Good Friday

O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only crown:
how pale thou art with anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
which once was bright as morn!

What thou, my Lord, has suffered
was all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor,
vouchsafe to me thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love for thee.

I think the words of this well-known hymn give a great depiction of Christ's suffering on the cross and serve as a poignant and compelling reminder of his sacrifice for us - especially the words "Mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain". The hymn is based on a long medieval poem attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, 'Salve mundi salutare'. This poem talks about Christ's body, as he suffered and hung on the cross. It has seven sections, each addressing a part of Jesus' body-his feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart, and head. The hymn we know today is a translation of the seventh section 'Salve caput crucentatum', focused on Jesus' head.
The cross and chapel depicted in my photo are in the village of Oregonia Ohio, and we passed it as we were out cycling on the Little Miami trail this afternoon. It had been a beautiful sunny morning and early afternoon, but by this time it had clouded over somewhat. You can see a shot of the whole chapel here.
This evening we went out to eat at our local Indian restaurant, then went to see the movie Quartet, starring Maggie Smith, which we thoroughly enjoyed, though it did make me rather nostalgic for my Mum who was a pianist - she taught piano and did a lot of accompanying for individuals, choirs and, for a number of years, an amateur operatic group.