THE LESSONS OF THE CROSS
My dear children: You have been so attentive to me while I spoke to you of the sufferings and death of our dear Lord, that I know you will try to please Jesus by often thinking of what He did for you. We call the death of Jesus the Sacrifice of Calvary. Some of, you may have been thinking that had you been in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified, you would have done something to show that you loved Him. You are angry with the Apostles for leaving Jesus to suffer alone. You hate the wicked men for treating Jesus so cruelly. You despise the people for forgetting all that Jesus had done for them. Perhaps among those that called the loudest, "Crucify Him!" were some whom Jesus had cured. You would have made
your way through the crowd and have stood near the cross with Mary. But you forget that you have a chance to show Jesus even now how much you grieve over His sufferings and death. The Apostles were frightened and ran away when Jesus was arrested. They were weak and cowardly. But after the death of Jesus when the Holy Ghost came down upon them they were filled with courage and were ready to suffer anything for Christ. All of them except St. John died a martyr's death. But how about your courage? Are you ever cowardly when asked to follow Jesus? Are you not sometimes ashamed to be obedient to your parents because some of your playmates may tease you about it? When you are playing with your companions and mother calls you to come home, do you not act as though you did not hear her, because the others may tease you ? Examine your conscience
and see how cowardly you act at times. But try now to follow the example of the Apostles and be brave. Do your duty no matter what it may cost you.
Our Sins Crucify Jesus Anew
You hate the wicked men for treating Jesus cruelly. What do your sins do to Jesus ? Your sins crucify Jesus over again, that is, by committing sin you hurt Jesus as much as did these cruel men when they beat Him with whips and nailed Him to the cross. If you do not wish to be like these bad men, be careful to keep from committing sin.
You think the people in Jerusalem were very ungrateful, do you not? But how about the in gratitude you show to Jesus ? The people whom Jesus helped, those whom he cured, and especially those whom he called back to life, certainly should have been grateful. Some of them no doubt were; but most of them forgot Jesus. Some of you may forget what Jesus has done for you. How many graces did not Jesus give you! From the very beginning of your life Jesus has given you graces without number. Count them if you can. You were born of good parents, you received Baptism and were made a child of God, you are sent to a Catholic school, you have the grace to go to confession and to receive Jesus in Holy Communion, and thousands of other graces. Are you grateful? Do you thank God for these graces? Or are you like the people of Jerusalem? Do you forget all Jesus has done for you as soon as the devil whispers something into your ear? Be careful, then, dear children lest, while you blame these wicked people, you yourself do the same evil thing.
Practice:
1. I will be patient when I must suffer any pain.
2. I will be grateful to Jesus for all He has done for me.
Dear Jesus, take my heart and let it be
A little holy altar just for Thee.
Practical Aids for Catholic Teachers, Imprimatur 1928
My dear children: You have been so attentive to me while I spoke to you of the sufferings and death of our dear Lord, that I know you will try to please Jesus by often thinking of what He did for you. We call the death of Jesus the Sacrifice of Calvary. Some of, you may have been thinking that had you been in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified, you would have done something to show that you loved Him. You are angry with the Apostles for leaving Jesus to suffer alone. You hate the wicked men for treating Jesus so cruelly. You despise the people for forgetting all that Jesus had done for them. Perhaps among those that called the loudest, "Crucify Him!" were some whom Jesus had cured. You would have made
your way through the crowd and have stood near the cross with Mary. But you forget that you have a chance to show Jesus even now how much you grieve over His sufferings and death. The Apostles were frightened and ran away when Jesus was arrested. They were weak and cowardly. But after the death of Jesus when the Holy Ghost came down upon them they were filled with courage and were ready to suffer anything for Christ. All of them except St. John died a martyr's death. But how about your courage? Are you ever cowardly when asked to follow Jesus? Are you not sometimes ashamed to be obedient to your parents because some of your playmates may tease you about it? When you are playing with your companions and mother calls you to come home, do you not act as though you did not hear her, because the others may tease you ? Examine your conscience
and see how cowardly you act at times. But try now to follow the example of the Apostles and be brave. Do your duty no matter what it may cost you.
Our Sins Crucify Jesus Anew
You hate the wicked men for treating Jesus cruelly. What do your sins do to Jesus ? Your sins crucify Jesus over again, that is, by committing sin you hurt Jesus as much as did these cruel men when they beat Him with whips and nailed Him to the cross. If you do not wish to be like these bad men, be careful to keep from committing sin.
You think the people in Jerusalem were very ungrateful, do you not? But how about the in gratitude you show to Jesus ? The people whom Jesus helped, those whom he cured, and especially those whom he called back to life, certainly should have been grateful. Some of them no doubt were; but most of them forgot Jesus. Some of you may forget what Jesus has done for you. How many graces did not Jesus give you! From the very beginning of your life Jesus has given you graces without number. Count them if you can. You were born of good parents, you received Baptism and were made a child of God, you are sent to a Catholic school, you have the grace to go to confession and to receive Jesus in Holy Communion, and thousands of other graces. Are you grateful? Do you thank God for these graces? Or are you like the people of Jerusalem? Do you forget all Jesus has done for you as soon as the devil whispers something into your ear? Be careful, then, dear children lest, while you blame these wicked people, you yourself do the same evil thing.
Practice:
1. I will be patient when I must suffer any pain.
2. I will be grateful to Jesus for all He has done for me.
Dear Jesus, take my heart and let it be
A little holy altar just for Thee.
Practical Aids for Catholic Teachers, Imprimatur 1928
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