The Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, Darmstadt, Germany presents
No Greater Love.
Today, Mother Basilea Schlink invites us to visit
the Garden of Jesus' Sufferings and Resurrection in
the desert of Arizona.
Nothing can bring us closer to Jesus than
thinking of the sufferings he endured for us.
In her prayers, songs, and writings, Mother Basilea
bears witness to this greatest expression of his
love.
And wherever the Sisterhood has established a Canaan
center, there is usually a prayer garden with
reliefs depicting the passion of Jesus, for a
visible representation can help to deepen our understanding.
Jesus longs for us to give him all
our love in response to his love and
suffering.
This is how in Phoenix, Arizona, a Garden
of Jesus' Sufferings and Resurrection came to be
built by the Sisters of Mary with their
friends.
Let us now join Mother Basilea for a
walk through this prayer garden.
Jesus, Jesus my beloved, Lamb of God, now
glorified, once you chose the cause of suffering,
willingly for us you died.
Let me, Lord, with love now follow on
your path of pain and death.
Let me feel the grief and sorrow which
you felt at every step.
And Jesus withdrew from his disciples about a
stone's throw and knelt down and prayed, Father,
if thou art willing, remove this cup from
me.
Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.
And being in an agony, he prayed more
earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops
of blood falling down upon the ground.
Gethsemane.
Jesus' heart cries out in agony as he
battles with the hordes of hell.
A fervent plea ascends to the heart of
God.
My Father, remove this cup from me, but
your will be done.
Jesus seeks those who will follow him unreservedly,
surrendering their wills to him.
He seeks those who day by day will
say, yes, Father, when faced with disappointments and
suffering, all for love of him.
My Lord Jesus, with you I want to
endure the night of temptation, that your heart
may be consoled.
I want to say, yes, Father, your will
is good.
Jesus answered, I told you that I am
he, so if you seek me, let these
men go.
Shall I not drink the cup which the
Father has given me?
So the band of soldiers and their captain
and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus
and bound him.
The one who made the world and holds
it in his hands, our pure and sinless
savior, in fetters now he stands.
Hear him lament, my hands are bound, my
soul is griefed, I am helpless, my hands
are still, my strength is gone and I
can do nothing.
Yet to suffer I came and amidst all
the pain I will laugh to the end.
And then we will shape the door, the
world knells on love so amazing.
I bind myself to you, Jesus,
wherever you lead, wherever you go, I humbly
submit and follow you.
Now the chief priests and the whole council
sought false testimony against Jesus, that they might
put him to death, but they found none.
And the high priest stood up and said,
have you no answer to make?
What is it that these men testify against
you?
But Jesus was silent.
Jesus stands before his judges, God
on trial before men.
He is the light and we but counterfeits.
The lamb of God willingly chooses to be
judged.
He who is without sin is condemned by
us, oh lament.
He committed no sin, no guile was found
on his lips.
When he was reviled, he did not revile
in return.
When he suffered, he did not threaten, but
he trusted to him who judges justly.
Oh, we are the guilty ones.
We alone deserve judgment, yet we are allowed
to go free.
Forgiveness he has brought us new life
and forgiveness he has brought us.
May you ever be before me, lamb of
God, who stood so humbly, silently before your
judges.
May I too learn to be silent, quietly
accepting judgment, knowing after judgment follows grace.
Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for
them Barabbas and ordered Jesus to be scourged.
Heaven bows itself in wonder.
Angels awestruck veil their sight.
Weep, oh heavens, dawn your morning.
Darkened be your radiant light.
God's own son is bound for scourging, stripped
and negged to the post.
There the cruel stripes await him on his
way to shameful death.
Thus Jesus fulfilled the prophecy.
I gave my back to the smiters and
my cheeks to those who pulled out my
beard.
I hid not my face from shame and
spitting.
For our bondage to sin, our desires of
the flesh, Jesus is whipped and tormented to
death.
Come in song, the
scourging of our Lord, until the whole is
so praised.
Till heaven and earth with reverence behold his
grief and pain.
Oh, by his love and suffering, his world
turns home again.
I believe, oh holy Lamb of God, that
through your wounds you can make me whole.
I now will break with sin.
Out of love for you I want to
die to the desires of the flesh.
So that I may live with you forever
in the glory of heaven.
The soldiers plaited a crown of thorns and
put it on his head and arrayed him
in a purple robe.
They came up to him saying, Hail, King
of the Jews, and struck him with their
hands.
Let us listen to Jesus lament, derided and
spat upon an object of scorn.
I, the Son of God, who once reigned
in glory above, I bow my head, robbed
of my glory, and degraded in the sight
of heaven and earth.
Insults have broken my heart.
Who sees my grief?
I am forsaken by God and by man.
With crown of thorns, adoring angels
kissing, upon this sight amazing, perplexed
and never understanding.
He humbled himself.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed
on him the name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow in heaven and on earth
and under the earth.
So let us pray.
Honor, honor to you we offer, such as
we would give no other.
Honor, comfort without end.
Let thou hast borne glory, glory be
to thee.
And he went out bearing his own cross
to the place called the place of a
skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha.
So the Lamb goes
uncomplaining, silently to
Golgotha.
He'll be sinners, sinners suffering, that
we cost our God to bear.
Not one cry, no accusation
from his sacred lips we hear.
But his face, so marred by
anguish, tells us of the pain he
must bear.
Does no one take your part, O Lord,
on this your bitter path of woe?
No, none consoles your wounded heart in the
hour of deepest sorrow.
By one and all you are forsaken.
As Simon of Cyrene once carried your cross,
may I too now help you, not counting
the cost, all for love of you.
One joy, the so deepest
suffering, Jesus' heart refreshing, so thin,
souls who out of love alone bear their
crosses to the throne, through the night in
purest love.
When they came to the place which is
called the skull, there they crucified him and
the criminals.
And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do.
O depths of loving mercy sweet, for us
you bore this pain so deep, for us,
for us poor sinners.
Beneath the cross we humbly fall, adore the
Lamb who saved us all, our grievous sins
bewailing.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness
over all the land until the ninth hour.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with
a loud voice, My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me?
The Lamb of God lays down his
life, bearing the sins of all
mankind, in untold pain and
anguish.
When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said,
It is finished.
And he bowed his head and gave up
his spirit.
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world.
The punishment for sin, the
punishment for sin was laid upon
our Saviour.
His wounds bring us healing and
peace with God.
My Saviour Christ now finds repose.
His weary eyelids calmly close.
The hostile clamor round him dies.
In linen soft he silent lies.
May all now grant the Lord his rest,
anoint and bind those wounds so blessed.
And kneeling here with downcast eyes, await the
day when he shall rise.
Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed.
Earth, yes, all creation, praise your songs of
jubilation.
God has triumphed o'er the graves.
Jesus, Jesus, mighty victor, vanquished Satan's power
forever.
Love in suffering has overcome.
Christ is risen.
This means that all suffering, no matter how
great, when born in union with Jesus, will
end in the radiant joy and glory of
Easter.
We shall experience this in part here on
earth and in fullness in eternity.
When death shall be no more, neither shall
there be mourning nor crying any more.
The empty tomb proclaims to everyone, Jesus is
alive, Christ is victorious.
To him is given all power in heaven
and on earth.
Today in heaven a triumphant song of praise
and adoration is being raised in the face
of Satan's activities and display of power on
earth.
Honor, praise and glory be to the Lamb.
Join in this song of praise in these
satanic times and you will be more than
conquerors.
Christ the Saviour is risen, Christ is alive.
The victory is won, the victory is won.
The crucified Saviour, the Lamb has overcome.
Glory to Jesus, our King and Lord.
Glory to Jesus forevermore, evermore.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
If this program has spoken to your heart,
write for a free copy of At the
Side of Our Saviour by Mother Basilea Schlink.
We would be glad to hear from you.
A videocassette of this program is also available
upon request.
Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, P.O. Box 30022,
Phoenix, Arizona, 85046.
Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, P.O. Box 30022,
Phoenix, Arizona, 85046.