The Stations of the Cross
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The Stations of the Cross have formed part of Christian spirituality for many centuries. They originated when early Christians visited Jerusalem and wanted to follow literally in the footsteps of Jesus, tracing the path from Pilate’s house to Calvary. Ever since then Christians of differing traditions have used this form of devotion.
God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let us pray. Almighty Father, look with mercy on this your family for which our Lord Jesus Christ was content to be betrayed and given up into the hands of sinners and to suffer death upon the cross; who is alive and glorified with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praises of the Most High. Who is this that comes from Edom, ♦ coming from Bozrah, his garments stained crimson? Who is this in glorious apparel, ♦ marching in the greatness of his strength? ‘It is I, who announce that right has won the day, ♦ it is I,’ says the Lord, ‘for I am mighty to save.’ Why are your robes all red, O Lord, ♦ and your garments like theirs who tread the winepress? ‘I have trodden the winepress alone, ♦ and from the peoples no one was with me.’ I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, ♦ the praises of the Most High; All that God has done for us in his mercy, ♦ by his many acts of love. For God said, ‘Surely, they are my people, my children who will not deal falsely,’ ♦ and he became their Saviour in all their distress. So God redeemed them by his love and pity; ♦ he lifted them up and carried them through all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:1-3a,7-9) Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praises of the Most High. Read prayerfully the meditations that follow - adapted from St John Henry Newman. Use each of these as a guide and inspiration for your own personal reflection. Use the prayers below after each meditation. The Lord’s Prayer 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. 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. Glory Be Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Dragged before Pilate and Herod, mocked, beaten, and spat upon, his back torn with scourges, his head crowned with thorns, Jesus, who on the last day will judge the world, is himself condemned by unjust judges to a shameful and excruciating death. Jesus is condemned to death. His death warrant is signed, and who signed it but I, when I committed my first mortal sin? Those sins of mine were the voices which cried out, ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’ That willingness and delight of heart with which I sinned was the consent which Pilate gave to the angry multitude. The hardness of heart which followed my sins, my proud impatience, my obstinate resolve to sin on, were the blows and the blasphemies with which the fierce soldiers and the crowd abused the Lord. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. A strong, heavy Cross is placed upon his torn shoulders. Jesus receives it gently and meekly, with gladness of heart, for it is to be the salvation of mankind. True; but recollect, that heavy Cross is the weight of our sins. As it fell upon his neck and shoulders, it came down with a shock. Alas! what a sudden, heavy weight have I laid upon you, O Jesus. Ah! how great a misery is it that I have lifted up my hand against my God. I acknowledge, O Jesus, that it was my sin that struck you on the face, that bruised your sacred arms, that tore your flesh with iron rods, that nailed you to the Cross, and let you to die slowly upon it. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Jesus, bowed down under the weight of the unwieldy Cross, slowly sets forth on his way, amid the mockeries and insults of the crowd. He sets off with his whole heart, but his limbs fail him, and he falls. Yes, it is as I feared. Jesus, the strong and mighty Lord, has found for the moment our sins stronger than himself. What, then, made him give way? I say, I repeat, it is an intimation and a reminder to you, O my soul, of your falling back into sin. I repented of my sins, and I went on well for a time; but at length new temptations came, when I was off guard, and I suddenly fell away. Then all my good habits seemed to go at once; they were like a garment which is stripped off, so quickly and utterly did grace depart from me. At that moment I looked at my Lord, and lo! he had fallen down. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Jesus journeys on. Looking up, he sees his Mother. For an instant they just see each other, and then he goes forward. Mary had known him beautiful and glorious, with the freshness of divine innocence and peace upon his face; now she sees him so changed and deformed that she can scarcely recognize him, save for the piercing, thrilling, peace-inspiring look he gives her. He looked like some outcast or outlaw who had frightful guilt upon him. He had been made sin for us; he who knew no sin. Not a feature, not a limb, but spoke of guilt, of a curse, of punishment, of agony. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. At length Jesus’ strength fails, and he is unable to proceed. The executioners see a stranger – Simon of Cyrene. They seize on him, and compel him to carry the Cross with Jesus. This help came at Mary's intercession. He, Jesus, prayed not for himself; but Mary showed herself a mother by following him with her prayers, since she could help him in no other way. Mary’s prayers sent this stranger to help him. Sweet Mother, even do the like to us. Pray for us ever, Holy Mother of God; pray for us, whatever be our cross, as we pass along on our way. Pray for us, and we shall rise again, though we have fallen. Pray for us when sorrow, anxiety, or sickness comes upon us. Pray for us and send some faithful servant of yours to succour us. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. As Jesus toils along up the hill, covered with the sweat of death, a woman wipes his face with a napkin. In reward of her piety the cloth retains the impression of the Lord’ sacred face upon it. This devout servant of Jesus did what she could. As a woman had poured ointment on him at the feast, so Veronica now offered him this napkin in his passion. O Jesus! let us, one and all, minister to you according to our places and powers. And as you accepted refreshment from your followers in the hour of trial, so give to us the support of your grace when we are hard pressed. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. The pain of his wounds and the loss of blood increases every step of the way, again his limbs fail him, and Jesus falls on the ground for a second time. What has Jesus done to deserve all this? I know what to answer. He falls because I have fallen. I have fallen again because I have lost my spirit of devotion, I have approached prayer and the Sacraments in a cold or careless way, without inward affection. I have become lukewarm, tepid. I thought the battle of life was over, and became secure. I had no active faith, no sight on heavenly things. I came to church from habit, or because I thought others would think well of me. I ought to be a new creature, I ought to live by faith, hope and charity; but I thought more of this world than the world to come. And thus I fell from you. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. At the sight of the sufferings of Jesus the holy women are so pierced with grief that they cry out and bewail him. Jesus, turning towards them, says, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.’ Ah! can it be, O Lord, that I shall prove one of those sinful children for whom you asked their mothers to weep? ‘Weep not for Me,’ he said, ‘for I am the Lamb of God, I am suffering now, but I shall triumph; and, when I triumph, those souls for whom I am dying, will either be my dearest friends or my deadliest enemies.’ Is it possible? O my Lord, can I grasp the terrible thought that you really wept for me? – wept for me, as you wept over Jerusalem? Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Jesus had now almost reached to the top of Calvary; but again he falls, and is again dragged up and driven onwards by the brutal soldiers. This is the worst fall of the three. His strength has for a while utterly failed him, and it is some time before the soldiers can bring him to. He was thinking of me all the time he dragged himself along, up the hill of Calvary. He saw that I would fall again in spite of all former warnings and assistance. He saw that I would become secure, comfortable, and over confident in myself. I was lacking humility. I thought I had outlived the danger of sinning; I thought it was an easy thing to get to heaven, and I was not watchful. It was my pride, and so I fell a third time. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Jesus has arrived at the place of sacrifice, and the soldiers prepare him for the Cross. His garments are torn from his bleeding body, and he, the Holy of Holiest, stands exposed to the gaze of the coarse and scoffing multitude. O my Jesus, who in your passion were stripped of your clothes, and held up to the curiosity and mockery of the crowd, strip me of myself. You endured shame on Calvary, that I might be spared the shame of Judgment. But I, O Lord, how should I appear if you stripped of the robe of grace? How should I appear seen in my own personal life and nature, and without the garments of your mercy? Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. The Cross is set upright, and Jesus is raised up and fastened to it. As the savage executioners drive in the huge nails, he offers himself to the Father, as a ransom for the world. The blows are struck; the blood gushes forth. Yes, they set up the Cross on high, and they place a ladder against it, and, having stripped Jesus of his garments, they make him climb. With his hands feebly grasping the side of a ladder, and his feet slowly, uncertainly, climbing up Jesus gets on the Cross helped by the soldiers. When Jesus reaches the point where his sacred feet were to be, he turns round with sweet modesty and gentleness towards the fierce multitude, stretching out his arms, as if he would embrace them. Then he places the backs of his hands close against the transverse beam, waiting for the sharp nails. There he hangs to the entertainment to the mocking crowd, as terror to evil spirits, and to the wonder, awe, adoration of the holy angels. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Jesus hangs on the Cross for three hours. During this time he prays for his murderers, promises Paradise to the penitent thief, and commits his Blessed Mother and his beloved disciple to one-another. After this he bows his head and gives up his spirit. The worst is over. The Holiest is dead and departed. The most tender, the most affectionate, the holiest of the sons of men is gone. Jesus is dead, and with his death my sins shall die. I protest once for all, before men and angels, that sin shall no more have dominion over me. I make myself God's own for ever. The salvation of my soul shall be my first concern. I put myself into God's hands, not by halves, but unreservedly. I promise you, Lord Jesus, with the help of your grace, to keep out of the way of temptation, to be regular in my prayers, and to seek your presence in the Eucharist, so that you may not have died for me on the Cross in vain. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. The crowd have gone home; Calvary is left still, with only a handful of people. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take down from the Cross the body of Jesus, and place it in the arms of Mary. O Mary, at last you have possession of thy Son. Now, when his enemies can do no more, they leave him to you. Your heart is pierced with the sword of which Simeon spoke when Jesus was an infant. O Mother most sorrowful Jesus went from your home in the strength and beauty of his prime; and he comes back to you dislocated, torn to pieces, mangled, dead. Yet, O Blessed Mary, you are happier in this hour of woe than on the day of the marriage feast at Cana, for then Jesus was leaving you, but now in the future, as the Risen Saviour, he will be separated from you no more. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Jesus is not yet risen. His friends take him from the arms of Mary, and place him in a tomb. They close it safely, till the hour comes for His resurrection. Lie down and sleep in peace in the calm grave for a little while, dear Lord, and then wake up for an everlasting reign. Then wake up to restore us all to true life. We, like the faithful women, will watch around you, for all our treasure, all our life, is lodged with you. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be... |
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Use the following response after the Fourteenth Station,
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
You committed no sin, no guile was found on your lips.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
You bore our sins in your body on the Cross
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
By your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
By your wounds we have been healed.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
set your passion, cross and death
between your judgment and our souls,
now and in the hour of our death.
Grant mercy and grace to the living,
rest to the departed,
to your Church peace and concord
and to us sinners forgiveness,
and everlasting life and glory;
for, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
you are alive and reign,
God, now and for ever. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
You committed no sin, no guile was found on your lips.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
You bore our sins in your body on the Cross
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
By your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
By your wounds we have been healed.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
set your passion, cross and death
between your judgment and our souls,
now and in the hour of our death.
Grant mercy and grace to the living,
rest to the departed,
to your Church peace and concord
and to us sinners forgiveness,
and everlasting life and glory;
for, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
you are alive and reign,
God, now and for ever. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
