Poem on the Lord's Passion

Contents

1. 1Christ on the cross addresses the passer-by, calling him to remember the innocent one who came as messenger of peace, took flesh from a virgin, and found no rest on earth.
2. 16Christ recalls his birth in a manger, his flight to Egypt, his life of poverty, teaching, and miracles, and how Jerusalem in envy sought his death on the cross.
3. 33Christ asks the reader to recall the betrayer's kiss, the scourging, Pilate's judgment, and the carrying of the cross, and to look on his bloodied head, closed eyes, and gall-poisoned tongue.
4. 47Christ shows his pierced hands, side, and feet, bids the reader kneel before the cross in tears, follow his footsteps, and use the memory of his passion as goad and shield.
5. 64The memory of the passion will keep the reader from trusting the passing world, sustain him with hope amid suffering, and lead his soul after death to reign with Christ among angels and saints.