The Seven Last Words of our Lord from the Cross

This devotion was prepared by our pastor, Msgr. Gervasio, to be presented on Good Friday. Those deacons and priests who participated each presented a homily on one of the Words, after which the congregation joined in a prayer and a hymn.

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Introduction

Leader: In the name of the Father,  +  and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  
 
Brothers and sisters, our Lenten meditation (this evening) is marked by listening to and meditating on the seven last words of Jesus. It is quite common that we cherish for a lifetime the words of our loved ones, spoken before dying. Their words always move us and when we return to them, they revive in us the life and love of the one who spoke them. The seven last  words of Jesus are his "spiritual testament.” Let us allow them to speak to our hearts.

Hymn: O Come and Mourn with Me Awhile Faber/Montani

O come and mourn with me awhile!  
See, Mary calls us to her side.    
O come and let us mourn with her. 
Jesus, our Love is crucified!
 
Seven times he spoke, seven words of love, 
And all three hours his silence cried 
For mercy on the souls of men, 
Jesus, our Love, is crucified! 
 

The First Word

From the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke (23:32-34)
 
Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said:  ‘Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.’ 

Reflection on the First Word

Response

Litany of Forgiveness                           Regumchristi.com: abridged

The response to each invocation:
 “Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.”
Leader:
Lord Jesus, who are mercy and forgiveness,
Toward those who have insulted me,    
Toward those who have forgotten me,
Toward those who have despised me,  
Toward those whose blindness has injured me,    
Toward those whose decisions have wounded me,    
Toward those whose selfishness has deprived me,
Toward those who have misunderstood me,              
 
The response to each invocation:  
“Forgive me, O Lord.”
For those I have hurt with my  words and actions,                
For those I forgot in my self-centeredness,                
For those I insulted in my callousness,                        
For those I did not seek to understand,                        
For those I scandalized by my sins,                  
For those who relied on me and I failed them,              
For those to whom I failed to witness to the Faith,        
 
Jesus meek and humble of heart,  
R./  make my heart more like yours

Hymn: Forgive us Our Sins                 R. Herklots

Sung to the tune of “Where Charity and Love Prevail”  
 

Forgive our sins as we forgive, 
you taught us, Lord, to pray,
but You alone can grant us grace 
to live the words we say.
 
How can Your pardon reach and bless  
the unforgiving heart
 that broods on wrongs 
and will not let old bitterness depart?
 
In blazing light Your cross reveals 
the truth we dimly knew:
 what trivial debts are owed to us, 
how great our debt to You!

The Second Word

From the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke (23:39-43)
 
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah?’ he said. ‘Save yourself and us.’ The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, ‘Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.’  Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied to him,  ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’

Reflection on the Second Word

As I began my reflection on these words, my first thought was, wow—wouldn’t anyone approaching death give just about anything to hear Jesus say this to them. Imagine the peace of hearing from the savior that your salvation was assured like the Good Thief, who was likely guilty of all kinds of sin since he was being crucified.

As Catholics, we know that many if not most of us will not go immediately to heaven. The Church teaches that we will likely go to Purgatory—a place of purification while we are cleansed of sin, since nothing unclean can go to heaven. It is a time of cleansing the temporal effects of sin.
But here is where the good news comes in. If we, or a family member requests it, a priest may give the Apostolic Pardon—an indulgence granted to the properly disposed Catholic that removes all temporal punishment.  There are two forms:

Form A
“Through the holy mysteries of our redemption, may Almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come.  May he open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy.”

Form B
By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and remission of all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.”

If you have never heard of this, don’t feel bad. In the decades immediately following Vatican 2, teaching of it was somewhat surpressed. I went through12 years of Catholic school, Catholic College and Diaconate training and never heard of the Apostolic Pardon. I finally learned of it in graduate school at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology after I was ordained. What is important is that you know about it now. Most should already know that as death of a Catholic loved one nears, you should request a priest to give “last rites”—the Sacraments of Reconcilliation, Eucharist and Sick. Now you should simply add the concept of Apostolic Pardon specifically to your list. Imagine the peace that would fall on the person in hearing these words. Not unlike the peace that the good thief should have felt when Jesus Himself said, Today, you will be with me in Paradise.

Response

Verses on the Second Word Basil Cardinal Hume

The assembly recites the stanzas alternately (right and left sides of church.)

Right:
He was suffering, too, the good thief, 
Abandoned with no family to comfort nor friends to help.
Who will stand by him and claim his friendship?
 
Left:    
That thief prays…sad, sorry, repentant, broken almost. 
Anxious, he sought to make amends.  
 
Right:            
The answer comes:  “This day you will be with me in paradise.
This day—could he have expected that?
Death came— not a foe— but a gentle friend.
 
Left:              
A humble, contrite heart is never spurned. 
Sorrow for sin never too late, 
never so great that forgiveness will be refused.
 
Right:            
Do not despair nor give up hope, 
however far you may have wandered…
whatever wrong you may have done.  
 
Left:              
He wants us, wants us more than we have ever wanted him, 
or ever could. “This day you will be with me in paradise:”  
It will be said to you when you have prayed, “Remember me…” 

Hymn: Remember Your Love     Ducote/Daigle 

R./  Remember your love and your faithfulness, O Lord.
       Remember your people, and have mercy on us, Lord.
 
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life and my refuge, when I call, he hears.          
 
If you dwelt O Lord on our sinfulness, then who could stand?
But with you there is mercy and forgiveness and a guiding hand.  

The Third Word

From the Holy Gospel according to St. John (19:25-27)
 
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.  When Jesus saw  his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. 

Reflection on the Word

Here we are, all invited into a moment that changed everything.  Where we are to turn our hearts to one of the most tender, powerful moments recorded in the Gospels—John 19:25–27.
 
It’s near the end of Jesus’ life. As Jesus hangs in agony on the Cross —hurting, broken, bleeding. But even in that place of unimaginable suffering, Jesus’s heart is full of love. And as He looks down, He sees two people standing there: His mother, Mary, and the disciple whom He loved—John. And then He says something incredibly important. He looks at Mary and says, “Woman, behold your son.” Then He turns to John and says, “Behold your mother.”
 
Here Jesus not just talking to Mary and John—He’s talking to us. He’s saying: “Mary, I want you to love and care for them like you cared for Me. And you—my disciple, my follower—I want you to receive her as your Mother.”
 
So at first glance, this may seem like a personal gesture—a son ensuring His mother will be cared for.  But in truth, Jesus is doing something far greater. He is giving us a gift. In His final moments, He is forming a new family—not by blood, but by grace. In giving Mary to John, Jesus is giving all of us a gift. She becomes our mother too.

Let that sink in: Jesus gave us His own mother.
 
That means you have a spiritual mother who loves you, who’s walking with you, and who’s praying for you always. She’s not far away or untouchable. She’s close. She’s the one who said “yes” to God with courage. She raised Jesus. She stood by Him through everything, even to the Cross. And now, she stands with us in every part of our lives.
 
So what does this mean for us today?
 
It means we are never alone. In moments of sorrow, we can turn to Mary, our Mother of Sorrows. In moments of joy, we can sing with her, our Mother of Hope. When we feel lost, she guides us—always leading us to Jesus.
 
That when we feel alone, when we don’t have the words to pray, when life just doesn’t make sense, Mary gets it. She’s been there. She knows what it’s like to trust when everything feels uncertain. She knows what it’s like to hurt deeply and still choose love.
 
And here's something else, John accepted Mary into his home. And we’re invited to do the same. To let her into our lives. That could mean praying the Rosary, talking to her like you’d talk to your mom or best friend, or just asking her to help you know Jesus better—because that's what she does. She always points us to her Son.
 
So tonight, I want to ask you—have you received Mary as your Mother?
 
Jesus gave her to you from the Cross. Not as a last thought, but as one of His final gifts. He gave you His heart, His life, His mercy—and His Mother.
 
Let her walk with you. Let her love you. Let her help you follow Jesus with everything you’ve got.   Amen.

Response

All:                  Benedict XVI:  Via Crucis, Rome 2005

Holy Mary, /  Mother of the Lord,  /  you remained faithful when the disciples fled.  /  Just as you believed  / the angel’s incredible message / that you would become the Mother of the Most High,  /  so too you believed  /  at the hour of his greatest abasement.  /  In this way,  /  at the hour of the cross, /  at the hour of the world’s darkest night,  /  you became the Mother of all believers, /  the Mother of the Church,  /  We beg you:  /  teach us to believe,  /  and grant that our faith may bear fruit  / in courageous service /  and be the sign of a love /  ready to share suffering  /  and to offer assistance.  /  Amen.

Hymn: Stabat Mater                           J. da Todi / trans. E. Caswall

At the Cross her station keeping, 
Stood the mournful Mother weeping 
Close to Jesus to the last.   
 
Christ above in torment hangs, 
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious son.
 
O thou, Mother!  Fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above.
Make my heart with yours accord.

The Fourth Word

From the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark (15:33-34)
 
At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.  And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ 

Reflection

Response

All:                                                                       St. Ignatius of Loyola
Christ Jesus,  /  when all is darkness  /  and we feel our weakness and helplessness,  /  give us the sense of Your presence,  /  Your love,  /  and Your strength.  /  Help us to have perfect trust  /  in Your protecting love and strengthening power, / so that nothing may frighten  /  or worry us, /  for, living close to You,   /  we shall see Your hand,  /  Your purpose,  /  Your will through all things.  /  Amen.

Hymn: Abide With Me                               H. Lyte / W. Monk

Abide with me, fast falls the eventide
  The darkness deepens Lord, with me abide                          
When other helpers fail and comforts flee
  Help of the helpless, O, abide with me!
Hold then your cross before my closing eyes;
  Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies!
Heav’n's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;
  In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
 

The Fifth Word

From the Holy Gospel according to Saint John  (19:28-29)
 
After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I thirst.’  There was a vessel filled with common wine. So, they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth.  

Reflection

​“I thirst.” This is the second time Our Lord asked for a drink. The first time was when he conversed with the Samaritan woman at the well. In the noon heat, Jesus surely had a physical need to drink, but something more was a work. At that well, Jesus revealed himself as a source of “living water.”  “He who drinks the water I shall give, will never thirst,” he said. He desired to quench the spiritual thirst of the woman who was living a disordered life who had been searching for happiness in all the wrong places. Later in the temple area, in a loud voice Jesus cried: “Let anyone who is thirsty, come to me and drink.” 
 
At the well and at the temple, Our Lord sought to quench the thirst of others, our thirst, to satisfy our need for true happiness. But from the cross, he spoke about his desire, his need. 
 
Of course, there was his physical need. It has been said that the cry, “I thirst” is the most human of the Lord’s seven words from the cross. There were many in early Church, the Gnostics, who asserted that as God, Jesus could never really suffer and so he went through the whole experience of crucifixion without any real pain. He was, they said, a pure spirit in a phantom body. But St. John clearly affirms the humanity of Jesus. We believe that he truly suffered the torments of the crucifixion, which Cicero described as “the most cruel and frightful of punishments, combining as it did, extreme bodily pain, the tortures of hunger, thirst, heat, and insects, all endured in conditions of rigid immobility.” Jesus was no phantom body on the cross but truly a man who cried out in his thirst.
 
It was a cry that would fulfill the Scriptures: “Dry as a potsherd is my throat, my tongue sticks to my palate…I looked for compassion, but there was none. Instead for my thirst they gave me vinegar.” 
 
Yet, Our Lord’s thirst was more than a physical need. It was a thirst for us, his desire for us to experience his love. To long, to yearn, to thirst, are words that belong to the language of love. Christ thirsts for the love of each one of us, because each one of us is worth the whole world to him. Jesus makes himself a mendicant, a beggar, at the door of our heart.  Fr. Henri Nouwen wrote: 

“It may sound strange, but God needs me as much as I need God. God is not the patriarch that stays home, doesn’t move, and expects his children to come to him…to the contrary, he leaves the house, ignoring his dignity, by running toward them…and brings them to the table richly prepared for them. Lord, Jesus, grant that drinking at the font of your heart, we may always remain in your holy love.
       

Response

                                Prayer of St. Teresa of Calcutta: adapted

Leader: 

Jesus says:“ I stand at the door of your heart, day and night, even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be Me, I am there. 
R./   Lord Jesus,  increase my faith.
I know your loneliness and all your hurts – the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations, I carried them all before you. 
R./  Lord Jesus, heal me.
I know how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished. But how often have you thirsted in vain, by seeking to fill the emptiness with passing pleasures.
R./  Lord Jesus, let me always long for you. 
Come to Me, and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds. I will make you a new creation, and give you peace, even in all your trials. 
R./ Lord Jesus, shepherd me always.
No matter what you have done, I love you for your own sake. Come to Me with your troubles and needs, open to Me, for I thirst for you!
R./  Lord Jesus, I thank you.

Hymn: What Wondrous Love is This                  A. Means/Wondrous Love

What wondrous love is this, O my soul! O my soul!
 What wondrous love is this!  O my soul!
 What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
 To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul.
 To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down;
 When I was sinking down, sinking down;
 When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
 Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
 Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.

The Sixth Word

From the Holy Gospel according to Saint John (19:30)
 
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’  And bowing his head he handed over the spirit.

Reflection

“It is finished.” As Jesus says these words, we are reminded that he had just taken a sip of wine offered him on a reed by one of the soldiers attending his crucifixion. This would be the 4^th cup of the Passover supper that our Lord did not drink during the last supper. His own Passover, conquering death for all of us, was beginning. All that was required of Him in scripture was done. He was about to commend His Spirit to the Father.
 
What this means to us today is what  Jesus is actually finishing is really for us a great beginning. The Old Covenant closes and the New Covenant, which we live on in the Church is beginning. In a sense, we pass from death to new life. We are excited that this new beginning brings with it all the spiritual gifts of the Church—the 7  sacraments—including the Sacrament of Penance through which our sins are forgiven; and especially the sum and summit of our faith—the Eucharist, which re-presents Christ’s great sacrifice for us at every mass and allows us to follow His command to take and eat and take and drink.  
 
And so, what is finished in Christ’s words is also the signal of a new and beneficial era for us. We can be thankful for the great gifts it proposes.
 

Response

Litany Of The Passion St. John H. Newman: abridged

To each invocation respond:  “Have mercy on us.”

Leader:  
Jesus, the Eternal Wisdom  
Sweating blood in your agony  
Betrayed by Judas  
Forsaken by your disciples  
Accused by false witnesses  
Spit upon in the face  
Denied by Peter    
Scourged by Pilate  
Loaded with the Cross  
Crowned with thorns
Stripped of your garments
Nailed to the tree
Scoffed  at by the malefactor
Wounded in the side
Dying for our sins
Jesus our Sacrifice
Jesus our Mediator
Jesus our Judge
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R./   Because through your Holy Cross,  
        you have redeemed the world.

Hymn: O Sacred Head Surrounded         Ascr. St. Bernard / Passion Chorale

O sacred head surrounded by crown of piercing thorn;
 O royal head so wounded, reviled and put to scorn:
 death's shadows rise before you, the glow of life decays,
 yet angel hosts adore you and tremble as they gaze!
 
What language shall I borrow to thank you, dearest Friend,
 for this your dying sorrow, your mercy without end?
 Lord, make me yours forever: your servant let me be;
 and may I never, never betray your love for me.

The Seventh Word

From the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke (23: 44-46)
 
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.  Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father into your hands I commend my spirit’ and when he had said this, he breathed his last.’

Reflection

The eternal Son of God, who never knew a moment apart from the Father, makes this final statement from the cross. It is, a perfect statement of Trust in the Will of the Father. Jesus shows us who is in control; though he had been handed over by Judas to the Jews – though Caiaphas and the Jews handed him over to be executed by the Romans – Jesus boldly proclaims in his dying breath that it is God the Father alone whose hands have any claim upon him. For these others had no power, except that given them by the Father, to fulfil the purpose of the Incarnation: our redemption.

Commending himself to the Father, Christ completes that work of redemption upon the cross, and breathes his last. By the blood poured forth from his side, Jesus commends his human nature, and all mankind to the Father; To all that believe in Him he gives the power to become like Him: Sons and Daughters of God. In Baptism, we have truly been washed in this Precious Blood poured out for our sake. In communion too, that Heart which beat its last on the cross, enlivens our own hearts. The greater, overwhelms the Lesser; and we are given the grace to become other Christs. 

Let us Pray: O Jesus, my Redeemer! I shall not wait for death to commend my soul to Thy Father; I commend now, through Thee; let me never turn my back upon Thee through sin. O Lamb of God, sacrificed upon the Cross, who died for me as a victim of love, grant by the merits of Thy sacrifice upon the cross, that I may love and glorify Thee in all I do. And when I come to the end of my days, grant me to die glowing with love for Thee. Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit; that thou may commend me to Thy Heavenly Father; for Thou hast redeemed me, My Lord and God. Thou hast poured out all Thy precious Blood; Thou hast given Thy life to save me; Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Response

Prayer to Jesus Crucified     Angelo Cardinal Comastri

The assembly recites the prayer alternately (right and left sides of church)

Right:           
O Jesus, I pause thoughtfully at the foot of the cross. 
Your goodness, which does not defend itself 
and lets itself be crucified, is an overwhelming mystery
that moves me deeply.

Left:   
Lord, you came into the world for me, to seek me, 
to offer me the embrace of the Father, 
the embrace that I need so much.    
You are goodness and mercy itself, 
and you desire to save me. 

Right: 
Within me there is darkness, 
come with your clear light. 
Within me there is so much selfishness, 
come with your boundless charity.  
Within me, there is so much pride,
come with your remarkable humility.

Left:             
Lord, I am the sinner to be saved.
I am the prodigal son who must return. 
Lord, grant me the gift of tears 
so that I might find in you 
true freedom, life, peace, and joy. Amen.

Hymn: The Cross of Jesus         F. O’Brien /Tremont
Tune of “Lord, You Give the Great Commission.”

Come, O God, renew your people,  
we who long to see your face. 
Strengthen hearts that have grown feeble.  
Fill our lives with truth and grace. 
Only you can win our freedom;  
only you can bring us peace. 
Only in the cross of Jesus will the captives find release. 
  
Deep within create a new heart;  
melt away the winter chill. 
Help us now to make a new start;  
help us now to know your will. 
Washed in waters of forgiveness,  
cleansed in waters of new birth. 
Lead us to the cross of Jesus, bringing life to all the earth. 
 

Closing Prayer

Leader:  
May your blessing descend upon us, O Father,
who have welcomed into our hearts
and reflected on the last words,
spoken by your Beloved Son from the cross.  
Grant us your forgiveness and consolation.  
May our faith be increased
and may the blessed hope of the Resurrection
be strengthened within us.
Amen

O Lord,
your Cross reveals to us mystery of our sin.
You, Innocent One,
entered a history we spoiled by our pride
that became defiant, hateful and violent.

You suffered the passion of human history
so that you might show us that
when our human freedom is separated from God,
we experience bitterness in our search
for peace, light, and love.
But your Cross, O Lord Jesus,
reveals above all the mystery of your Love
that is stronger than our sins,
more tenacious then our rebellions,
more powerful than our hollow abilities.
O Jesus Crucified,
You are our Hope through all the twisted paths we take through time.
O Jesus Crucified,
You are the Assurance that God loves us always.

O Jesus Crucified,
have mercy on us sinners.

Remember us when you come into your kingdom!

Angelo  Cardinal Comastri