We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Scripture

He has broken my teeth with gravel, pressed my face in the dust; My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is. (Lamentations 3, 16-17)

We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the Lord laid upon Him the guilt of us all. (Isaiah 53.6)

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world! (John 1,29)

Meditation

Consider this first fall of Jesus under His Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowed with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that He could scarcely walk, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.

Prayer

My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but my sins, which have made You suffer so much pain. By the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love You, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.