In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me.

I adore you with profound reverence.

I ask you for pardon of my sins and grace to make this time of prayer

fruitful. My mother immaculate, St. Joseph, my father and Lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

Do you want to accompany Jesus closely, very closely? Open the Holy Gospel and read the

passion of our Lord. Don't just read it. Live it. There is a big difference. To read is to recall something that happened in the past.

To live is to find oneself present at an event that is happening here and now, to be someone

taking part in those scenes. Then allow your heart to open wide. let it place itself next to our Lord well this advice from

St. Jose Maria about accompanying Jesus in his passion really is the tone of the entire book

the way of the cross.

It's all about accompanying our Lord, using our intellect and our will, wanting to and seeking to be close to Jesus on the cross,

and then opening our heart, loving Jesus, knowing him and loving him in his passion.

And that's what we'll try to do in this meditation as we contemplate the death of our Lord on the cross.

St. Matthew describes this amazing, ineffable moment of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice,

Eli Eli Labasabattani.

That is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And some of the bystanders hearing it said,

This man is calling Elijah.

And one of them at once ran and took a sponge,

...