From the book The Three Hours' Agony of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Rev. Peter Guilday (Longman’s, Green, and Company, 1926). Full Audio.
2 — First Word
In this first word powerfully reflects on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, portraying it as the culmination of four thousand years of human sin and shame, where the Son of God, crucified between thieves, bore the weight of all humanity's transgressions—past, present, and future. It emphasizes that our sins, as much as those of the Roman soldiers and the mocking crowd, contributed to His agonizing death, yet in His sublime mercy, Jesus pleaded, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," offering forgiveness instead of vengeance. Amidst cosmic upheaval—darkness, trembling earth, and splitting rocks—His death was a redemptive act, underscored by a profound miracle of pardon that eclipsed the old law of retribution with a new law of love and forgiveness. The narrative urges us to emulate this divine example, to forgive others as freely as we are forgiven, transforming our hardened hearts with a love that mirrors Christ's, uniting us as children of God under the banner of His victorious Cross.
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