WHY PRAYERS
STATIONS OF THE CROSS 2
From the earliest of days, followers of Jesus told the story of His passion, death and resurrection. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where Jesus was. These sites become important holy connections with Jesus. Eventually, following in the footsteps of the Lord along the way of the Cross, became a part of the pilgrimage visit. The Stations, as we know them today, came about when it was no longer easy or even possible to visit the holy sites. In the 1500's, villages all over Europe started creating "replicas" of the way of the Cross, with small shrines commemorating the places along the route in Jerusalem.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O merciful Redeemer, who has said, “And I, when I am lifted from the earth, will draw all things to Myself,” draw my heart and my love to You, that I may perform this devotion as perfectly as possible, and that I may live and die in union with You. I desire to gain all the indulgences granted for this holy exercise for myself and for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
O most merciful Jesus, with a contrite heart and penitent spirit, I bow down in profound humility before Thy divine majesty. I adore Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee above all things. I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I resolve to amend my life, and although I am unworthy to obtain mercy, yet the sight of Thy cross, on which Thou didst die, inspires me with hope and consolation. I will, therefore, meditate on Thy Passion in company with Thy sorrowful Mother and my guardian angel, with the intention of promoting Thy honor and saving my soul.
The First Station: Jesus is condemned to die
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus stands in the most human of places. He has already experienced profound solidarity with so many on this earth, by being beaten and tortured. Now He is wrongfully condemned to punishment by death. His commitment to entering our lives completely begins its final steps. He has said "yes" to God and placed His life in God's hands. We follow Him in this final surrender, and contemplate with reverence each place along the way, as He is broken and given for us.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Second Station: Jesus is made to carry His cross
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus is made to carry the cross on which He will die. It represents the weight of all our crosses. What he must have felt as He first took it upon His shoulders! With each step He enters more deeply into our human experience. He walks in the path of human misery and suffering, and experiences its crushing weight.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
The weight is unbearable. Jesus falls under it. How could He enter our lives completely without surrendering to the crushing weight of the life of so many on this earth! He lays on the ground and knows the experience of weakness beneath unfair burdens. He feels the powerlessness of wondering if He will ever be able to continue. He is pulled up and made to continue.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus' path takes him to a powerful source of His strength to continue. All His life, His mother had taught Him the meaning of the words, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord." Now they look into each other's eyes. How pierced-through her heart must be! How pained He must be to see her tears! Now, her grace-filled smile blesses his mission and stirs His heart to its depth. Love and trust in God bind them together.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus even experiences our struggle to receive help. He is made to experience the poverty of not being able to carry his burden alone. He enters into the experience of all who must depend upon others to survive. He is deprived of the satisfaction of carrying this burden on his own.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Meditate on the Mystery then say: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus' journey is at times brutal. He has entered into the terrible experiences of rejection and injustice. He has been whipped and beaten. His face shows the signs of His solidarity with all who have ever suffered injustice and vile, abusive treatment. He encounters a compassionate, loving disciple who wipes the vulgar spit and mocking blood from his face. On her veil, she discovers the image of his face - His gift to her. And, for us to contemplate forever.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Even with help, Jesus stumbles and falls to the ground. In deep exhaustion he stares at the earth beneath him. "Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return." He has seen death before. Now he can feel the profound weakness of disability and disease and aging itself, there on his knees, under the weight of his cross.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Eighth Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
The women of Jerusalem, and their children, come out to comfort and thank Him. They had seen His compassion and welcomed His words of healing and freedom. He had broken all kinds of social and religious conventions to connect with them. Now they are here to support Him. He feels their grief. He suffers, knowing he can't remain to help them more in this life. He knows the mystery of facing the separation of death.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
This last fall is devastating. Jesus can barely proceed to the end. Summoning all His remaining strength, supported by His inner trust in God, Jesus collapses under the weight of the cross. His executioners look at him as a broken man, pathetic yet paying a price they think He deserves. They help Him up so He can make it up the hill of crucifixion.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Part of the indignity is to be crucified naked. Jesus is completely stripped of any pride. The wounds on his back are torn open again. He experiences the ultimate vulnerability of the defenseless. No shield or security protects Him. As they stare at Him, his eyes turn to heaven.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Huge nails are hammered through His hands and feet to fix Him on the cross. He is bleeding much more seriously now. As the cross is lifted up, the weight of His life hangs on those nails. Every time He struggles to pull Himself up to breathe, His ability to cling to life slips away.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies On The Cross
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Between two criminals, a mocking title above His head, with only Mary and John and Mary Magdalene to support Him, Jesus surrenders His last breath: "Into Your hands I commend My spirit."
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Thirteenth Station: Jesus Is Taken Down From The Cross
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
What tender mourning! Jesus' lifeless body lays in His mother's arms. He has truly died. A profound sacrifice is now complete.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
The Fourteenth Station: Jesus Is Laid In The Tomb
We adore You O Christ and we bless You because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
They take the body of Jesus to its resting place. The huge stone over the tomb is the final sign of the permanence of death. In this final act of surrender, who would have imagined this tomb would soon be empty or that Jesus would show himself alive to His disciples, or that they would recognize Him in the breaking of bread? Oh, that our hearts might burn within us, as we realize how He had to suffer and die so as to enter into His glory, for us.
Jesus, I know you did this for me. I feel anguish and gratitude. I thank you. I love you. I will never forget your sacrifice for me.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Meditate on the Mystery.
HISTORY OF THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS
From the earliest of days, followers of Jesus told the story of His passion, death and resurrection. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where Jesus was. These sites become important holy connections with Jesus. Eventually, following in the footsteps of the Lord along the way of the Cross, became a part of the pilgrimage visit. The Stations, as we know them today, came about when it was no longer easy or even possible to visit the holy sites. In the 1500's, villages all over Europe started creating "replicas" of the way of the Cross, with small shrines commemorating the places along the route in Jerusalem.
Plenary indulgence