The Way of the Cross
with text from the Scriptures
FIRST STATION
Jesus is condemned to death
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Again the high priest began to ask him, and said to him, “Are you the
Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus said to him, “I am. And
you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and
Coming with the clouds of heaven,” But the high priest tore his garments
and said, “What further need have we of witnesses? You have heard the
blasphemy. What do you think?” And they all condemned him as liable to
death. (Mark 14:61-64)
The kings of the earth rise up
and the princes conspire together against the Lord and against his
Anointed.
I will proclaim the decree of the Lord;
the Lord said to me:
“You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and l will give you the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.” (Psalm 2, 2 & 7-8)
Let us pray.
All-powerful and eternal God, for proclaiming the truth your Son, Jesus
Christ, is condemned to death by crucifixion. Stir up your love in our
hearts so that we might be ever faithful to all that You have told us and
fear nothing more than the loss of your friendship through sin. Amen.
THIRD STATION
Jesus falls the first time
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you. If you were
of the world, the world would love what is its own. Because you are not
of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
hates you. Remember the word that I have spoken to you: No servant is
greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute
you also. (John 15:18-20)
Why are your clothes red,
and your garments like those of the wine presser?
“The wine press I have trodden alone,
and of my people there was no one with me.
I trod them in my anger, and trampled them down in my wrath;
their blood spurted on my garments and I stained all my clothes.
I looked about, but there was no one to help,
I was appalled that there was no one to lend support;
so my own arm brought about the victory.” (Is. 63:2-5)
Let us pray.
O God, to free us from sin and weakness your Son, Jesus Christ,
embraced his fearful passion and crucifixion. Strengthen us to our
baptismal resolutions by which we renounced sin and Satan, so that
through the passion of this life’s sufferings we might rise to a new life of
joyful service free of all selfishness. Amen.
FIFTH STATION
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
And when they had mocked Jesus, they took the purple cloak off and put
his own clothes on him and they led him out to be crucified. Then they
forced a certain passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, to
take up his cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, a name
meaning “the place of the skull.” (Mt. 15:20-22)
With a loud voice I cry out to the Lord
with a loud voice I beseech the Lord
My complaint I pour out before him;
before him I lay bare my distress.
When my spirit is faint within me you know my path.
In the way along which I walk they have hid a trap for me.
I look to the right to see, but there is no one who pays me heed
I have lost all means of escape;
there is no one who cares for my life. (Ps. 141:2-5)
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, help us to see in the sufferings and shortcomings of our
lives a share in Your Cross; strengthen and console us in the belief that
we bear all things in union with You, who have taken upon Yourself even
our guilt. Amen.
SEVENTH STATION
Jesus falls the second time
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
It was our weaknesses that he carried, our sufferings that he endured,
while we thought of him as stricken, as one struck by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was
the punishment that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We
had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord
laid upon him the guilt of us all. (Is. 53:4-6)
Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth;
like a Lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers,
he was silent and uttered no cry.
When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of
His people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with
evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. (Is. 53:7,9)
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, You shared in our weaknesses and accepted our guilt.
Grant us the favor of rejoicing over our human weaknesses, so that in all
we do, Your strength, dwelling in us, may be shown to all others. Amen.
NINTH STATION
Jesus falls a third time
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
I lie prostrate in the dust; give me life according to your word. I declared
my ways, and you answered me; teach me your commands. Make me
understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your
wondrous deeds. My soul weeps for sorrow; strengthen me with your
words. (Ps. 118:25-28)
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh,
my foes and my enemies themselves stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust. (Ps. 26:1-3)
Let us pray.
Almighty and eternal God, You permitted your Son to be weakened,
crushed, and profaned so that He might rise from the dead freed from the
ravages of sin. Help us to accept our weaknesses and failings as
forerunners of our glorious resurrection in union with your Son. Amen.
ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus is nailed to the Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
When they came to Golgotha, the place called the Skull, they crucified
Jesus and the robbers, one on his right and the other on his left. And Jesus
said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
(Luke 23:33-35; John 19:18)
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me,
far from my prayer, far from the words of my cry?
O my God, I cry out by day, and you answer me not;
I cry out by night, and there is no relief for me.
All my bones are racked.
My heart has become like wax melting away within my chest.
My throat is dried up like baked clay, my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
they have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones. (Ps. 21:2-3, 15-16, 17b)
Let us pray.
Lord and Saviour. You have told us that we too must accept crucifixion if
we are to accept resurrection with You. Help us to rejoice in the sufferings
that come with the fulfillment of our daily duties, seeing in them the
royal road of the cross to resurrection. Amen.
THIRTEENTH STATION
The body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
When the soldiers came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead so
that they did not break his legs, but one of them opened his side with a
lance, and immediately there came out blood and water. Joseph of
Arimathea, because he was a disciple of Jesus (although a secret one for
fear of the Jews), besought Pilate that he might take away the body of
Jesus And Pilate gave permission. (John 19:33-34,38a)
O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them,
and I will bring you back to your land.
Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live.
You shall know then that I am the Lord.
I have promised it and I will do it, says the Lord. (Ezekiel 37:12-14)
Let us pray.
Beloved Saviour, You returned to the Father all that He had given You, so
that He might restore all to You a hundred-fold in the glorious
resurrection. HeIp us, we beg You, to give generously of ourselves in all
that we do for You, so that like You we might be made perfect in a new
resurrection. Amen.
SECOND STATION
Jesus carries His Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
And Pilate said to the Jews, “Behold, your king!” But they cried out,
“Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them,
“Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king
but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. And so
they took Jesus and led him away, bearing the cross for himself. (John
19:14-17)
Who would believe what we have heard?
To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth,
there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,
no appearance that would attract us to him.
He was rejected and avoided by men,
a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,
one of those from whom men turn away,
and we held him in no esteem. (Is. 53:1-3)
Let us pray.
Father in heaven, your Son, Jesus Christ, still carries his Cross in his
persecuted brothers and sisters throughout the world. Make us feel the
needs of all persons so that we might as readily help them as we would
help Jesus himself. Amen.
FOURTH STATION
Jesus meets his afflicted mother
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Now there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother and his
mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus,
therefore, saw his mother and the disciple standing by, whom he loved,
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the
disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her
into his home. (John 19:25-27)
To what can I compare you, O daughter Jerusalem?
What example can I show you for your comfort,
Virgin daughter Sion?
For great as the sea is your distress:
who can heal you? (Lam. 2:13)
Let us pray.
O blessed Lord, at your passion a sword of sorrow pierced the loving
heart of your mother as Simeon had foretold. Grant that we who look
back on her sorrows with compassion might receive the healing fruits of
your sufferings. Amen.
SIXTH STATION
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
“Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give
you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and take you in; or
naked, and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and
come to you?” And answering the king will say to them, ”Amen, I say to
you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you
did it for me.” (Mt. 25:37-40)
A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;
he who finds one finds a treasure.
A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth.
A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds;
for he who fears God behaves accordingly,
and his friend will be like himself. (Sirach 6:14-17)
Let us pray.
Almighty and ever-loving God, we feel your love and understanding in
the consolation and support we receive from one another. Give us, we
beg You, the courage and dedication to sacrifice and suffer with those
who are in need, the least of your people. Amen.
EIGHTH STATION
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
We adore You, Christ and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
There was following Jesus a great crowd of people, and among them
were some women who were bewailing and lamenting him. Jesus turning
to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me but weep for
yourselves and for your children.” (Luke 23:27-28)
Come, all you who pass by the way,
look and see whether there is any suffering like my suffering,
suffering with which the Lord has afflicted me on the day of his blazing
wrath.
At this I weep, my eyes run with tears
far from me are all who could console me,
far away are any who might revive me. (Lam. 1:12-16)
Let us pray.
Beloved Jesus, with tears of pity these women of Jerusalem responded to
You, broken, bruised, and beaten, on the road to Calvary. Deepen our
faith, we beg You, so that we may see You in our brothers and sisters,
bruised by our envy, beaten down by injustice, and broken by our greed
and our indifference. Amen.
TENTH STATION
Jesus is stripped of His clothes
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You,
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
They gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall; but when he had tasted it,
He would not drink. Then, after they had crucified him, they divided his
clothes, casting lots, to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
”They divided my clothes among them, and upon my garment they cast
lots.” (Mt. 27:34-35)
Happy is the man whom God chastises!
Do not reject the punishment of the almighty
For he wounds, but he binds up;
he smites but his hands give healing.
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak.
I looked for comforters and I found none.
Rather they put gall in my food
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink (Job 5:17-18; Ps. 68:21-22)
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, stripped of everything, You stood exposed to the jeers
and contempt of the people whom You loved. Clothe us with genuine
love of others, so that nothing we suffer may ever fill our hearts with
hatred or bitterness. Amen.
TWELFTH STATION
Jesus dies on the Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole
land until the ninth hour, And the sun was darkened, and the curtain of
the temple was torn in the middle. Jesus cried out with a loud voice and
said, “It is finished. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Then,
bowing his head, he died. (Luke 23:44-46; John 19:30b)
My people, what have I done to you? or in what have I offended you?
Answer me.
What more should I have done, and did not do?
I led you out of the land of Egypt, and you prepared a cross for me.
I opened the Red Sea before you, and you opened my side with a lance.
I gave you a royal scepter, and you have given me a crown of thorns.
With great power I lifted you up, and you have hung me upon a cross.
My people, what have I done to you, or in what have I offended you?
Answer me. (from the Reproaches of Good Friday)
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
hallowed be 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. Amen.
FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus is laid in the tomb
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus, and wrapping it in a clean
linen cloth he laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out of rock.
Then he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and
departed. (Mt. 27:59-60)
I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not
let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, my God, I cried out to you and you healed me.
O Lord, you brought me up from the lower world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
Sing praise to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy
name.
For his anger lasts but a moment; his good will is for a lifetime.
Weeping may endure for a night
but joy comes in the morning. (Ps 30:1-5)
Let us pray.
Almighty and eternal God, on the edge of sadness when all seemed lost,
You restored to us the Saviour we thought defeated and conquered. Help
us, we beg You, so to empty ourselves of self concern that we might see
your hand in every failure and your victory in every defeat. These things
we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
forever with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.