Reading of the Word of God

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

This is the Gospel of the Poor;
Liberation for the Imprisoned;
Sight for the Blind;
Freedom for the Oppressed.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Luke 23, 26-34

As they were leading him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus.
Large numbers of people followed him, and women too, who mourned and lamented for him.
But Jesus turned to them and said, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children.
For look, the days are surely coming when people will say, "Blessed are those who are barren, the wombs that have never borne children, the breasts that have never suckled!"
Then they will begin to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!"; to the hills, "Cover us!"
For if this is what is done to green wood, what will be done when the wood is dry?'
Now they were also leading out two others, criminals, to be executed with him.
When they reached the place called The Skull, there they crucified him and the two criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.
Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.' Then they cast lots to share out his clothing.

 

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

The Son of man has come to serve
He who wishes to be great, must be
the servant of all.

Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory

Jesus takes his last steps shouldering a heavy cross, along with two others who were criminals. Seeing him exhausted, the soldiers called a certain Simon from Cyrene to help. It is a story of suffering like the many others that unfortunately have occurred and continue to occur in this world. Jesus� pain is no different from the pain of those who are tortured or condemned to death today; it is no different from the suffering of the sick and the abandoned. There is little to say about this suffering; we must simply recognize that it is around us and perhaps be sorry about it with a passion that the world is not able to feel. Not even sensitive people like the women of Jerusalem who cried and lamented are able to feel it. But there are a few words in this drama that strike us: the words of Jesus, �Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.� They are crucifying an innocent man and they do not know what they are doing. Even the assassins of the Son of God can be forgiven, and with them everyone. From the cross comes an invitation to work so that death and violence may no longer reign over the lands of peoples.