Stations of the Cross - Malcolm Guite

I was given a lovely book as a Christmas present last year. It is called Sounding the Seasons by Malcolm Guite. Malcolm writes very moving poetry and his words always touch me deeply. He has written a set of sonnets on the Stations of the Cross and, with his permission, I am posting the first of these sonnets here. A link to the full set is at the bottom of the post.




1. Jesus is condemned to death

The very air that Pilate breathes, the voice
With which he speaks in judgement, all his powers
Of perception and discrimination, choice,
Decision, all his years, his days and hours,
His consciousness of self, his every sense,
Are given by this prisoner, freely given.
The man who stands there making no defence,
Is God. His hands are tied, His heart is open.
And he bears Pilate’s heart in his and feels
That crushing weight of wasted life. He lifts
It up in silent love. He lifts and heals.
He gives himself again with all his gifts
Into our hands. As Pilate turns away
A door swings open. This is judgment day.

The complete set of sonnets for all fourteen stations of the cross can be found here:
The Stations of the Cross by Malcolm Guite