Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world
Leader: He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned, and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him of no esteem. Isaiah 53:2-3; Psalms 27:8-9
All: Lord, grant us restless hearts, hearts that seek your face. Keep us from the blindness of heart that sees only the surface of things. Give us the simplicity and purity that allow us to recognize your presence in the world. When we are not able to accomplish great things, grant us the courage that is born of humility and goodness. Impress your face on our hearts. May we encounter you along the way and show your image to the world.
Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be . . .
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.