The last of Newman's meditations on "The Bodily Sufferings of Our Lord" describes the penitent's feelings at the end of Lent and during the morning and day of Holy Saturday, as the Holy Triduum comes to a close. He acknowledges that some of us may feel dissatisfied with how our Lenten fasting, praying, and almsgiving has gone, but we are ready to celebrate and rejoice!
It is Consummated (April 22)
IT is over now, O Lord, as with Thy sufferings, so with our humiliations. We have followed Thee from Thy fasting in the wilderness till Thy death on the Cross. For forty days we have professed to do penance. The time has been long and it has been short; but whether long or short, it is now over. It is over, and we feel a pleasure that it is over; it is a relief and a release. We thank Thee that it is over. We thank Thee for the time of sorrow, but we thank Thee more as we look forward to the time of festival. Pardon our shortcomings in Lent and reward us in Easter.
We have, indeed, done very little for Thee, O Lord. We recollect well our listlessness and weariness; our indisposition to mortify ourselves when we had no plea of health to stand in the way; our indisposition to pray and to meditate—our disorder of mind—our discontent, our peevishness. Yet some of us, perhaps, have done something for Thee. Look on us as a whole, O Lord, look on us as a community, and let what some have done well plead for us all.
Lord, the end is come. We are conscious of our languor and lukewarmness; we do not deserve to rejoice in Easter, yet we cannot help doing so. We feel more of pleasure, we rejoice in Thee more than our past humiliation warrants us in doing; yet may that very joy be its own warrant. O be indulgent to us, for the merits of Thy own all-powerful Passion, and for the merits of Thy Saints. Accept us as Thy little flock, in the day of small things, in a fallen country, in an age when faith and love are scarce. Pity us and spare us and give us peace.
O my own Saviour, now in the tomb but soon to arise, Thou hast paid the price; it is done—consummatum est—it is secured. O fulfil Thy resurrection in us, and as Thou hast purchased us, claim us, take possession of us, make us Thine.
Amen.
Here's a link to the wonderful second reading in the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday as Jesus brings Adam and Eve out of the Hell of the Dead (not of the Damned of course)!
The Mantegna painting above (The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, 1490) with the extraordinary foreshortening is in the Public Domain.
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