Tractatus Prior, Pars Altera, Cap. 17. De nuda craciflxione et de alta et longa suspensione Domini lesu in cruce.

Tractatus Prior, Pars Altera, Cap. 17. De nuda craciflxione et de alta et longa suspensione Domini lesu in cruce.

I bless you and give thanks to you, Lord Jesus Christ, most gracious Creator and Restorer of our corrupted nature, for your modest nakedness before the cross, where you stood publicly exposed before the crowd, surrounded by roaring people ready to devour you like prey, stripped bare and shamefully revealed. You stood there, stripped of all your clothes, feeling great shame and trembling, with only a thin cloth wrapped around you and a crown of thorns on your head, the object of scorn and derision, completely detached from the things of this world, like an exile and a poor wanderer, indeed the poorest of the poor, deprived of all things and human comfort. Just as Adam, the first man, walked in the paradise before his fall with naked freedom, so now you ascend the cross naked to restore the paradise that was lost, from which he was cast out for his sin and far removed. So that your lost innocence might be restored to you, and you might be clothed in the mantle of virtue, you also became worthy of eternal life; you suffered to have your garments taken from you, to be filled with pain and confusion, and finally to be punished with the bitterest death. I praise and honor you, most ardent lover of our salvation, for your most rigid extension upon the hardest wood of the cross, which you submitted to with unwavering resolve; for the sharpest piercing of your hands and feet, and for the striking of the thick nails, whose sound could be heard from afar and moved the hard hearts of those who looked on with sorrow. Alas, alas, you are so bravely nailed to the cross that, with your body's veins suddenly ruptured, streams of your precious blood burst forth from all four parts. You were so rigorously stretched out, like a skin stretched over a large drum, that all the joints of your body were loosened, and all your bones could be counted distinctly. You allowed your hands and feet to be pierced by the wicked, so that you might absolve the grave debt of Adam, who had extended his sinful hands to the forbidden tree, and with your sacred hands fixed to the cross, you might cleanse the knot of ancient sin with your holy blood. I praise and glorify you for your high elevation on the cross and your long suspension on the gallows, on a wood that was very contemptible to all the Jews at that time, but now truly is honored above all the trees of the forest by all Christians, blessed in which you hung for nearly three hours or more, working great and marvelous salvation for us, and revealing the mysteries of the cross that will benefit the whole world immensely. Indeed, you are exalted to draw the hearts of the faithful upward to you, so they won't drift in lowly pleasures; to soften the hearts of your devoted ones in compassion for you and to ignite them more fervently through the image of the cross; to triumph powerfully and openly over the heavenly powers in yourself; to intercede humbly for transgressors and to grant full forgiveness to all who truly repent; to reconcile and restore all that is in heaven and on earth through your death, bringing peace amicably and completely. Look up now, most faithful servant of Jesus, and behold your God and Redeemer hanging there on the high arms of the cross, with a sorrowful heart and a mournful face. Behold, your beloved stands before you, naked and exposed; he is fixed on the cross, waiting for your arrival, longing for your free access. He spreads his most loving arms, shows his open wounds, bows his head for a kiss, ready to receive you with grace and to forgive all your sins without delay. So approach the cross boldly, touch the image of the cross with affection, embrace it ardently, hold on firmly, and kiss it with deep devotion. There, let yourself lie down, cling to the holy ground, do not turn away from the cross, so that at least you may earn to receive a drop from the pouring blood, or hear the words of the one speaking from the cross, or stand by the one agonizing at the end. Wherever the earth receives Jesus as He dies, may it also receive you; and wherever Jesus is buried, may that place be your resting place, so that with Him, who is one spirit with you, your burial may also be one with His body. Offer Him the service of lamentation, enter into the secret of your heart; may the Crucified One find you a pious and sorrowful disciple, grateful, devoted, and lovingly drawn to His wounds, so that the whole world may be crucified to you, and you to the world, with Christ alone living for you, and dying for you being the greatest gain. Don't boast about anything except in the cross of your Lord Jesus Christ. Don't rely on your own merits, because your entire salvation and redemption depend on the cross of Jesus, in which you must firmly place all your hope. Through him, you receive the forgiveness of your sins, from whom come the riches of merit, with whom are the rewards of the righteous, and the wages of labor are paid according to each person's merits. So strive to follow the example of the Crucified One: cast off the burden of earthly things and draw your heart away from all harm to your inner freedom. Distance yourself from the images of passions and worries, and dwell in the pure nudity of truth, so that you may simply and truly imitate the naked Crucified One through contempt for yourself and all transient matters, and become strong and worthy to ascend the cross, enduring the ignominy and reproach of men for the fiery love of the suffering Redeemer. Learn to rejoice in your own contempt and diminishment, and to be more saddened by the wrongdoing of others; pray that everyone may be improved for the better. Value yourself as worthy despite contempt, and seek health even when others oppose you. Don't place great trust in people; few are faithful in times of need, and true friends are rare. So it's not surprising or serious for you. Christ experienced the absence of friends and the multitude of enemies, yet he always did good; but he received great ingratitude. Trust in the Crucified One, your good guide and leader; stay with Him on the cross as well. In times of tribulation, you'll receive grace and a victory over all who oppress you. Therefore, prepare a place for Him and open the way for God's grace with humility and devoted contrition, so that you may receive and taste the comforting sweetness from the pains and wounds of Jesus, for it is sweet to suffer reproach for His holy name and to be counted as nothing. Choose to dwell alone with yourself, cutting off distractions, seeking solace on the cross, resisting sensuality, guarding against temptations, not quickly breaking into empty talk, remaining silent about things that don't concern you, and diligently keeping good intentions. For it is not fitting for someone devoted to suffering to be dissolved in laughter; and it is irreverent to walk without gravity in one's conduct. All these things are learned in the passion of the Crucified, and blessed is the one who establishes their daily practice in it. For here, he will thrive more healthily than among his companions, and he will eat from the fruits of the tree of life, from which he will rejoice forever. Look, most holy Father, upon the face of your Christ, who hangs on the cross for me; be merciful to me, a sinner bound by many sins, because of the extraordinary merits of your only Son, who was nailed to the cross and sprinkled with His red blood. He was wounded for my iniquities that needed to be erased; he will satisfy you in all things, and he will answer for me. I offer myself as a pledge, I choose Him as my advocate, I place Him as my mediator, and I leave Him as my defender for my cause. He will restore every loss; He will gladly amend every fault committed at Your command, O blessed fruit of the virginal womb. You, most merciful Father, hear me with wondrous sweetness, soon granting me, for your greatest love and singular reverence, my perpetual salvation and the hope and comfort I always need in this life, even after death. O good and holy Jesus, chosen Son of God, who, by the command of your Father, have deigned to take on the substance of our flesh without the stain of sin and to offer it on the altar of the cross for the salvation of the world, have mercy on me, your servant, granting me the forgiveness I seek and your grace. Forgive me all my recent and ancient sins, whether committed knowingly or unknowingly against you, because of your infinite merit and the suffering of your passion. Your merits surpass the sins of all humanity, and the abundance of your mercy is far greater than all my iniquities, no matter how often I commit them. So I flee to you under the protection of the cross, where I find a remedy for my salvation from your abundant mercy, and I sigh deeply from the depths of my heart, seeking you. I adore the sign of your holy cross, I honor the banner of the cross, I kiss the footprint of the cross, and I implore the aid of the cross. Hear me, a wretched soul; receive your fugitive, heal my broken heart, and justify the sinner. I won't abandon you, nor will I turn away from you, until I'm received into grace. I beg you, Lord Jesus, crucified, strip my heart of all worldly things. Draw me up by your arms to the height of the cross; I will follow you wherever you lead. I willingly am with you, poor and naked, like an exile in the world and unknown, your neighbor and close friend, and suspended above all earthly things. Pierce my flesh with your fear, so I won’t give in to desire; pierce my hands, so I won’t grow lazy; pierce my feet, that I may remain steadfast and endure my pains and labors with strength. Let your nails pierce through the center of my heart and wound me with a healing blow, so that from deep contrition I may flow with tears and, overwhelmed by love, may fail to stand on my own. Strike me with pain, increase my devotion; nothing is sweeter to me, nothing is more firmly rooted in my heart, than Jesus Christ, who is crucified here.