Scourges and Thorns and Nails -- Oh, my!

Remember, when we look at crucifixes, that it was our sins who put Him there.

The Way of the Cross - Station 3

Priest: The third station - Jesus falls the first time under His Cross

Genuflect

Priest: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
People: Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Stand

Priest: Consider this first fall of Jesus under His Cross, His flesh was torn by the scourges, His Head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of Blood. He was so weakened He could scarcely walk; and yet He had to carry this great load upon his shoulders. The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.

Kneel

People: My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the cross, but of my sins, which has made Thee suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love Thee, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . .

Priest: Lord, Jesus crucified!
People: Have mercy on us!

Stand

Christ above in torment hangs:
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying glorious Son.

or

Quae moerebat, et dolebat,
Pia Mater dum videbat
Nati poenas incliti!

The cross bearer and acolytes proceed to the fourth station.

The Way of the Cross - Station 2

Priest: The second station - Jesus is made to bear His cross

Genuflect

Priest: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
People: Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Stand

Priest: Consider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on His shoulders, thought of us, and offered for us to His Father the death He was about to undergo.

Kneel

People: My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations Thou hast destined for me until death. I beseech Thee, by the merits of the pain Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy Cross, to give me the necessary help, to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love Thee, Jesus, my Love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . .

Priest: Lord, Jesus crucified!

People: Have mercy on us!

Stand

Oh, how sad and sore distressed

Was that Mother, highly blest,

Of the sole begotten One!

or

O quam tristis et afflicta

Fuit illa benedicta

Mater Unigeniti!

The cross bearer and acolytes proceed to the third station.

Suffragettes to Feminazis

1892:
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do!
I'm half crazy all for the likes of you.
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage,
But you'd look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.

1992:
Davey, Davey, here is my answer true:
I'm not crazy all for the likes of you.
There won't be any marriage,
So don't go hire a carriage,
And I'll be damned if I'll be crammed
On a bicycle built for two!

Via Crucis - The Way of the Cross

According to St. Alphonsus Liguori

From a "Station Book" we used at St. Bridget's grade school in north Minneapolis when I was a kid in the 50's. We had Stations every Friday afternoon in Lent, right after school; attendance was not optional. The book was first published in 1936; mine is the 33rd edition, 1953, and the text and illustrations are taken from it.

To be said kneeling at the altar:

Priest and people:

My Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast made this journey to die for me, with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned Thee; but now I love Thee with my whole heart, and because I love Thee, I repent sincerely for having offended Thee. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany Thee on this journey. Thou goest to die for love of me; I wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of Thee. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to Thee.

Stand

At the cross her station keeping,

Stood the mournful Mother weeping,

Close to Jesus to the last.

or:

Stabat Mater dolorosa

Juxta Crucem lacrymosa

Dum pendebat Filius.

The cross bearer and acolytes with candles proceed to the first station.

Priest: The first station - Jesus is condemned to death

Genuflect

Priest: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.

People: Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Stand

Priest: Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.

Kneel

People: My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins that condemned Thee to die. I beseech Thee by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity. I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart for having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be . . .

Priest: Lord, Jesus crucified!

People: Have mercy on us:

Stand

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,

All His bitter anguish bearing,

Now at length the sword had passed.

or

Cujus animam gementem,

Contristatem et dolentem,

Pertransivit gladius.

The cross bearer and acolytes proceed to the second station.

The Cross is the Crux of the Matter

Prayer before a Crucifix

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I fall upon my knees before Thee, and with the most fervent desire of my soul I pray and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst impress upon my heart a lively sense of Faith, Hope, and Charity, with true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment; whilst with deep affection and grief of soul, I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate Thy five most precious Wounds, having before my eyes that which David in prophecy spoke concerning Thyself, O good Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and feet, they have numbered all my bones."

Amen.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed what we have heard?

To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth;

there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,

nor appearance that would attract us to him.

He was spurned and avoided by men,

a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,

one of those from whom men hide their faces,

spurned, and we held him in no esteem.

Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,

our sufferings that he endured,

while we thought of him as stricken,

as one smitten by God and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our offenses,

crushed for our sins,

upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,

by his stripes we were healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way,

but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.

Though he was harshly treated,

he submitted and opened not his mouth;

like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers,

he was silent and opened not his mouth.

Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away,

and who would have thought any more of his destiny?

When he was cut off from the land of the living,

and smitten for the sins of his people,

a grave was assigned him among the wicked,

and a burial place with evildoers,

though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood.

But the Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,

he shall see his descendants in a long life,

and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction, he shall see the light in fullness of days;

through his suffering. my servant shall justify many,

and their guilt he shall bear.

Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,

and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,

because he surrendered himself to death

and was counted among the wicked;

and he shall take away the sins of many,

and win pardon for their offenses.

The economic cost of abortion

Three years ago I did a study of lost wages that would have been paid to American workers (and the Social Security money collected on that, not to mention federal and state taxes) -- except that the workers were aborted between 1973 and 1990; and in 2007 the youngest of these lost workers would have been 17 and the oldest would have been 34.

This is wages only, mind you, not the school tuitions and fees paid, not the baby things bought (cradles, diapers, formula, baby food, baby clothes, car seats, etc.) , not the high school tuitions and activity fees, not the university tuitions, not the birthday cards and birthday cakes -- just wages only.

Between 1989 (when the 1973 babies turned 16) to 2003 (the last year for which I had good data) there were about $1.75 trillion dollars that were not paid out in wages, and about $59.4 billion dollars that the Soc. Sec. fund never saw.

And don't forget that it's almost certain that a good number of these lost babies would have grown up and had more babies, so the economic cost is actually worse than the above estimate.

And no one can tell me there's no connection between abortion, illegal immigration, and job outsourcing. Come on, folks, we're missing 52 million people! That's supposed to be without consequences?!

I'm sure that there are more complete data and better analyses out there. That said, I agree wholeheartedly with Alan Keyes when he says the number 1 economic problem in this country is not enough babies. See http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Fyg5o59d&h=269ae2e8fc4eec8da044958067e03cfd

This is money only.

Now I switch gears and say, "Money, shmoney! Babies are being killed and mothers are being almost-mortally wounded!" I know a few women who have had abortions, and they are deeply wounded and wish they hadn't. I know a couple of women who considered abortion, decided against it, and despite all the troubles (a Mom's middle name is "Worry") have never regretted choosing life.