The Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Opening Prayer:
Dear Jesus,
I am about to walk the Way of the Cross with you. I firmly believe that all the things written by the prophets concerning you will be accomplished.
For my sake you will be delivered into the hands of the enemy – mocked, scourged, spat upon. Then you will be put to death and on the third day you will rise again.
Amen.
First Station:
Jesus is condemned to death
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
Human life is sacred, in every place from womb to tomb, on the road, in rocking chairs, in hospital beds. No motive can ever make its destruction right. Make me an instrument of your peace. Inspire people to condemn violence and killing and to work for a society based on justice, charity and mutual understanding. Lord, enlighten those, who by means of legislation, medicine and the mass media exploit the dignity of human life. May the gift of your Spirit lead all to recognise, across all frontiers, the faces of their brothers and sisters, children of God, the Father of all.
Second Station:
Jesus accepts the cross.
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
Your Gospel does not promise that I will be spared from pain. Help me to understand that no matter how we try to escape the cross, it remains a human reality; but
your life gives meaning to it. You saw that is was necessary to pass through pain and death and bowed your head to the Father’s will. Keep me from bitterness and despair. Teach me to come prayerfully, in poverty of spirit, with open hands. Give me the grace of acceptance and resignation so that suffering may make me more open, wise, mellow and gentle. Help me to accept reality to live with myself and my cross. Help me to find my feet.
Third Station:
Jesus Falls the First Time
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you, because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
Your first fall is like the fall of the young person on the threshold of adolescence. There are many new challenges and temptations now; the security of childhood seems to have disappeared. Lord, give courage and strength to the young; teach them how to handle their problems, with gentleness, without panic, shock or permissiveness. Help them to face their options calmly and to emerge courageously from failures. Help us, who lead them, to build an environment of love, patience and trust – where they will make the right decisions for their future and face the consequences. And Lord, when their youthful idealism is shattered by sin and human weakness, give them the grace to rise from their fall and try again.
Fourth Station:
Jesus Meets His Mother
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Mother of Jesus,
you were never far from your Son. You were a woman of great gentleness and sensitivity, but a woman, too, of great strength and stamina – the stuff that great mothers are made of. Mary, in my deepest sorrow, give me a calm, reassuring vision of life. I am often torn between anguish and hope. Mary my Mother, give me the graces I need most; peace to overcome anxiety, love and kindness to conquer hatred and bitterness, life to master death.
HAIL MARY…………
Fifth Station:
Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
teach me to convince others that the essence of Christianity is Love, that every person is my neighbour. Help me to dedicate myself to people’s cares and concerns at just the right moment. May I undertake the menial services that no one else will take on. Make me humble and poor enough to accept help from others. Thank you, Lord, for all the kind neighbours and friends who bring sunshine and laughter, beauty and love into my life.
Sixth Station:
Veronica Wipes Jesus’ Face
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
fear of others often makes me run away from demanding situations. Give me the strength not to be swayed by the company I am in, by the fashions of the times, by the desire for popularity at all costs. Help me to speak out when Christian values are at stake. Give me the courage to stick by the commitments I have made; the strength to follow my own conscience no matter what others may think or say; the grace to accept the difficulties of sometimes having to fight a lone battle for justice and truth.
Seventh Station:
Jesus Falls the Second Time
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
show me how to abandon my laziness and cosy contentment.
Fill me with the enthusiasm of the Gospel. Help me to become more involved, more dynamic in my neighbourhood and parish.
Sometimes, Lord, it is not the great sinner who is the problem but the person who lacks the urgency of love – ‘To ensure the triumph of evil it is only necessary for good people to do nothing’.
Lord, help me to rise again and press forward to the goal.
Eight Station:
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
God of truthfulness,
enlighten my consciences with the gift of honesty and self knowledge. Show us that even if my heart condemns me you do not come to reject me, but to reveal yourself as the God of immense tenderness. In your providence, all things co-operate for good; even, in a mysterious way, my sins. I’ve been a fool. To realise this is the first sign that I am ready to return to you with true sorrow. Lord of infinite mercy, my future lies in your hands. All I really want is a contrite, humble heart coming back to you. Stretch out your hand in blessing, in pardon and in peace.
Ninth Station:
Jesus Falls the Third Time
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
of all hopefulness, be to the old and bedridden their stay and companion. Guard them from bitterness and despair. Help the chronically ill who wake up in the night wondering what’s next. Give patient tolerance to all who are no longer young. Help those fixed in the vacuum between life and death tired out from pain. Give them the grace of perseverance which you won for them after your third fall – the assurance that when the final moments of life ebb away you will come and take them to yourself.
Tenth Station:
Jesus is Stripped
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
you know the loneliness of the empty chair, the parting with loved ones, the going away of children. Lord, Help me when pain seems to strip away my protections, when old age snaps my independence. Strengthen me when all support I have in life – family, health and possessions – are taken away and I stand there raw and bleeding because they have been so much a part of me. Then, Lord, let me remember this moment of your Passion and be consoled.
Eleventh Station:
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Loving God,
your Son’s forgiveness on the Cross is a clear indication that it is in pardoning that we are pardoned. Lord, Our God, I ask you to forgive me – for the suffering that we cause to others; for our lack of understanding; for nursing grudges; for keeping up resentments; for not admitting when we are wrong; for the bitterness and spite we often feel towards others. Create a new heart in me, give us a spirit of reconciliation. Where sin has brought division and enmity, may your love bring healing and strength. Where sin has brought death may the grace of your Resurrection bring new life.
Twelveth Station:
Jesus Dies on the Cross
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
it is now my turn to bring help and healing to a broken world. You have no hands but mine, no face but mine that you can show to modern people. With St. Francis I pray that you will give me the grace to encourage rather than depress, to bring love where there is hatred, hope where there is despair, joy where there is sadness, light where there is darkness. Let the aim of my life be to comfort, to understand, to pardon and to love.
Thirteenth Station:
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
I look on your wounded hands Lord. I think of my own hands – lazy, idle, sinful hands. Your wounded feet recall your journeys of mercy. I think of my feet that have often gone astray. Your wounded side reveals a Heart that was broken for love of me. May your wounds help me to live with a sense of responsibility; to appreciate the Eucharist and Confession; to love you with intensity and sincerity. Grant me patience to accept my own wounds with resignation.
Fourteenth Station:
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
I adore you, Lord, Jesus Christ and I bless you,
because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord,
as we lay our loved ones to rest let us remember that pain and suffering have no power over them. By your cross and resurrection you have set us free. Thank you for being a Saviour for each and every one of us. Yes, Lord, I firmly believe that You have gone to prepare a place for us so that where you are we also may be. We shall always be with the Lord. Let us console one another with these words.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, God when our world lay in ruins, you raised it up again through your Passion and Death. Lord of the sun and the stars we celebrate with joy the glory of your Resurrection, for through it the world is flooded with light. O King of Friday whose limbs were stretched on the cross, O Lord who didst suffer the bruises, the wounds, the loss, we lay ourselves open to the loving kindness of your Sacred Heart. May some fruit from the tree of your Passion fall upon us ON THIS DAY.