Through the Church, the experience of these eye-witnesses has come down
to us too. It is a significant part of the journey of the pilgrims who,
during this Year of the Great Jubilee, are entering through the Holy
Door, and going away with renewed courage to build pathways of
reconciliation with God and with their brothers and sisters.
At the heart of this Year of grace, may the proclamation of Christ's
followers be heard more loudly and clearly, a joint proclamation, beyond
all divisions, in ardent longing for full communion: "Scimus Christum
surrexisse a mortuis vere". "Yes, that Christ is truly risen from the
dead we know, Victorious King, your mercy show!"
Amen.
(Official Translation)
ZE00042324
==================================================================
ZENIT
is an International News Agency.
For reprint permission, please contact infoenglish@zenit.org.
Visit our web page at http://www.zenit.org/
To subscribe/unsubscribe: http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html
To give a ZENIT gift subscription:
http://www.zenit.org/english/gift.html
Donate to support ZENIT:
http://www.zenit.org/donation/order/donation.html
--------------------------------------------------------
SEND US YOUR NEWS: Please send press releases, statements and other
information to our international news desk at: news@zenit.org.
Periodicals, reports and other longer publications can be mailed to us
at: ZENIT, C.P. 18356, 00164 Rome - Italy.
--------------------------------------------------------
C.P. 18356
00164 Rome - Italy
Copyright 2000, Innovative Media, Inc.