Jesus dies on the cross

The 12^th Station of the Cross—Jesus dies on the cross. The moment Jesus dies the veil of the temple is split and lightning splits the sky. The Good Thief is as if sheltered from this terrible light of truth that this was the son of God condemned falsely, and that he the condemned criminal who dared to believe in Him will be in paradise today. Jesus was lanced through the heart from which blood and water flowed, to fulfill the prophecy “Not one of His bones will be broken” (John 19:36), as the Passover was at hand, as Jesus had only hung on the cross for around six hours in his excruciating agony which must have seemed like a lifetime. The agony of crucifixion can be understood best by reading the book A Doctor at Calvary, by French surgeon Pierre Barbet. In Jesus’ case He would have had to push up on the nails that severed His feet in order to breathe, as the weight of His body would pull His lungs apart and He would suffocate if He did not excruciatingly push Himself up to breathe one painful breath at a time. We might contemplate this in prayer, by imagining the pain as we breathe in and out in contemplation. It is said that Jesus sweated blood in the end, that through lack of oxygen and muscle spasm, His capillary system was ruptured. Crucifixion truly is the most excruciatingly painful death that can be imagined!

NOTE— These original Stations of the Cross were painted for a Catholic church in Puerto Rico.  The artist conceived them with the community in mind and they include many of the spiritual and cultural qualities of Puerto Rico.