literature

Passio Jesu Christi

Deviation Actions

Raven-Ironclaw

Published: Dec 3, 2016

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Literature Text

When thirty-three years had passed for Our Lord

The time came when he would fulfill the word

Of that fated death in which he would delve

That he spoke to his Apostles, the twelve,

Who sat with him in the upper room where

Their master gave his own body as fare,

Foretold his betrayal, which had a price,

And before the cock crowed, a denial thrice.

Alas! This night of all nights the test came

And the Anointed One would endure shame

From the people by whom he was once praised

And who now would order that he be raised

On an infamous gibbet there to hang.

Who knew he would suffer so great a pang?

He did this for the world to conquer sin.

And over death a victory he would win.

So with Peter, James, and John Our Lord went

To the Mount of Olives there to lament

In a garden at its base, there he prayed

While the sins of man upon him were laid.

Distress and trouble in his heart Christ felt

So strong and great that to the ground he knelt

And pled, “If it be possible, Father

“Let this chalice pass from me, but rather

What you will be done and not what I will”

And an angel came with strength to instill.

Finding the three he brought with him asleep

He said, “Watch! Pray! For temptation will creep

And spirit is willing but flesh is weak.”

Then he left to pray, the same words to speak,

“Your will be done,” and then the traitor came

With men of the chief priests, the Christ to claim,

For the one the traitor kissed was the man

Who was to be seized since that was the plan.

And Our Lord said to the traitor, “A kiss,

Friend, you betray the Son of Man like this?”

But an Apostle took a sword and lashed

And the ear of the high-priest’s slave was slashed

But Our Lord cried, “No more! Put up thy sword!

For I could call angels down with my word.

One who lives by the sword, by it will die

Or else all of scripture is a great lie.

Therefore, I must see that it is fulfilled

For such is what my Father has willed.”

Then his friends fled his side in great fear

While he was led like a lamb to the shear.

Thus he was taken to the chief of priests

While Peter followed at the very least

And sat at a fire with several guards

Where a woman posed him a question hard,

“Are you one of them who was with that man?

I believe that you are one of his clan.”

But Peter said, “Of him, I know nothing.”

After time someone said, “He is lying!

For I could swear he was with the convict.”

But the Rock again denied, “You were tricked.”

But a third came and said, “From Galilee

You are as anyone can surely see.”

And prophecy came to pass, like three chimes

Of a bell the cock crowed, denied three times

Our Lord was by Peter, Rock and first pope

And weep he did, with this he could not cope.

Meanwhile, the priests strove to concoct a lie

Which would assure that Christ would have to die

Yet no witness brought up ever agreed

With each other, so nothing was decreed.

Then did the high priest asked, “Are you God’s Son?”

Said Christ, “I am, and by the Mighty One,

There you will see the Son of man seated

Coming on clouds, with all things completed.”

And the high priest disrobed shouting, “Blaspheme!

“How, from this speech, could he himself redeem?”

And nothing now would calm the angry throng

Who spat, slapped, and mocked him for hours long

And no mercy was shown to him at all

For this, indeed, was to be his downfall

Leading up to the bloodiest of deaths

Yet op’ning heaven to its greatest breadths

For no greater love there was, he had said,

Than that one lay down his life for his friend

No matter how great the price had to be

Or how much anguish he would have to see.

Now when the traitor heard of the result

Even to him it was a great insult

And in sorrow and anger he returned,

Like one who has a long hard lesson learned,

To the chief priests without any delay.

Said he, “Innocent blood I did betray.

Take back your blood money, for I have sinned.”

“What matter to us is the guilt you pinned

On your very self?” they said in reply.

Thus sorrow became a despairing why

And throwing the money, giving up hope,

He then hanged himself with a strand of rope.

With the blood money leftover was bought

The potter’s field for the dead stranger’s lot

For it was as the Prophet once did say

And the Field of Blood it is called today.

Now heed this warning all traitors of lords,

For I speak only the truth with my words:

If you wish not to enter, when you die,

The mouth of the father of every lie,

Then repent of your sin with all your heart

And forgiveness, yes, will Our Lord impart,

Or else suffer the cold of Satan’s hand

As the pilgrim Dante said of that land.

So Our Lord to Pontius Pilate was brought

With all the accusations the Jews wrought

And after hearing the charges drawn out

He asked, “What have you to say to this rout?

Are you King of the Jews as they announce?”

And Christ replied, “It is as you pronounce.

This is why I was born among all men.”

“And is there any defense you intend?”

But Christ was silent and Pilate wondered

And his next choice very long he pondered.

So to the Jews he said, “I find no guilt.”

But the riot cried, “In Galilee he built

A great stir in the people of the land.”

Thus Pilate sent Christ into Herod’s hand

And happy he was to receive the Lord

For much he had heard by method of word

And he wished Christ to perform some great sign

But to this request, Christ would not resign

So the soldiers mocked him without pity

And sent him back to Pilate’s committee.

Said he to the Jews, “No guilt do I find

And Herod’s judgment was liken to mine.

Therefore do I command he be released.”

Now ‘twas the day of the governor’s feast

When freeing a prisoner was routine

And thief Barabbas was brought on the scene.

“Which should I release to you? Thief or King?”

“Barabbas release!” their voices did ring.

But Pilate did not wish Our Lord be killed

So he had him scourged, the Jews’ hearts to fill

With such regret that they might think again

And choose to release Christ form all the pain.

But their rage was relentless and they cried,

“To death with him, let him be crucified!”

“Shall I crucify your King of the Jews?”

“We have no king but Caesar! This we choose!”

And Pilate, defeated, gave in to them.

The sentence was performed--Christ was condemned.

He was a king, yes, but not of this earth,

But why he chose this lowly human birth

Was to raise us up, for us to achieve

The heavenly bliss lost because of Eve.

So with the crown of thorns placed on his head

On the way of the cross Our Lord was led

With a burden of the wood on his back

Much like that borne by ancient, Isaac.

But the weight of the cross could not equate

To the weight of sin and terrible fate

Our Lord was to now endure for all men

And their safe passage to the home of heaven.

He fell many a time on the long way

So in order to keep death delayed

They seized Simon of Cyrene to carry

The cross for Our Lord and not to tarry.

The prophecy of his death had to be kept

And many women bemoaned and wept

But he said to them, “Do not weep for me,

But for yourselves and your children truly.”

At last they came to the place of the skull

And the condemned were offered wine with gall

But Christ refused the drug, and so it began.

They tore his garments and among the clan

Divided them and cast lots for the cloth

Without a seam which they refused to swath

And a sign was made: Jesus King of Jews

But to remove it Pilate did refuse.

Then Our Lord laid himself on the great cross

And with every nail he took, blood was lost.

Then he was lifted up and made a stock

Of laughter, jeering and indignant mock

For he claimed he was God but would not save

Himself, despite all the signs to others he gave.

But for the thief who believed, paradise

With the Lord was to be given as prize.

Thus the three hours passed in agony

And seven final words, Christ did decree

Before he released his weight and his ghost,

The beloved son, who pleased God the most.

And the earth shook, the veil tore, graves opened,

The Temple destroyed, the Old Law ended.

Now the Jews because it was the great Pasch

That the bodies may not remain, did ask

That their legs be broken to ensure death.

But when they came to Christ, who spent his breath,

They took a lance and pierced his blessed side

And blood and water flowed like a flood tide.

Thus, he who bore witness knows it not flawed

When he says, “Truly, He was the Son of God.”

bible catholic gospel scripture sacredscriptre chaucer christian jesuschrist narrative passionofthechrist poetry

A creative assignment I did for a literature course in university.

It is a retelling of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ written in a poetic style imitating that of Geoffrey Chaucer which he used in his "Canterbury Tales", with ten-syllable lines with every two lines rhyming. I was very proud of this work.

Sacred Scripture itself, specifically the Four Gospels, came really in handy in getting down the narrative.

Gloria Tibi Domine!