In This Present Time

Romans 11:5-6

Your eyes are the window to the soul.  Sometimes the eyes will deceive you when your mind's view point is distorted. 

However this happens when one indulge in tainted substances that changes the mindset to appear to see things not as they really appear. 

The substances that’s digested  makes the mind  delusional that is cause by stripping the emotion to neither hot nor cold but Lukewarm.

Dr. Prophet Theresa Maxwell

That day, as usual, customers paid a cover charge to get in, a bit extra to sit at ringside seats.

at  expressing convey (a thought or feeling) in words or by gestures and conduct.

 location  particular place or position.

".                                                            Nnnn.    The property is set in a convenient location"

or arrival in a particular place or position. the present 

a particular place. a doctor 1. A teacher.There stood up one in the council, 

5.One who has passed all the degrees of a faculty, and is empowered to practice and teach it, as a doctor in divinity, in physic, in law; or according to modern usage, ad person who has received the highest degree in a faculty

Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law. Acts . The degree of doctor is conferred by universities and colleges, as an honorary mark of literary distinction. It is also conferred on physicians, as a professional degree.A learned man; a man skilled in a profession; a man of erudition.A physician; one whose occupation is to cure diseases.The title, doctor, is given to certain fathers of the church whose opinions are received as authorities, and in the Greek church, it is given to a particular officer who interprets the scriptures.Doctors Commons, the college of civilians in London.

DOCTOR, v.t. To apply medicines for the cure of diseases. A popular use of this word, but not elegant.

DOCTOR, v.i. To practice physic. Not elegant must be present at the ringside  the area just outside a ring especially in which a contest occurs a place that affords a close view

the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

REM'NANT  Remaining; yet left. And quiet dedicate her remnant life to the just duties of a humble wife. Little used.   The. remnant that are left of the captivity.That which remains after a part is done, performed, told or passed.The remnant of my tale is of a length to tire your patience. Where I may think the remnant of my thoughts.

there’llin, at, or to that place or position."we went on to Paris and stayed there eleven days"used in attracting someone's attention or calling attention to someone or something. is   Holy Spirit   remnant, Residue; that which is left after the separation, removal or destruction of a part.

                          

chosen Selected from a number; picked out; taken in preference; elected; predestinated; designated to office.Select; distinguished by preference; eminent.His chosen captains are drowned in the sea. Ex. 15.Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. 1 Pet. 2.

CHOSE, n. In law, property in action; a right to possession; or that which may be demanded and recovered by suit or action at law. Thus, money due on a bond or note is a chose in action; a recompense for damage done is a chose in action; the former proceeding from an express, the latter from an implied contract. A contract executed is a chose in possession; a contract executory conveys only a chose in action. A chose local is annexed to a place, as a mill or the like; a chose transitory is a thing which is movable.

by identifying the agent performing an action.indicating the means of achieving something.malaria can be controlled by attacking the parasite"

grace. GRACE, n. L. gratia, which is formed on the Celtic; Eng. agree, congruous, and ready. The primary sense of gratus, is free, ready, quick, willing, prompt, from advancing.Favor; good will; kindness; disposition to oblige another; as a grant made as an act of grace.Or each, or all, may win a lady's grace. Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him.And if by grace,then it is no more of works. Rom.11.Favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin.My grace is sufficient for thee. 2 Cor.12.The application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Rom.5.A state of reconciliation to God. Rom.5.2.Virtuous or religious affection or disposition, as a liberal disposition, faith, meekness, humility, patience, &c. proceeding from divine influence.Spiritual instruction, improvement and edification. Eph.4.29.Apostleship, or the qualifications of an apostle. Eph. 3.8.Eternal life; final salvation. 1 Pet.1.13.Favor; mercy; pardon.Bow and sue for graceWith suppliant knee.Favor conferred.I should therefore esteem it a great favor and grace.Privilege.To few great Jupiter imparts this grace.That in manner, deportment or language which renders it appropriate and agreeable; suitableness; elegance with appropriate dignity. We say, a speaker delivers his address with grace; a man performs his part with grace.Grace was in all her steps.Her purple habit sits with such a graceOn her smooth shoulders Natural or acquired excellence; any endowment that recommends the possessor to others; as the graces of wit and learning.Beauty; embellishment; in general, whatever adorns and recommends to favor; sometimes, a single beauty.I pass their form and every charming grace.Beauty deified; among pagans, a goddess. The graces were three in number, Aglaia, Thalia, and Euphrosyne, the constant attendants of Venus.The loves delighted, and the graces played. Virtue physical; as the grace of plants. Not used.The title of a duke or an archbishop, and formerly of the king of England, meaning your goodness or clemency. His Grace the Duke of York. Your Grace will please to accept my thanks.A short prayer before or after meat; a blessing asked, or thanks rendered.In music, graces signifies turns, trills and shakes introduced for embellishment.

Day in grace, in theology, time of probation, when an offer is made to sinners.

Days in grace, in commerce, the days immediately following the day when a bill or note becomes due, which days are allowed to the debtor or payor to make payment in. In Great Britain and the United States the days of grace are three, but in other countries more; the usages of merchants being different.

GRACE, v.t. To adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify. Great Jove and Phoebus graced his noble line.And hail, ye fair, of every charm possess'd,Who grace this rising empire of the west.To dignify or raise by act of favor; to honor.He might at his pleasure grace or disgrace whomhe would in court.To favor; to honor.To supply with heavenly grace.

But used to introduce a phrase or clause contrasting with what has already been mentioned.

if introducing a conditional clause) on the condition or supposition that; in the event that.if you have a complaint, write to the director"it used to refer to a thing previously mentioned or easily identified.

is  by identifying the agent performing an action indicating the means of achieving something.malaria can be controlled by attacking the parasite"simple elegance or refinement of movement.she moved through the water with effortless grace"

grace, "THE GRACE OF GOD" ... And it is of interest to note that Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary puts as its first definition of grace, "unmerited divine assistance given man for his regeneration or sanctification." So grace is favor, "unmerited favor Divine grace is a theological term present in many religions. It has been defined as the divine influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptation; and as an individual virtue or excellence of divine origin.

GRACE, n. L. gratia, which is formed on the Celtic; Eng. agree, congruous, and ready. The primary sense of gratus, is free, ready, quick, willing, prompt, from advancing.Favor; good will; kindness; disposition to oblige another; as a grant made as an act of grace Or each, or all, may win a lady's grace.Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him.And if by grace,then it is no more of works. Rom.11.Favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin.My grace is sufficient for thee. 2 Cor.12. The application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner.Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Rom.5.A state of reconciliation to God. Rom.5.2.Virtuous or religious affection or disposition, as a liberal disposition, faith, meekness, humility, patience, &c. proceeding from divine influence. Spiritual instruction, improvement and edification. Eph.4.29.Apostleship, or the qualifications of an apostle. Eph. 3.8. Eternal life; final salvation. 1 Pet.1.13.Favor; mercy; pardon.Bow and sue for graceWith suppliant knee. Favor conferred.should therefore esteem it a great favor and grace.Privilege To few great Jupiter imparts this grace. That in manner, deportment or language which renders it appropriate and agreeable; suitableness; elegance with appropriate dignity. We say, a speaker delivers his address with grace; a man performs his part with grace.Grace was in all her steps.Her purple habit sits with such a graceOn her smooth shoulders.Natural or acquired excellence; any endowment that recommends the possessor to others; as the graces of wit and learning.Beauty; embellishment; in general, whatever adorns and recommends to favor; sometimes, a single beauty.pass their form and every charming grace.Beauty deified; among pagans, a goddess. The graces were three in number, Aglaia, Thalia, and Euphrosyne, the constant attendants of Venus.The loves delighted, and the graces played.Virtue physical; as the grace of plants. Not used.The title of a duke or an archbishop, and formerly of the king of England, meaning your goodness or clemency. His Grace the Duke of York. Your Grace will please to accept my thanks.A short prayer before or after meat; a blessing asked, or thanks rendered. In music, graces signifies turns, trills and shakes introduced for embellishment.Day in grace, in theology, time of probation, when an offer is made to sinners.Days in grace, in commerce, the days immediately following the day when a bill or note becomes due, which days are allowed to the debtor or payor to make payment in. In Great Britain and the United States the days of grace are three, but in other countries more; the usages of merchants being different.GRACE, v.t. To adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify.Great Jove and Phoebus graced his noble line.And hail, ye fair, of every charm possess'd,Who grace this rising empire of the west.To dignify or raise by act of favor; to honor.He might at his pleasure grace or disgrace whomhe would in court.To favor; to honor.To supply with heavenly grace.

used to refer to a thing previously mentioned or easily identified.room with two beds in it"used to identify a person.is Holy Spirit no an act or instance of refusing or denying by the use of the word no : denial received a firm no in reply. 2a : a negative vote or decision. b noes or nos plural : persons voting in the negative.

longer. measuring a great distance from end to end. .measuring a great distance from end to end.

on physically in contact with and supported by (a surface).on the table was a water jug"forming a distinctive or marked part of (the surface of something)."a scratch on her arm"

the denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge.what's the matter?"used to point forward to a following qualifying or defining clause or phrase."the fuss that he made of her"

basis support or foundation for an idea, argument, or process."trust is the only basis for a good working relationship"system or principles according to which an activity or process is carried on. needed coaching on a regular basis"

of expressing the relationship between a part and a whole.the sleeve of his coat"expressing the relationship between a scale or measure and a value.an increase of 5 percent"

works; orksactivity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.he was tired after a day's work in the fields"1. In a general sense, to move, or to move one way and the other; to perform; as in popular language it is said, a mill or machine works well. To labor; to be occupied in performing manual labor, whether severe or moderate. One man works better than another; one man works hare; another works lazily.To be in action or motion; as the working of the heart.To act; to carry on operations.Our better part remains to work in close design.To operate; to carry on business; to be customarily engaged or employed in. Some work in the mines, others in the loom, others at the anvil.They that work in fine flax. Isaiah 19.To ferment; as, unfermented liquors work violently in hot weather.To operate; to produce effects by action or influence.All things work together for good to them that love God. Roman 8.This so wrought upon the child, that afterwards he desired to be taught.To obtain by diligence. Little used.To act or operate on the stomach and bowels; as a cathartic.To labor; to strain; to move heavily; as, a ship works in a tempest.To be tossed or agitated.Confused with working sands and rolling waves.To enter by working; as, to work into the earth.To work on, to act on; to influence.To work up, to make way.Body shall up to spirit work.To work tot windward, among seamen, to sail or ply against the wind; to beat.

WORK, v.t. To move; to stir and mix; as, to work mortar.To form by labor; to mold, shape or manufacture; as, to work wood or iron into a form desired, or into an utensil; to work cotton or wool into cloth.To bring into any state by action. A foul stream, or new wine or cider, works itself clear.To influence by acting upon; to manage; to lead.An work your royal father to his ruin.To make by action, labor or violence. A stream works a passage or a new channel.Sidelong he works his way.To produce by action, labor or exertion.We might work any effect--only by the unity of nature.Each herb he knew, that works or good or ill.To embroider; as, to work muslin.To direct the movements of, by adapting the sails to the wind; as, to work a ship.To put to labor; to exert.Work every nerve.Mmmm To cause to ferment, as liquor.To work out,To effect by labor and exertion.Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2.To expend in any work, as materials. They have worked up all the stock.To work double tides, in the language of seamen, to perform the labor of three days in two; a phrase taken from the practice f working by the night tide as well as by the day.To work into, to make way, or to insinuate; as, to work ones self into favor or confidence.To work a passage, among seamen, to pay for a passage by doing duty on board of the ship.WORK, Labor; employment; exertion of strength; particularly in man, manual labor.State of labor; as, to be at work.Awkward performance. What work you make!That which is made or done; as good work, or bad work.Embroidery; flowers or figures wrought with the needle.Any fabric or manufactureThe matter on which one is at work. In rising she dropped her work.Action; deed; feat; achievement; as the works of bloody Mars.Operation.As to the composition or dissolution of mixed bodies, which is the chief work of elements--Effect; that which proceeds from agency.Fancy wild work produces oft, and most in dreams.Management; treatment.That which is produced by mental labor; a composition; a book; as the works of Addison.Works, in the plural, walls, trenches and the like, made for fortifications.In theology, moral duties or external performances, as distinct from grace.To set to work, To set on work, to employ; to engage in any business.

otherwise 1. in circumstances different from those present or considered; or else.the collection brings visitors who might not come to the college otherwise"

grace 

would past of will¹, in various senses."he said he would be away for a couple of days"(expressing the conditional mood) indicating the consequence of an imagined event or situation.he would lose his job if he were identified"

no used to give a negative response.anything wrong?

:	infeed  absolutely not, most certainly not, of course not, under no circumstances, by no means, not at all, negative, never, not really, no

longer     be grace.Extended; drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length; opposed to short, and contradistinguished from broad or wide. Long is a relative term; for a thing may be long in respect to one thing, and short with respect to another. We apply long to things greatly extended, and to things which exceed the common measure. we say, a long way, a long distance, a long line, and long hair, long arms. By the latter terms, we mean hair and arms exceeding the usual length.Drawn out or extended in time; as a long time; a long period of time; a long while; a long series of events; a long sickness or confinement; a long session; a long debate.Extended to any certain measure expressed; as a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, &c.Dilatory; continuing for an extended time.Tedious; continued to a great length. A tale should never be too long.Continued in a series to a great extent; as a long succession of princes; a long line of ancestors Continued in sound; protracted; as a long note; a long syllable.Continued; lingering or longing.Praying for him, and casting a long look that way, he saw the galley leave the pursuit.Extensive; extending far in prospect or into futurity.The perennial existence of bodies corporate and their fortunes, are things particularly suited to a man who has long views.Long home, the grave or death. Eccles. 41.

LONG, n. Formerly, a musical note equal to two breves. Obs.LONG, adv.To a great extent in space; as a long extended line.To a great extent in time; as, they that tarry long at the wine. Prov. 23.When the trumpet soundeth long. Ex. 19. So in composition we say, long-expected, long-forgot.At a point of duration far distant, either prior or posterior; as not long before; not long after; long before the foundation of Rome; long after the conquest of Gaul by Julius Cesar. Through the whole extent or duration of.The God who fed me all my life long to this day. Gen. 48.The bird of dawning singeth all night long.

LONG, adv.By means of; by the fault of; owing to. Obs.Mistress, all this evil is long of you.LONG, v.t. To belong. Not used.LONG, v.i.To desire earnestly or eagerly.I long to see you. Romans 1.I have longed after thy precepts. Ps. 119.I have longed for thy salvation. Ps. 119  To have a preternatural craving appetite; as a longing woman.To have an eager appetite; as, to long for fruit.

Prayer for understanding 1

Psalm 119:153/160

Pray for Understanding

The title Being connected to God

Psalm 119:153-160 King James Version (KJV)

153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.

154 Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.

155 Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.

156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord: quicken me according to thy judgments.

157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.

158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.

159 Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.

160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget Thy law” (Psalm 119:153).

The Psalmist opens His prayer with a divine plead.

In this pleading passage, the key word is, "Consider."

Three points. 

There are three points I would like you to consider. 

Trails, .1Peter 2:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold 

 Patience,  James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 Stand, Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

God consider you when you had a inability to hear Him.

The psalmist evidence is demonstrated by the fruit displayed from his Spirit. Which tells us that the Psalmist was one who knew God. .

The psalmist cries -- "Look into my grief and see. This intimate cried out to  God gives in detail why He should be considered.

My scripture for the Psalmist

Psalm 26:2 King James Bible Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

In conclusion  

Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,,

 God considers you when he was the nail to the cross. 

God consider you when they whip and beat him all night long. 
It wasn’t, the nails that, kept Him on the cross, It was the love for the crack addict the drug dealer the fornicator the adulterous liar and thief.
God considers you when He asks Satan have you consider my servant. Job 1:3 
In closing
 I declare and decree this day before you eat the bread of the body and drink the blood offer which represents the new covenant. 
Consider Him who knew no sin but became sin.
Consider Him whose love is, unwavering,
Consider Him who will never leave nor forsake you 
Consider Him whose  love has no conditions 
Consider Him who consider you.

Seal in His promise

 You were sealed in His promise by the stamp blood of Jesus Christ blood and sesl us with the blood that ran down to the guttermist yo the utter most of man. 

That no other name under he's in can provide you with your blood that us half man and half Gid redeem brought us back out if the enomues hands that nobwrspin diemef against us shall prosper there is no other name than the name if Hesys was strong enough for God is more than enough.  with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13–14)  

As one means of guaranteeing His promises to those who have received Jesus Christ, God has sealed [them] in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. Every believer is given the very Holy Spirit of God the moment he trusts in Christ. 

You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwell-s in you,” Paul declares (Rom. 8:9a). Conversely, he goes on to say, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (v. 9b). Incredibly, the body of every true Christian is actually “a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in [him]” (1 Cor. 6:19).

When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in his life. Life in Jesus Christ is different because the Spirit of God is now within. He is there to empower us, equip us for ministry, and function through the gifts He has given us. 

God has set free but you continue to go back like a dog to eat your vomit keeping  you with in a slave mentality.

The Holy Spirit is our Helper and Advocate. He protects and encourages us. He also guarantees our inheritance in Jesus Christ. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16–17). The Spirit of God is our securing force, our guarantee.

The sealing of which Paul speaks here refers to an official mark of identification that was placed on a letter, contract, or other important document. The seal usually was made from hot wax, which was placed on the document and then impressed with a signet ring. The document was thereby officially identified with and under the authority of the person to whom the signet belonged.

That is the idea behind our being sealed in Him [Christ] with the Holy Spirit of promise. The seal of God’s Spirit in the believer signifies four primary things: security, authenticity, ownership, and authority.

Security. In ancient times the seal of a king, prince, or noble represented security and inviolability. When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, King Darius, along with his nobles, placed their seals on the stone placed over the entrance to the den, “so that nothing might be changed in regard to Daniel” (Dan. 6:17). 

Any person but the king who broke or disturbed that seal would likely have forfeited his life. In a similar way the tomb where Jesus was buried was sealed. Fearing that Jesus’ disciples might steal His body and falsely claim His resurrection, the Jewish leaders obtained Pilate’s permission to place a seal on the stone and to guard it with soldiers (Matt. 27:62–66).

In an infinitely greater way, the Holy Spirit secures each believer, marking him with His own inviolable seal. When King Ahab tried unsuccessfully to get Naboth to sell or trade his vineyard, Queen Jezebel volunteered to get the vineyard her way. “So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal” and sent the letters to various nobles who lived in Naboth’s city, demanding that they arrange false accusations of blasphemy and treason against him. 

The nobles did as they were instructed, and Naboth was stoned to death because of the false charges. The king then simply confiscated the vineyard he had so strongly coveted (1 Kings 21:6–16). Despite the deceptions contained in the letters Jezebel sent, the letters themselves were authentically from the king, because they were sent with his approval and marked with his seal. The seal was his signature.

When God gives us His Holy Spirit, it is as if He stamps us with a seal that reads, “This person belongs to Me and is an authentic citizen of My divine kingdom and member of My divine family.”

Ownership. While Jerusalem was under siege by Nebuchadnezzar and Jeremiah was under arrest by King Zedekiah for prophesying against the king and the nation, the Lord gave special instructions to His prophet. Jeremiah was told to buy some land in Anathoth for which he had redemption rights. The contract was agreed on, and the stipulated payment was made in the court of the palace guard before the required number of witnesses. In the presence of the witnesses the deed was signed and sealed, establishing Jeremiah as the new legal owner of the property (Jer. 32:10).

When the Holy Spirit seals believers, He marks them as God’s divine possessions, who from that moment on entirely and eternally belong to Him, The Spirit’s seal declares the transaction of salvation as divinely official and final.

Authority. Even after Haman had been hanged for his wicked plot to defame and execute Mordecai, Queen Esther was distressed about the decree that Haman had persuaded King Ahasuerus to make that permitted anyone in his kingdom to attack and destroy the Jews. 

Because the king could not even himself revoke the decree that was marked with his own seal, he issued and sealed another decree that permitted and even encouraged the Jews to arm and defend themselves (Esther 8:8–12). In both cases the absolute authority of the decrees was represented in the king’s seal. Those who possessed the sealed decree of the king had the king’s delegated authority set forth in the decree.

When Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit they are delegated to proclaim, teach, minister, and defend God’s Word and His gospel with the Lord’s own authority.

Dr. Prophet Theresa Maxwell 

Seven Words of the Cross

Christ Jesus died on the Cross to redeem mankind, to save us from our sins because of his love for us. As recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ was mocked, scorned, and tortured in the praetorium. He carried his cross up the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem to Calvary, was nailed to the Cross, and hung between two common criminals. He suffered an indescribable end, recalled by the Church on Good Friday of Holy Week.  

One may meditate on the Passion of Christ by reflecting on his Seven Words on the Cross or by a devotion known as The Way of the Cross. 

When religious pilgrimages to the Holy Land ended with military occupation of Jerusalem in the Middle Ages, a popular devotion known as The Way of the Cross arose during Lent retracing the Passion, Crucifixion, and Death of Jesus. The fourteen Stations of the Cross are (1) Pilate condemns Jesus to death; (2) Jesus takes up his Cross; (3) He falls the first time; (4) Jesus meets his sorrowful mother Mary; (5) Simon helps carry the cross; (6) Veronica cleans his face; (7) He falls the second time; (8) Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem; (9) He falls the third time; (10) Jesus is stripped of his garments; (11) Jesus is nailed to the cross; (12) Jesus Christ dies on the cross; (13) Our Lord is taken down from the cross; (14) Christ is laid in the tomb. 

Here are his Seven Words, the last seven expressions of Jesus Christ on the Cross recorded in Scripture.

THE FIRST WORD

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." 

Luke 23:34

Jesus of Nazareth is looking down from the cross just after he was crucified between two criminals. He sees the soldiers who have mocked, scourged, and tortured him, and who have just nailed him to the cross. He probably remembers those who have sentenced him - Caiaphas and the high priests of the Sanhedrin. Pilate realized it was out of envy that they handed him over (Matthew 27:18, Mark 15:10). But is Jesus not also thinking of his Apostles and companions who have deserted him, to Peter who has denied him three times, to the fickle crowd who only days before praised him on his entrance to Jerusalem, and then days later demanded his crucifixion?  

Is he also thinking of us, who daily forget him in our lives?  

Does he react angrily? No! At the height of his physical suffering, his love prevails and He asks His Father to forgive! Could there ever be greater irony? Jesus asks his Father to forgive, but it is by His very Sacrifice on the Cross that mankind is able to be forgiven! 

Right up to his final hours on earth, Jesus preaches forgiveness. He teaches forgiveness in the Lord's prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" (Matthew 6:12). When asked by Peter, how many times should we forgive someone, Jesus answers seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22). He forgives the paralytic at Capernaum (Mark 2:3-12), the sinful woman who anointed him in the home of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:37-48), and the adulteress caught in the act and about to be stoned (John 8:1-11). During the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, Jesus tells them to drink of the cup: "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:27-28). And even following his Resurrection, his first act is to commission his disciples to forgive: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:22-23).

THE SECOND WORD

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." 

Luke 23:43

Now it is not just the religious leaders or the soldiers that mock Jesus, but even one of the criminals, a downward progression of mockery. But the criminal on the right speaks up for Jesus, explaining the two criminals are receiving their just due, whereas "this man has done nothing wrong." Then, turning to Jesus, he asks, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). What wonderful faith this repentant sinner has in Jesus - far more than the doubting Thomas, one of his own Apostles. Ignoring his own suffering, Jesus responds with mercy in His second word, living out his own Beatitude, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." 

The second word again is about forgiveness, this time directed to a sinner. Just as the first word, this Biblical expression is found only in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus shows his Divinity by opening heaven for a repentant sinner - such generosity to a man that only asked to be remembered! 
This expression offers us hope for salvation, for if we turn our hearts and prayers to Him and accept his forgiveness, we will also be with Jesus Christ at the end of our lives. 

THE THIRD WORD

"Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son." 

Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother." 

John 19:26-27

Jesus and Mary are together again, at the beginning of his ministry in Cana and now at the end of his public ministry at the foot of the Cross. John is the only Evangelist to record Our Lord's mother Mary at the Cross. The Lord refers to his mother as woman at the Wedding Feast of Cana (John 2:1-11) and in this passage, recalling the woman in Genesis 3:15, the first Messianic prophecy of the Redeemer, anticipating the woman clothed with the sun in Revelation 12. 

What sorrow must fill Mary's heart! How she must have felt meeting her Son as he carried the Cross on the Via Dolorosa. "Behold I make all things new" (Revelation 21:5). And then she had to watch him being nailed to the Cross. Once again, a sword pierces Mary's soul: we are reminded of the prophecy of Simeon at the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:35).  

The loved ones of Jesus are with Him in John's Gospel. There are four at the foot of the cross, Mary his Mother, John, the disciple whom he loved, his mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. He addresses his third word to his mother Mary and John, the only eye-witness of the Gospel writers. 

Jesus again rises above the occasion as he cares for the ones that love him. The good son that He is, Jesus is concerned about looking after his mother. St. Joseph was noticeably absent. St. Joseph was not present at family occasions like the Wedding Feast of Cana and had probably died before the public ministry of Jesus, or else he would have been the one to take care of Mary following the Passion of Our Lord. In fact, this passage indicates that Jesus was the only child of Mary, because if he did have natural brothers or sisters, they would have provided for her. But Jesus looks to John to care for her. 

Another striking phrase indicating Jesus of Nazareth was an only child is Mark 6:3, referring to Jesus: "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" The terms brother and sister in Hebrew or Aramaic at that time could mean either biological sibling, cousin or kinsman, or a spiritual brother or sister. Now if James, Joses and Judas and Simon were also natural sons of Mary, Jesus would not have been called the "son of Mary," but rather "one of the sons of Mary."

THE FOURTH WORD

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 

Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34

This was the only expression of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Both Gospels related that it was in the ninth hour, after 3 hours of darkness, that Jesus cried out this fourth word. The ninth hour was three o'clock in Judea. After the fourth Word, Mark related with a horrible sense of finality, "And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last" (Mark 15:37). 

One is struck by the anguished tone of this expression in contrast to the first three words of Jesus. He feels separated from his Father. This cry is from the painful heart of the human Jesus who must feel deserted by His Father and the Holy Spirit, not to mention his earthly companions the disciples, who "all left him and fled" (Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:50). As if to emphasize his loneliness, Mark (15:40) even has his loved ones "looking on from afar." Jesus is now all alone, and he must face death by himself. 

But is not this exactly what happens to all of us when we die? We too are all alone at the time of death! Jesus completely lives the human experience as we do, and by doing so, frees us from the clutches of sin. 

His fourth Word is the opening line of Psalm 22, and thus his cry from the Cross recalls the cry of Israel, and of all innocent persons who suffer. Psalm 22 of David makes a striking prophecy of the crucifixion of the Messiah at a time when crucifixion was not known to exist: "They have pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones" (22:16-17). The Psalm continues: "They divide my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots" (22:18). 

There can not be a more dreadful moment in the history of man as this moment. Jesus who came to save us is crucified, and He realizes the horror of what is happening and what He now is enduring. He is about to be engulfed in the raging sea of sin. Evil triumphs, as Jesus admits: "But this is your hour" (Luke 22:53). But it is only for a moment. The burden of all the sins of humanity for a moment overwhelm the humanity of our Savior. 

But does this not have to happen? Does this not have to occur if Jesus is to save us? It is in defeat of his humanity that the Divine plan of His Father will be completed. It is by His death that we are redeemed. "For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as ransom for all" (I Timothy 2:5-6).

"He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, 

so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.  

By his wounds you have been healed." 

First Peter 2:24

THE FIFTH WORD

"I thirst." 

John 19:28

The fifth word of Jesus is His only human expression of His physical suffering. Jesus is now in shock. The wounds inflicted upon him in the scourging, the crowning with thorns, losing blood on the three-hour walk through the city of Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha, and the nailing upon the cross are now taking their toll.  

The Gospel of John first refers to thirst when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. After first asking for "a drink," he answers the woman, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14). This passage implies there is more than just physical thirst. 

Jesus also thirsts in a spiritual sense. He thirsts for love. He thirsts for the love of his Father, who has left him unaided during this dreadful hour when He must fulfill his mission all alone. And he thirsts for the love and salvation of his people, the human race. Jesus practiced what he preached:

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 

Greater love has no man than this,  

That he lay down his life for his friends." 

John 15:12-13

THE SIXTH WORD

When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished;" 

and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit. 

John 19:30

The Gospel of John recalls the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb in Exodus 12 in this passage. The soldiers offered wine on a sprig of hyssop to the Lord. Hyssop is a small plant that was used to sprinkle the blood of the Passover Lamb on the doorposts of the Hebrews (Exodus 12:22). John's Gospel related that it was the Day of Preparation, the day before the actual Sabbath Passover, that Jesus was sentenced to death (19:14) and sacrificed on the Cross (19:31). John continues in 19:33-34: "But when they came to Jesus and saw he was already dead, they did not break his legs," recalling the instruction in Exodus 12:46 concerning the Passover Lamb. He died at the ninth hour (three o'clock in the afternoon), about the same time as the Passover lambs were slaughtered in the Temple. Christ became the Paschal or Passover Lamb, as noted by St. Paul: "For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed" (First Corinthians 5:7). The innocent Lamb was slain for our sins, so that we might be forgiven. It is now a fait accomplit. The sixth word is Jesus' recognition that his suffering is over and his task is completed. Jesus is obedient to the Father and gives his love for mankind by redeeming us with His death on the Cross.

The above painting is meant to capture the moment.  

What was the darkest day of mankind became the brightest day for mankind.

And the Gospels as a group captured this paradox. The Synoptic Gospels narrated the horror of the event - the agony in the garden, the abandonment by his Apostles, the trial before the Sanhedrin, the intense mockery and torture heaped upon Jesus, his suffering all alone, the darkness over the land, and his death, starkly portrayed by both Matthew (27:47-51) and Mark (15:33-38). 

In contrast, the passion of Jesus in the Gospel of John expresses his Kingship and proves to be His triumphant road to glory. John presents Jesus as directing the action the entire way. The phrase "It is finished" carries a sense of accomplishment. In John, there is no trial before the Sanhedrin, but rather Jesus is introduced at the Roman trial as "Behold your King!" (John 19:14). Jesus is not stumbling or falling as in the Synoptic Gospels, but the way of the Cross is presented with majesty and dignity, for "Jesus went out bearing his own Cross" (John 19:17). And in John, the inscription at the head of the cross is pointedly written "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews" (John 19:19). The inscription INRI at the top of the cross is the Latin Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum. 

When Jesus died, He "handed over" the Spirit. Jesus remained in control to the end, and it is He who handed over his Spirit. One should not miss the double entendre here, for this may also be interpreted as His death brought forth the Holy Spirit.  

The Gospel of John gradually reveals the Holy Spirit. Jesus mentions living water in John 4:10 and during the Feast of Tabernacles refers to living water as the Holy Spirit in 7:37-39. At the Last Supper, Christ announces he would ask the Father to send "another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth" (14:16-17). The word Advocate is also translated as Comforter, Helper, Paraclete, or Counselor. "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you" (14:26). The symbolism of water for the Holy Spirit becomes more evident in John 19:34: "But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water." The piercing of his side fulfills the prophecy in Zechariah 12:10: "They will look on me whom they have pierced." The piercing of Jesus' side prefigures the Sacraments of Eucharist (blood) and Baptism (water), as well as the beginning of the Church.

THE SEVENTH WORD

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 

"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." 

Luke 23:46

The seventh word of Jesus is from the Gospel of Luke, and is directed to the Father in heaven, just before He dies. Jesus recalls Psalm 31:5 - "Into thy hands I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God." Luke repeatedly pleads Jesus' innocence: with Pilate (Luke 23:4, 14-15, 22), through Dismas the criminal (by legend) (Luke 23:41), and immediately after His death with the centurion - "Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, "Certainly this man was innocent" (Luke 23:47). 

Jesus was obedient to His Father to the end, and his final word before his death on the Cross was a prayer to His Father. 

The relationship of Jesus to the Father is revealed in the Gospel of John, for He remarked, "The Father and I are one" (10:30), and again at the Last Supper: "Do you not believe I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works" (14:10). And He can return: "I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father" (16:28).  Jesus fulfills His own mission and that of His Father on the Cross: 

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, 

So that everyone who believes in him 

may not perish but have eternal life. 

John 3:16

REFERENCES

1  New American Bible, Revised Edition. Catholic Book Publishing, Totowa, New Jersey, 2011. 
2 Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.  The Seven Last Words: The Message from the Cross. Garden City Books, Garden City, New York, 1952. 
3 Pope John Paul II.  The Gospel of Life, the encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Times Books, New York, March 25, 1995.
4 Ignace De La Potterie.  The Hour of Jesus: The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus. Alba House, Staten Island, New York, 1989. 
5 St. Thomas Aquinas.  Summa Theologica, Third Part - The Passion of Christ. Translation: Fathers of the English Dominican Province, 1920. Christian Classics, Allen, Texas. 
6 St. Alphonsus Liguori.  The Way of the Cross.Barton Cotton, Baltimore, Maryland, 1977. 
7 Martin F, Wright WM.  The Gospel of John. Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2015.