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The Stations of the Way of the
Cross
According to the Method of Saint Francis of Assisi
Current Superiores, ut pium Viae Crucis exercitium feria VI, vel alia
hebdomanae die, numquam a Communitate omittatur; quod etiam loco
meditationis vespertinae haberi poterit.
Let the superiors take care that the devout exercise
of the Way of the Cross never be omitted from Community on Friday or
another day of the week. The [Way of the Cross] may also be celebrated
in place of the evening meditation.
Const. No. 214
(translation from
Latin)
Photo credits:
© Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, TOR All Rights Reserved
St. Francis Holding Crucified Christ - Holy Spirit Friary Courtyard,
Steubenville OH
Stations of the Cross mosaics - St. Francis Friary Chapel, Loretto PA
Text: Original Source Unknown
Preparatory Prayer
O most merciful Jesus!
With a contrite heart and a penitent spirit I bow down in profound
humility, before Your Divine Majesty. I adore You as my Supreme Lord and
Master; I believe in You, I hope in You, I love You above all things. I
am heartily sorry for having offended You, my supreme and only Good. I
resolve to amend my life; and although I am unworthy to obtain mercy,
yet the sight of Your holy Cross, on which You did die, inspires me with
hope and consolation. I will, therefore, meditate on Your sufferings,
and visit the stations of Your bitter passion in company with Your
sorrowful Mother and my guardian angel, with the intention of promoting
Your honor and saving my soul.
I desire to gain all the indulgences granted for this holy exercise:
a plenary one for myself, and all others for the souls in purgatory.
O merciful Redeemer, Who has said: "And I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all things to Myself," draw my heart and my love to
You, that I may perform this devotion as perfectly as possible, and that
I may live and die in union with You. Amen.
First
Station
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Jesus is Condemned To Death
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless
You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, most innocent, who neither did nor could commit a sin, was
condemned to death, and, moreover, to the most shameful 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.
Prayer:
O innocent Jesus,
having sinned, I am guilty of eternal death, but You willingly did
accept the unjust sentence of death, that I might live. For whom, then,
shall I henceforth live, if not for You, my Lord? Should I desire to
please men, I could not be Your servant. Let me, therefore, rather
displease men, and all the world, than not please You, O Jesus.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Second Station
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Jesus Carries His Cross
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have 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 upon His bruised shoulders, He, although almost exhausted,
joyfully carried it.
Prayer:
O my Jesus! I
cannot be Your friend and follower, if I refuse to carry the Cross. O
dearly beloved Cross! I embrace You, I kiss You, I joyfully accept You
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 Yours forever.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Third Station
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Jesus
Falls the First Time
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have 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 bitterness
and insupportable.
Prayer:
O my Jesus! You did bear my burden, and the heavy weight
of my sins. Should I not, then, bear in union with You my easy burden of
suffering, and accept the sweet yoke of Your commandments? Your yoke is
sweet and Your burden is light: I therefore willingly accept it. I will
take up my cross and follow You.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Fourth Station
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Jesus Meets His Afflicted
Mother
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have 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 assist you in the hour of your death.
Prayer:
O Jesus! O Mary! I am the cause of the great and
manifold pains which pierced your loving hearts. O that also my heart
would experience and feel at least some of your sufferings. O Mother of
Sorrows! Let me participate in the sufferings which You and Your Son
endured for me, and let me experience Your sorrow, that, afflicted with
You, I may enjoy Your assistance in the hour of my death.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Fifth Station
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Simon of
Cyrene Helps Jesus To Carry The Cross
V. We adore You, O
Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have
redeemed the world
Simon of Cyrene was compelled to help Jesus
carry His 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!
Prayer:
O Jesus! Whosoever does not
take up his Cross and follow You is not worthy of You. Behold, I join
You in the Way of Your Cross; I will be Your assistant, following Your
bloody footsteps, that I may come to You in eternal life.
Our
Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R.
Have mercy on us.
Sixth Station
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Veronica
Wipes the Face of Jesus
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we
bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the
word.
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?
Prayer:
Most merciful Jesus! What return shall I make for
all the benefits You did bestow upon me? Behold, I consecrate myself
entirely to Your service. I offer and consecrate to You my heart;
imprint on it Your sacred image, never again to be effaced by sin.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Seventh Station
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Jesus Falls the Second Time
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we
bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the
world.The suffering Jesus, under the weight of the 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 oppresses Jesus. Witnessing this,
how can I continue to sin?
Prayer
O
Jesus, Son of
David, have mercy on me! Offer me Your 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; never more will I sin! You, O sole support
of the weak, by Your grace, without which I can do nothing, strengthen
me to carry out faithfully this my resolution.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on
us.
Eighth Station
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The Daughters of
Jerusalem Weeping Over Jesus
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have 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 your children." Weep You
also; for there is nothing more pleasing to our Lord, and nothing more
profitable for Yourself, than tears shed in contrition for Your sins.
Prayer:
O
Jesus! Who shall give to my eyes a torrent of
tears, that day and night I may weep for my sins? I beseech You, through
Your bitter and bloody tears, to move my heart by Your divine grace, so
that from my eyes tears may flow abundantly, and that I may weep all my
days over Your sufferings, and still more over their cause, my sins.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Ninth Station
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Jesus
Falls the Third Time
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless
You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have 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.
Prayer:
Most merciful Jesus! I return You 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, Hail
Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Tenth Station
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Jesus Is Stripped of
His Garments
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
When our Savior had arrived at Calvary, He was cruelly stripped 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 stripped of His
garments that He might die possessing nothing; how happy will I also
die, after laying aside my former self with all evil desires and sinful
inclinations!
Prayer:
Induce me, O Jesus! To lay
aside my former self, and to be renewed according to Your will and
desire. I will not spare myself, however painful this should be for me:
stripped of things temporal, of my own will, I desire to die, in order
to live for You forever.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Eleventh Station
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Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, being stripped of His
garments, was violently thrown upon the Cross, and His hands and feet
nailed to it. 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 l am!
Prayer:
O
Jesus, gracious Lamb of God, I renounce forever my impatience. Crucify, O
Lord, my flesh and its concupiscences, scourge, scathe, punish me in
this world; do but spare me in the next. I commit my destiny to You,
resigning myself to Your holy will: may it be done in all things.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Twelfth Station
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Jesus Is Raised Upon the Cross and Dies
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have 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 super-abundance of love! Jesus, the Son of God, died upon
the Cross, that man may live and be delivered from everlasting death.
Prayer:
O
most amiable Jesus! Who will grant me that I may
die for You? I will endeavor at least to die to the world. How must I
regard the world and its vanities, when I behold You hanging on the
Cross, covered with wounds? O Jesus, receive me into Your wounded heart:
I belong entirely to You; for You alone do I desire to live and to die.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Thirteenth
Station
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Jesus Is Taken Down From the Cross and
Placed In the Arms
of His Blessed Mother
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Jesus did not descend from the Cross, but remained on it until He died.
And when taken down from it, He, in death as in life, rested in the arms
of His divine Mother. Persevere in your resolutions of reform, and do
not part from the Cross; he who perseveres 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.
Prayer
O
Lord Jesus! Your lifeless body, mangled and
lacerated, found a worthy resting place in the arms of Your Virgin
Mother. Have I not often compelled You to dwell in my heart, full of sin
and impurity as it was? Create in me a new heart that I may worthily
receive Your most sacred body in Holy Communion, and that You may remain
in me, and I in You, for all eternity.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
Fourteenth Station
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Jesus is Laid in the Sepulcher
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
The body of Jesus is interred in a stranger’s sepulcher. He who in this world had no where to
rest His head, would not even have a grave of His own, because He was
not of this world. You who are so attached to the world henceforth
despise it, that you may not perish with it.
Prayer:
O
Jesus! You have set me apart from the world: what, then, shall I seek
therein? You have created me for heaven: what, then, have I to do with
this world? Depart from me, deceitful world, with Your 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, Hail Mary, Glory to…
V. Lord Jesus crucified.
R. Have mercy on us.
ConclusionA lmighty and eternal God, merciful Father, Who has
given to the human race Your 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, take
up the sweet yoke of His Gospel together with 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,
you blessed of My Father, and possess the kingdom which was prepared for
you from the beginning," where You reign with the Son and the Holy
Spirit, and where we hope to reign with You, world without end.
Amen.
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