Seven words of the Savior on the Cross

Holy thought! Don’t you want to still be with our Savior crucified on the Cross and hear His last sweetest words, which He spoke on the Cross, and of which there are seven? First. Praying for those crucifying, He said this to His Father: “Father! forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Remembering this, O God-loving man, forgive your enemies the sins, praying that their sins may be forgiven. Also, with tenderness and tears, ask God for forgiveness, saying: I have sinned, forgive me! Second. When those passing by blasphemed Him, shaking their heads, and said: “Eh! Destroying the church and creating in three days! If You are the Son of God, save Yourself and come down from the Cross” (Matthew 27:40; Mark 15:29), then the robbers crucified with Him reviled Him. Jesus, hearing how the ungrateful people and His enemies, even on the Cross, insulted Him with their ingratitude and reviled Him, cried out loudly, saying: “My God, My God! Why did you leave me!” (Matthew 27:46). Remembering these words of Christ, and you exclaim to Him in great tenderness of heart, exclaim to God, saying: “O Son of God, Word of God, Christ my Savior, who suffered for me on the Cross in the flesh, hear me crying to You: My God, why have You forsaken me? Raise the fallen! Revive him who was killed by many sins, so that I do not perish in sins! Accept my repentance and have mercy on me!” Third. One of the villains who were hanged with Him blasphemed Him, saying: “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us” (Luke 23:39). Another stopped him, saying: “Or are you not afraid of God, when you yourself are condemned to the same thing? And we are condemned justly, because we accepted what was worthy of our deeds, but He did nothing bad.” And he said to Jesus: “Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom! And Jesus said to him: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:40-43). Reflecting on this merciful word of Christ to the repentant thief, we too will approach Him with fervent repentance, confessing our sins just as the prudent thief did not hide his sins, but confessed that he was suffering according to his deserts and for his sins. In addition, he also confessed that the Son of God was innocent, and believed that He was not just a man, but the Lord. He directed his cry to Him, because he believed in Him as the King and Lord of the True God. Therefore, the execution carried out on him was imputed to him as punishment for his sins, and he departed, according to the words of the Lord, to His kingdom. So, let us also cry out to Him in repentance, like the thief: “Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom!” (Luke 23:42) Fourth. Jesus, seeing His Mother and the disciple whom He loved standing at the Cross, “said to His Mother: “Woman! This is Your son." Then he says to the student: “This is your Mother!” (John 19:27). Here I will quote the word of St. John Chrysostom about the crucifixion of the Lord, in response to the lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos. “Why did the Mother who gave birth to the Most Pure One suffer unbearably? For what reason?! Because She is a Mother! What thorn did not sting Her soul?! What arrows did not pierce Her heart? What spears have not tormented Her entire being! That is why She could not resist with her friends standing with Her near the Cross, condoling and crying with Her about the misfortune, She could not even stand nearby. Not having the strength to endure the trembling of her heart and wanting to hear the last words of her beloved Son, she fell to Him and, standing at the Cross and sobbing, exclaimed with a groan: “What does this horror mean, unbearable for My eyes, My Lord? What is this miracle that eclipses the light of the sun, O My Son? What is this perplexing mystery, Sweet Jesus? I cannot see You naked, dressed in light as with vestments! And now what do I see? The warriors cast lots for Your clothing, for the clothing that I have woven with My own hands. My soul is tormented, seeing You hanging in the middle of the entire universe on a high tree between two villains. You bring one into paradise, showing the image of pagan conversion, and you are patient with the other who blasphemes, showing the image of the bitterness of the Jews. Oh envy! You walked around all the righteous who have lived since the ages and touched My Sweetest Child. O premium and ethereal Forces! Come together with Me and weep. O sun! Have compassion for My Child; turn into darkness, for soon the light of My eyes will go underground. O moon! Hide your rays, for the dawn of My soul is already entering the grave. Where has Thy beauty disappeared, “most beautiful of all the sons of men” (see Ps. 44:3)? How has the brightness of Your eyes darkened, O eye that dries up the depths? Having said this, the Mother of God became exhausted and, standing before the Cross, covering Her face with her hands, was perplexed in despair. Jesus, bowing His head to the right side and quietly turning away His lips, said: “Woman! This is Your son,” pointing to His disciple John the Theologian. Reflecting on all this, faithful soul, pray to God with tears, saying: “Lord, have mercy.” Fifth. After this, Jesus, knowing that everything had already been accomplished, said that the Scripture might be fulfilled: I thirst (John 19:28). A vessel full of vinegar stood nearby. The soldiers filled a sponge with vinegar, put it on a cane and moved it to His lips. Remembering this, with tenderness of heart let us exclaim to Him: “Crucified for our sake, Christ our Savior, our sweetness, give us to drink from the abundance of Your house with the sweet drink, and when You come to judge with glory, may we be satisfied when Your glory appears. Here, do not despise us, the hungry and thirsty, but grant us worthy to be worthy partakers of the Most Pure Mysteries of the Body and Blood, which You shed for us, make us worthy and not condemned forever and ever.” Sixth. When Jesus took the vinegar, He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Remembering this word, say this: “Christ, our Savior and Redeemer! Make us perfect before You, so that, walking in the path of Your commandments, we will be perfect in good deeds and hear this most exalted call: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Seventh. Exclaiming loudly, Jesus said: “Father! Into Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46). Having said this, He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. Here, holy thought of God, think like this. Who betrayed the spirit? Son of God, our Creator and our Redeemer. Therefore, with the great desire of your heart, speak to Him: “When the terrible hour of separation of my soul from the body comes, then, my Redeemer, take it into Your hands and keep it free from all calamities, so that my soul may not see the dark gaze of wicked demons, but may it pass through all these ordeals saved. O our Savior! We firmly hope to receive this from Your philanthropy and mercy.” Since it was Friday then, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on Saturday, “for that Sabbath was a great day” (John 19:31), the Jews prayed to Pilate to break the legs of the hanged man and remove them. The soldiers arrived and broke the legs of the first one, and then the other one who was crucified with Christ. They did not break Jesus’ legs, for they saw that He had already died, but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately Blood and water flowed out: Blood for our sanctification, and water for washing. Then all creation was struck with fear, seeing everyone's life dead and hanging on the tree. Then Joseph of Arimathea came to ask for the Body of Jesus and, taking it down from the tree, laid it in a new Tomb. “Arise, O Lord our God, and deliver us for Thy name’s sake” (Ps. 43:27). Amen.