Author:
Joseph of Jesus and Mary
First word of Jesus on the cross
Father forgive them, they don't know what they do.
My dear Lord Jesus, You are crucified and lifted up on the cross, your pain is beyond our imagination, and there is no part in your entire body that is not suffering to the limits. However you are doing all this, out your infinite love for humankind, your suffering has come to the summit and now you are ready to intercede for us before Our Heavenly Father as you exclaim looking up to Heaven: Father forgive them, they don't know what they do.
They don't know and don't understand that I am paying for all their sins with my excruciating sufferings; they fail to understand that they all have crucified me. Sin has taken the form of torments for me, it has become nails, cross, insults, and hatred, which has come to life in their aggression against the innocent heavenly victim, I am prey to their wickedness.
I am repaying with my Divine Mercy for all the evil, insults, and cruelty that they have committed; I have all souls in my soul, all their life is in my wounds and blood, I have taken their sins into my heart to satisfy the Divine Justice and now I am offering this Holy Sacrifice for their forgiveness, so that they can have life everlasting. Father forgive them, they don't know what they do.
My arms are outstretched in agony, but I offer them to embrace them and present them to you, Father, so I say with the voices of my wounds, pains, sorrows, and tears: Father forgive them, they don't know what they do.
And to all of you sinners I say, come and look upon the one whom you have crucified, this is the moment of reckoning, I am calling you from the throne of Mercy and Grace, all sins will be forgiven if you accept me as your Lord and Saviour, I don't want my sufferings to be in vain, repent now and accept my holy offering to you, and the petition I make: Father forgive them.
I have been raised on the cross to fulfil my mission, but remember my words: When I am lifted up I will draw all mankind to me. (John 12:32)
Being omnipotent and omnipresent, being God and man at the same time, I speak with words of eternal value, therefore I am lifted up here on this altar of the cross and at the same time this holy sacrifice is repeated by every consecrated Priest when they raise me on the altar during Holy Mass or when I am exposed in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. It is from here that I repeat my words of Salvation: Father forgive them, they don't know what they do.
Father forgive them, they do not know what they do. I say these words when my forgiveness is given to you through the Priest in the Sacrament of Confession. Don't be afraid to come to the confessional to confess your sins, because the sins that Priests forgive are truly forgiven by me (John 20:23)
Divine Mercy prayer, Father forgive them
Back to the last seven words of Jesus on the cross