Tune in for the 13th broadcast
at 12:00 p.m.

also

tune in to the broadcast
at 6:20 p.m. for the Sidney Rosary
also on January 13th.

January 13, 2004

                        Sing:   Take Lord Receive

                        Sing:   Come to Me Lord and Possess My soul

    Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart.

    Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart. (refrain)

    I am Yours to possess. I am Yours to use. I want to be selfless and only exist in You. Help me to spoon out all that is me and be an empty vessel ready to be filled by You. Help me to die to myself and live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling within me.

    Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart. (refrain)

    I am Yours, Lord. I want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the Father. Give me the strength to put aside the world and let You operate my very being. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen me against the distractions of the devil to take me from Your work.

    Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart. (refrain)

    When I worry, I have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to give in to the promptings of others to change what in my heart You are making very clear to me. I worship You, I adore You and I love You. Come and dwell in me now.

    Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart. (refrain)

    Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart. (refrain)

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.  p. 25

46. PRAYER.  In the preparatory prayer I will beg God
our Lord for grace that all my intentions, actions, 
and operations may be directed purely to the 
praise and service of His Divine Majesty.  

Christ walks upon the water
 

Matthew 14: 22-33  

And at once he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he sent the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now some furlongs from land, was hard pressed by rough waves, for there was a head–wind. In the fourth watch of the night he came towards them, walking on the sea, and when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It’s me! Don’t be afraid.’ It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ Jesus said, ‘Come.’ Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but then noticing the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord,’ he cried, ‘save me!’ Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘You have so little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’

15 minutes meditation

     

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.  p. 64-65
  

149. THREE CLASSES OF MEN

        This is a meditation for the same fourth day 
        to choose that which is better

PRAYER.  The usual preparatory prayer. 

150. FIRST PRELUDE.  This is the history of the Three
Classes of Men. Each of them has acquired ten thou-
sand ducats, but not entirely as they should have, for
the love of God. They all wish to save their souls and 
find peace in God our Lord by ridding themselves of
the burden arising from the attachment to the sum ac-
quired, which impedes the attainment of this end.

151. SECOND PRELUDE. This is a mental representation 
of the place. Here it will be to behold myself standing 
in the presence of God our Lord and of all His saints,
that I may know and desire what is more pleasing to
His Divine Goodness.

152. THIRD PRELUDE. This is to ask for what I desire.
Here it will be to beg for the grace to choose what is 
more for the glory of His Divine Majesty and the sal-
vation of my soul.

153. THE FIRST CLASS. They would like to rid them-
selves of the attachment they have to the sum acquired
in order to find peace in God our Lord and assure their
salvation, but the hour of death comes, and they have
not made use of any means.

154. THE SECOND CLASS. They want to rid themselves
of the attachment, but they wish to do so in such a
way that they retain what they have acquired, so that
God is to come to what they desire, and they do not
decide to give up the sum of money in order to go to
God, though this would be the better way for them.

155. THE THIRD CLASS. These want to rid themselves
of the attachment, but they wish to do so in such a way
that they desire neither to retain nor to relinquish the
sum acquired. They seek only to will and not will as
God our Lord inspires them, and as seems better for the
service and praise of the Divine Majesty. Meanwhile,
they will strive to conduct themselves as if every attach-
ment to it had been broken. They will make efforts
neither to want that, nor anything else, unless the
service of God our Lord alone move them to do so.
As a result, the desire to be better able to serve God our
Lord will be the cause of their accepting anything or
relinquishing it.

156. THREEFOLD COLLOQUY. I will make use of the
same three colloquies employed in the preceding con-
templation on Two Standards.

meditate 20-25 minutes

     

Apostles Are Sent to Preach
  

Matthew 10: 1-16

He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. 

    These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who was also his betrayer. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:

    ‘Do not make your way to gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin–diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the labourer deserves his keep. 

    ‘Whatever town or village you go into, seek out someone worthy and stay with him until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, may your peace come upon it; if it does not, may your peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. In truth I tell you, on the Day of Judgement it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as snakes and yet innocent as doves.

Meditate 15 minutes

Sing Apostle songs

    

Excerpt from Priestly Newsletter

Humility

Humility is a very important virtue given to us for the spiritual journey.

Humility is both the realization of what we are as creatures of God and the concrete implementation of this realization in our Christian lives. Humility, therefore, is not an exercise in self-depreciation; it is not telling yourself that you are no good, that you really have nothing of any significance to contribute to the service of God. Humility is based on truth. It is compatible with the recognition that God has given a person certain gifts, even great gifts, of nature and grace. If we do not recognize our God-given gifts, we do not thank God for them as we should, nor properly develop these gifts according to His will. God wants us not only to recognize the good that is in us, but also to realize the source of this goodness. Although we have a responsibility to cooperate with His graces, God is the One Who is chiefly responsible for what we are. If one person has advanced to a level in the Christian life that is beyond the level of another, it is ultimately because God has given that person greater graces.

If humility is based on truth and, consequently, allows us to properly recognize our gifts, it also necessitates that we admit to the evil within us, which is also part of the truth and must be acted upon. Humility not only bids us to admit that there is evil in us, but also tells us that, as creatures of God, we should conform to His will and work against this evil side of our persons. In summary, humility allows us to properly evaluate both the good and evil within ourselves.

Here is a quotation from St. Paul which helps us to preserve, and grow in, humility: Who made you so important? What have you got that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, why are you boasting as though it were your own? (1 Cor 4:7).

And in the Letter of James we read: Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. (Jm 4:10)

Sing: My Soul Rejoices

    

Luke 1: 46-55

                The Magnificat

And Mary said:

My soul proclaims
    the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices
    in God my Saviour;
because he has looked upon
    the humiliation of his servant.
Yes, from now onwards
    all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty
    has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age
    to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm,
he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes
    from their thrones
        and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things,
    sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help
    of Israel his servant,
        mindful of his faithful love
—according to the promise
    he made to our ancestors—
of his mercy to Abraham
    and to his descendants for ever.

  

Raising of Lazarus
  

John 11: 1-45

There was a man named Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister, Martha, and he was ill. It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. The sisters sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’ On receiving the message, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death, but it is for God’s glory so that through it the Son of God may be glorified.’

    Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that he was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judaea.’ The disciples said, ‘Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews were trying to stone you; are you going back there again?’ Jesus replied:

            Are there not twelve hours in the day? 
            No one who walks in the daytime stumbles, 
            having the light of this world to see by; 
            anyone who walks around at night stumbles, 
            having no light as a guide.

    He said that and then added, ‘Our friend Lazarus is at rest; I am going to wake him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he is at rest he will be saved.’ Jesus was speaking of the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by ‘rest’ he meant ‘sleep’; so Jesus put it plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe. But let us go to him.’ Then Thomas—known as the Twin—said to the other disciples, ‘Let us also go to die with him.’

    On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died, but even now I know that God will grant whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said:

            I am the resurrection. 
            Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live,
            and whoever lives and believes in me 
            will never die. 
            Do you believe this?

‘Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’

    When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, ‘The Master is here and wants to see you.’ Hearing this, Mary got up quickly and went to him. Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were in the house comforting Mary saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

    Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who had come with her, Jesus was greatly distressed, and with a profound sigh he said, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man. Could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ Sighing again, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day since he died.’ Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took the stone away. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said:

            Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.
            I myself knew that you hear me always, 
            but I speak 
            for the sake of all these who are standing around me, 
            so that they may believe it was you who sent me.

    When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with strips of material, and a cloth over his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’

Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did, believed in him,

 

   

  

Matthew 26: 30-46

After the psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away from me tonight, for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered, but after my resurrection I shall go ahead of you to Galilee.’ At this, Peter said to him, ‘Even if all fall away from you, I will never fall away.’ Jesus answered him, ‘In truth I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will have disowned me three times.’ Peter said to him, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ And all the disciples said the same.

Then Jesus came with them to a plot of land called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Stay here while I go over there to pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him. And he began to feel sadness and anguish. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here and stay awake with me.’ And going on a little further he fell on his face and prayed. ‘My Father,’ he said, ‘if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it.’ He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, ‘So you had not the strength to stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake, and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing enough, but human nature is weak.’ Again, a second time, he went away and prayed: ‘My Father,’ he said, ‘if this cup cannot pass by, but I must drink it, your will be done!’ And he came back again and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy. Leaving them there, he went away again and prayed for the third time, repeating the same words. Then he came back to the disciples and said to them, ‘You can sleep on now and have your rest. Look, the hour has come when the Son of man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let us go! Look, my betrayer is not far away.’

          

    

Mark 14: 32-44

They came to a plot of land called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Stay here while I pray.’ Then he took Peter and James and John with him. And he began to feel terror and anguish. And he said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here, and stay awake.’ And going on a little further he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by. ‘Abba,  Father!’ he said, ‘For you everything is possible. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.’ He came back and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Had you not the strength to stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing enough, but human nature is weak.’ Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came back and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy; and they could find no answer for him. He came back a third time and said to them, ‘You can sleep on now and have your rest. It is all over. The hour has come. Now the Son of man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is not far away.’

And at once, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up and with him a number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the traitor had arranged a signal with them saying, ‘The one I kiss, he is the man. Arrest him, and see he is well guarded when you lead him away.’

    

ROSARY MEDITATIONS

March 21, 1995

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES

This rosary was said by candlelight during the Tuesday Shepherds of Christ meeting. Jesus told Rita to pray this rosary in front of the Pieta statue in the back of the Rosary chapel. Rita was in an ecstatic state. Some present at the Rosary saw Jesus alive in the statue and blood running from His wounds. During the crucifixion His face was white. Mary was seen crying.
  

  

The Agony in the Garden

1. R. Be there with Jesus in the Garden in the darkened night as He kneels. Before Him He sees all the sufferings He is about to undergo.
2. R. His Heart is in such anguish to see before Him all the souls that will be lost despite all the sufferings He is about to experience.
3. R. We tap ever so lightly at the door of His Heart. He is an endless, burning furnace of fire, on love for each one of us. He says, "You do not know even the smallest amount of the immensity of the love that I have for you. You must come into My Heart. It is in My Heart that I lavishly give you My great love."
4. R. Think of the Heart of the Virgin Mary from the first moment of conception and how she carried the child within her womb, how she watched Him at play. All through His life Mary was there, to His death on the cross. How her Heart knows the Heart of Jesus! She stood under the cross. She held His lifeless body in her arms under the cross. It is through the Heart of Mary that we will more tenderly embrace the love that Jesus has for us. See Him as He kneels in the Garden, His Heart in such anguish. His sweat became as great drops of blood upon the ground. He knew all the souls that would reject this immense love that He has, who would not even care, who would go about their days without even thinking of Him. Yet He longs to be so united to each one of us so that every action we perform is an acton we do in oneness with Him. Jesus' Heart was in such anguish that His sweat became as great drops of blood on the ground.
5. R. Think of the mystery all through this rosary! Think of the mystery! There is a mystery when there is blood! The blood comes from deep within. Think of the mystery that Jesus sweat blood! He was in such anguish!
6. R. He tenderly calls to us day after day. Do we hear His gentle call, deep within our hearts, to be joined ever closer to Him? How many times do we reject the love that Jesus outpours to us because we are not sensitive to the little call that He makes to us in our hearts. He suffered in the Garden for all the souls He loved so dearly, some of whom would reject Him totally.
7. R. He suffered in the Garden for all of our sins, for our haughtiness and our pride, for our lack of compassion and mercy for our brothers. Yet He gives to us unconditional love and asks us to love one another. In the Our Father we say, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those…" He suffered for all the times that we say no to forgiving our brothers. We forgive some but not all and think it is okay. Jesus loves each and every soul.
8. Jesus: Come to My open Heart through My pierced side. Look at the wound in My side. Suffering helps you reach My immense love. Enter My Heart through My pierced side and fall deeply into the abyss of My great love.
9. Jesus: Do not let your hearts turn cold! You must come to Me with hearts that are soft and ready to love. Put aside all the hardness in your hearts, for a soul that is haughty and angry cannot unite with My love. I long to be in the deepest union with each one of you present. So deep! You cannot fathom the great love that I have for you. You must clean your hearts of all the debris. Sweep away the unforgiveness and come into My Heart through My pierced side.
10. Jesus: My Heart was in such agony that I sweat blood. Do you know, even a small amount, the immense love that I have for you? I was born a helpless baby in the town of Bethlehem and I gave My flesh and My blood for love of you.

Song between decades: I come to you with greatest love, I am your loving Savior. I am your God, I died for you. I come to you this day.

   

  

Jesus Is Scourged at the Pillar

1. R. Think of Jesus! Visualize Him, totally present, His body here! See Him as they lead Him away. They poke at Him! They pull His hair! See this so clearly in your mind. A person named Jesus being led away!
2. R. What a sight for our eyes if we truly saw what happened there, if we saw them with such violence and anger tie Jesus, our friend, to the pillar and then take out weapons and beat His flesh!
3. R. This is your best friend, Jesus Christ. They have tied Him to a pillar and they are beating Him with instruments that are tearing His flesh. The blood is pouring down His body!
4. R. They shout at Him and they holler angry and ugly remarks. He does not respond, only grunts as they hit Him harder. To their own exhaustion they beat Jesus. Watch this!
   Jesus: It is in your heart that you will know Me, My dear children. You must visualize more and more the lives of Myself and My Mother. As you go through these mysteries of the rosary, put yourself there. See as if you were present. Experience what I went through. It is in knowing Our lives that you will know the great love that We have for you.
5. R. He stood in a puddle of His own blood!
6. R. This is my beaten friend Jesus! He shed His blood for love of me so that I may be with Him forever in heaven.
7. R. Hear the blows that they give to Jesus! Listen! Hear the blows! These are the blows that He suffered for love of each one of us. He suffered those blows for each and every soul, the poor beggar, the person that is a little different, the person that is not as rich as I am, the person that is somewhat short, the person that I think looks strange. Jesus stood at the pillar and was beaten for each one of these persons. These are my brothers! When Jesus came to the world, He made us brothers with God!
8. R. If I stood at the pillar next to you, Jesus, and they beat my back and tore my flesh, if I did it for someone here and they did not even think about me, how my heart would ache. But you are God! You, who are infinite Love, suffered this brutal persecution for love of each one of us. How did Your Heart ache, Jesus, when you suffered your bloodied flesh and knew that people would not even think about You?
9. R. And what do you ask of me, Jesus? To love God and love my brother! To become more closely united to You as You outpour divine love and divine life!
10. Jesus: I call you to purity. I call you to open up your hearts, to rid yourselves of anything that is impure. I long to be closely united with each of you. People are watching you! If you call yourselves Christians, then you must act as I would act! Do you preach the Gospel in your actions? Is your way the way of love? I came to show you the way. Will you follow Me? Will you love all your brothers as I ask you to do? People are watching you, My faithful Christians, apostles that I send into this world to spread the love of My Most Sacred Heart. You are being watched and are teaching so many lessons through your example. I call out to you today to rid yourselves of all impurities in your heart. Then you will receive a reward that far surpasses anything you can gain on this earth. You will receive closer union with My Most Sacred Heart. I love you! I love you! I love you! Moment by moment, second by second, I am there to provide you with everything you need. You must surrender and trust in Me!

Song between decades: I come to you with greatest love…

  

  

Jesus Is Crowned with a Crown of Thorns

1. Jesus: They tore My flesh! They beat My body! I shed My blood! They pounded into My head a sharp crown of thorns that pierced My head and punctured My forehead!
2. R. Jesus, You bled for love of each one of us. Help us to realize during this Lenten season the immensity of Your love as we meditate on Your wounds, the wounds to Your most precious Head, the wounds that you suffered to Your hands and feet. How would it be to rub our hands across Jesus' head, to touch the puncture wounds from the thorns! He truly suffered this for love of us!
3. R. The thorns were pounded into His head and He bled down His face and into His hair. Think of His hair covered with blood from the thorns that punctured His head!
4. R. Let me kiss your wounds, dear Jesus, the wounds that you suffered for love of me! Let me enter into the wound in Your side. The more deeply I enter into this wound, the more I enter the abyss of the endless love of Your Most Sacred Heart.
5. Song: Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne. His regal scepter knows no bounds, all kingdoms are His own. All Christians come and sing to Him Who died for thee. And hail Him as our Savior King for all eternity.
6. R. Jesus is God! He is the King of all Kings! God took on a human nature and came into this world a helpless baby. Now He is spit upon and taunted, He is hollered at and He sits on a mockery of a throne.
7. R. We look for love in so many places when, minute by minute, second by second, Jesus is inside of our hearts telling us how He is truly there and loving us.
8. R. If you put your fingers into the nail marks in His hands and into His side, would you believe that, minute by minute, second by second, He loves you so much, and that He is God and will provide you with all your needs?
9. Song: Only this I want, but to know the Lord. And to bear His cross and to wear the crown He wore.
10. R. Minute by minute, second by second, hear the soft, gentle voice within your heart say, "I love you, I love you, I love you. It is in realizing this immense love that there is love to give to others.

Song between decades: I come to you with greatest love…

  

  

Jesus Carries His Cross to Calvary

1. R. He came to serve. He came into the world in such poverty in a stable in the town of Bethlehem. He left this world hanging on a cross. Both were bare wood! He came to show us the way! Meditate on this mystery as He carries His cross. The Son of God! He took on human form for love of us. He came to show us how to love.
2. Song: We were made for service to care for each other. We were made to love each sister and brother. With love that will last our whole life through…
3. R. Jesus came and He loved and He preached the Gospel. His way was love. He always acted in love and they condemned Him to death. When we preach the Gospel, when we act from love, why do we expect people to treat us differently when they treated Jesus this way? But He came and carried His cross to show us His way and His way is the way of love. He promises to us an everlasting reward far beyond our comprehension. Look at the Virgin Mary and the Pieta. Look at her face and see through her eyes as she watches her Son, with the cross on His back, covered with blood and wounds. This is her beloved Son! Look at her face. She comes today to ask us to go into this world and to spread His love. She asks us to open up our hearts and put aside any hatred or anger that we have, for if we do not spread this love, who will spread love into this world? Open up your hearts! Be not hardened but be as Jesus has asked us to be, with hearts that are filled with love, going into battle in a world that has forgotten God. He calls us this day to be His soldiers, to spread the fire of His love throughout the world. You may be persecuted, you may be spit on. Whatever happens, remember what they did to Him. His way is love and His reward is everlasting life.
4. R. These are rosaries from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. See their eyes as they gaze at one another on the way to Calvary. Look at her face here! The horror, on top of more horror, to behold her beloved Son in such anguish! She asks us to see through her eyes the suffering that her Son endured for love of us. The more we realize the love He has, the more we will go into the world and take this love to others. We are soldiers of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
5. R. He wants to become one with us so that it is no longer we who operate, but it is He Who operates in us, so that our every action is an action that we perform with Jesus, and the might is the might of the Almighty God within us! In order to unite this way with Him, we must be ever pure. Love unites only with love! If our hearts are filled with hatred and anger for any person, we cannot be one with Him. He longs for this love. He longs to be one in us! He wants to penetrate our souls with the fire of His love. Pray to the Spirit so that the Spirit moves inside of you.
6. R. See the horror in Mary's face and in her eyes. How would your face look if you were looking at your Son, covered with blood and wounded, as He fell under the cross? How would your face look? How would your heart be? It is through Mary's pure and sinless Heart that she will take us deeper and deeper into the Heart of Jesus. There is such oneness between these two Hearts, such connection between them! Look at the Pieta and see her, see her face, as she watches the Passion of her Son!
7. R. They hit Him on the head and the blood ran from the corners of His mouth. His face was covered with blood and Veronica wiped His face.
8. Jesus: My children, My children! I do not tell you things to be taken lightly. In My Heart I am longing for such union with you but you do not hear. You close your eyes and plug up your ears. You do not listen time and time again. I have come to you this evening and I have asked you to pray in front of this statue. I ask you to meditate on this. You do not know what I am saying to you. You take these words lightly. This world is in pain. You do not know the sufferings that are about to befall you. I ask you to listen, to listen to Me! I am truly Jesus Christ and I come to you this day and I beg you to spend your waking hours spreading My love throughout this world! I beg you to help save souls from damnation. Your actions are so important to Me and the plan of the Father. You are here because you are called and you have answered this call. Each and every one of you present I send into this world as warriors to spread My love. You listen and you take it so lightly but you will know that I am truly calling you for this world is in such sin and pain. To the little work that you do I will apply My grace to lead souls to My Most Sacred Heart. Surrender and become one in Me for I truly am calling you to the highest union for it is in this union that I can operate through you. As long as you resist My call there are many souls that will not be touched. I beg you to take Me seriously. Meditate on this statue (the Pieta). Meditate on this, My children.
9. Jesus: I carried My cross on My back And I fell under the cross. See Me as I crawl with the cross on My back.
10. Jesus: This is the love that I have for each and every soul. The bodily agonies I experienced were nothing compared to the agonies I experienced in My Heart for the souls that would be condemned to eternal damnation despite My sufferings. I beg you this day to answer My call.

Song between decades: I come to you with greatest love…

  

  

Jesus Is Crucified and Dies on the Cross

1. R. He hung for three agonizing hours against the darkened sky. He gave His flesh! He gave His blood! He gave the last beat of His Heart, the last breath in His body! Covered with blood and weakened, He hung on the cross!
2. Jesus: I speak and so many do not listen! I am crying out to you to listen to My voice here, to read My letters for they are truly letters of love that I give to each one of you. It is in reading these letters that you will know more and more the immensity of the love that I have for you. You are My soldiers that I send into the sick world with the medicine to heal so many hearts. You are the chosen ones I have called here to this Center. Please, I beg you, take My call seriously, for I am truly Jesus and I speak to you this day. So many take My plea lightly. I beg! I plead! I ask Rita to talk more and more about My pleadings. You do not know how I am longing for you to be so close. How I want you to surrender and let Me operate in your hearts! You tap ever so lightly when there is an ocean of My love that I want to give to you. Surrender your hearts and read My letters of love for it is in these letters that you will know My love more and more.
3. Jesus: I give Myself to you at every Eucharist and you take it so lightly! Take Me seriously, My children, for I am truly with you with much love! How it wounds My aching Heart that you do not listen.
4. Jesus: I am sending you into battle in a world that is godless, that has forgotten God, but with your hearts filled with My love. Will you answer My call?
5. Jesus: Surrender! Surrender! Surrender to the God Who gave His life for you!
6. Jesus: As Mary walked by My side on the way to Calvary, as she stood under the cross, she is by your side in all your sufferings. You are never alone.
7. Jesus: I give you My very own Mother!
8. R. As she held His little baby body, she now holds His lifeless body in her arms under the cross.
9. Song: At the cross her station keeping stood the mournful Mother weeping. Close to Jesus to the last.
10. R.This rosary is from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, so united, one with each other. To love Jesus is to love Mary. To love Mary is to love Jesus.

Song after last decade: I come to you with greatest love…

Read the Scripture - meditate for 5 minutes for each
   

When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; so they said to one another, ‘Instead of tearing it, let’s throw dice to decide who is to have it.’ In this way the words of scripture were fulfilled: 

    They divide my garments among them 
    and cast lots for my clothes. 

That is what the soldiers did.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed and, so that the scripture should be completely fulfilled, he said: 

    I am thirsty.

    A jar full of sour wine stood there; so, putting a sponge soaked in the wine on a hyssop stick, they held it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taken the wine he said, 'It is fulfilled'; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.

It was the Day of Preparation, and to avoid the bodies’ remaining on the cross during the Sabbath—since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity—the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediatedly there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it—true evidence, and he knows that what he says is true—and he gives it so that you may believe as well. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture: 

    Not one bone of his will be broken; 

and again, in another place scripture says: 

    They will look to the one 
        whom they have pierced.

Matthew 27: 3-52

When he found that Jesus had been condemned, then Judas, his betrayer, was filled with remorse and took the thirty silver pieces back to the chief priests and elders saying, ‘I have sinned. I have betrayed innocent blood.’ They replied, ‘What is that to us? That is your concern.’ And flinging down the silver pieces in the sanctuary he made off, and went and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the silver pieces and said, ‘It is against the Law to put this into the treasury; it is blood–money.’ So they discussed the matter and with it bought the potter’s field as a graveyard for foreigners, and this is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. The word spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was then fulfilled: And they took the thirty silver pieces, the sum at which the precious One was priced by the children of Israel, and they gave them for the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.

Jesus, then, was brought before the governor, and the governor put to him this question, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘It is you who say it.’ But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders he refused to answer at all. Pilate then said to him, ‘Do you not hear how many charges they have made against you?’ But to the governor’s amazement, he offered not a word in answer to any of the charges. 

    At festival time it was the governor’s practice to release a prisoner for the people, anyone they chose. Now there was then a notorious prisoner whose name was Barabbas. So when the crowd gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Which do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For Pilate knew it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 

    Now as he was seated in the chair of judgement, his wife sent him a message, ‘Have nothing to do with that upright man; I have been extremely upset today by a dream that I had about him.’ 

    The chief priests and the elders, however, had persuaded the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus. So when the governor spoke and asked them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ they said, ‘Barabbas.’ Pilate said to them, ‘But in that case, what am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, ‘Let him be crucified!’ He asked, ‘But what harm has he done?’ But they shouted all the louder, ‘Let him be crucified!’ Then Pilate saw that he was making no impression, that in fact a riot was imminent. So he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your concern.’ And the people, every one of them, shouted back, ‘Let his blood be on us and on our children!’ Then he released Barabbas for them. After having Jesus scourged he handed him over to be crucified.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus with them into the Praetorium and collected the whole cohort round him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet cloak round him, and having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his right hand. To make fun of him they knelt to him saying, 'Hail, king of the Jews!' And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it. And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the cloak and dressed him in his own clothes and led him away to crucifixion.

On their way out, they came across a man from Cyrene, called Simon, and enlisted him to carry his cross. When they had reached a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull, they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused to drink. When they had finished crucifying him they shared out his clothing by casting lots, and then sat down and stayed there keeping guard over him. 

    Above his head was placed the charge against him; it read: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’ Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

The passers–by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said, ‘So you would destroy the Temple and in three days rebuild it! Then save yourself if you are God’s son and come down from the cross!’ The chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him in the same way, with the words, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He has put his trust in God; now let God rescue him if he wants him. For he did say, "I am God’s son." ’ Even the bandits who were crucified with him taunted him in the same way. 

From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice