LORD
JESUS CHRIST, Fountain of holiness and sweetness, I bless and thank you for
your abundant love and heartfelt prayer for you enemies and for those crucifying
you. With hands outstretched on the cross, you pleaded for them, asking that
they be pardoned, and you generously excused their transgressions, saying, Father, forgive them for they know not what
they do. Indeed, these are words, full of grace and sweetness, capable of
softening the heart of any sinner and of moving him to repentance!
O
sweet Jesus, how inclined you are to forgive, how easily appeased, and how
eager to show mercy. Great and boundless is you kindness Lord, to all who love
you; you likewise manifested that same loving kindness toward you enemies.
Hanging high on your Cross you were not moved by any bitterness against those
crucifying you, nor did you seek vengeance on those tormenting you. You did not pray for the earth to swallow them up, or for fire to come down from Heaven and
consume them that very instant. Rather, like a welcome rain, you uttered sweet
and loving words on behalf of your cruel tormentors, saying: Father, forgive them for they know not what
they do.
These
words reveal you most excellent love as well as your indescribably meekness,
qualities that could never be obliterated in you. Nor were you held back from
uttering a prayer. Your executioners shouted: Crucify! Crucify! And you
responded with the words: Father, forgive
them. They drove rough nails into your body and you offered excuses for their
unheard-of wickedness, saying: They know
not what they do. O Christ, how wonderful is your love.
….
Penetrate
deeply into the five sacred wounds of the crucified, kiss his other wounds,
cling to the tree of life with loving arms, and hold fast to Jesus hanging on
his Cross, he is the certain pledge for our salvation. Worship him devoutly,
commit yourself to him with full faith, and abandon yourself completely into
his hands. Since he had shown himself to be good and merciful to his enemies, then
he will certainly be more gracious to one who sorrows over his sins.
If
you, however, wish your prayer to be heard the sooner, and if you desire to win
your Redeemer’s grace and obtain the fullness of his mercy, then from the
depths of your heart forgive your brother for whatever he has done against you.
Forgive him for small matter so that God may forgive you for more serious
offenses, and pray for his salvation in the same way as you pray for your own.
You will find grace and, by imitating the example of Jesus, who orders us to
love our enemies and pray for our persecutors, you will become the child of the
Most High.
If
you train yourself to forgive all injuries done you, even though you suffer them
unjustly, and to pray for those who have wronged you, then you have gained for
yourself at the hour of your death a confident hope. Such holy prayer for one’s
enemies has won eternal blessedness for the apostles, has glorified the martyrs,
ennobled the confessors, and made all the saints like unto Christ and deserving
of eternal life.
–
Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), On the Passion of Christ
No comments:
Post a Comment