TWENTIETH HOUR (From 12 to 1 PM) First Hour of Agony on the Cross. The first word of Jesus

My Crucified Good, I see You on the Cross, as on the Throne of your
triumph, in the act of conquering everything and all hearts, and of drawing
them so closely to You, that all may feel your superhuman power. Horrified
at such great crime, nature prostrates itself before You, and waits in silence
for a word from You, to pay You honor and let your dominion be
recognized. The sun, crying, withdraws its light, unable to sustain your
sight, too sorrowful. Hell is terrified and waits in silence. Everything is
silence. Your pierced Mama, your faithful ones, are all mute; and petrified at
the sight of your torn and dislocated Humanity - alas, too painful, they are
silently waiting for a word from You. Your very Humanity is silent, lying in
a sea of pains, among the harrowing spasms of agony; so much so that they
fear You are going to die at each breath!

What more? Even the perfidious Jews and the ruthless executioners who,
up to a little while ago, were offending You, mocking You, calling You
impostor, criminal; even the thieves who were cursing You – everyone is
silent, mute. Remorse invades them, and if they try to launch an insult
against You, it dies on their lips.

But as I penetrate into your interior, I see that love overflows; it suffocates
You and You cannot contain it. And forced by your love that torments You
more than the pains themselves, with strong and moving voice, You speak
as the God You are; You raise your dying eyes to Heaven, and exclaim:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing!” And, again,
You close Yourself in silence, immersed in unheard-of pains.

Crucified Jesus, how can so much love be possible? Ah, after so many
pains and insults, your first word is of forgiveness; and You excuse us
before the Father for so many sins! Ah, You make this word descend into
each heart after sin, and You are the first to offer forgiveness. But how
many reject it and do not accept it; your love is then taken by follies, because
You anxiously desire to give your forgiveness and the kiss of peace to all!

At this word, hell trembles and recognizes You as God; nature and everyone
remain astonished; they recognize your Divinity, your inextinguishable love,
and silently wait to see where it reaches. And not only your voice, but also
your Blood and your wounds, cry out to every heart after sin: “Come into
my arms, for I forgive you, and the seal of forgiveness is the price of my
Blood.” O my lovable Jesus, repeat this word again to all the sinners which
are in the world. Beseech mercy for all; apply the infinite merits of your
most precious Blood for all. O good Jesus, continue to placate Divine
Justice for all, and concede your grace to those who, finding themselves in
the act of having to forgive, do not feel the strength to do it.

My Jesus, adored Crucified, in these three hours of most bitter agony, You
want to give fulfillment to everything; and while, silent, You remain on
this Cross, I see that in your interior You want to satisfy the Father in
everything. You thank Him for all, You satisfy Him for all, You beseech
forgiveness for all, and for all You impetrate the grace that they may never
again offend You. In order to impetrate this from the Father You go through
all of your life, from the first instant of your conception, up to your last
breath. My Jesus, endless Love, let me go through all your life together
with You, with the inconsolable Mama, with Saint John, and with the pious
women.

Let us go through the Life and the pains of Jesus.

My sweet Jesus, I thank You for the many thorns that pierced your adorable
head, for the drops of Blood shed by It, for the blows You received on It,
and for the hair they tore from You. I thank You for all the good You have
done and impetrated for all, for the enlightenments and the good
inspirations You have given us, and for all the times You have forgiven all
of our sins of thought, of pride, of conceit and of self-esteem. I ask your
forgiveness in the name of all, O my Jesus, for all the times we have
crowned You with thorns; for all the drops of Blood we made You shed
from your most sacred head; for all the times we have not corresponded to
your inspirations. For the sake of all these pains suffered by You, I ask
You, O Jesus, to impetrate for us the grace to never again commit sins of
thought. I also intend to offer You everything You suffered in your most
holy head, in order to give You all the glory that the creatures would have
given You, had they made good use of their intelligence.

O my Jesus, I adore your most holy eyes, and I thank You for all the tears
and the Blood they have shed, for the cruel pricks of the thorns, for the
insults, the derisions and the contempts You bore during all of your
Passion. I ask your forgiveness for all those who use their sight to offend
You and insult You, asking You, for the sake of the pains suffered in your
most sacred eyes, to give us the grace that no one may ever again offend
You with evil gazes. I also intend to offer You all that You Yourself
suffered in your most holy eyes, to give You all the glory that the creatures
would have given You if their gazes were fixed only on Heaven, on the
Divinity and on You, O my Jesus.

I adore your most holy ears; I thank You for all that You suffered while
those wicked people on Calvary deafened them with shouts and mockeries.
I ask your forgiveness in the name of all for all the evil discourses which
are listened to, and I pray that the ears of all men may be opened to the
eternal truths, to the voices of Grace, and that no one may offend You, ever
again, with the sense of hearing. I also intend to offer You all that You
suffered in your most holy hearing, to give You all the glory that the
creatures would have given You, had they made holy use of this organ.
O my Jesus, I adore and I kiss your most holy Face, and I thank You for all
that You suffered from the spit, the slaps and the mockeries received, and
for all the times You allowed Yourself to be trampled by your enemies. I
ask your forgiveness in the name of all, for all the times we have dared to
offend You, asking You, for the sake of these slaps and this spit, to let your
Divinity be recognized, praised and glorified by all. Even more, O my
Jesus, I myself intend to go throughout the whole world, from the east to the
west, from the south to the north, to unite all the voices of the creatures and
change them into as many acts of praise, of love and of adoration. Also, O
my Jesus, I intend to bring You all the hearts of the creatures, so that You
may cast light, truth, love and compassion for your Divine Person into all.
And as You forgive all, I ask You not to allow anyone to offend You, ever
again; if possible, even at the cost of my blood. Finally, I intend to offer
You everything You suffered in your most holy Face, to give You all the
glory that the creatures would have given You, if no one had dared to
offend You.

I adore your most holy mouth, and I thank You for your first wails, for the
milk You suckled, for all the words You said, for the ardent kisses You
gave to your Most Holy Mother, for the food You took, for the bitterness of
the gall and of the ardent thirst You suffered on the Cross, and for the
prayers You raised to the Father. I ask your forgiveness for all the gossip
and the evil and mundane discourses made by creatures, and for all the
blasphemies they utter. I intend to offer your holy discourses in reparation
for their evil discourses; the mortification of your taste to repair for their
gluttonies, and for all the offenses they have given You with an evil use of
their tongue. I intend to offer You everything You suffered in your most
holy mouth, to give You all the glory that the creatures would have given
You, if none of them had dared to offend You with the sense of taste and
with the abuse of their tongue.

O Jesus, I thank You for everything, and in the name of all, I raise to You a
hymn of eternal and infinite thanksgiving. O my Jesus, I intend to offer You
everything You have suffered in your Most Holy Person, to give You all the
glory that the creatures would have given You, had they conformed their
lives to Yours.

I thank You, O Jesus, for everything You have suffered in your most holy
shoulders, for all the blows You have received, for all the wounds You have
allowed them to open on your Most Sacred Body, and for all the drops of
Blood You have shed. I ask your forgiveness in the name of all, for all the
times in which, for love of comforts, they have offended You with illicit and
evil pleasures. I offer You your painful scourging to repair for all the sins
committed with all the senses, for love for one’s own tastes, for sensible
pleasures, for one’s own self and all natural satisfactions. I also intend to
offer You all that You have suffered in your shoulders, to give You all the
glory that the creatures would have given You, if they had tried to please
You alone in everything, and to find shelter under the shadow of your
divine protection.

My Jesus, I kiss your left foot; I thank You for all the steps You took during
your mortal life, and for all the times You tired your poor limbs, going in
search of souls to lead to your Heart. Therefore, O my Jesus, I offer You all
of my actions, steps and movements, with the intention of giving You
reparation for everything and for everyone. I ask your forgiveness for those
who do not operate with righteous intention; I unite my actions to yours in
order to divinize them, and I offer them united to all the works You did with
your Most Holy Humanity, to give You all the glory that the creatures
would have given You, had they operated in a saintly way and with upright
purposes.

O my Jesus, I kiss your right foot, and I thank You for all You have
suffered and do suffer for me, especially in this hour, in which You are
hanging on the Cross. I thank You for the excruciating crafting that the
nails are making in your wounds, which rip open more and more at the
weight of your Most Sacred Body. I ask your forgiveness for all the
rebellions and disobediences committed by creatures, offering You the
pains of your most holy feet in reparation for these offenses, to give You all
the glory that the creatures would have given You, had they been submitted
to You in everything.

O my Jesus, I kiss your most holy left hand; I thank You for all that You
have suffered for me, for all the times You have placated the Divine Justice,
satisfying for everything! I kiss your right hand, and I thank You for all the
good You have done, and You do, for all. In a special way, I thank You for
the works of Creation, of Redemption and of Sanctification. I ask your
forgiveness in the name of all, for all the times we have been ungrateful at
your benefits, for our many works done without upright intention. In
reparation for all these offenses, I intend to give You all the perfection and
sanctity of your works, to give You all the glory that the creatures would
have given You, had they corresponded to all of these benefits.
O my Jesus, I kiss your Most Sacred Heart, and I thank You for all You
have suffered, desired and yearned for, for love of all and for each one in
particular. I ask your forgiveness for the many evil desires, and for the
affections and tendencies which are not good – forgiveness, O Jesus, for
many who place your love after the love of creatures. And to give You all
the glory that these have denied You, I offer You everything that your most
adorable Heart has done and continues to do.

Reflections and Practices

Jesus, raised on the Cross, remains suspended without touching the earth.
And we - do we try to live detached from the world, from creatures, and from
everything that tastes of earth? Everything must concur to form the cross on
which we must lay ourselves, and remain suspended like Jesus, far away
from all that is earth, so that creatures may not be attached to us.
Suffering Jesus has no other bed than the Cross, no other relief than wounds
and insults. Does our love for Jesus reach the extent of finding rest in
suffering? Let us enclose everything we do - prayers, sufferings and other
things - in those wounds. Let us dip everything in the Blood of Jesus, and we
will find comfort nowhere but in His pains. Therefore, the wounds of Jesus
will be ours; His Blood will work continuously in us in order to cleanse us
and embellish us; in this way we will draw all graces for ourselves and for
the salvation of souls. With the deposit of the Blood of Jesus in our heart, if
we commit any error, we will pray Jesus not to keep us dirty in His
presence, but to wash us with His Blood, and keep us always together with
Him. If we feel weak, we will pray Jesus to give a sip of His Blood to our
souls, so as to give us strength. Sweet Jesus prays for His executioners;
even more, He excuses them. Do we make the prayer of Jesus our own in
order to continuously excuse sinners before the Father, and to plead mercy
for them, even for those who may have offended us?

While we pray, work or walk, let us also not forget the poor souls who are
about to give their last breath. Let us bring the prayers and kisses of Jesus
to their aid and comfort, so that His most precious Blood may purify them,
and let them take flight toward Heaven.

All: My Jesus, from your wounds and from your Blood, I want to draw
strength in order to repeat your own life in Me. In this way, I will be able to
plead for all, the good which You Yourself did.