This blog presents the Seven Last Words of Jesus with Scripture references and offers focused reflections and practical applications drawn from the meditations of St. Alphonsus de Liguori. Read slowly, imagine the scene, and let each word shape a concrete spiritual response.
The Seven Last Words of Jesus
1. Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. — Luke 23:34.
2. Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise. — Luke 23:43.
3. Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother. — John 19:26–27.
4. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? — Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34.
5. I thirst. — John 19:28.
6. It is finished. — John 19:30.
7. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. — Luke 23:46.
These seven phrases, recorded across the Gospels, form a compact school of Christ’s final teaching: mercy, hope, filial love, anguish, desire for souls, triumph, and abandonment.
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St Alphonsus de Liguori and the Seven Words
St. Alphonsus de Liguori treats the Seven Last Words as a concentrated path into the mystery of the Passion, inviting the faithful to place themselves imaginatively at Calvary and to draw moral resolutions from what they behold. His meditations emphasize affective prayer: seeing, feeling, and resolving to imitate Christ’s virtues.
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Key Alphonsian Themes
– Mercy as active forgiveness and prayer for persecutors.
– Hope in God’s saving power for the repentant.
– Reparation by uniting personal sufferings to Christ’s offering.
– Imitation through concrete acts of charity and trust.
St. Alphonsus repeatedly links contemplation of the words to specific spiritual practices: praying for enemies, preparing for a holy death, honoring Mary, and offering trials for the conversion of sinners.
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Reflections on Each Word
Father, forgive them
Reflection: Christ models forgiveness even under injustice.
Application: After conflict, offer a short prayer for the offender and resolve one act of kindness.
Today you will be with me in Paradise
Reflection: No soul is beyond hope.
Application: Keep a list of names to pray for, especially those near death.
Woman, behold your son
Reflection: The cross creates a new spiritual family.
Application: Care for the lonely and strengthen parish or household bonds.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me
Reflection: Christ shares human abandonment; Scripture is fulfilled.
Application: In times of desolation, recite a Psalm and offer the feeling to God.
I thirst
Reflection: Physical suffering points to a thirst for souls.
Application: Fast or perform a small penance offered for evangelization.
It is finished
Reflection: Redemption is accomplished; trust the completed work.
Application: Practice an act of thanksgiving each evening.
Into your hands I commend my spirit
Reflection: Perfect abandonment to the Father.
Application: Make a nightly entrustment prayer and a simple resolution to accept God’s will.
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How to Pray with the Seven Words
– Weekly focus: meditate on one word per day for a week.
– Imaginative prayer: place yourself at the foot of the cross and speak the word back to Jesus.
– Concrete resolution: pair each meditation with one small, measurable act (forgiveness, prayer list, corporal work of mercy).
Conclusion
The Seven Last Words are a compact catechesis of love, suffering, and trust. St. Alphonsus invites us to let these words move the heart and change behavior so that contemplation becomes concrete holiness.
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