Prone in Gethsemane upon His face,–
His eyelids closed, — lay Christ of all our world, —
The winds with endless sorrows seemed enswirled;
A little fountain murmured of its pain
Reflecting the pale sickle of the moon; —
Then was the hour when the Angel brought
From God’s high throne the Cup of bitter horn,
While on His hands tears trembling fell like rain.

Before the Christ a cross arose on high;
He saw His own young body hanging there
Mangled, distorted; knotted ropes half-tear
The sinews from their sockets; saw He nigh
The jagged nails’ hot rage, the direful Crown
Upon His head, and every dripping thorn
Red-laden, as in fury of its scorn
The thunder battered all kind voices down.
He heard the pattering drops, as from the cross
A piteous sobbing whispered and grew still.
Then Jesus sighed, and every pore did spill
A bloody sweat —

   ~Annette Von Droste-Hulshoff (1797-1848)

For Reflection:

Take this poem into your prayer time meditation as you consider the great gift of our redemption. How is Jesus speaking to me in it?

Experience Grace In Abundance:
Ten Strategies for Your Spiritual Life NEW! by Johnnette Benkovic
Pb 304 pages
Click Here For More Information:                            STRATEGY 3
Make Use Of The Sacraments
Eucharist:  The Sacrament of Spiritual Nourishment
Central to the Eucharistic celebration are the matter of bread and wine and the form (or words) of consecration.  Following the proper rubrics and through the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the pronouncement of Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, the bread and wine become “in a way surpassing understanding” (CCC1333), the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.