Stations of the Cross

Introduction

Accompany Christ every step of the way on the road to Calvary. The timeless tradition in our Catholic faith helps us to keep all of our Lenten sacrifices rooted in the Cross. When we unite to Jesus in His Passion, we are guaranteed the prize of His resurrection. Join us every Friday in praying and meditating upon the Stations of the Cross.

Opening Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
 
My Lord Jesus Christ, You have made this journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned you; but now I love you with my whole heart, and because I love you, I repent sincerely for ever having offended you. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey. You go to die for love of me; I also wish, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.

1: Jesus is Condemned to Death

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
 
Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.
 
My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins that condemned You to die. I beseech You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity. I love You, my beloved Jesus; I repent with my whole heart for having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
 
Dear Jesus, You go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me keep You company;
I wish to die with You.

2: Jesus Bears His Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
 
Consider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on His shoulders, thought of us, and for us offered to His Father the death He was about to undergo.
 
My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations You have destined for me until death. I beseech You, by the merits of the pain You suffered in carrying Your Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
 
Dear Jesus, You go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me keep You company;
I wish to die with You.
 

3: Jesus Falls the First Time

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
 
Consider this first fall of Jesus under His Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that he could scarcely walk, and yet he had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.
 
My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but my sins, which have made You suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love You, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
 
Dear Jesus, You go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me keep You company;
I wish to die with You.

4: Jesus Meets His Mother

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
 
Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.
 
My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow You experienced in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Your most holy Mother. And thou, my Queen, who was overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by your intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of your Son. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent of ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
 
Dear Jesus, You go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me keep You company;
I wish to die with You.

5: Jesus is Helped by Simon

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
 
Consider how the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus from weakness was on the point of expiring, and fearing that He would die on the way, when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the Cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the Cross behind our Lord.
 
My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the Cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it; I embrace it. I accept in particular the death You destined for me; with all the pains that may accompany it; I unite it to Your death, I offer it to You. You have died for love of me; I will die for love of You, and to please You. Help me by Your grace. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
 
Dear Jesus, You go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me keep You company;
I wish to die with You.

6: 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.
 
Consider how the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel, with which He wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His holy countenance.
 
My most beloved Jesus, Your face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it. Alas, my soul also was once beautiful, when it received Your grace in Baptism; but I have disfigured it since by my sins; You alone, my Redeemer, can restore it to its former beauty. Do this by Your Passion, O Jesus. I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
 
Dear Jesus, You go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me keep You company;
I wish to die with You.

7: Jesus Falls a Second Time

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
 
Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross—a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
 
My most gentle Jesus, how many times You have pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend You! Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary help to persevere in Your grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to You. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
 
Dear Jesus, You go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me keep You company;
I wish to die with You.

8: Jesus Speaks to the Women

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
 
Consider how those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in such a pitiable state, streaming with blood, as He walked along. But Jesus said to them: Weep not for Me, but for your children.
 
My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offenses I have committed against You, because of the pains they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure they have caused You, who hast loved me so much. It is Your love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love You more than myself; I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
 
Dear Jesus, You go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me keep You company;
I wish to die with You.