{"id":17943,"date":"2026-02-26T14:05:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T13:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/behold.mt\/?p=17943"},"modified":"2026-02-26T14:08:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T13:08:43","slug":"gesu-tieghi-idejk-min-niffed-who-held-the-nails-to-pierce-your-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/behold.mt\/en\/gesu-tieghi-idejk-min-niffed-who-held-the-nails-to-pierce-your-hand\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201c\u0120es\u00f9 tieg\u0127i, idejk min niffed?\u201d \u2013 who held the nails to pierce your hand …"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The other day I came across this image and couldn\u2019t help but remember a hymn that undoubtedly stands out in this time of Lent: the hymn \u0120es\u00f9 tieg\u0127i<\/a><\/em>, particularly the verse that goes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0120es\u00f9 tieg\u0127i, idejk min niffed
b\u2019dawk l-imsiemer tal-\u0127adid?<\/p>

Kienu l-\u0127afna dnubiet tieg\u0127i.
\u0120es\u00f9 twajjeb, a\u0127fer u \u0127enn.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

a litteral translation from Maltese to English would read something like this: My Jesus, your hand who pierced \/ with those iron nails? \/ It was my many sins. \/ Good Jesus, forgive me and be merciful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it is strictly not a liturgical hymn but a devotional one, it still resonates with us so deeply throughout Lent. However, this is not simply a traditional Maltese hymn. Actually, it was composed\u2014words and melody\u2014by St Alphonsus Maria de\u2019 Liguori (1696\u20131787). It seems that the original name of the hymn was Alla Passione di Ges\u00f9 Cristo<\/em>, and the earliest publication we know of dates to 1738, in the book Via facile e sicura del Paradiso<\/em> by the Neapolitan priest Don Gennaro Maria Sarnelli (1702\u20131744), who was a close friend and collaborator of St Alphonsus. Even an adaptation of the words of this hymn exists also in English under the title My Jesus! Say what wretch has dared<\/em> (although there are different melodies, and the closest to the original is still heavily altered).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps some may find this hymn too boring or dull. And this is somewhat true\u2026 but, precisely because this is true, we need to hear it more, to sing it, to meditate upon it, and truly pray it. Antonio Maria Tannoia (1727\u20131808), a Redemptorist priest and the first biographer of St Alphonsus, writes that, before Eucharistic adoration, the saint would often sing this hymn, and his deep devotion, combined with his sweet and passionate voice, bore more fruit in the hearts of the gathered faithful than even his own sermons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And indeed: with its melody similar to a funeral march and lyrics formed by a series of rhetorical questions, all having the same answer, how can we remain cool and untouched? How can it fail to make us aware that it wasn\u2019t simply the Jews or the Romans who were the wicked guys responsible for Christ\u2019s death, but the sin of humanity, the sins of all men\u2014past, present, and future\u2014that truly led God to become man, so that He could take upon Himself our sins and carry them HIMSELF, so that we might be ransomed and enjoy the saving grace of His great mercy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, my sins were already present in the depths of His soul at that very moment, before I even began to exist. My sins, too, which are many, were the ones that nailed Christ to the cross and subjected Him to all that torment. But ultimately, it was the same infinite love of Him who, not only suffered the offense of our transgressions, but also paid the highest price to ransom and win us back, that held him fast to the cross!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The other day I came across this image and couldn\u2019t help but remember a hymn that undoubtedly stands out in this time of Lent: the hymn \u0120es\u00f9 tieg\u0127i<\/a><\/em>, particularly the verse that goes:<\/p>\n

\u0120es\u00f9 tieg\u0127i, idejk min niffed
b\u2019dawk l-imsiemer tal-\u0127adid?<\/p>\n

Kienu l-\u0127afna dnubiet tieg\u0127i.
\u0120es\u00f9 twajjeb, a\u0127fer u \u0127enn.<\/p>\n

a litteral translation from Maltese to English would read something like this: My Jesus, your hand who pierced \/ with those iron nails? … Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":17941,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"kt_blocks_editor_width":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"rizors":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201c\u0120es\u00f9 tieg\u0127i, idejk min niffed?\u201d \u2013 who held the nails to pierce your hand ... - Behold<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/behold.mt\/en\/gesu-tieghi-idejk-min-niffed-who-held-the-nails-to-pierce-your-hand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201c\u0120es\u00f9 tieg\u0127i, idejk min niffed?\u201d \u2013 who held the nails to pierce your hand ... - Behold\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The other day I came across this image and couldn\u2019t help but remember a hymn that undoubtedly stands out in this time of Lent: the hymn \u0120es\u00f9 tieg\u0127i, particularly the verse that goes: \u0120es\u00f9 tieg\u0127i, idejk min niffedb\u2019dawk l-imsiemer tal-\u0127adid?Kienu l-\u0127afna dnubiet tieg\u0127i.\u0120es\u00f9 twajjeb, a\u0127fer u \u0127enn. a litteral translation from Maltese to English would read something like this: My Jesus, your hand who pierced \/ with those iron nails? ... 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