Stations of the Resurrection: Station 4: Disciples at the Tomb

Stations of the Resurrection

By

Raymond Chapman

Station 4

Disciples at the Tomb

      V   We adore thee O Christ and we bless thee

18. Because by thy glorious Resurrection thou has given life to the world

The two disciples were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came following him, and went into the tomb. (John 20:4-6)

The disciples kept their distinctive characters even in this hour of fear and wonder: Peter always rushing into action, the Beloved Disciple more hesitant and full of reverent awe. Different in temperament, they were both called to be witnesses to the truth, then thereafter.

We give for the diversity of Christian disciple; for the many gifts used in God’s service; for the friendship of other Christians with whom we seek and find the Lord. In the fellowship of the Church there is need for many types, drawn together in faith.

We each have our own particular failings, perhaps of impetuosity or timidity, or some other part of our nature, which makes our service imperfect. Help us to find the strength that lies hidden in our weakness, so that we may learn in what way we are being called to our Christian duty.

V         Christ is risen.

R         He is risen indeed.

V         Let us bless the Lord.

R         Thanks be to God.

Running so fast, but still hesitant, loving so much that love dared not venture closer. Was it you. John, the son of Zebedee? You were not so gentle when Jesus called you and you brother Sons of Thunder. You had to bend to look into that miracle of emptiness, as once wise men had stooped into a stable. Or were you another John, the faithful, well-loved follower, the silent watcher at the Cross? Whoever you were, the love of Jesus opened your eyes to see his glory and to make it known to tall he ages.

Of course, Peter went straight in, because it was the next thing to do and no time for thinking. Wait. Peter, your time will come and there will be a special message for you.

It would be so easy to be confused in the amazement of that early morning, to mistake the tomb. But there the cloths, and you saw them, the last gift of sorrowing friends, the last link with the human body that needed the things of this world. It was no illusion: this was the place they had laid him.

You had been friend for so long, twelve chosen friends waiting for the coming of the Kingdom. Only yesterday it has seemed the promise was broken, the company dispersed. It was just beginning, a new and more glorious fellowship that would hold all time, all people in God’s eternal life.

It holds even me, as surely as it holds those who ran to seek him in the garden on that distant morning.

Risen Lord, make my feet swift to come to you. Teach me to bend low, from the height of self to humble sharing in the fellowship of the faithful.

Stations of the Resurrection; Station 3; Vision of Angels

Stations of the Resurrection

By

Raymond Chapman

Vision of Angels

Station 3

V         We adore thee O Christ and we bless thee

R.        Because by thy glorious Resurrection thou has given life to the world.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid: I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. (Matthew 28:5-6)

As they stood, frightened and bewildered at the entrance to the tomb, they were given word of guidance and comfort. God had sent his messengers to declare his purpose and make them ready for the revelations to come.

We give thanks for the unseen powers of goodness which surround us and keep us in safety; for all the ways in which God’s word comes to us; for continual leading into the right way, even when we do not know that we are being led.

We are always more ready to speak than to listen; more ready to be concerned with our doubts and fears than to rest in quiet confidence. Help us always to be open to the message that may come in strange and unexpected ways and draw us nearer to the Risen Christ.

V         Christ is risen.

R         He is risen indeed.

V         Let us bless the Lord.

R         Thanks be to God.

Angels of God, his messengers and the guardians of his children, you were given many tasks when Jesus walked on this earth. You announced his coming and praised the glory of his birth. You were with him whenever the human flesh that he had taken became hard to bear, strengthening him in the last agony. You proclaimed his rising from the tomb when the purpose first made known in Galilee was completed in Jerusalem.

Why should God care so much for this little world when he has all the universe at his command and creatures more exalted to do his bidding? Why so much trouble, such divine sorrow, for people who stumble about in error and confusion?

It is easy to imagine an angel as winged and shining, sharing our human form but infinitely more glorious. Through the centuries of our faith many have made live in painting and statuary. Few indeed have seen these wonderful creatures, but perhaps we can learn to see the divine messengers working in our kind. And they may not be in golden armour, but in very humble, obscure lives that are touched by his grace.

Since God took our nature, the gate of life in opened and the human form in made glorious. Angles and humanity are joined in a wonderful order, working together in his service.

Angel of the Annunciation, strengthen my faith.

Angels of the Nativity, open my eyes to the glory of God

Angel of the Agony, bear me up in the hour of death’

Angels of the Resurrection, lead me to eternal life.

Stations of the Resurrection: Station Two; Empty Tomb

Stations of the Resurrection

By

Raymond Chapman

Station Two

Empty Tomb

V         We adore thee O Christ and we bless thee

R.        Because by thy glorious Resurrection thou has given life to the world.

They found the Stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. (Luke 24:2-3)

His friends had sorrowfully laid in the tomb a body broken with suffering and certified as dead. Now the morning brought a new realization that this had not been the end. The stone that had closed upon their hope had opened upon a hope greater than they had ever known.

We give thanks for the unexpected joys of life; for the solution of problems that seemed insoluble, for the disappearance of fears and anxieties; for the renewal of hope that has been lost in despair; for the opening of new ways in God’s purpose for us.

We give up too easily; we fear every setback is a disaster; we are anxious for a future we think we can foresee and understand. Help us to trust from day to day and to find the way to new endeavor in each apparent failure

V         Christ is risen.

R         He is risen indeed.

V         Let us bless the Lord.

R         Thanks be to God.

That mooring, everyone was thinking about a corpse. Some were thinking good riddance, some were mourning for a cruel, incurable loss. There was nowhere else for friends to go; only to look again, with worn with weeping, at the place of sorrow. But the end was the beginning.

That emptiness, the sight of nothing where there should have been something, was anew sight of reality. People were puzzled then and the mystery has never gone away. How can we comprehend and explain mere emptiness, when it is emptiness full of hope? When the power of life is so giving and yet so demanding, it is more comfortable to think about ways in which a dead body may be lost. But the comfort that God gives is not the coziness of the familiar.

Can an empty place, a vacant hollow, be the source of new hope? Graves are places of despair, corruption, and superstitious fears. There was no witness of the moment when death was overcome and turned to life, when a dead body became a risen one. This was not Lazarus, a widow’s son, a little girl waking up to go on living again. No human eyes could look upon the strangest, holiest place in all the world in its wonder – only in its emptiness.

The Cross for ever stands to mark the great price of our redemption: the Tomb forever lies open to declare our entry into eternal life.

Risen Lord, keep me and all who believe form living with the dead, the vanished years, the dry bones of time.

 

 Risen Lord, clear out from my soul al that would decay and turn to corruption, darkening the light within/

Risen Lord, whenever it seems that nothing id left, show me that there is so much still to come.

Stations of the Resurrection: Station One

Stations of the Resurrection

By

Raymond Chapman

Opening Praise

And

Station One

Almighty God, whose blessed Son appeared in his Risen Body to many who believed in him, give us grace so to meditate on the mystery of his Resurrection that we may see him with the eyes of faith, and be united with him in eternal life, where he reigns in the unity of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen

A hymn may be sung; the following are suitable:

“Christ the Lord is risen again”

“Come, let us join our cheerful songs”

“Lord enthroned in heavenly splendor”

“Love’s redeeming work is done”

1

Earthquake

V         We adore thee O Christ and we bless thee

R.        Because by thy glorious Resurrection thou has given life to the world.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. (Matthew 28:2)

They had sealed the stone and set a watch, thinking that they had seen the last of Jesus. God broke through their strongest guard with the power of his love. Nothing could hold back the new life that had come into the world to overcome death forever.

We give thanks for the power that is infinite yet comes so gently to meet all our needs; for every showing of that power in the natural world and in human lives; for the way people can changed by a single touch of the love of God.

We think that our problems are too great, our sins too bad for any solution. Help us to know the infinite strength to meet our weakness. Teach us not to be afraid to ask for some of that strength, in the little things that are dear to us as well as in the great issues of the world where we feel helpless.

V         Christ is risen.

R         He is risen indeed.

V         Let us bless the Lord.

R         Thanks be to God.

So many miracles when he was walking as a man among his friends and his enemies, but none to help or save himself. When he intervened in the course of things it was to heal or to bring relief from hunger or fear. Now that his work in the natural body was finished, Offered at the end upon the Cross, the last and greatest miracle of the Father’s power threw open his tomb, to set free into eternal life for all who would accept the grace of his triumph over death.

You foolish men, his enemies – you thought that an official seal and an armed guard could put an end to your troubles. You feared him when he gathered the crowds around him, and sent you own crowd to call for his death. You trusted human law and human judgment, setting the power of Caesar against the will of God. God could have destroyed the world in a moment, putting an end to sin and rebellion, and that grieved him since the first human disobedience. What can we say to the love that not only spared us, but submitted the fullness of divinity to constraint and suffering and death?

We call for more signs, we will not believe without the reassurance of our senses, I need my little own personal earthquake to remind me that all this is true. I am not just remembering an episode in history, once new and present now only as a page in a book. I am praising the falling of a dark wall the marked the end of lifem the opening of a barred gate between living once and living eternally.

Dear Risen Lord. Please roll away the stone from my heart.

Stations of the Resurrection: Introduction

Stations of the Resurrection

By

Raymond Chapman

Introduction

            The Resurrection of Jesus Christ in central to our Christian faith and has been so from the beginning. It is the proof and promise that he was not just in inspired teacher or a righteous man but the incarnate Son of God, who lived a fully human life even unto death, but overcame death and was raised to glory. Our Christian Sunday celebrates the day of Resurrection on the first of the week as told in the Gospels.

            The biblical witnesses record several experiences of the presence of Christ in the forty days between the Resurrection and the Ascension. They tell of their meetings with one who was identical with they had loved and followed; yet wonderfully transformed. The change in mood in the disciples after the desolation of Good Friday, the new confidence and firmness of purpose with which they went out to preach the good news and begin the work of the Church, are the strongest testimony to the reality of their experiences.

            Almost every book in the New Testament directly refers to the Resurrection; all are founded on the faith of Christ raised from the dead. It was mighty act of God, not a solution to a sudden disaster, but ordained for the completion of the Incarnation and the salvation of the world.

            The evidences about the risen Body agree in several ways. This was not resuscitation of one apparently dead, or the resumption of former life as had occurred at the raising of Lazarus, the daughter of Jairus and the widow’s son at Nain. The body in which the Risen Christ appeared was free of time and space, not restricted by such human barriers as locked doors. Yet this was not a ghost or disembodied spirit, for this new body was palpable to the touch and could join his friends at meals as in the past. The Witnesses had no doubt that this glorified Lord was the same as the Jesus who had called them to follow him.

            The bodily Resurrection of Christ on earth lasted forty days. It culminated in the Ascension, which was not the withdrawal of his power and love from us but the beginning of a new dispensation, it ensures that the human race participates in his glory, because it was his humanity as well as his divinity that has entered into heaven. Thus heaven is not a remote spiritual realm detached from the world, but a reality for the perpetual healing and strengthening of those who still walk on earth as Christ walked before.

            Christians live in the Easter faith because we have not only the past witness but the abiding presence of Christ with the faithful. When St. Paul writes of “Christ in me” he is not just using a figure of speech. Christ was raised from the dead for our justification. (Romans 4:25); the Atonement brought by his passion is made effective in all who believe that he lives for us as he died for us, We share in the totality of sacrificial love through suffering to glory. This is represented and received in our baptism when we symbolically die with him and were raised with him. (Col. 2:12)

            The Resurrection of Christ in our present strength and our future hope, it is the guarantee of our own resurrection, clearly promised and affirmed in scripture and creeds. We are already sharers in his life (Col. 3:1-4; Eph. 2:5-6). Humanity is given the double victory of redemption for sin and triumph over death until the end of time when God’s purpose is completed (1 Cor. 15:20-24).

            We can discern signs of resurrection al around us in this word. We are reminded of it in the yearly renewal of nature; in recovery form illness; in forgiveness and reconciliation after estrangement; an all new hopes and fresh starts. All these manifest the restoring power of God’s love. But are only types of the great mystery that lies beneath them.

            We should cultivate a theology of joy. It is right that Christians, individually and collectively, should care much for the great troubles of the world and try to join them with the suffering of Christ, committing to his love the many things that we cannot explain or understand. But perhaps we have given too little attention to the goodness and happiness of human life, the many good gifts of God. Concentration on the Cross will strengthen our endurance and out compassion for others. Meditation on the Resurrection will help us to make occasions of thankfulness enter more deeply into our devotions.

            Yet penitence can never be far away; as we become more aware also of our sinfulness and ingratitude. This is why in each of these stations an offering of thanks is followed by an acknowledgement of sin and prayer for help to do better. We need to give our limited minds to consideration at a time but our relationship with is not Contained in closed compartments. All prayer – adoration, thanksgiving, penitence petition and intercession - is gathers in the Resurrection faith: “Christ is risen: He is risen indeed.”

Rise Rise Rise: A Song for Easter

Rise Rise Rise

Chorus

Rise rise rise out of the darkness into the light

Rise rise rise out of the dream world into the real life

1. Wise to be simple simple to be wise

Man and woman in a human disguise

In a world beyond we meet as the I

Love is the knowing no need to die. Chorus

2. As a child I come in, as a child I go

Soul in the garden I grow and grow

Crawl through the shadows ‘till I learn to stand

The one that I am seeking is the one that I am.

The one that I am seeking is the one that I am.

The one that I am seeking is the one that I am.

The one that I am seeking is the one that I am. Chorus

Stations Of The Cross

Stations Of The Cross

According to the Method of St. Francis of Assisi

For Roman Catholics throughout the world, the Stations of the Cross are synonymous with Lent, Holy Week and, especially, Good Friday. This devotion is also known as the "Way of the Cross", the "Via Crucis", and the "Via Dolorosa." It commemorates 14 key events on day of Christ's crucifixion. The majority concern His final walk through the streets of Jerusalem, carrying the Cross.

The Stations originated in medieval Europe when wars prevented Christian pilgrims from visiting the Holy Land. European artists created works depicting scenes of Christ's journey to Calvary. The faithful installed these sculptures or paintings at intervals along a procession route, inside the parish church or outdoors. Performing the devotion meant walking the entire route, stopping to pray at each "station."

Today, images of the Stations (or simple crosses representing them) are on display in almost all Catholic churches. They serve mainly as a focus for Lenten worship services. But the Stations can also be performed privately, at any time of the year, even at home. Many organizations offer free or inexpensive, illustrated pamphlets for this purpose.

Preparatory Prayer

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, my Supreme and Only God. 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.
I desire to gain all the indulgences granted for for this holy exercise for myself and for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. O merciful Redeemer, who has said, "And I, if I be lifted from the earth, will draw all things to Myself", draw my heart and my love to Thee, that I may perform this devotion as perfectly as possible, and that I may live and die in union with Thee.

First Station

Jesus Is Condemned To Death

 

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Jesus, most innocent, who neither did nor could commit a sin, was condemned to death, and morever, to the most ignominious death of the cross. To remain a friend of Caesar, Pilate delivered Him into the hands of His enemies. A fearful crime-to condemn Innocence to death, and to offend God in order not to displease men!

O innocent Jesus, having sinned, I am guilty of eternal death, but Thou willingly dost accept the unjust sentence of death, that I might live. For whom, then, shall I henceforth live, if not for Thee my Lord? Should I desire to please men, I could not be Thy servant. Let me, therefore, rather displease men and all the world, than not please Thee, O Jesus.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

Second Station

Jesus Is Made To Carry His Cross

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

When our divine Savior beheld the cross, He most willingly stretched out His bleeding arms, lovingly embraced it, and tenderly kissed it, and placing it on His bruised shoulders, He, although almost exhausted, joyfully carried it.

O my Jesus, I cannot be Thy friend and follower, if I refuse to carry the cross. O dearly beloved cross! I embrace thee, I kiss thee, I joyfully accept thee from the hands of my God. Far be it from me to glory in anything, save in the cross of my Lord and Redeemer. By it the world shall be crucified to me and I to the world, that I may be Thine forever.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword has passed.

Third Station

Jesus Falls The First Time

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Our dear Savior, carrying the cross, was so weakened by its heavy weight as to fall exhausted to the ground. Our sins and misdeeds were the heavy burden which oppressed Him; the cross was to Him light and sweet, but our sins were galling and insupportable.

O my Jesus, Thou didst bear my burden and the heavy weight of my sins. Should I, then, not bear in union with Thee, my easy burden of suffering and accept the sweet yoke of Thy commandments? I therefore willingly accept it. I will take up my cross and follow Thee.

 OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

O, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole-begotten One!

Fourth Station

Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

How painful and how sad it must have been for Mary, the sorrowful Mother, to behold her beloved Son, laden with the burden of the cross! What unspeakable pangs her most tender heart experienced! How earnestly did she desire to die in place of Jesus, or at least with Him! Implore this sorrowful Mother that she assists you in the hour of your death.

O Jesus, O Mary, I am the cause of the great and manifold pains which pierce your loving hearts! Oh, that also my heart would feel and experience at least some of your sufferings! O Mother of Sorrows, let me participate in the sufferings which thou and Thy Son endured for me, and let me experience thy sorrow, that afflicted with thee, I may enjoy thy assistance in the hour of my death.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs,
Of her dying, glorious Son.

Fifth Station

Simon Of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Simon of Cyrene was compelled to help Jesus carry His own cross, and Jesus accepted his assistance. How willingly would He also permit you to carry the cross: He calls, but you hear Him not; He invites you, but you decline. What a reproach, to bear the cross reluctantly!

O Jesus! Whosoever does not take up his cross and follow Thee, is not worthy of Thee. Behold, I join Thee in the Way of Thy Cross; I will be Thy assistant, following Thy bloody footsteps, that I may come to Thee in eternal life.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

Is there one who would not weep
Whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ's dear Mother to Behold?

Sixth Station

Veronica Wipes The Face Of Jesus

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Veronica, impelled by devotion and compassion, presents her veil to Jesus to wipe His disfigured face. And Jesus imprints on it His holy countenance: a great recompense for so small a service. What return do you make to your Savior for His great and manifold benefits?

Most merciful Jesus! What return shall I make for all the benefits Thou hast bestowed upon me? Behold, I consecrate myself entirely to Thy service. I offer and consecrate to Thee my heart: imprint on it Thy sacred image, never again to be effaced by sin.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother's pain untold?

Seventh Station

Jesus Falls The Second Time

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy cross Thou has redeemed the world.

The suffering Jesus, under the weight of His cross, again falls to the ground; but the cruel executioners do not permit Him to rest a moment. Pushing and striking Him, they urge Him onward. It is the frequent repetition of our sins which oppress Jesus. Witnessing this, how can I continue to sin?

O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Offer me Thy helping hand, and aid me, that I may not fall again into my former sins. From this very moment, I will earnestly strive to reform: nevermore will I sin! Thou, O sole support for the weak, by Thy grace, without which I can do nothing, strengthen me to carry out faithfully this my resolution.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender child,
All with bloody scourges rent.

Eighth Station

The Women Of Jerusalem Weep Over Jesus

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

These devoted women, moved by compassion, weep over the suffering Savior. But He turns to them, saying: "Weep not for Me, Who am innocent, but weep for yourselves and for you children." Weep thou also, for there is nothing more pleasing to Our Lord and nothing more profitable for thyself, than tears shed from contrition for thy sins.

O Jesus, Who shall give to my eyes a torrent of tears, that day and night I may weep for my sins? I beseech Thee, through Thy bitter and bloody tears, to move my heart by Thy divine grace, so that from my eyes tears may flow abundantly, and that I may weep all my days over Thy sufferings, and still more over their cause, my sins.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His Spirit forth He sent.

Ninth Station

Jesus Falls The Third Time

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Jesus, arriving exhausted at the foot of Calvary, falls for the third time to the ground. His love for us, however, is not diminished, not extinguished. What a fearfully oppressive burden our sins must be to cause Jesus to fall so often! Had He, however, not taken them upon Himself, they would have plunged us into the abyss of Hell.

Most merciful Jesus, I return Thee infinite thanks for not permitting me to continue in sin and to fall, as I have so often deserved, into the depths of Hell. Enkindle in me an earnest desire of amendment; let me never again relapse, but vouchsafe me the grace to persevere in penance to the end of my life.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

O thou Mother! fount of love,
Touch my spirit from above.
Make my heart with thine accord

Tenth Station

Jesus Is Stripped Of His Garments

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

When our Savior had arrived on Calvary, He was cruelly despoiled of His garments. How painful this must have been because they adhered to His wounded and torn body, and with them parts of His bloody skin were removed! All the wounds of Jesus are renewed. Jesus was despoiled of His garments that He might die possessed of nothing; how happy will I also die after laying aside my former self with all evil desires and sinful inclinations!

Induce me, O Jesus, to lay aside my former self and to be renewed according to Thy will and desire. I will not spare myself, however painful this should be for me: despoiled of things temporal, of my own will, I desire to die, in order to live for Thee forever.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.

Eleventh Station

Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Jesus, being stripped of His garments, was violently thrown upon the cross and His hands and feet nailed thereto. In such excruciating pains He remained silent, because it pleased His heavenly Father. He suffered patiently, because He suffered for me. How do I act in sufferings and in troubles? How fretful and impatient, how full of complaints I am!

O Jesus, gracious Lamb of God, I renounce forever my impatience. Crucify, O Lord, my flesh and its concupiscences; scourge, scathe, and punish me in this world, do but spare me in the next. I commit my destiny to Thee, resigning myself to Thy holy will: may it be done in all things!

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

Holy Mother, pierce me through!
In my heart, each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

The Twelfth Station

Jesus Is Raised Upon The Cross And Dies

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Behold Jesus crucified! Behold His wounds, received for love of you! His whole appearance betokens love: His head is bent to kiss you; His arms are extended to embrace you; His Heart is open to receive you. O superabundance of love, Jesus, the Son of God, dies upon the cross, that man may live and be delivered from everlasting death!

O most amiable Jesus! Who will grant me that I may die for Thee! I will at least endeavor to die to the world. How must I regard the world and its vanities, when I behold Thee hanging on the cross, covered with wounds? O Jesus, receive me into Thy wounded Heart: I belong entirely to Thee, for Thee alone do I desire to live and to die.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.

The Thirteenth Station

Jesus Is Taken Down From The Cross

And Placed In The Arms Of His Mother

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Jesus did not descend from the cross but remained on it until He died. And when taken from it, He in death as in life, rested on the bosom of His divine Mother. Persevere in your resolutions of reform and do not part from the cross; he who perservereth to the end shall be saved. Consider moreover, how pure the heart should be that receives the body and blood of Christ in the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar.

O Lord Jesus, Thy lifeless body, mangled and lacerated, found a worthy resting-place on the bosom of Thy virgin mother. Have I not often compelled Thee to dwell in my heart, full of sin and impurity as it was? Create in me a new heart, that I may worthily receive Thy most sacred body in Holy Communion, and that Thou mayest remain in me and I in Thee for all eternity.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

The Fourteenth Station

Jesus Is Laid In The Sepulcher

Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

All (genuflect): Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The body of Jesus is interred in a stranger's sepulcher. He who in this world had not whereupon to rest His head, would not even have a grave if His own, because He was not from this world. You, who are so attached to the world, henceforth despise it, that you may not perish with it.

O Jesus, Thou hast set me apart from the world; what, then, shall I seek therein? Thou hast created me for Heaven; what, then, have I to do with the world? Depart from me deceitful world, with thy vanities! Henceforth I will follow the Way of the Cross traced out for me by my Redeemer, and journey onward to my heavenly home, there to dwell forever and ever.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name, Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, crucified, Have mercy on us!

STABAT MATER

By the cross with thee to stay,
There with thee to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of thee to give.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Almighty and eternal God, merciful Father, who hast given to the human race Thy beloved Son as an example of humility, obedience, and patience, to precede us on the way of life, bearing the cross: Graciously grant us that we, inflamed by His infinite love, may take up the sweet yoke of His Gospel together the mortification of the cross, following Him as His true disciples, so that we shall one day gloriously rise with Him and joyfully hear the final sentence: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, and possess the kingdom which was prepared for you from the beginning," where Thou reignest with the Son and the Holy Ghost, and where we hope to reign with Thee, world without end. AMEN.