Lest You Remain

fulfilled the consecration of the Cross—that wood, of which the Eastern Church sings: “Quam sacer cruor perunxit fusus Agni corpore”. 29 The depth of torments of the suffering Christ manifests itself not only through the realism, with which Fr. Papczy < ski speaks about it, but also in the description of Christ’s spiritual experiences. They accompanied Him throughout all stages of His passion, but at certain moments they became evident in a particular way. One of the most dominant experiences of our Savior was His internal joy, with which He entered the road of suffering. It showed itself right at the beginning, when Jesus, during the Last Supper, expressed His great desire to suffer and to die, so that the work of salvation could be more quickly accomplished. He even encouraged the traitor to hurry up (cf. Jn 13:27). Astonishing is the haste, with which Christ went to His painful destination. He desired to die as soon as possible so as to give life to mankind, and this very prospect filled His soul with joy, which revealed itself in exclamation uttered after the traitor had gone out: “Now is the Son of man glori- fied, and God is glorified in him” (Jn 13:31). 30 The internal feeling of joy accompanied Jesus during the way of the cross, on which He “like an athlete joyfully runs its course” (Ps 19:6). How is it possible that after so much pain, such great weakening caused by the loss of blood, weighed down with an enormous cross could Christ still rejoice? He did rejoice because He took upon Himself this great burden freely, out of love for all people. He also knew that the Cross would be for Him the title to rule over the world, which He was about to redeem. 31 The profound internal joy of Christ during His passion united itself with another sensation expressed in the cry: “I thirst” (Jn 19:28), which came down from the height of the Cross. This was not a desire for a drink, which, incidentally, Jesus refused; it was a thirst for redeeming men, his faith and conversion. 32 This call for conversion has a special significance for Fr. Papczy < ski. It had come in such cir- cumstances that it was absolutely necessary to answer it. And the answer should be not tears alone, but true contrition and earnest atonement. Father Stanislaus empha- sizes the importance of Christ’s appeal for conversion in such dramatic circum- stances by recalling the scene of the Last Judgment when Christ will remind peo- ple that He was thirsty, and they gave Him no drink. 33 Christ in the Spirituality of the Servant of God, Fr. St. Papczy < ski 205 29 Ibid., VI, 3, s. 53. 30 Ibid., II, 1, s. 10. 31 Ibid., V, 1, s. 41 n. 32 „Ah! quid sitis, Domine mi, quid siti? ‘Sitis mea’ (respondet per D. Augustinum) ‘salus vestra est: sitis mea redemptio vestra; sitio fidem vestram’, o mortales! sitio conversionem vestram, o pecca- tores!”. S. Papczy<ski , Orator Crucifixus , V, Varsaviae 1998, 56. 33 „Venturum enim tempus est, quo sitiens hic Cervus in severissimum Iudicem conversus, ita suae sitis ardentissimae et propriae salutis contemptores nefarios alloquetur ultimo damnandos: ‘Sitivi,