Improperia - Traditional

Popule meus, quid feci tibi?
Aut in quo contristavi te? Responde mihi.
Quia eduxi te de terra Aegypti:
Parasti Crucem Salvatori tuo.

Quia eduxi te per desertum quadraginta annis,
Et manna cibavi te, et introduxi te in terram satis bonam:
Parasti Crucem Salvatori tuo.

Quid ultra debui facere tibi, et non feci?
Ego quidem plantavi te vineam meam speciosissimam:
Et tu facta es mihi nimis amara:
Aceto namque sitim meam potasti:
Et lancea perforasti latus Salvatori tuo.

Improperia Lyrics also known as the Reproaches are a series of verses where Christ reminds the congregation of the many ways God aided His people in the Old Testament contrasted with the suffering He endured during the Passion. The song Improperia is sung during the Veneration of the Cross and often features the Trisagion in Greek and Latin. It is a deeply moving and sobering part of Holy Week forcing the believer to confront the reality of sin and the weight of the Savior's sacrifice. By using the Improperia lyrics the liturgy creates a space for profound contrition and reflection on the depth of divine love that persists even when faced with human rejection and cruelty across the centuries.