Jesus walks with me in my suffering

Meditations translated from the book 
"Pray with your Heart"
by Father Slavko Barbaric, of Medjugorje

My Jesus, Your coming to this world was marvelous, because you accepted to suffer as an ordinary man. Your life was not devoid of tribulations but you were always ready to alleviate the suffering of others, to end their maladies, to heal them, to offer consolation.

Your time has come now, Your Calvary is near. Your death, unavoidable, is near.

Before these events, Jesus, I do not wish to let myself be defeated by sleep, I wish to stay awake and keep you company. I wish, My Lord, that my prayer could bring consolation to those who suffer at this moment. I want to take You to them to give them joy and strength.

Send your Spirit over me, so that I can learn to pray and can therefore come closer and closer to You, Amen.

Jesus Prays in the Garden

Jesus, you experienced pain and anguish in the garden. You asked Your Father to take away the bitter chalice, but you immediately added: "Your Will be done, Father, not mine."

You, who had soothed the suffering of so many, were now alone in your suffering. There was no one with you to help. The Father could have kept it from You, but You accepted to drink it to the last drop.

Your agony must have been so bitter! You sweated blood! I believe that in that blood all the sufferings of mankind were present.

Thank you, Jesus, for each drop of blood you shed.

I ask You now to please look with merciful eyes upon those who are now striving to do God's Will but do not have the strength to do so.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask you to turn the agony of that interior war into a fountain of redemption through the acceptance of Your Will.

The Scourging

My Jesus, once you were arrested you were taken to Pilate and then you were scourged. I know how this was done.

Oh, Jesus, it takes my breath away to 

think of the agony you went through, my heart freezes... But you, full of mercy, forgave each blow .

That is why, My Lord, that I ask you to free those who do not want to do God's Will, destroying themselves because they do not banish from their hearts the scourging of hate.

Thank you for teaching us love and forgiveness.

The Crown of Thorns

Oh, Lord, after they scourged you they crowned Your Head with thorns. Over your bleeding body they placed a dirty purple cloak. Those who were there made fun of you.

Your enemies were not satisfied with scourging you, they now made fun of you and tortured you. But once more their hatred was not enough to defeat you. You did not loose your peace in the midst of Your suffering. Those who tortured you saw You look at them with deep compassion and were forgiven by You, even though they unleashed all their cruelty upon you. What's more, they discovered You loved them and did not condemn them. But their perversity won, as it happens with that man, family or community that allows itself to be influenced by the Evil one. The destructive action never stops.

Oh, Jesus, look at all who are the recipients of injury, insults, rejection. Save them all with your crown of thorns, do not let their souls fall under the scoff of their oppressors. Purify their hearts of all hate and rancor. Do not allow them to seek revenge, answering evil with evil.

Jesus, may they learn to forgive, in Your Name!

Jesus Carries the Cross

Jesus, you carried the Cross to Calvary. I only know that the walk to the place of your crucifixion must have been full of horrors. Nevertheless, amid the pain and suffering three drops of dew fell on you soothingly.

One was being able to say goodbye to your Mother, another was the encounter with the woman who dried your face and a third one was Simon, who helped you carry the cross.

I'm sure you appreciated these drops of dew for all they were worth and answered them with graces and blessings equal to those that were given to you by them, strength, and consolation.

But at the same time you must have wondered: "Where are all those that I treated generously?" I know you would have forgiven them immediately, and offered your cross for them too.

Help me, Lord, to understand this lesson: to be sensitive to the pain and weaknesses of others so I can offer consolation even in the worst of moments...

May I never be too shy to try to help others.

I ask you, especially, to keep us from making our own crosses heavier and harder to carry than they are by making each other suffer. Because I know the Father wants us to be happy, loving each other even in the most difficult times.

Jesus dies for me.

After agreeing to drink the bitter chalice to the last drop, you put your soul in the hands of the Father and died on the cross.

I feel I must be silent now, and meditate on all that happened on that cross...

There is nothing left to say, but plenty to be sorry for. Oh, can man be so evil?

God loves us so much He did not keep His own Son from suffering, but let Him die for us! His love and His mercy are so great He forgave us right away through His Son.

My Jesus, thank you for having gone through all that for us.

Teach us to love and forgive. Give strength to those who, because they do not love themselves, are incapable of forgiveness and destroy others with their hate. Help us accept the Father's Will as You accepted it. This is the only way to Salvation.

We pray also for all those who are dying. Give them the strength they need to put their spirits on Your Father's hands, as You did.

Oh, Lord Jesus! Take them to Your peace!