De la Passio
The Mystery of the Passion
A narrative account of the events of the Passion, highlighting Christ's voluntary suffering and immense love for humanity.
My dear son, the Passion of our Lord God Jesus Christ should be told to you with love and peace, for that death and Passion was the greatest clash of love and sorrow that ever was or could be.1 In those days, when our Lord Jesus Christ was of the age of2 thirty.3 and was preaching to the people of Israel and performing many miracles, it happened that the Jews plotted his death, and Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve.4 apostles sold to the Jews for5 thirty.6 coins, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ; and the Son of God, who is Lord of all that is, allowed himself to be sold and handed over to death and to the Passion, so that he might deliver his people from the power of the devil.78 When the Passion of Jesus Christ drew near, on the day he was to die, Jesus Christ was at prayer; that night he told the apostles and those who were with him of his Passion, and he asked them to stay in prayer and to say these words: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.9 That night, while Jesus Christ was adoring God as a man and offering reverence to the holy Godhead—to show that he was human—Judas arrived with a large group of armed Jews, who seized and bound our Lord God Jesus Christ and led him away to be crucified and put to death.10 Look, my son, at how great Jesus Christ's humility was, for he who was and is Lord of the whole world let himself be bound by the Jews. See and understand how deeply he loved the salvation of his people, who were to be saved through his death.✦11 The apostles and everyone with him abandoned him and fled—except for Saint Peter, who followed him; yet that night, he denied him three times and claimed he didn't know him.✦ Listen, my son: the Jews stripped the Savior of the whole world, spat in his face, blindfolded him, beat him, and struck him on the neck—then they asked him which of them had hit him. They dishonored and mocked him in every way they could, even though he had come to save them and free them from the devil's power.12 All day long they did nothing else but strike and mock the Son of God, and in the morning they handed him over to Pontius Pilate, who was the procurator of the lord of Rome, and he had him scourged so harshly that the precious skin of his body was all broken and torn, and the blood ran over his whole body.✦✦ When they had scourged him, they made him carry the cross as far as the place where they crucified him, and they nailed him to it, and then they raised the cross; and he hung on the cross so that everyone could see him. They gave him salt and gall, filth and vinegar to drink, and they crowned his head with a crown of thorns so that the thorns would drive into his head; with a lance they struck him so hard in the side that it split his heart in two.13 In this Passion and suffering the Son of God was there out of love, so that he might save his people, and he died so that you could have the perfect law, through which you could have glory. For if the Son of God had wanted, neither the Jews nor all people nor the demons that exist could have tormented him or killed him, because he is the mighty Lord over all; but because his death was necessary to save his people, he therefore chose to let himself be tormented and killed.✦14 Know, son, that one drop of Jesus Christ's blood would have been enough to redeem all the people; but because of the great love he has for us, he willed that all his blood be poured out—for just as a bottle smashed so hard that no wine can remain in it, so the body of Jesus Christ was pierced and wounded in so many places that no blood at all was left in him.✦✦15
The Call to Compassion and Imitation
An exhortation to the reader to meditate on Christ's death, overcome the fear of mortality, and live with the sacrificial love of a faithful vassal.
My son, if you want to live in glory, weep for the death of your Lord Jesus Christ; and if you can't weep, you don't love him as much as your mother loves you—she who would weep if someone killed and tormented you right in front of her.16 Son, Jesus Christ wasn't just despised on the day he hung dead on the cross; even in the time we live in now, he is despised, blasphemed, and mocked. Many people don't weep for him, die for him, or thank him for the passion he suffered out of love for them; and there are many unbelievers who dishonor and blaspheme him, believing he was a false man and a deceiver. Son, look at the cross and see how it shows you the Passion of Jesus Christ, who stands with his arms outstretched; and expect that just as he died for love of us to save us, so we should not fear death for him, to honor him. Son, you have to die, whether you want to or not. Since you must die, be willing to die to honor the Lord who created you, who gives you everything you have, who has the power to give you everlasting fire, who wants to give you glory without end, and who was willing to die for love of you. Do you know why you don't want to die for Jesus Christ? It's because death frightens you, and because you love being in this world more than in the next. So if you were Jesus Christ, you wouldn't want to die, and you wouldn't die either, since Jesus Christ wouldn't die if he didn't want to.17 What kind of thing is this—that the lord dies for his vassal, and the vassal will not die for his lord?✦ And why do the knights of this world die in battle for their lord? And why is death feared, when it is the gate of life where the saints of glory are?✦18 Could you answer me, son: which death is greater and sweeter—dying for love, or dying of illness? And would you love so much that you would want to, know how to, and dare to die? And if you don't die for love, will you know how to desire it? Know, son, that a natural death yields neither fruit nor reward; nor does the one who doesn't love know how to die; nor is the one who doesn't dare to die in a state of salvation. Remember, son, how many people die to pile up money and to win the vain glory of this world—and see how many die for the Savior, Lord of the whole world, who died out of love for us.✦✦ My son, since I must speak of other things, we should move on from this topic—even though many holy and devout words could gladly be said about it.19
Read the original Latin
Ab amor e ab pau te deuría esser recomtada, amable fill, la passio de nostro Senyor Deu Jhesu Christ, car aquella mort e passio fo la major contrastacio damor e de dolor que anch fo ni pusca esser.
En aquell temps, con nostro Senyor Jhesu Christ hac edat de . xxx. anys e preycava lo poblé de Israel e feya molts de miracles, sesdevench quels jueus tractaren en sa mort, e Judes Escarioth qui era un dels . xij. apóstols vené als jueus per . xxx. diners lo Fill de Deu, nostro Senyor Jhesu Christ: e lo Fill de Deu, qui es senyor de tot quant es, sofferi que fos venut e liurat a mort e a passio, per so que deliurás lo seu poblé del poder del diable.
Com sacostá la passio de Jhesu Christ, al dia que dech morir Jhesu Christ estava en oracio; aquella nit denunciava la sua passio als apóstols e a aquells qui ab ell eren e pregavals que estiessen en oracio e que dixessen aqüestes paraules: Pater noster qui es itt ccelis, sanctificeiur nomen iuurn, adveniat regnutn tuum, fíat voluntas tua sicut in ccelo et in térra: panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris, et ne nos inducas in temptationem, sed libera nos a malo.
En aquella nit que Jhesu Christ ahorava en quant era hom e feya reverencia a la santa deitat, a demostrar que ell era hom; vench Judes ab gran gent de jueus armats, los quals prengueren e ligaren nostro Senyor Deu Jhesu Christ e menarenlosen, per tal que fos crucificat e mort.
Veges, fill, con gran fo la humilitat de Jhesu Christ, car ell qui era e es senyor de tot lo mon se lexava ligar als jueus. Veges e entin con coralment amava la salvacio del seu poblé, lo qual se avia a salvar per la sua mort.
Los apóstols e tots aquells qui eran ab ell, tots lo desempararen e fugiren, sal tan solament Sent Pere quil seguía; empero tres vegades lo negá aquella nit, e dix que nol conexía.
Sapies, fill, que los jueus despullaren lo Salvador de tot lo mon e escupirenli en la cara e chicaren li los ulls e feríenlo e donavenli collades, e puys ells li demanaven qual era aquell quil avía ferit: en totes les maneres que fer podien, lo ahontaven e lescamíen: e ell era vengut per salvar e per trer ells del poder del demoni.
Entró al día no estigueren en als, mas en ferir e en escarnir lo Fill de Deu, e al mati ells lo liuraren a Pons Pilat qui era procurador del senyor de Roma, e aquell feulo assotar tant regeament, que aquell seu cuyr tan preciós de son cors tot era romput e esquinsat, e la sanch decorría per tot lo cors.
Con lagren assotat, feerenli aportar la creu entró al loch on lo crucificaren, e clavelarenlo en ella, e puys dressaren la creu: e estava penjat en la creu per tal que tuyt lo veessen.
Ab sal e ab fel, ab suja e ab vinagre lo abouraren, e son cap ab corona d espines coronaren, per tal que les espines li entrassen per lo cap: ab lansa lo feriren per lo costat tant fortment, que lo cor li partí per mig.
En aquesta passio e dolor estech lo Fill de Deu per amor que salvás son poblé, e murí per so que tu poguesses aver lig acabada, per la qual poguesses aver gloria: car sil Fill de Deu se volgués, los jueus ne tots los homens nels demonis qui son, nol pogueren turmentar ne auciure, car eil es senyor poderós sobre tots; mas car la sua mort era mester a salvar son poblé, per so volch sofferir que hom lo turmentás el auciés.
Sapies, fill, que una gota de la sanch de Jhesu Christ abastara a rembre tot lo poblé; mas per la gran amor quens ha, volch que tota la sua sanch ne los escampada; car tot enaxi com ampolla qui es tan fortment trencada que no y pot romanir gens de vi, en axí lo cors de Jhesu Christ fo per tants lochs foradat e nafrat, que gens de sanch noy romás.
Amable fill, si vols viure en gloria, plora la mort de ton Senyor Jhesu Christ; e si no pots plorar, nol ames tant com ta mare ama tu: la qual ploraría si hom devant ella tauceya et turmentava.
Fill, no tan solament era menyspreat Jhesu Christ en aquell día que penjava mort en la creu, que en aquest temps en que ara som es menyspreat e blastomat e escarnit; car molts son los homens qui per ell no ploren ni moren ni li han grat de la passio que sostench per amor dells; e molts son los infels quil deshonren el blastomen e qui creen que ell sia estat hom fals e galiador.
Fill, guarda en la creu e veges com te representa la passio de Jhesu Christ qui está ab los brassos estesos, e espera que en axí com ell es mort per amor de nos a salvar, que en axí nos no temem mort per ell a honrar.
A morir te cové, fill, vulles o no: e donchs, pus que has a murir, vulles murir per honrar aquell senyor quit ha creat e quet dona tot quant has, e quit pot dar foch perdurable e quit vol dar gloria qui no ha fi, e qui per la tua amor es vulgut murir.
¿Sabs per que tu no vols murir per Jhesu Christ? per so car la mort te fa pahor, e per so car ames més esser en aquest mon que en laltre. On si tu fosses Jhesu Christ, ja no volgres murir ne murries, con sia cosa que Jhesu Christ no murria sis volgués.
¿Qual cosa es aquesta, quel senyor muyra per son vassall, e lo vassall no vuya murir per son senyor? ¿ne per que los cavallers daquest mon moren en la batalla per lur senyor? ¿ne per que es duptada la mort, qui es porta de vida on son los sants de gloria?
¿Sabriesme respondre, fill, qual mort es major ne pus dolsa, o murir per amor o per malautia? ¿ne vulries tant amar que volguesses e sabesses e gosasses murir? E si no mors per amor, ¿sabrás ho desijar?
Sapies, fill, que mort natural no ret fruyt ne gazardó, ne aquell qui no ama no sab murir, ne qui no gosa murir no es en estament de salvacio.
Remembra, fill, quants son los homens qui moren per ajustar diners e per aver la vana gloria daquest mon, e veges quants son los homens qui moren per lo Salvador senyor de tot lo mon, qui muri per amor de nos.
Amable fill, con tage a dir d altres coses, cové que lexem la materia de que parlam; de la qual materia moltes paraules sanctes e devotes pusquen esser recomtades agradablement.
Scripture echoes
- ↩John.3.16;Eph.5.2 — For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Eph.5.2 — and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma
- ↩John.18.15-John.18.27 — Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. That disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest along with Jesus. John.18.16 — But the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. John.18.17 — Then the doorkeeper said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." John.18.18 — The servants and the officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. John.18.19 — The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. John.18.20 — Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews gather, and I have said nothing in secret. John.18.21 — Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard what I said to them. Look, these ones know what I said. John.18.22 — When he said these things, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" John.18.23 — Jesus answered him, 'If I have spoken wrongly, testify about the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike me?' John.18.24 — So Annas sent him, bound, to Caiaphas the high priest. John.18.25 — Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." John.18.26 — One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, 'Did I not see you in the garden with him?' John.18.27 — Peter denied again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
- ↩John.18.28 — Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was early morning, and they themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they would not be defiled but might eat the Passover.
- ↩John.19.1 — Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and had him flogged.
- ↩John.10.17-John.10.18 — This is why the Father loves me: because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. John.10.18 — No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father.
- ↩1Pet.1.18-1Pet.1.19;Heb.9.12-Heb.9.14;Eph.1.7 — knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things—silver or gold—from your futile way of life handed down from your fathers, 1Pet.1.19 — but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot Heb.9.12 — Neither through the blood of goats and bulls, but through his own blood he entered once for all into the holy places, having obtained eternal redemption. Heb.9.13 — For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, Heb.9.14 — how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God Eph.1.7 — In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
- ↩John.19.34 — But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
- ↩John.15.13 — No one has greater love than this: that someone lay down his life for his friends.
- ↩Phil.1.21-Phil.1.23;2Cor.5.1-2Cor.5.8 — For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Phil.1.22 — But if living in the flesh means fruitful labor for me, then what I shall choose I do not know. Phil.1.23 — But I am hard-pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for it is far better; 2Cor.5.1 — For we know that if our earthly tent-house is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2Cor.5.2 — Indeed, in this body we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. 2Cor.5.3 — since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 2Cor.5.4 — For indeed, while we are in this tent, we groan under the weight of it — because we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 2Cor.5.5 — Now the one who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 2Cor.5.6 — So we are always confident, and we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 2Cor.5.7 — for we walk by faith, not by sight 2Cor.5.8 — We are confident, and I say we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
- ↩Gal.5.26;1John.2.16 — Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. 1John.2.16 — For all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the pride of life—is not from the Father, but is from the world.
- ↩Rom.5.8;Gal.2.20;Eph.5.2 — But God demonstrates his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Gal.2.20 — I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Eph.5.2 — and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma
Notes
- 1 ↩Medieval Catalan contrastació suggests a contention, struggle, or hard meeting of opposites. Rendered here as 'clash' to keep the force of love and sorrow colliding in the Passion; alternatives include 'contest,' 'struggle,' or 'conflict.'
- 2 ↩Sentence is cut off before a Roman numeral age: continuous source reads 'hac edat de .xxx. anys' (was thirty years old). The segmenter split on the dotted numeral.
- 3 ↩Source Roman numeral 'xxx' = 30. Isolated as its own sentence because the segmenter treated the periods in '.xxx.' as sentence boundaries.
- 4 ↩Source Roman numeral 'xij' = 12. Isolated because the segmenter treated the periods in '.xij.' as sentence boundaries.
- 5 ↩Catalan 'vené' is third-person singular: Judas (from s3) is the seller. Object 'lo Fill de Deu' appears only in s7 because the price numeral was split out between them.
- 6 ↩Source Roman numeral 'xxx' = 30 (the betrayal price). Isolated because the segmenter treated the periods in '.xxx.' as sentence boundaries.
- 7 ↩'diners' is money/coins; rendered 'coins' (not the more biblical 'pieces of silver') to stay close to the Catalan while the thirty-silver tradition is carried by the scripture candidate on the price.
- 8 ↩'sofferi que fos venut e liurat' is both endurance and consent: he suffered/allowed himself to be sold and handed over. Modern 'allowed himself' keeps the voluntary force without archaic 'suffered that he should be'.
- 9 ↩The embedded Latin Pater Noster is orthographically corrupt in the source (e.g. itt ccelis, sanctificeiur, iuurn, regnutn, ccelo, térra). Rendered as the standard Lord's Prayer sense with the source's debts/debtors wording (debita/debitoribus), not the trespasses tradition.
- 10 ↩Medieval Catalan ahorava is read as aorava ‘was adoring/worshiping’ (from aorar < adorare). Neighboring context stresses prayer (oració); if the intended form is orava ‘was praying,’ the sense is nearly the same in the Gethsemane scene.
- 11 ↩coralment (from cor, 'heart') rendered as 'deeply'; heartily/from the heart is also faithful.
- 12 ↩Rare Old Catalan 'chicaren' with the eyes; rendered as blindfolding from the Passion scene that follows (they strike him, then ask who hit him).
- 13 ↩Catalan suja is rendered as filth (filthy dregs/dirt mixed into the bitter drink); it is not the gospel vinegar alone but an added degradant in Llull’s Passion inventory.
- 14 ↩Medieval Catalan lig is read as llei (law), with acabada as ‘perfect/complete’; the phrase is rendered ‘the perfect law’ (the fulfilled/complete law by which glory is gained). A less likely feminine reading as lliga (‘bond/league’) is possible but weaker in context.
- 15 ↩Rendered as a passive of intention: 'that all his blood be poured out.' Medieval Catalan ne may be the residual/partitive particle (from Latin inde), and los may be a dative ('for/upon them') or an attenuated/fossilized form beside the past participle escampada agreeing with sanch; the sense is the total outpouring of his blood, not a Latin ne-purpose clause.
- 16 ↩Read as t'auceya (Old Catalan aucir, 'to kill') with the object clitic t' ('you'), paired with turmentava: 'killed and tormented you.' Less likely alternatives would turn the first verb into a verb of striking/beating.
- 17 ↩Medieval Catalan On is a discourse connective (so/well then), not spatial 'where'. The counterfactual presses Christ's free choice of death: if the reader had Christ's power to refuse death, he would refuse it—whereas Christ could have refused and still chose to die.
- 18 ↩Medieval Catalan duptada (from dubtar/duptar) can mean 'doubted,' 'hesitated over,' or 'feared'; in this Passion context and after §17's pahor of death, 'feared' is the intended sense.
- 19 ↩Medieval Catalan "con tage a dir" is read as "con t'age a dir" (since/when I have to tell you); "lexem" = leave/set aside (deixem).
Doctrine for Children — Opening companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit