From notebook 34 of Father Eustáquio

Meditating on the Passion of Jesus Christ—what subject could be more worthy of our reflection, more capable of occupying our minds, touching our hearts, enlivening and enlivening our feelings, and producing in us the most salutary impressions! The Passion of Jesus makes us know the immense love that God has for us. And what greater proof could He give us of His love than to die for us? Considering the Passion of Jesus makes us know the excellence and value of our souls. What is our worth? How much are we worth in the eyes of God Himself? See at what price you were redeemed.

Considering the Passion of Jesus makes us aware of the enormity and utter horror of sin; through it we can also comprehend the immeasurable rigor of God's justice and vengeance against sin. Oh, how great is the mercy that shines like a resplendent sun in the Passion of Jesus! How profound is the source of grace that we find in the Passion of Jesus Christ! Let us, therefore, consider and meditate with great attention, with the help of our Mother Mary, on the Passion of Jesus.

It is not the first time, I suppose, dearest brothers, that you have meditated on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Surely, you have often imagined yourselves following Him with much sorrow in your hearts, with tears in your eyes, in the footsteps of your suffering Savior. How many times, in your meditation, have you imagined yourselves climbing the most sorrowful Calvary, where so many blood-red flowers bloom, born from the Blood of our Savior! But, following your Jesus again, new graces will be gained, new strength, new consolations. Although the Passion of Our Lord Jesus extends from the poor manger of Bethlehem to the bloody cross, let us content ourselves, for now, with the last moments of His Passion.

If we wish to reap many fruits from this meditation, let us be attentive like Our Lady, the most sorrowful Mother of Jesus; compassionate like Veronica; contrite like Mary Magdalene; trusting in the death and Passion of Jesus, like the good thief. After a journey of pain and suffering, Jesus reached Mount Calvary, situated outside the city of Jerusalem. The arduous journey had exhausted the strength of Our Lord Jesus Christ. With even greater difficulty, He climbed Calvary, carrying the heavy cross on His shoulders. As soon as He arrived at Calvary, completely exhausted from pain and fatigue, they gave Him wine mixed with gall to drink, as was the custom to offer to those condemned to the cross, to lessen their pain. Jesus, however, wanting to suffer without relief, only tasted it and refused to drink.

Then, with the crowd forming a circle around Our Lord, the soldiers tore off His garments, ripping open His already wounded and lacerated body; and, along with the garments, they also tore off pieces of flesh. Jesus lay down, like an innocent lamb, on the holy cross; He stretched out His arms, and the soldiers, furious, took the nails and hammers and, piercing the hands and feet of our Savior, nailed Him to the cross. Saint Bernard affirms that, in the crucifixion of Jesus, the executioners used blunt nails to cause even more violent pain. The sound of the hammer blows resounds across the mountain and reaches Mary's ears. O my Mother, Mary, why are you tormented in such a way, being so innocent? It is my guilty hands that have so often surrendered to sin.

Why do these nails pierce these holy feet, which have so often weary themselves in the search for the lost sheep? O Mary, it is my feet that are guilty, so often weary in the pursuit of sin. O head of my Jesus, why are you crowned thus? Why do these sharp thorns wound you? Why does this blood flow in rivers from your sacred head? It is my sins, my thoughts, my evil desires, my pride that have made you suffer so much. O Jesus, here are my hands, my feet, my head: wound them, but spare me in eternity. Behold, they raise the cross with the Crucified One and let it fall forcefully into the hole opened in the rock. They then fill it with stones and sticks, and Jesus remains suspended on the cross between two thieves. O God, how much our dying Savior suffers on the cross! Each part of his body has its pains, and one cannot relieve the other, because his hands and feet are firmly nailed.

At every moment, He suffers mortal pains. Sometimes He supports Himself on His hands, sometimes on His feet; but, in any position, the pain increases, because the most sacred body of Jesus rests on its own wounds. With all these sufferings, Jesus reaches the limit of His strength, and thirst torments Him.
Raising his head slightly, he cries out: "I'm thirsty.".

There was a jar there full of vinegar. They soaked a sponge in it and, tied to a hyssop branch, brought it to his mouth. Oh Jesus, at this moment I imagine I hear the same voice again: — I thirst.

I thirst for your souls, poor sinners buried in sin; I thirst for the souls of innocent children who are still unbaptized; I thirst for the hearts that have not received Holy Communion for a long time; I thirst for the souls who are in danger of dying and do not want to be reconciled with me; I thirst for the consolation of my sons and daughters in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. Do we also quench the thirst of Jesus with vinegar—with a cold heart, without communion, without confession?

Beloved brothers and sisters, let us quench this thirst for Our Lord Jesus Christ in these days. Let us quench it by purifying our hearts from our sins. Let us quench it by fulfilling the will of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the thirst of souls, the thirst for our salvation, the thirst for our glory.
Amen.