John 18:1—19:42
REFLECT
Jesus revealed to Saint Faustina, “On the cross, the fountain of my mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls — no one have I excluded!” For Faustina, the only means to collect that flood of grace was trust. We must proclaim again and again our trust in God. “No circumstance in the world can ever prevent us from believing in God, from placing all our trust in him, from loving him with our whole heart, or from loving our neighbor,” says Fr. Jacques Philippe. The Cross is a reversal, the great undoing of sin and death. But reversals are a messy business. We must trust in God’s work. We must throw ourselves at the foot of the cross, surrendering everything to him.
PRAY
Lord Jesus, take the sufferings and pains of my life and bind them to your cross. Preserve me from despair and hopelessness. Hold me fast in the consolations of your love. Amen.
LIVE
Observe silence today from noon to 3:00 p.m., the hours Jesus hung on the cross. Devote the time to spiritual reading, meditation, reflecting on Scripture, or praying the Rosary.