Christ the Prisoner

The very moment is described in the Gospel of Matthew, " Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together." At that point Jesus was turned over and became a prisoner to those who wished to control Him. His death & resurrection would in turn bring freedom to us, from death and sin. Our journey as Christians is in some way a parallel to that. Our spiritual goal is to take Christ prisoner, not by control but by opening the locks that secure the doors to our heart. Capturing Christ brings us the freedom from the trials and tribulations of the world, not because we do not experience them but rather, we experience them with Christ. Conversely we surrender our lives and become a prisoner to Christ and the will of His Father, thus through mutual bondage we gain true freedom. It is in journeying towards our self that we discover that although we are sinful, disobedient, and unworthy, we are welcomed by Christ.

Litany of Humility

O Jesus!, meek and humble of heart, hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, (respond: Deliver me, Jesus.) From the desire of being loved, From the desire of being extolled, From the desire of being honored, From the desire of being praised, From the desire of being preferred, From the desire of being consulted, From the desire of being approved, From the fear of being humiliated, From the fear of being despised, From the fear of suffering rebukes, From the fear of being calumniated, From the fear of being forgotten, From the fear of being ridiculed, From the fear of being wronged, From the fear of being suspected, That others may be loved more than I, (respond: Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.) That others may be esteemed more than I, That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease, That others may be chosen and I set aside, That others may be praised and I unnoticed, That others may be preferred to me in everything, That others become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,