Stations
Preparatory Prayer
Merciful Lord! I, a miserable creature, bow down, in profound humility, before Thy Divine Majesty; I adore Thee as my supreme Lord and Master. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee above all things. I am sorry from the bottom of my heart for having offended Thee who art my only and Supreme Good; but I firmly resolve to amend my life; and although I am unworthy to obtain mercy, yet the sight of Thy Holy Cross, on which Thou didst die, inspires me with peace and consolation. I desire therefore to meditate on Thy passion, and will make the Stations in company with Thy sorrowful Mother and my holy Angel Guardian. I will do it to promote Thy honor, and save my soul.
I desire to gain all the indulgences granted to this holy devotion; the first plenary for myself, the rest for the souls in purgatory, particularly for N.N.
O loving Jesus! in flame my cold heart with Thy love, that I may perform this devotion as perfectly as possible, and that I may live and die in union with Thee. Amen.
I. Station
Jesus is condemned to death.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
The most innocent Jesus, who never committed, nor could commit a sin, is condemned to death, and that the most ignominious death on the cross. Pilate, in order to remain the friend of Caesar, delivers Jesus into the hands of His enemies. O fearful crime! to condemn innocence to death, and displease God, that one may not displease man.
Prayer
O innocent Jesus! I did sin, and I am guilty of eternal death; but that I may live Thou acceptest gladly the unjust sentence of death. For whom shall I henceforth live, and whom shall I love, if not Thee, my Lord? Should I desire to please men, I could not be Thy servant. Let me, therefore, rather displease men and the whole world than not to please Thee alone. O Jesus. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified
R. Have mercy on us.
II. Station
Jesus carries the Cross.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world
Meditation
As soon as our divine Redeemer beheld the Cross which He must carry to Calvary, He stretched out, most willingly, His bloody arms, embraced it lovingly, kissed it tenderly, placed it on His bruised shoulders, and carried it joyfully, although He was almost exhausted. I cannot be a friend and follower of Christ, if I refrain from carrying my cross.
Prayer
O desirable and most beloved cross, which I have to carry in this life! I embrace thee, I kiss thee, I accept thee with joy from the hands of my God. Far be it from me to exult in anything save the Cross of my Lord and Redeemer. By it the world is crucified to me and I to the world. O Jesus! let me participate in Thy beloved Cross and Passion that I may be Thine forever. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
III. Station
Jesus falls the first time.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
When our dear Saviour was carrying the Cross, He was so weakened by its heavy weight as to fall exhausted to the ground. Our sins made His Cross so heavy and insupportable; although He desired to carry it, out of His exceeding great love for us.
Prayer
Beloved Jesus! Thou didst carry my burden and the heavy weight of my sins. Should I not then carry, in union with Thee my light burden of suffering, and accept the sweet yoke of Thy commandments? O Jesus, I will do this because it is Thy will, and Thou commandest it, saying, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart; and you shall find rest to your souls,” Oh! raise me, in memory of Thy toilsome fall, and strengthen me, that I may never again fall into mortal sin. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
IV. Station
Jesus meets His afflicted Mother.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
How painful and how sad must it not have been for Mary to see her beloved Son laden with the burden of the Cross, covered all over with wounds and blood, driven through the streets by savage executioners! Oh! what unspeakable pains and pangs did not that most tender heart of a mother then experience! How earnestly did she desire to die instead of Jesus, or, at least with Him!
Prayer
O Jesus! O Mary! I am the cause of the pains that rend your hearts. Would to God that my heart could also experience and feel at least some of your sufferings! O Mother! let me participate in the sufferings which you and your Son endured for me, a sinner, that I may obtain, by suffering and by patiently enduring it, the grace to meet you and your beloved Son at the hour of death, when I am about to enter upon my journey to eternity. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
V. Station
Simon of Cyrene helps Christ to carry His Cross.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
Simon of Cyrene was compelled to help Christ to carry His Cross, as He was so fatigued and almost without strength. How pleased would Jesus have been, had Simon not been compelled to carry the cross, but have offered his services voluntarily! But remember, beloved soul, Simon was not invited by Christ as you are. Jesus calls you saying, ”Take your cross and follow me;” nevertheless, you refrain from it and carry it reluctantly.
Prayer
O Jesus! how true is Thy saying, “He who does not take up His Cross and follow Me, is not worthy of Me.” Behold I join Thee in the Way of the Cross, not with aversion, but willingly; I desire to carry patiently until death, the cross which Thou hast already placed upon my shoulders, or which Thou mayest in future place thereon, that I may become worthy of Thee. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
VI. Station
Veronica wipes the Face of Jesus.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
Veronica, out of compassion, presents her veil to Jesus who was disfigured with blood and spittle. He accepts it, imprints on it in a miraculous manner His Holy Countenance, and returns it thus to her as a recompense. Do you desire to be rewarded by Christ in like manner? Shall He imprint on your heart the portrait of His Holy Countenance? Then must you also do Him service. And you have more reasons for this on account of the many benefits Jesus was conferred upon you. But you do a service to Christ every time you perform a work of mercy towards your neighbor; for He says: “What you have done to the least of My brethren you have done for Me.”
Prayer
Dearest Jesus! what shall I return to Thee for all the benefits Thou didst bestow upon me? Behold, I consecrate myself entirely to Thy service. My whole heart I give to Thee: stamp thereon Thy holy image that I may always remember Thee, and do Thou not forget me. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
VII. Station
Jesus falls the second time.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thos hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
The cruel executioners do not permit Christ to rest a moment, but by pushing and striking, urge Him onward so that He falls again under the weight of the Cross. Consider, compassionate soul, with what cruelty Jesus is treated and trampled under foot. “I am a worm, and no man.” Consider, at the same time, that your sins, particularly your pride and self-will, caused Jesus to fall to the ground in so painful a manner.
Prayer
O Jesus! have mercy on me; offer me Thy helping hand, and aid me not to fall again into the same sins. From this very moment I make the firm resolution never to sin again; I will rather die a thousand times than relapse again into my former sins. But Thou, O Jesus! strengthen me by Thy grace, without which I can do nothing, to carry out faithfully, this, my resolution. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
VIII. Station
Jesus speaks to the weeping daughters of Jerusalem
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
These women, moved by compassion, weep over Jesus who is treated so cruelly. But He turns to them and says: “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children.” Weep for your sins and those of your children; for they are the cause of My Passion. You also must weep over your sins, because there is nothing more pleasing to our Lord, and more useful to your own self, than the tears you shed through contrition for past sins.
Prayer
Jesus, who is it that will give water to my head, and 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 until death over Thy passion and for my sins. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
IX. Station
Jesus falls the third time.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
Jesus arrived, exhausted and overwhelmed with blows, at the foot of Calvary. There He falls for the third time, almost helpless, to the ground. Consider, my soul, how painfully must have been reopened all the wounds of His tender Body, particularly those of His sacred Head, by these repeated falls. At the same time, imagine how infinitely great your sins must be, for it were these that cast your Lord and Redeemer so often to the ground. Had not Jesus taken my sins upon Himself, had He not atoned for them to such a degree, they would have cast me into the depths of hell.
Prayer
O merciful Jesus! I return Thee a thousand thanks for not permitting me to die in my sins and fall into the depths of hell, as I have deserved so many times. Enkindle in me an earnest desire to correct my life, preserve me continually in Thy grace; let me never again fall into sin, but continue faithful in Thy service to the end of my life.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
X. Station
Jesus is stripped of His garments.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
With great violence the cruel executioners deprived Jesus of His garments, causing Him unspeakable pain. For His garments adhered to His tender Body, so that in removing them even parts of His skin were torn away. Jesus intended to be thus deprived of His garments, that He might die possessed of nothing. How happy will not I die, after having laid aside the old man, with his evil desires and tendencies?
Prayer
Let me, O Jesus! cast off the old man, and be clothed with the new, according to Thy will and desire. Should it be painful to my sensitiveness, I will not spare myself; with the assistance of Thy grace, I will refrain from all sinful pleasures and vain amusements that I may die happy and live forever, having deprived myself of all earthly goods. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
XI. Station
Jesus is nailed to the Cross.
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
After Jesus was stripped of His garments they threw Him with violence on the Cross, nailing His Hands and His Feet thereto, in the most cruel manner. Jesus remains silent, because it had pleased His Heavenly Father that He should be thus treated. He suffered for you. How do you act, my soul, when sufferings and crosses are your portion? How fretful and how impatient are you under them? What complaints do you not make?
Prayer
O Jesus! Thou patient and meek Lamb; I renounce forever the discontent, murmurings and impatience I have hitherto shown in crosses and sufferings. Crucify, O Lord! my flesh, its concupiscences and vices; here burn, here cut, but spare me in eternity. I extend my arms, and resign myself entirely to Thee. May Thy Holy Will be done in everything.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
XII. Station
Jesus is raised upon the Cross and dies thereon.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
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 what love! Jesus dies on the Cross, that you may be delivered from eternal death.
Prayer
Most beloved Jesus! who will grant me, that I mat die for love of Thee? I will at least endeavor to die to the world for Thy love. How miserable and bitter does the world, with its joys and amusements, appear to me, as I behold Thee hanging on the Cross, covered with wounds, crowned with thorns, poor and despised? Merciful Jesus! take me into Thy wounded and opened Heart, that I may not see or hear or desire perishable things, but be Thine entirely, Thine living, Thine dying. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
XIII. Station
Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed
in the arms of His Beloved Mother.
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and praise thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
Jesus did not descend from the Cross, but remained thereon until His death. When He was taken down, He rested in the arms of His beloved Mother, as He had so often done before. You also must persevere in doing good and not descend from the cross, for “he who perseveres till the end shall be saved.” Consider, at the same time, how pure the heart must be that receives the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the adorable Sacrament of the Altar.
Prayer
O Lord Jesus, crucified! I most earnestly entreat Thee to aid me in doing good, and let me not be separated from Thy Cross, for on it I desire to live and die. Create in me, O Lord, a clean heart, that I may receive worthily Thy most Sacred Body in Holy Communion, and that Thou mayest remain in me, and I in Thee, for all eternity. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
XIV. Station
Jesus is laid into the sepulcher.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Meditation
The Body of Jesus is laid in the sepulcher of another. He who had nothing in this world whereon to lay His Head, would not even possess a grave after death. You, whose heart is yet attached to this world, seek to despise it, that you may not perish with it.
Prayer
O Jesus! Thou hast selected me from the world: what then shall I seek therein? Thou hast created me for Heaven; what then do I desire upon earth? Depart from me, deceitful world, with your vanities! Henceforth I will walk the way of the Cross, which my Redeemer has traced out for me, and journey onto my heavenly Fatherland, where my home and my rest will be forever. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary
V. Lord Jesus, crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Conclusion
Lord Jesus! with an humble heart do I return thanks to Thee for all the graces Thou hast granted me during these stations. I offer this little devotion to promote Thy greater honor, to obtain the forgiveness of my sins, and remission of the punishment deserved for them; to console and help the souls in purgatory, particularly those for whom I intended to gain these indulgences. I sincerely beseech Thee, O Jesus! do not permit the infinite value of Thy Precious Blood, of Thy bitter Passion and Death, to be lost in my regard; do not permit that my soul, so dearly bought by Thee, perish forever, but conduct it in the right way that leads me to Thee, to eternal joy and glory. Amen.
February 04 2009 09:01 am