STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Opening Prayer

Dear Savior, You are our way of life.  Much of Your way was the way of the cross.  I now wish to go that way with You to obtain the light and strength I need to lead a Christian life.  I cannot lead such a  life with any degree of perfection if I do not learn to take my cross upon myself and follow You.  I cannot learn this in any better way than by making this meditation, pausing at each station to see what meaning is has for me.  Lord, let me see You clearly as I go this way with You.  Amen

First Station
Jesus Is Condemned to Death

We adore You O Christ and we praise you
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed to His heavenly Father that the bitter cup of suffering might pass away from Him, "Yet, not as I will," He added, "but as You will."  Now He is condemned to be crucified.  He must drink the cup to its dregs. 

In all the events of my life, dear Savior, no matter how bitter they are, I want to say with you, "Not as I will, but as You will."  I want to surrender myself completely into your hands, to resemble You and quicken my progress on the way of perfection.

Lord Jesus  crucified, have mercy on us.

Second Station
Jesus Takes up His Cross

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Since it was the will of His heavenly Father that He should be crucified for our salvation, Our Lord willingly took the cross upon Himself and started on the sorrowful way of the cross.

Lord, when I reflect on Your willingness to assume the cross, I should be ashamed of my cowardice, indignation and rebelliousness in the face of affliction.  Subdue my will, O Lord, and make it conform to Your holy will in all the adversities that befall me, so that I may truly follow You.

Lord Jesus  crucified, have mercy on us.

Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

However willingly He started on the way of the cross, the prolonged torture, the lack of food and rest, the weight of the cross, began to assert themselves.  Small wonder that He grew weak and fell to the ground.

Life is not a victorious advance "from strength to strength."  It has its disappointments, failures, frustrations.  It is in trails such as these, O Lord, that I must remember to say, "Your will be done," and place my trust in You.

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

Fourth Station
Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

When He approached with the horrid cross on His shoulder, her heart filled with agony at the sight of it.  But she uttered not a word of complaint and resentment.  In humble submission to the decrees of God she joined her Son on the way to Calvary.

That is what I must do, dear Mother Mary, when I am distressed and filled with anguish-go with your divine Son on the way of suffering.  Show me how to submit to God's holy designs, however unintelligible they may be.

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

Fifth Station
The Cross Is Laid Upon Simon of Cyrene

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Simon put his shoulder to the cross.  He did so unwillingly, for he knew the cross to be as heavy as it was disgraceful.  In time he found it to be not only bearable but also honorable.

Simon could well be excused for accepting the cross unwillingly, for he did not yet know its saving quality.  But I, who have been introduced into the science of the cross from my youth and have meditated on it so frequently, should I be so averse to it?

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Veronica could not be restrained from reaching Our Lord to wipe His countenance with her veil.  To achieve her end. she had to force her way through the hostile crowd and bear its scowls and elbow thrusts.

Veronica must be my inspiration in my effort to be a perfect Christian.  She encouraged me to be resigned to the lot of those who wish to get close to Our Lord; for they must be prepared to overcome the many obstacles that block their way.

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

Seventh Station
Jesus Falls the Second Time

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world

The burden of the cross grew heavier; His strength, less; and He fell  a second time.  But His executioners had no pity for Him; they jerked Him up and urged Him onward.

If the burden of the work imposed upon me become oppressive, and I fail to bear up under it; if others do not recognize my exhaustion, and urge me yet on, I will then lay my case into Your hands, O Lord, and look to You for prudence, strength and consolation.

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

Eight Station
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

The faithful women wept over the suffering Savior.  In return He told them to weep for themselves and their children, thus preparing them for the evil days that were to come upon Jerusalem on account of its sinfulness.

The calamities which Your divine justice visits upon a sinful world are just, O Lord.  Give us tears of repentance to stay your vengeance.  "Restore us, O God our Savior, and abandon Your displeasure against us"

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

Ninth Station
Jesus Falls the Third Time

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

When He fell this time, it seemed He would not rise again, for He was completely exhausted.  He lay prostrate on the ground, the cross lying on Him and weighing Him down.

When I am weighed down by sickness and disablement, I may seem useless and superfluous to those about me.  I must then guard against depression of spirit by humbly submitting to the heavy affliction and by thinking of my Savior lying prostrate under the Cross.

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

 

Tenth Station
Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by your cross we have redeemed the world.

Having reached the heights of Calvary, Our Lord was cruelly stripped of His garments.  A thousands wounds were opened, for the garments adhered to His body which had been so brutally mangled.

The more my faults are part of me, the more painful will it be to rid myself of them.  But I must shirk no pain and effort to lay them aside.  Far from resenting fraternal correction, I will welcome it, since it opens my eyes to what is displeasing to God in me.

Lord Jesus  crucified, have mercy on us.

Eleventh Station
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

The Lamb of God has been led to the slaughter.  Here He is sacrificed for the salvation of mankind.  His heavenly Father wants it so, and He submits to it, agonizing as it is.

No sacrifice, dear Lord, must be too great for me when my vocation calls for it.  Whatever You ask of me for the good of my soul and for the good of others, I must be willing to give, cost what it may.  Make me share in Your spirit of sacrifice.  Let Your life become manifest in me.

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

Twelfth Station
Jesus Dies on the Cross

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

About to die, Jesus raised His eyes once more to heaven and said, "father, into Your hands I commit my spirit."  Having said this, He expired - in complete abandonment to the will of His heavenly father.

I here and now repeat Your words, dear Savior of mine, and say with You, "father, into Your hands I commit my spirit."  In saying this, I abandon myself entirely to Your holy will - to die when You want me to, where You want me to, how You want me to.

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

Thirteenth Station
The Body of Jesus Is Placed in the Arms of His Mother

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Throughout the cruel drama the Mother of Jesus is wrapped in silence.  Not a word of reproach or complaint crosses her lips, the while she suffers the loss of her Divine Son.

To you, dear Mother, I must turn in times of bereavement.  Teach me to accept the loss of those dear to me, be it the loss of a friendship or of a loved one in death.  Teach me to be ever willing to comply with the visitations God may send me.

Lord Jesus  crucified, have mercy on us.

Fourteenth Station
Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb

We adore You O Christ and we praise you.
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Duly prepared for the burial, the sacred body of Jesus was laid in the tomb.  Completed was the great work of redemption, in which countless souls through all the ages would find salvation - completed in full accord with the will of God.

When I have closed my eyes in death, O Lord, may my angel guardian be able to say of me that my entire life was a consummation of Your holy will in my behalf.  In every situation of life I want to say with You, "Not as I will, but as You will."

Lord Jesus crucified, have mercy on us.

Closing Prayer

Dear Savior, I wish to shape my life in accord with what I have learned on this way of the cross.  I should go this way often, for it is in meditating on Your passion that we are introduced to the mystery of your suffering and Your love for us.  Give me a deep understanding of this mystery, and set my heart on fire each time I go this way with You - the great highway of our salvation.  Amen.

(The text taken for the Stations of the Cross was from the booklet, "Let Us Go With Him - the Way of the Cross" by Fr. Edwin Dorzweiler, OFM Cap., set #3.  The pictures of the stations were taken at St. Joseph Church)