Click on the blue hyperlinks for Station I thru XIV to hear Father Pray the

Stations of the Cross with you.  Insure that your speakers and volume are on.

Stations of the Cross

…are a series of fourteen pictures or carvings portraying incidents in Christ's journey from his condemnation by Pilate to his being laid in the tomb.  They are arranged around the inside walls of churches and chapels, but are also to be found in other settings such as along wooded paths near shrines.  In the devotion of the Stations, an individual or group passes from station to station  reciting prayers and meditating on each incident, or at least on the passion of Christ in general.  It is thought that the Stations originated as a way that those unable to travel might follow the pilgrimage route in Jerusalem, the 'Via Dolorosa'.”

Many texts have been written for use during the Stations..." Catholic Encyclopedia 

STATION I

JESUS IS SENTENCED TO DEATH 

  Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.  

Presider:

Jesus stands before Pilate, alone and undefended, innocent and gentle, yet sentenced to death on a cross.

How often do we unjustly pass sentences on others by our attitudes and feelings,

  our jealousies and prejudices, our opinions and  our outlooks?

Let us pray . . .

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, teach us / to be uncritical and non-judgmental. / Give us the courage to accept one another /

with gentleness and compassion.

All:

(Stand)             Now the Cross as Jesus bore it, Has become for us who share it, The jeweled Cross of Victory.

 

STATION II

JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS

 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Presider:

Pilot hands Jesus over to be crucified.  The guards take Him and lead Him away. 

Jesus receives the Cross without complaint or self-pity.  He is like an innocent lamb being led to the slaughter. 

                        How often do we whimper, and complain, and feel sorry for ourselves when “the cross” is handed to us?

Let us pray . . .  

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus / by Your willingness to take up the cross, help us to understand that life is not always fair. /

                                    Give us the wisdom to realize that what we are asked to do is small /in contrast to what You did for us. /

                                    Grace us with the fortitude to shoulder the crosses this life imposes upon us.

All: 

(Stand)             Weakened, prodded, cursed and fallen, His whole Body bruised and swollen, Jesus tripped and lay in pain.

 

STATION III

JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Presider:

After a night of torture and humiliation Jesus, physically weakened, falls under the burden of the Cross. 

Yet He soon rises to continue His journey for our good and the good of all.  How often are our expectations of one another,  

especially those closest to us, so great that there is no room to fall, no room for failure, no room for mistakes? 

Let us pray . . .

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, teach us by Your fall / that disappointments / are inescapable in this life. / Give us the grace to allow ourselves /  

and one another / the space for growing through the setbacks on our life journey. /

  All:

(Stand)             Jesus met his grieving mother, She who made the Lord our Brother; Now the sword her heart has pierced.

   

STATION IV

JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER  

  Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

  Presider:

As the heavily burdened Jesus slowly, painfully makes His way to Calvary, He sees, standing along the side of the road,

                                    His mother, Mary.  He looks into her eyes, and she into His.  Without a word spoken aloud,  only with their eyes,

                                    they acknowledge one another’s pain, and they offer one another comfort.  How often do we observe

                                    the sadness and misery of others without acknowledging it?  How often do we fail to offer encouragement and support?

Let us pray . . .

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / teach us compassion by Your example. / Give us the tenderness of heart / to reach out to one another /

with sympathetic respect and concern.  

All:

(Stand)             Simon stopped in hesitation, Not foreseeing his proud station, Called to bear the Cross of Christ.

  STATION V

SIMON HELPS JESUS CARRY THE CROSS

 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

  Presider:

So that Jesus could complete the walk to Calvary, the soldiers force a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, a stranger,

to help carry the cross.  How often in life is this true of us; a stranger offers the most aid and encouragement in times of difficulty?  

How often are we willing to be that stranger?

Let us pray . . .

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / comfort us in the carrying of the cross. / Give us the capacity to offer help to one another /  in bearing the crosses of this life. /

                                    Strengthen us / so we may support those with heavy burdens.

All:

(Stand)             Brave but trembling came the woman, None but she would flaunt the Roman, Moved by love beyond her fear.

   

STATION VI

VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Presider:

Veronica, unafraid of the soldiers and the jeering crowd, comes up to Jesus, and with her veil, 

gently wipes the blood and sweat from His face.  How often in our lives is there no time, no energy,

no courage to break away from the crowd to do some unexpected, unpretentious act of kindness?

Let us pray . . .

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / grant us the insight and sensitivity / so that we can be alert and attentive to the needs of others. / 

Help us each day / to do some act of kindness in Your name.

All:

(Stand)             Prostrate on the dust He crumbled, Flogged in body He resembled  All our brothers poor and scorned.  

  STATION VII

JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

 

Presider:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Presider:

It is our weaknesses that He carries, our sufferings that He endures.   He is pierced for our offenses, He is crushed for our sins; 

Upon Him is the punishment that makes us whole.  And so, Jesus once again falls  under the weight of the Cross.

In our own lives, some of the same mistakes are made over and over again. How often do we become discouraged 

with such repetition and give up?

Let us pray . . .

  All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / show us how to prune away that which needs to be changed / and can be changed. / Let us never give up trying to follow You, /

no matter how discouraged we become with ourselves or our world.

  All:

(Stand)             May our sympathy for Jesus Turn to those who here now need us, May we see Christ bruised in them.

   

STATION VIII

JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.  

Presider: 

There is following Jesus a great crowd of people, among them are women who are wailing and lamenting Him. 

Turning to them, Jesus says, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” 

How often in our lives do we become irritated at those who would intrude on our privacy?  How often do we need to curb our tongues 

when a sharp word or retort is upon them?  

Let us pray . . .

  All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / inspire us with Your passion in responding to / and caring for / the needs of others. / Strengthen us in our resolve 

to care for one another / without counting the cost.

All:

(Stand)             Jesus fell again in weakness, Stumbling as we do, to lead us Through our sorrow and our pain.

   

STATION IX

JESUS FALLS A THIRD TIME

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Presider:

Jesus, weakened, crushed, and profaned, once again falls . . . and yet trusting in His Father’s will and power,

He struggles to get up.  Jesus struggles to continue the journey to His death.

How often do we give up on the person who most needs our trust, our encouragement, our unconditional love?

How often do we allow ourselves, and others, to fail?

Let us pray . . .

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / in the midst of adversity / You trusted Your Father’s love for You. / Grace us with that same trust / in the 

midst of our difficulties. / Help us to realize that our falls and failures can be redemptive.

All:

(Stand)             Stripped and jeered by His own nation, Jesus stood in desolation, Giving all He had to give.  

 

  STATION X

JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS CLOTHES

 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Presider:

When they reach the top of the hill, before they crucify Him, they strip Jesus of His garments.  All that is of the material world is taken from Him.

“They divided my clothes among them, and upon my garments they cast lots.”  How willing are we to strip from our lives 

those people or possessions, those words or actions, those habits or addictions that prevent us from imitating Christ? 

Let us pray . . .

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / strip from us those desires that keep us from you. / Give us a poorness in spirit that allows us to be rich in your love. / 

Strengthen us to root out everything that make us inattentive to You.

All:

(Stand)             Pierced the hands that blessed and cured us, Pierced the feet that walked to free us, Walked the hill of Calvary.

   STATION XI

JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .  

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Presider:

They nail Jesus to the cross with spikes.  Spikes driven through His hands and feet; spikes that secure His fate as sacrificial lamb, spikes that shoot pain

through His body and ebb away life.  How often do we wrongly judge or question the sufferings of others?  

Let us pray . . .  

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / You comfort us in our suffering / by Your example of suffering. / Give us the compassion we need 

to understand the suffering of others. / Help us to stand with them in their pain.

All:

(Stand) Life eternal, death defiant,  Bowed His head  -  the world was silent, Through His death came life anew.

   

STATION XII

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.  

Presider:

 It is the sixth hour, and darkness covers the whole land.  The sun disappears and the curtain of the temple is torn in the middle. 

Jesus cries out in a loud voice, “It is finished.  Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.” Then, bowing His head, He dies! 

How often do we give ourselves completely over to God?  How often do we empty ourselves, letting go and letting God? 

Let us pray . . .

  All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / through Your dying You show us how to live. / Give us the will to let go of our individual wants / so that we can 

attend to the needs of others. / Strengthen us in our resolve to love one another / as You have loved us.

All:

(Stand)             Stunned and stricken, Mary, Mother, In your arms was placed our Brother, “Full of grace” now filled with grief.

   

STATION XIII

JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS

 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

  Presider:

When the soldiers come to Jesus, they see that He is already dead, so they do not break His legs as is the custom

to hasten the death of one crucified.  However, one of the soldiers thrusts a lance into Jesus’ side, and immediately, 

blood and water flow from the wound.  And then gently, carefully, silently, Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed, 

for the last time, in the arms of His sorrowful Mother.  How often do we embrace the silence?  How often do we make silence a gift to others?

Let us pray . . .

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / make known to us the value of silence. / Give us an awareness of the need for quiet time.  Strengthen in us /

an appreciation for the quiet needed to hear Your voice / and to discern Your will.  

All:

(Stand)             Jesus, Lord, your gift accepted, In three days You resurrected, You did first what we shall do.

 

  STATION XIV

JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB

 

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Presider:

Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of Jesus and with the help of other disciples wraps it in clean linen and lays it in a new tomb.

A large stone is rolled against the tomb’s  entrance.  The disciples and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, depart.

To those who do not understand, to those who have not been listening, Jesus’ life seems over, a failure, a disgrace.

How often do we see only the surface actions of others?  How often do we bury their good intentions in our 

unreasonable demands and critical judgments?

Let us pray . . .

All:

(Kneel)            Jesus, / teach us not to make hasty or harsh assessments / of the motives of one another. / In our 

attempts to eliminate rough edges / give us the wisdom not to bury that which is good.  Strengthen us / as we support and encourage one another.

All:

(Stand)             Jesus, Risen, be our lover, In your Food and in our Brother. Lead us home to heaven with You.

   

CLOSING

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

Presider:

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You . . .

All:

(Genuflect)            Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Presider:

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome, bought spices that they might go and anoint Jesus.

Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had just risen, they came to the tomb.  They were saying to one another, 

“Who will roll the stone back  from the entrance of the tomb for us?” for it was very large.  But looking up they saw that the stone had 

been rolled back, and upon entering the tomb they were amazed to see a young man sitting at the right side and clothed in a white robe.

He said to them, “Do not be terrified.  You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He has risen, 

He is not here.  Behold the place where they laid Him.”

All:

  (Remain Standing)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; / and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, /

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, / suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. /

He descended into hell; / the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, Father Almighty; /

from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, / the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, / the

 forgiveness of sins, / the resurrection of the body, / and life everlasting. /

AMEN.