The Way of the Cross (The Stations of the Cross)
(Viae Crucis exercitium)
Beginning of every Station:
Leader: Proclaims the Station... We adore You, O Lord Jesus Christ, and we bless You.
All: Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed us and the whole world.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…
At the End of every Station:
Leader: Lord Jesus Christ crucified, prisoner of love in the Eucharist,
All: Have mercy on us and on the whole world.
First Station: Jesus is condemned to Death by Crucifixion (Mk.15:15):
- I adore You, my suffering Jesus, the eternal sweetness: Caiaphas and Pilate condemned You… You became man just for that, to be the Lamb of God, to take away my sins and the sins of the whole world! (Jn.1:29)... now, from the prison of love in the Tabernacle, You give us life (Jn.5:54). I thank You, my dear Jesus. It is all an excess of love… give me resignation in trials.
Second Station: Jesus carries His Cross (Jn.19:17):
- I adore You, my tormented Jesus, deep abyss of mercy, carrying Your own Cross for love of me and for the whole world. You did not redeemed us with Your miracles or sermons, but with Your Cross, praise You, my Lord and my God… this cross should be mine, not thine; my sins put You on it. I want to be Your disciple, my dear Jesus, Your Co-redeemer, to help my neighbors to go to Heaven. My best weapons are to carry my own cross, like You!…and to receive You daily in the Eucharist.
Third Station: Jesus falls for the first time:
- I can see You, my Love, it is heavy Your Cross, my sins and the sins of the whole world… I adore You. Thank You, my Savior and my God… by this first fall, never let me fall into mortal sin. My cross is also heavy, my Jesus, and I fall… but I thank You for Your other excess of love, for being my daily bread in the Eucharist, to give me strength to stand up again (Jn.6:48-58, Mt.6:11).
Fourth Station: Jesus meets His Mother:
- The Blessed Mother went all the way with Jesus to the foot of the Cross (Jn.29:26-27)… after the First Fall she got close to Jesus: He was disfigured… it was the sword that Simeon foretold would pierce her heart (Lk.2:35)… and the two hearts blended for love of mankind… Jesus, the Redeemer. Mary, the first Co-redeemer (Gen.3:15, Rev.12). Mother Mary: Pray for us sinners now, give us the love and understanding of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass… it is not the repetition of the sacrifice of Calvary, which was done once and for all, it is much more, it is the miracle of time and space, the greatest miracle of God, it is just as it was Calvary on that First Good Friday. (Heb.9:12,26,28, 10:14).
Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus bear his Cross (Mt.27:32, Mk.15:21, Lk.23:26):
- Simon of Cyrene, the only name mentioned in the Gospels in the Way of the Cross. My exhausted Jesus, inexhaustible fountain of compassion: I want to be another Cyrene. Give me, O Lord, the grace to live the glorious reality of the Tabernacle, to help You to carry Your cross now, feeding and strengthening the world from Your prison of love.
Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the Face of Jesus:
- Love is bold. Only a woman gets through the crowd, and wipes the disfigured face of Jesus with her veil. Jesus imprints on it His holy countenance. Glory to You, my Jesus, the splendor and figure of the substance of the Father (Jn.14:9). The real Jesus is great, a mirror of God!… the Eucharist is an ocean of love. God himself is in love with me, waiting daily for me made just wine an bread… I believe in You, my Jesus, imprint in my heart Your love. Thank You, my Lord: For Your love in the Eucharist, You have mercy on me and on the whole world (Jn.6:48-58, Mt.26:26-29)
Seventh Station: Jesus falls the Second Time:
- The weight of the Cross gets heavier, my dear Jesus. Now the sins of the Christians, of Your friends, make You fall the Second Time: Our ingratitude, injustices, heresies, impurities, abortions, adulteries, homosexuality, drugs, sacrileges… my poor Jesus, the heavenly physician, I love You… help me to understand and live the greatness of the Sacrament of Reconciliation… Pope John Paul II, went to Confession daily!… Thank You, my dearest friend Jesus: For Your humility in the Eucharist, You have mercy on me and on the whole world. Praise the Lord.
Eight Station: Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem (Lk.23:27-31):
- These are the only words Jesus spoke in the Way of the Cross, recorded in the gospel of St. Luke: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for Yourselves and for Your children... For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?". Now we are in the Third Millennium, "the wood is dry"… my tender Jesus, sweetness of the heart: For Your daily sufferings in the Eucharist, You have mercy on me and on the whole world. Thank You, my Love and my All.
Ninth Station: Jesus falls the Third Time:
- The Cross gets heavier and heavier: "The just man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble to ruin" (Prov.24:16)… Yes, my poor Jesus, even Your chosen ones sin, the priests, nuns… and this is Your most painful fall… I love You, my priestly Jesus, and I praise You for the Sacrament of Confession (Jn.20:23)... the good Pope John XXIII used it daily…. thank You, my most dear friend Jesus: For Your patience and perseverance in the Eucharist, You have mercy on me and on the whole world.
Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his clothing (Jn.19:23-24, Mt.27:35, Mk.15:24):
- Mk.15:24): I adore You, my naked Jesus, Mirror of the Father and Eternal Splendor: The soldiers divided Your clothes among them, and cast lots for Your garments, fulfilling two of the 13 prophecies of Psalm 22, all of them fulfilled to the letter at Calvary, praise the Lord!. A new indignity, now shamed in the eyes of men… and a new lesson from Jesus: To please Him, I have to strip my heart of all sorts of unworthy affections and pretenses, desiring nothing other than God… thank You, my Jesus: For Your nakedness and meekness in the Eucharist, You have mercy on me and on the whole world.
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross (Mk.15:25, Mt.27:35, Lk.23:33, Jn.19:18):
- Jesus was brought to a place called the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha), and there they crucified Him with two other criminals… this is the apotheosis of the excess of love, without complaints, this the Hour!… paying for all the sins of humankind. I adore You, and I love You, and I believe in You, my crucified Jesus, the Lamb of God. … And there was Your Mother of Sorrows, receiving in her heart a thousand nails for each one You had. Thank You, Jesus: For Your crucifixion and sorrows in the Eucharist, You have mercy on me and on the whole world.
Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the Cross (Mk.15:34,37, Mt.27:50-56, Lk.23:44-49, Jn.19:30):
- Jesus is dead!, after six hours on the Cross…I adore and I bless You, my Lord and my God: … Silence!… it is the glorious hour of the Redemption of the universe and the reconciliation with the Father… the foundation of Your Church. Now Jesus is in the Eucharist already for 2000 years, day and night, waiting for us, waiting, waiting... the excess of love. I want to accompany You, my Jesus, today and every day, in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass… and do it not boring, like the soldiers, but with the intensity of Mary and John.
Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the Cross (Mk.15:46, :Lk.23:53):
- Now Jesus is in Your arms again, Most Holy Mother, just as in Bethlehem, but what a difference!: He has passed through another hands, though mine! Receive me also into Your arms, O my Sorrowful Mother, with the same love You received Jesus... A million thanks, my tender Mother… a million thanks, my dearest Jesus, the lion of Judah… for Your love and joy in the Eucharist, You have mercy on me and on the whole world.
Fourteenth Station: Jesus laid in the Sepulcher (Mt.27:57-61, Mk.15:42-47, Lk.23:50-56, Jn.19:38-41):
- Jesus is placed in the Tomb… and the enemies thought the Christ was finished!… but Jesus resurrected!… and the darkness of the sepulcher became the light of the world… death where is your sting?… with His real death, Jesus give us real life… and an eternal one, praise the Lord!. A million thanks, my most precious, living Jesus, the beloved and most desirable King, the light of the spirit: When I receive You in my heart in the Holy Communion, make it a fit abiding place for Your adorable Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Amen.
