The way of the Cross
Mary, my Mother, you were the first to live the Way of the Cross. You felt every pain and every humiliation. You were unafraid of the ridicule heaped upon you by the crowds. Your eyes were ever on Jesus and His Pain. Is that the secret of your miraculous strength? How did your loving heart bear such a burden and such a weight? As you watched Him stumble and fall, were you tortured by the memory of all the yesterdays- His birth, His hidden life and His ministry?
You were so desirous of everyone loving Him. What a heartache it was to see so many hate Him - hate with a diabolical fury. Take my hand as I make this Way of the Cross. Inspire me with those thoughts that will make me realize how much He loves me. Give me light to apply each station to my daily life and to remember my neighbor's needs in this Way of the Pain.
Obtain for me the grace to understand the mystery, the wisdom and the Divine love as I go from scene to scene. Grant that my heart, like yours, may be pierced through by the sight of His sorrow and the misery and that I may determine never to offend Him again. What a price He paid to cover my sins, to open the gates of heaven for me and to fill my soul with His own Spirit . Sweet Mother, let us travel this way together and grant that the love in my poor heart may give you some slight consolation.
Amen
First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Gospel according to Mark 15:14-15
But the crowd shouted all the more, “Crucify him”. So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
MEDITATION
Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.
PRAYER
My Jesus, it was not Pilate, it was my sins that condemned You to die. I beg You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey toward eternity. I love You, my beloved Jesus; I love You more than myself; I repent with my whole heart for having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Second Station: Jesus carries His cross
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Gospel according to Mark 15:20
After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
MEDITATION
Consider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on His shoulders, thought of us, and for us offered to His Father the death He was about to undergo.
PRAYER
My beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations You have destined for me until death. I beg You, by the merits of the pain You suffered in carrying Your Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Third Station: Jesus falls the first time
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
MEDITATION
Consider this first fall of Jesus under His Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowed with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that He could scarcely walk, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.
PRAYER
My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but my sins, which have made You suffer so much pain. By the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love You, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Fourth Station: Jesus meet His Sorrowful Mother
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Gospel according to Luke 2:34-35, 51
Simeon said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign of contradiction, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. And a sword will pierce through your own soul also”… His mother kept all these things in her heart.
MEDITATION
Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts, which loved each other so tenderly.
PRAYER
My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow You experienced in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Your most holy Mother. And you, my Queen, who were overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by your intercession a continual remembrance of the Passion of your Son. I love You, Jesus, my love; I repent of ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Fifth Station: Simon helps Jesus to carry the Cross
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Gospel according to Mark 15:21-22
They compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his Cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.
MEDITATION
Consider how the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus from weakness was on the point of expiring, and fearing that He would die on the way, when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the Cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the Cross behind our Lord.
PRAYER
My beloved Jesus, I will not refuse the Cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it, I embrace it. I accept in particular the death You have destined for me; with all the pains that may accompany it; I unite it to Your death, I offer it to You. You have died for love of me; I will die for love of You, and to please You. Help me by Your grace. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 53:2-3
He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
MEDITATION
Consider how the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel, with which He wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His holy countenance.
PRAYER
My beloved Jesus, Your face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it. My soul also was once beautiful, when it received Your grace in Baptism; but I have disfigured it since by my sins; You alone, my Redeemer, can restore it to its former beauty. Do this by Your Passion. O Jesus, I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Book of Lamentations 3:1-2, 9, 16
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light… He has blocked my ways with hewn stones he has made my paths crooked… He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes.
MEDITATION
Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross – a fall, which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
PRAYER
My most gentle Jesus, how many times You have pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend You! By the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary help to persevere in Your grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assault me I may always commend myself to You. I love You, Jesus my love, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Gospel according to Luke 23:28-31
But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold the days are coming when they will say, blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never gave suck. Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
MEDITATION
Consider how those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in such a pitiable state, streaming with blood, as He walked along. But Jesus said to them: Weep not for Me, but for your children.
PRAYER
My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offenses I have committed against You, because of the pains they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure they have caused You, Who have loved me so much. It is Your love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love You more than myself; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Ninth Station: Jesus falls the third time
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Book of Lamentations 3:27-32
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when he has laid it on him; let him put his mouth in the dust, there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the smiter and be filled with insults. For the Lord will not cast off for ever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
MEDITATION
Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of His executioners excessive, who tried to hasten His steps when He had scarcely strength to move.
PRAYER
My outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness You suffered in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect, and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise Your friendship. I love You, Jesus my love, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Gospel according to Mark 15:24
The soldiers divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.
MEDITATION
Consider the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments adhered to His flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin came with them.
PRAYER
My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment You have felt, help me to strip myself of all affection to things of earth, in order that I may place all my love in You, who are so worthy of my love. I love You, O Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Gospel according to Mark 15:25-27
And it was the third hour, when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read: “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers one on his right and one on his left.
MEDITATION
Consider how Jesus, after being thrown on the Cross, extended His hands, and offered to His Eternal Father the sacrifice of His death for our salvation. These barbarians fastened Him with nails, and them, raising the Cross, allowed Him to die with anguish.
PRAYER
My Jesus! loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Your feet, that it may ever remain there, to love You, and never leave You again. I love You more than myself; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Twelfth Station: Jesus is raised upon the Cross and dies
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Gospel according to Mark 15:33-34, 37, 39
And when the sixth hour had come there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”, which means: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
When the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said: “Truly this man was the Son of God”.
MEDITATION
Consider how your Jesus, after three house’ Agony on the Cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies.
PRAYER
O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the Cross on which You died for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death; but Your death is my hope. By the merits of Your death, give me grace to die, embracing Your feet, and burning with love for You. I yield my soul into Your hands. I love You with my whole heart; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the Cross
ADORATION
V. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You
R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTURE
From the Gospel according to Mark 15:42-43, 46
And when evening had come, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, bought a linen shroud, and took the body of Jesus down from the Cross.
MEDITATION
Consider how, after the death of our Lord, two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took Him down from the Cross, and placed Him in the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received Him with unutterable tenderness, and pressed Him to her bosom.
PRAYER
O mother of sorrow, for the love of this Son, accept me for your servant, and pray to Him for me. And You, my Redeemer, since You have died for me, permit me to love You; for I wish only You, and nothing more. I love You, my Jesus, and I repent of ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb
