Tractatus Prior, Pars Altera, Cap. 29. De lamentahili emigratione Domini lesu

Tractatus Prior, Pars Altera, Cap. 29. De lamentahili emigratione Domini lesu

I bless you and give thanks to you, Lord Jesus Christ, life of the living, hope of the dying, salvation of all who trust in you, for your temporary departure from this world and your happy return to the Father through the torment of a dreadful death and the unblemished martyrdom of the cross. From this world. I praise and glorify you for your pale disposition toward death and your blessed agony at the end, for the failure of all your powers and the painful breaking of your loving heart, while you, the giver of life to all spirits, did not refuse to endure the judgment of death, so that you might open the way for us to the kingdoms of heaven. I praise and glorify you for your strong cry on the cross, surpassing human strength and custom, for the sorrowful separation and bitter parting of your noble soul from your beloved body, for the most devoted commendation of your spirit into the hands of the Father, for the humble inclination of your sacred and thorn-crowned head toward your honorable breast as a sign of filial obedience faithfully fulfilled, for the loving tradition of your most holy soul for the salvation of the world, and for your final words in this mortal life, when you burst forth with these words of pious supplication and read this most devoted verse: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.^✦ At that moment, you breathed your last and ended your earthly journey in a gentle sleep. O how precious and victorious was that death, which put an end to our death and restored to us eternal life. Therefore, let your death, Christ, always remain fixed in my memory, and may I remember my own death in your blessed death, so that I may not despair timidly when the uncertain end of my life approaches. This is the hour you’ve always had in mind since the beginning of your conception, to which you’ve hastened like a traveler to his homeland and a wise worker to his intended goal. From the highest heavens, your departure into the world was made, from the world to the depths below; from the depths back to the highest throne of heaven, you returned again. Now, my soul, grieve deeply over the bitter death of your most loving Lord God. Consider how Jesus died and what signs occurred at His departure. Look how the righteous one dies, and no one perceives it in their heart; no one reflects on what kind of person he was or how great he was, except for his poor mother, who stood weeping by the cross with a few acquaintances. He saw his beloved son before him, naked and bloodied, suffering; he saw him pale, he saw him in agony, and he heard him crying out as he breathed his last. It's no wonder that, seeing these things, he was deeply pained, turned pale, and his soul failed him in its Savior before the crucified and dead one. So you too, go to the cross with Mary and mournfully meditate on the death of Jesus. Behold, the innocent Jesus dies as an exile and naked, and no one has been found more miserable than he. No one is loved by God more than He is, and no one has been despised by men more than Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified by the Jews. Look at the kind of reward the world has given him for all his remarkable deeds and signs. He is killed like the most worthless of criminals, dying like the poorest of all. Jesus dies not on a bed of feathers, but on the rough wood of the cross; not in a house or under a roof, but in the open, in a foul and despised place; not in a secret chamber, but on a public gallows; not among his disciples, but between two criminals; not in the arms of his beloved mother, but between the horns of the high cross. He had no little straw beneath him, nor any covering of the cheapest cloth above him. He lacked a head covering, for which he had a crown made of sharp thorns. He had no shoes on his feet, nor did he ever wear gloves on his hands, but instead he took on iron nails for these and endured the pain of his body. In such great need, He had no servant to help Him, but instead endured the presence of a certain wicked neighbor, a criminal, who hurled serious insults at Him. He had no one to comfort him; instead, he found almost everyone had deserted him, those he had once shared a table with and those who had followed him. He couldn't move his hand or foot, nor could he turn to the other side to relieve even a little of his bodily pain. He stood firmly fixed, rigidly stretched out, gravely tortured, and bound on every side without care, without help, without comfort, as if dead at heart. Only His tongue remained free to speak, so that He could pray for His enemies and proclaim seven most wholesome words against the seven deadly sins from the pulpit of the cross for us. But He did not escape His affliction, for He was infected with gall and vinegar while He thirsted. Therefore, from the soles of His feet to the crown of His head, Jesus is completely submerged in the waters of His suffering, and at the ninth hour, He dies, crying out with a loud voice. O what a being he is, who, crying out, breathes his last, at whose passing the heavens mourn and the earth trembles; before whose presence death flees, at whose voice the dead rise again, whom the gates of death break apart when they see him, whose presence the devil cannot bear, whose power no one can resist, whom the underworld trembles before, and the heavens adore; to whom the angels serve and the archangels obey, whose brightness illuminates the limbo of the fathers, and who brings joy to the people of the saints, breaking their chains and freeing the many spoils of souls. Truly, this was the Son of God, said the centurion. Seeing this, the blessed one realized that, as he cried out like this, he was about to expire, and he recognized that God was dwelling invisibly in human nature, and he soon confessed that this was the Son of God, whom the Jews were mocking as he was crucified. O you who are so hardened, Jews, that neither the suffering of the patient one softens you, nor the unusual wonders of the dying one convert you. Audite tandem surdi et intuemini caeci, qui signum de caelo petistis vobis ostendi. Look, signs are appearing in heaven above and on earth below; the elements of the world serve Christ, and at the hour of his death, everything is troubled, yet you miserable ones laugh. For the sun darkens at midday, unwilling to look upon His death. The earth trembles in fear, unable to silently endure the injustice done to God. The rocks are torn apart with a loud noise, mourning for their Creator. The veil of the temple is torn, so that the sacred mysteries of Christ may be revealed, with the old covering removed. He is indeed the true sacrifice, taking away the sins of the world. He is the spotless Lamb of God, sacrificed on the cross during the Passover. He is the true priest, consecrated by God, who offered himself as a sacrifice to the Father, a fragrant offering. He, the highest priest, who once a year enters alone into the Holy of Holies, does so to pray not only for the people of the Jews, but for the salvation of all who believe in Him from every nation. For this, He truly acted once by dying for humanity at the end of the ages. There are also open monuments to show that the future resurrection of Christ would be revealed nearby with many saints. Many who had gathered to witness this spectacle were deeply moved and returned, striking their chests. Return, my soul, to your inner self, and mourn with those who mourn; weep with those who weep for Christ, so that you may not be found harder than stones or more unfaithful than the Jews. Blessed are the tears that flow out of love for the Crucified. It is indeed fitting and very sweet to weep for our beloved Lord. This is a great comfort for a loving soul: to weep abundantly out of compassion for the beloved. Jesus himself wept for the many human miseries, and when the tears ran dry, he poured out his blood with even greater compassion. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for you; let the whole world be dead to you from now on. Learn to remember the death of Jesus in your own death, and strive also to prepare yourself for dying. You don't know when the Lord will come; you don't know when your Creator will take you away. Stay alert at all times and pray, so that you may find a good hour. So live, so speak, as if today you were to depart. Learn to die before death comes, so that the approaching death won't be a horror to you, but the door to life. Christ has died, and the prophets too; soon you'll follow the path of your ancestors. Yet there is great hope, a very great consolation in the words of Jesus, who said: "Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live." And again: "Whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life." So make Jesus your friend while you live, so that you may have Him as your advocate when you die. Cast aside anything that hinders your love for Jesus, anything that delays you from the heavenly kingdom. Beware of anything that can stain the purity of your conscience; leave behind whatever can take away your peace of mind. Keep yourself detached from the world, united with God, and close to Christ. Walk with Jesus in the freedom of the Spirit; let nothing concern you about external matters. Prepare a place in your mind for Him; provide a large upper room for Him to celebrate the mystical Passover with His disciples before you die. When you begin to feel weak and sense that the day of your calling is near, then humbly send up prayers to Jesus and speak with Mary and Martha, saying: "Lord, behold, he whom you love is ill." For Jesus, who is both powerful and merciful, weeps over Lazarus and raised the dead, is able to heal you from every affliction and will raise the dead on the last day. Think especially about the Lord's Supper, how humble Jesus was. He washed the feet of his disciples and, before his departure, entrusted them the mystery of his sacred body as a comfort. So, humbly ask the Lord Jesus to wash you from the filth of your sins and to prepare you faithfully with the precious food of His Body before your departure. So, as you take part in the action of giving thanks, reflect on the sweeter words of His command with devotion, and then, with your eyes lifted to heaven, desire the union with Christ with all your heart. Then turn to the passion of Christ and draw from it the healing of that consolation. Enter with Jesus and His disciples into the garden near the Mount of Olives; that is, separate yourself from the present friends to spend time with God in secret more freely, and pray to the heavenly Father for a good outcome of your life; bend your knees with Jesus, fall on your face to the ground, surrender yourself into the hands of God, and say these most perfect words of Christ: Father, not my will, but Yours be done. He knows better than you do whether living or dying is better for you. Also ask the brothers and all the faithful who are coming to join you, to stay awake with you in prayer, so that the enemies may not trouble you with their deceptions. In every distress, turn to Jesus and follow Him as He carries His cross all the way to the place of Calvary. Ibi fige stationem tuam, ibi elige terminare vitam, ibi trade et spiritum tuum. Place the passion and death of Jesus between you and the future judgment, and keep your gaze fixed on the Crucifix continually. Call upon the name of Jesus and raise the sign of the holy cross against the terrors of the devil. If he brings up your past evils and many sins, you should respond with the infinite merits of Christ. Remember also the seven words of Jesus, which He spoke on the cross for your instruction. Right away, as He ascended the cross, He prayed for His enemies and forgave those who sinned, so that you too might forgive all your debtors from your heart and ask for forgiveness again. To the second thief who confessed, He promised the joy of paradise, so you shouldn't despair because of the weight of your sins, but confidently remember that you can also be in the kingdom of heaven. Third, he entrusted his most blessed mother, the virgin Mary, to John the virgin, so that you, when you are in the struggle, may urgently flee to her, the most merciful mother, and commend yourself to her and to the blessed apostle John and all the saints. Commend yourself also to the prayers of your brothers and all the faithful, so that they may remember you after your departure in their watchfulness and in their Masses. Fourth, Jesus showed himself abandoned in suffering, so that you, burdened with pain, might not bear it impatiently, if you are not immediately relieved, but submit yourself to God's will in all things. Fifth, he says: "I thirst, so that you may thirst for God, the living fountain, and long to be dissolved and to be with Christ." For this is much better than to wander longer in the world and still be caught up in various dangers. On the sixth day, he spoke the word of completion, so that you, seeing the end of your days, may give praise to God for every good deed accomplished, and whatever you have failed to do, may you ask to be made whole through Christ. On the seventh, he gave up his spirit to God the Father with a loud cry, so that you, preparing to leave this world, may read and frequently repeat the words of that blessed commendation, not omitting them, knowing that nothing is sweeter to remember at the end. O most loving Jesus, splendor of the Father's glory and sun of justice, who for me, your unworthy servant, deigned to endure this most vile suffering and to give up your soul on the cross for the redemption of the world, and who, praying, commended it to your Father, grant that I may carry in my heart both the pain and the love of your most bitter death, and that I may daily exercise myself in the mortification of all my vices, so that as the end of my life approaches, I may deserve to breathe in the light of your mercies and happily enter with you into the joys of paradise. Be present with me as I die, help me as I struggle, come to my aid as I long for you, defend me from my enemies, rescue me from my troubles, comfort me as I groan, strengthen me as I tremble, revive me as I falter, and receive me as I breathe my last. May your last word on the cross be my last word in this light; and when I can speak no more, hear my final desire: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit; you have redeemed me, Lord, O God of truth. Amen.