Holy Week Reflections: How to pray the Stations of the Cross

Visita Iglesia is a spiritual pilgrimage focused on prayer, meditation and reflection. Traditionally done on the evening of Maundy Thursday, people also go on a Visita Iglesia pilgrimage on Good Friday.

During Visita Iglesia, pilgrims visits at least seven churches to pray and reflect on Jesus’ Passion, by remembering the Stations of the Cross, also called the Way of the Cross. Penitents are also encouraged to pray in the “altar ng repositoryo” or the altar for the consecrated Eucharist or Blessed Sacrament. 

According to Father Francis Lucas, CBCP Director for Broadcast, “there are two versions that the CBCP is using. "The classical one, and the new Stations of the cross [that is] based on the biblical stories or flow of the stories,” he tells GMA News Online.

Below are the two versions Lucas generously shared, in case you need a copy on your Visita Iglesia. 

NEW VERSION

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, as we gather here to meditate on your pascal mystery, grant us all the grace to detest sin as you did and to spend our life for our neighbor, as you taught us through your example. Thus shall we be able to share not only in your sufferings but also in your resurrection, you who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

The First Station: The Last Supper

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

The Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes! 

Lord Jesus, you loved us to the utmost. 

You loved us to the end. 

You remain in the Eucharist to be for us the food and drink that give eternal life. 

You remain with us to be the continuous sign of God's saving presence in all circumstances of life. 

Forgive us Lord for the times we have failed to appreciate your gift of self to us. 

And your loving presence in the Eucharist.

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. 

Jesus went out and made his way, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives. 

His disciples accompanied him. On reaching the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not be put to the test." He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, then went down on his knees and prayed in these words: "Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done." 

In his anguish he prayed with even greater intensity, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. Then he rose from prayer and came to his disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted with grief. 

It was a long, terrible night, Lord. 

And not one of your disciples found the strength to keep you company in your agony. 

Your only strength was your determination to do the Father's will at all costs. 

And your solitary agony continues, even to this day, in the loneliness of those who have no friends, no home, no hope, no future 

Our society is filled with them, but we pretend not to know, and slumber noisily while they die victims of neglect. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

The high priest stood up before the court and interrogated Jesus: "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" 

Then Jesus answered: "I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven." At that the high priest tore his robes and said: "What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What is your verdict?" They all concurred in the verdict "guilty," with its sentence of death. As soon as it was daybreak the chief priests, with the elders and scribes bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 

Lord Jesus, you are the judge of all human beings, yet you accepted to be judged by biased judges.

You are the all-holy, the only innocent on earth, yet you endured the condemnation of obstinate sinners.

And the unfair trial goes on, duplicated in all the unjust sentences through which innocent people are condemned and rascals are acquitted. 

You are still the victim of these injuries perpetuated against the weak, the defenseless, the voiceless of our society, in whom you continue to live and suffer. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

Pilate asked the crowd: "What am I to do with Jesus, the so-called Messiah?" 

They all shouted, "Crucify him!" He said, "Why, what crime has he committed?" But they shouted the louder, "Crucify him!" After having Jesus scourged, Pilate delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers, weaving a crown out of thorns, fixed it on his head, and stuck a reed in his right hand. Then they began to mock him by dropping to their knees before him, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!"

Instigated by your enemies, the mob wanted you dead, dear Jesus, and Pilate didn't think it was worthwhile to uphold justice and protect your innocence. 

So the mad mob had its way. 

The Roman soldiers had their way.

As they reduced your body to a bleeding wound and crowned your head with thorns and mockery. 

And you didn't open your mouth in protest. You endured it all, meek, like a lamb to be slaughtered;  silent, like the millions of exploited simple people, oppressed by the ruthless, while many of us turn a blind eye to such blatant injustices.

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

The Fifth Station: Jesus Receives the Cross 

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

When they had finished mocking Jesus, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him. 

Dear Lord, the cross was the punishment for criminals and insurgents. Who could believe that it was placed on the shoulders of the Son of God, the source of all holiness and goodness? 

And yet, you accepted it in all humility be-cause you knew that such was the condition to save us from eternal damnation. 

The cross you accepted to carry was our cross the cross of our sins, the cross of our weaknesses, our discouragements, our failures, our wickedness.

To this very day, innocent men, women and children are made to bear the cross of other people's faults, greed, pride, lust.

Grant us the grace, dear Lord, never to burden others with our moral defects, and bravely to carry with you the cross of our daily duty. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

The Sixth Station: Jesus Falls Under the Weight of the Cross

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

As he staggered along the road to Calvary, Jesus felt crushed by the cross he was carrying on his shoulders. Much more, perhaps, he felt overwhelmed by the savage jeering of the mob that kept insulting him as if he were a criminal. Exhausted by the sleepless night and the tortures he had already endured, Jesus fell to the ground under the weight of the cross and the moral tortures he had suffered. 

The distance from the Praetorium to Calvary was not long just a few hundred meters. 

But it took you long, Lord, to walk that stretch, staggering painfully and groping in vain for help. 

Your strength had long deserted you. The road was uneven. The crowd was merciless. The cross was becoming heavier and heavier, till it weighed you down… down to the dust! 

Like you, Lord, so many of us stagger and fall along the hard way of the cross that life becomes when trials and failures overwhelm us and crush us to the ground. 

When we stumble and fall, Lord, be our support! 

And when our brothers and sisters seem unable to carry the burden of their trials, Lord, give us a compassionate heart,  that we may not add insult to injury. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

A man named Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming in from the fields. The soldiers pressed him into service to carry the cross of Jesus.  Simon just happened to pass there on his way home from the fields. He was forced to make a detour — a detour that changed the course of his life. 

Forced to carry your cross, Lord Jesus, he himself became a victim of oppression and injustice. 

He experienced a share of your pain, Lord, and thus discovered what life can be if one wants to help others. 

Send us more Simons of Cyrene, Lord. 

Send us people who have the courage to shoulder the crosses of others in brotherly solidarity and patience. 

Make us like carrying one another’s burden, for our society is crowded with poor Christs crushed by crosses of all shapes and weights. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

A great crowd of people followed Jesus, including Some women who beat their breasts and lamented over him. Jesus turned to them and said: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children. The days are coming when they will say, 'Happy are the sterile, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.' Then they will begin saying to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!' If they do these things in the green wood, what will happen in the dry?" 

Lord Jesus, those women of Jerusalem were surely sincere in their sorrow for you. 

They were brave enough to follow you along the road to Calvary. 

But you directed their attention to the cause of your suffering - sin, and the punishment which unrepentance would bring down on all. 

We wish we were as sincere as they were in lamenting the unfair treatment to which you were subjected. 

And we wish likewise, that we were equally sensitive to the suffering of our neighbor - especially the squatters (informal settlers), the jobless, the homeless, and all the other victims of human injustice and exploitation. 

For it is all these forms of sin which bring down God's well-deserved punishments on our society. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All:  Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

When they came to the place called "the Skull," they crucified Jesus there together with the two criminals. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing." The people stood there watching and the leaders kept jeering at him, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, the chosen one!" 

Lord, those hands of yours which caressed the children, blessed the sick and chased demons away are now nailed mercilessly to the wood of the cross. 

Your feet which had taken you from village to village in an effort to bring the Good News of the Kingdom to all, are now immobilized for ever.

Your enemies dare you to come down from the cross. But you don't. Not because of the nails, but because of your love for us sinners. 

It was love which brought you here. It is love that keeps you there. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All:  Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

One of the criminals hanging in crucifixion blasphemed Jesus: "Aren't you the Messiah? Then save yourself and us! "But the other one rebuked him: "Have you no fear of God, seeing that you are under the same sentence? We deserve it, after all. We are only paying the price for what we've done, but this man has done nothing wrong." He then said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter upon your reign." And Jesus replied, "I assure you: this day you will be with me in paradise." 

Lord Jesus, there was so much sincerity in the public confession of the repentant thief. 

So much faith and trust in the words he addressed to you. The man really believed in your mercy. He believed in your kingdom. And you did not disappoint him. 

We often meet people who have done wrong and would like to begin a new life. 

Lord, grant that we may always be as well disposed to them as you were to the repentant thief. 

In this way, we, too, will end the course of our life sharing the faith and trust of the good thief and hearing your promise of eternal life. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All:  Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

Near the cross of Jesus there stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Seeing his mother there with the disciple whom he loved, Jesus said to his mother, "Woman, there is your son." In turn he said to the disciple, "There is your mother." From that hour onward, the disciple took Mary into his care. "Suffering, like a sword, will pierce your heart," had prophesied old Simeon. On Calvary, Mary experienced the fulfillment of that prophesy in its fullness. And once again she said in her heart, "Let it be done to me as you said." 

No one on earth loved you as your Mother did, Lord; nor did you love any other person on earth as you loved her. And she was there, witness and sharer of your redeeming suffering. 

By entrusting her to John, you provided for the remaining days of your Mother. By entrusting John to her, you provided for all mankind, for you gave us all your very own mother as our mother. 

May we be as loving children to her as you were. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

It was now around midday, and darkness came over the whole land until midafternoon with an eclipse of the sun. Jesus said: "I am thirsty." They stuck a sponge soaked in wine on some hyssop and raised it to his lips. When Jesus took the wine he said: "Now it is finished." He uttered a loud cry and said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." After he said this, he died. 

We were all condemned to die because of our sins, and you took upon yourself the death penalty that you alone did not deserve. 

You had only one life, dear Lord, like all of us, and you gave it up of your own free will, that we might live forever. 

It was our sins, it was your love for us that killed you, dearest Jesus. 

Before you breathed your last, you said you were thirsty - thirsty for love. 

Today we offer you the solace of our repentant love, Lord. We want to love you also for the days when we failed to do so. 

We want to love you for those who refuse to love. 

And may we, at the end of our stormy lives, die confidently pronouncing your last words,  "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!" 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

When evening fell, a wealthy man - Joseph of Arimathea, arrived. He was another of Jesus' disciples, and had gone to request the body of Jesus. Thereupon Pilate issued an order for its release. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in fresh linen, and laid it in his own tomb which had been hewn from a formation of rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away. 

Lord Jesus, the dark night of death has engulfed you. 

The only bright lights are the tender love of your Mother, the faithfulness of John and the friendship of Joseph of Arimathea and a few others. 

You are laid in the tomb like a precious treasure placed in a chest; like a seed hidden in the soil. 

Your burial gives meaning and hope to our burials. 

Thanks to you, they have become the tranquil sleep in the lap of mother earth, trustfully awaiting the joyful awakening when the dawn of our resurrection will break the fetters of death for ever. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

The Fourteenth Station: Jesus Rises from Death

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. 
All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world! 

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene came with the other Mary to inspect the tomb. Suddenly there was a mighty earthquake, as the angel of the Lord descended from heaven. He came to the stone, rolled it back, and sat on it. Then the angel spoke, addressing the women: "Do not be frightened. I know you are looking for Jesus the crucified. He is not here. He has been raised, exactly as he promised. Go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead.' " 

Jesus, your holy body could not undergo the corruption of the sepulchre. 

The tomb could not hold you longer than it was needed to prove that your death was real. 

Now the shattered seals, the entrance stone rolled back, the testimony of the angel prove that your resurrection is real. It also proves in advance that we too shall rise.  

Your resurrection, Lord, is the pattern of our resurrection even now. 

It is a challenge to all of us to rise, from the death of sin to the life of grace. 

Jesus, you are the Lord of the living. Thank you, Lord, for dying for us. Thank you for rising for us. 

Leader: Jesus Christ crucified
All: Have mercy on us

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
All: Amen.

Final Prayer

Leader: All-powerful and ever-living God, your only Son died for our sins and rose triumphantly from the dead. In your goodness, raise up your faithful people to be one with him in the eternal life of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. 
All: Amen! 

Leader: And may the blessing of Almighty God: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, descend upon us and with us and remain with us always. 
All: Amen! 

CLASSIC VERSION

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.

My Jesus, the world still has You on trial. It keeps asking who You are and why You make the demands You make. It asks over and over the question, If You are God's Son, why do You permit the world to be in the state it is in? Why are You so silent? Though the arrogance of the world angers me, I must admit that silently, in the depths of my soul, I too have these questions. Your humility frustrates me and makes me uncomfortable. Your strength before Pilate as You drank deeply from the power of the Father, gives me the answer to my question - The Father's Will. The Father permits many sufferings in my life but it is all for my good. If only I too could be silent in the face of worldly prudence - steadfast in the faith when all seems lost - calm when accused unjustly - free from tyranny of human respect - ready to do the Father's Will no matter how difficult.

Silent Jesus, give us all the graces we need to stand tall in the face of the ridicule of the world.

Give the poor the strength not to succumb to their privation but to be ever aware of their dignity as sons of God. 

Grant that we might not bend to the crippling disease of worldly glory but be willing to be deprived of all things rather than lose Your friendship. 

My Jesus, though we are accused daily of being fools, let the vision of Quiet Dignity standing before Monstrous Injustice, give us all the courage to be Your followers.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be

How could any human impose such a burden upon Your torn and bleeding body, Lord Jesus? Each movement of the cross drove the thorns deeper into Your Head. How did You keep the hatred from welling up in Your Heart? How did the injustice of it all not ruffle your peace? The Father's Will was hard on You - Why do I complain when it is hard on me?

I see injustice and am frustrated and when my plans to alleviate it seems futile, I despair. 

When I see those burdened with poverty suffer ever more and cross is added to cross my heart is far from serene. 

I utterly fail to see the dignity of the cross as it is carried with love. I would so much rather be without it.

My worldly concept is that suffering, like food, should be shared equally. 

How ridiculous I am, dear Lord. 

Just as we do not all need the same amount of material food, neither do we need the same amount of spiritual food and that is what the cross is in my life, isn't it - spiritual food proportional to my needs.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be

Third Station: Jesus Falls for the First Time

My Jesus, it seems to me, that as God, You would have carried Your cross without faltering, but You did not. You fell beneath its weight to show me You understand when I fall. Is it pride that makes me want to shine even in pain? You were not ashamed to fall- to admit the cross was heavy. There are those in world whom my pride will not tolerate as I expect everyone to be strong, yet I am weak. I am ashamed to admit failure in anything.

If the Father permits failure in my life just as He permitted You to fall, then I must know there is good in that failure which my mind will never comprehend. 

I must not concentrate on the eyes of others as they rest upon me in my falls. 

Rather, I must reach up to touch that invisible hand and drink in that invisible strength ever at my side.

Weak Jesus, help all men who try so hard to be good but whose nature is constantly opposed to them walking straight and tall down the narrow road of life. 

Raise their heads to see the glory that is to come rather than the misery of the present moment.

Your love for me gave You strength to rise from Your fall. 

Look upon all those whom the world considers unprofitable servants and give them the courage to be more concerned as to how they stand before You, rather than their fellowmen.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be

My Jesus, it was a great sorrow to realize Your pain caused Mary so much grief. As Redeemer, You wanted her to share in Your pain for mankind. When You glanced at each other in unutterable suffering, what gave you both the courage to carry on without the least alleviation - without anger at such injustice? It seems as if you desired to suffer every possible pain to give me an example of how to suffer when my time comes. What a humiliation for You when Your mother saw you in such a pitiable state - weak - helpless - at the mercy of sinful men - holiness exposed to evil in all hideousness. Did every moment of that short encounter seem like an eternity? 

As I see so much suffering in the world, there are times I think it is all hopeless. 

There is an element of lethargy in my prayers for mankind that says "I'll pray, but what good will it do? The sick grow sicker and the hungry starve." 

I think of that glance between You and Mary - the glance that said, "Let us give this misery to the Father for the salvation of souls. 

The Father's power takes our pain and frustration and renews souls, saves them for a new life - a life of eternal joy, eternal happiness. 

It is worth it all. 

Give perseverance to the sick so they can carry the cross of frustration and agony with love and resignation for the salvation of others.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be

My Jesus, Your tormentors enlisted a Simon of Cyrene to help You carry Your cross. Your humility is beyond my comprehension. Your power upheld the whole universe and yet You permit one of Your creatures to help You carry a cross. I imagine Simon was reluctant to take part in Your shame. He had no idea that all who watched and jeered at him would pass into oblivion while his name would go down in history and eternity as the one who helped his God in need. Is it not so with me, dear Jesus? Even when I reluctantly carry my cross as Simon did, it benefits my soul.

If I keep my eyes on You and watch how You suffered, I will be able to bear my cross with greater fortitude. 

Were you trying to tell all those who suffer from prejudice to have courage? 

Was Simon a symbol of all those who are hated because of race, color and creed?

Simon wondered as he took those beams upon his shoulders, why he was chosen for such a heavy burden and now he knows. 

Help me Jesus, to trust your loving Providence as you permit suffering to weave itself in and out of my life. 

Make me understand that You looked at it and held it fondly before You passed it on to me. 

You watch me and give me strength just as You did Simon. 

When I enter Your Kingdom, I shall know as he knows, what marvels Your Cross has wrought in my soul.

Amen.

Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

My Jesus, where were all the hundreds of peoples whose bodies and souls were healed by you? Where were they when You needed someone to give You the least sign of comfort? Ingratitude must have borne down upon Your heart and made the cross nearly impossible to carry. There are times I too feel all my efforts for Your Kingdom are futile and end in nothingness. Did your eyes roam through the crowd for the comfort of just one individual - one sign of pity - one sign of grief? My heart thrills with a sad joy when I think of one woman, breaking away from fear and human respect and offering You her thin veil to wipe Your bleeding Face. Your loving heart, ever watching for the least sign of love, imprinted the Image of your torn Face upon it! How can You forget Yourself so completely and reward such a small act of kindness? I must admit, I have been among those who were afraid to know You rather than like Veronica. She did not care if the whole world knew she loved You. 

Heartbroken Jesus, give me that quality of the soul so necessary to witness to spread Your Word - to tell all people of Your love for them. 

Send many into Your Vineyard so the people of all nations may receive the Good News. 

Imprint Your Divine Image upon my soul and let the thin veil of my human nature bear a perfect resemblance to your loving Spirit.

Amen.

Seventh Station: Jesus Falls a Second Time

My Jesus, one of the beautiful qualities the people admired in You was Your strength in time of ridicule - Your ability to rise above the occasion. But now, You fall a second time - apparently conquered by the pain of the Cross. People who judged You by appearances made a terrible mistake. What looked like weakness was unparalleled strength! I often judge by appearances and how wrong I am most of the time. The world judges entirely by this fraudulent method of discerning. It looks down upon those who apparently have given their best and are now in need. It judges the poor as failures, the sick as useless and the aged as a burden. How wrong that kind of judgment is in the light of your second fall! Your greatest moment was Your weakest one. Your greatest triumph was in failure. Your greatest act of love was in desolation. Your greatest show of power was in that utter lack of strength that threw You to the ground.

Weak and powerful Jesus, give me the grace to see beyond what is visible and be more aware of Your Wisdom in the midst of weakness. 

Give the aged, the sick, those with physical and intellectual disabilities, and those who are visually or hearing impaired, the fruit of joy. 

May they be ever aware of the Father's gift and the vast difference between what the world sees and what the Father sees, and thus glory in their weakness so that the power of God may be manifest.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be

Eighth Station: Jesus Speaks to the Holy Women

My Jesus, I am amazed at Your compassion for others in Your time of need. When I suffer, I have a tendency to think only of myself but You forgot Yourself completely. When You saw the holy women weeping over Your torments, You consoled them and taught them to look deeper into Your Passion. You wanted them to understand that the real evil to cry over was the rejection You suffered from the Chosen people - a people set apart from every other nation, who refused to accept God's Son. The Act of Redemption would go on and no one would ever be able to take away Your dignity as Son of God, but the evil, greed, jealousy and ambition in the hearts of those who should have recognized You was the issue to grieve over. To be so close to God made man and miss Him completely was the real crime. My Jesus, I fear I do the same when I strain gnats and then swallow camels - when I take out the splinter in my brother's eye and forget the beam in my own. It is such a gift - this gift of faith. It is such a sublime grace to possess Your own Spirit. Why haven't I advanced in holiness of life? I miss the many disguises you take upon Yourself and see only people, circumstances and human events, not the loving hand of the Father guiding all things. 

Help all those who are discouraged, sick, lonely and old to recognize Your Presence in their midst.

Amen.

Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time

My Jesus, even with the help of Simon You fell a third time. Were You telling me that there may be times in my life that I will fall again and again despite the help of friends and loved ones? There are times when the crosses You permit in my life are more than I can bear. It is as if all the sufferings of a life time are suddenly compressed into the present moment and it is more than I can stand. Though it grieves my heart to see You so weak and helpless, it is a comfort to my soul to know that you understand my sufferings from Your own experience. Your love for me made You want to experience every kind of pain just so I could have someone to look to for example and courage. When I cry out from the depths of my soul, "This suffering is more than I can bear," do You whisper, "Yes, I understand"? When I am discouraged after many falls, do you say in my innermost being, "Keep going, I know how hard it is to rise"? There are many people who are sorely tried in body and soul with alcohol and drug weaknesses who try and try and fall again and again.

Through the humiliation of this third fall, give them the courage and perseverance to take up their cross and follow you.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be???????

Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of his Garments

It seems that every step to Calvary brought You fresh humiliation, my Jesus. How Your sensitive nature recoiled at being stripped before a crowd of people. You desired to leave this life as You entered it - completely detached from all the comforts of this world. You want me to know without a doubt that you loved me with an unselfish love. Your love for me caused You nothing but pain and sorrow. You gave everything and received nothing in return. Why do I find it so hard to be detached? In your loving mind, dear Jesus, did You look up to the Father as You stood there on that windy hill, shivering from cold and shame and trembling from fear, and ask Him to have mercy on those who would violate their purity and make love a mockery? Did you ask forgiveness for those whose greed would make them lie, cheat and steal for a few pieces of cold silver?

Forgive us all, dear Jesus. 

Look upon the world with pity, for mankind has lost its way and the principles of this world make lust a fun game and luxury a necessity. 

Detachment has become merely another hardship of the poor and obedience the fault of the weak. 

Have mercy on us and grant the people of this day the courage to see and know themselves and the light to change.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be???????

It is hard to imagine a God being nailed to a cross by His own creatures. It is even more difficult for my mind to understand a love that permitted such a thing to happen! As those men drove heavy nails into Your hands and feet, dear Jesus, did You offer the pain as reparation for some particular human weakness and sin? Was the nail in Your right hand for those who spend their lives in dissipation and boredom? Was the nail in Your left hand in reparation for all consecrated souls who live lukewarm lives? Were You stretching out Your arms to show us how much You love us? As the feet that walked the hot, dusty roads were nailed fast, did they cramp up in a deadly grip of pain to make reparation for all those who so nimbly run the broad road of sin and self-indulgence?

It seems, dear Jesus, Your love has held You bound hand and foot as Your heart pleads for a return of love. 

You seem to shout from the top of the hill "I love you - come to me - see, I am held fast - I cannot hurt you - only you can hurt Me." 

How very hard is the heart that can see such love and turn away. 

Is it not true I too have turned away when I did not accept the Father's Will with love? 

Teach me to keep my arms ever open to love, to forgive and to render service - willing to be hurt rather than hurt, satisfied to love and not be loved in return.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be???????

God is dead! No wonder the earth quaked, the sun hid itself, the dead rose and Mary stood by in horror. Your human body gave up it's soul in death but Your Divinity, dear Jesus, continued to manifest its power. All creation rebelled as the Word made Flesh departed from this world. Man alone was too proud to see and too stubborn to acknowledge truth.

Redemption was accomplished! Man would never have an excuse to forget how much You loved him. The thief on Your right saw something he could not explain - he saw a man on a tree and knew He was God. His need made him see his own guilt and Your innocence. The Promise of eternal life made the remaining hours of his torture endurable. A common thief responded to Your love with deep Faith, Hope, and Love. He saw more than his eyes envisioned - he felt a Presence he could not explain and would not argue with. He was in need and accepted the way God designed to help him.

Forgive our pride, dear Jesus as we spend hours speculating, days arguing and often a lifetime in rejecting Your death, which is a sublime mystery. 

Have pity on those whose intelligence leads them to pride because they never feel the need to reach out to the Man of Sorrows for consolation.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be???????

Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

My Jesus, it was with deep grief that Mary finally took You into her arms and saw all the wounds sin had inflicted upon You. Mary Magdalene looked upon Your dead Body with horror. Nicodemus, the man so full of human respect, who came to You by night, suddenly received the courage to help Joseph take you down from the Cross. You are once more surrounded by only a few followers. 

When loneliness and failure cross my path, let me think of this lonely moment and this total failure - failure in the eyes of men. How wrong they were - how mistaken their concept of success! The greatest act of love was given in desolation and the most successful mission accomplished and finished when all seemed lost. Is this not true in my life, dear Jesus? I judge my failures harshly. I demand perfection instead of holiness. My idea of success is for all to end well - according to my liking.

Give to all men the grace to see that doing Your Will is more important than success. If failure is permitted for my greater good then teach me how to use it to my advantage. Let me say as You once said, that to do the Will of the Father is my food. Let not the standards of this world take possession of me or destroy the good You have set for me - to be Holy and to accomplish the Father's Will with great love. Let me accept praise or blame, success or failure with equal serenity.

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be???????

My Jesus, You were laid to rest in a stranger's tomb. You were born with nothing of this world's goods and You died detached from everything. When You came into the world, men slept and angels sang and now as You leave it, Creation is silent and only a few weep. Both events were clothed in obscurity. The majority of men live in such a way. Most of us live and die knowing and known by only a few. Were You trying to tell us, dear Jesus, how very important our lives are just because we are accomplishing the Father's Will? Will we ever learn the lesson of humility that makes us content with who we are, where we are and what we are? Will our Faith ever be strong enough to see power in weakness and good in the sufferings of our lives? Will our Hope be trusting enough to rely on Your Providence even when we have nowhere to lay our head? Will our Love ever be strong enough not to take scandal in the cross?

My Jesus, hide my soul in Your heart as You lie in the Sepulcher alone. 

Let my heart be as a fire to keep you warm. 

Let my desire to know and love You be like a torch to light up the darkness. 

Let my soul sing softly a hymn of repentant love as the hours pass and Your Resurrection is at hand. 

Let me rejoice, dear Jesus, with all the Angels in a hymn of praise and thanksgiving for so great a love- so great a God- so great a day!

Amen.

Penitent’s option: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be???????

My Jesus, I have traveled Your Way of the cross. It seems so real and I feel so ashamed. I complain of my sufferings and find obedience to the Father's Will difficult. My Mind bogged down by the poverty, sickness, starvation, greed and hatred in the world. There are many innocent people who suffer so unjustly. There are those born with physical and mental defects. Do we understand that You continue to carry Your cross in the minds and bodies of each human being?

Help me to see the Father's Will in every incident of my daily life. 

This is what You did - you saw the Father's Will in Your persecutors, Your enemies and your pain. 

You saw a beauty in the Cross and embraced it as a desired treasure. 

My worldly mind is dulled by injustice and suffering and I lose sight of the glory that is to come. 

Help me to trust the Father and to realize that there is something great behind the most insignificant suffering. 

There is Someone lifting my cross to fit my shoulders - there is Divine Wisdom in all the petty annoyances that irk my soul every day.

Teach me the lessons contained in my Cross, the wisdom of its necessity, the beauty of its variety and the fortitude that accompanies even the smallest cross. 

Mary, My Mother, obtain for me the grace to be Jesus to my neighbor and to see my neighbor in Jesus.

Amen.