OPENING PRAYER
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. because by your holy cross you have redeemed the
world.
LET US PRAY
God our Father, in obedience to you your only Son
accepted death on the cross for the salvation of mankind.
We acknowledge the mystery of the cross on earth.
May we receive the gift of redemption in heaven. We ask
this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
At the cross her station keeping
Stood the mournful mother weeping
Close to Jesus to the last.
FIRST STATION
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.
From the Gospel of St. John
(John 19:12-13a; 15-16)
Pilate was anxious to set him free, but the Jews shouted, “If you set
him free you are no friend of Caesar’s: anyone who makes himself
king is defying Caesar.” Hearing these words Pilate had Jesus
brought out. “Here is your king”, he said to the Jews. “Take him
away, take him away!” they said “Crucify him!” “Do you want me to
crucify your king?” said Pilate. The chief priests answered, “We
have no king except Caesar”. So in the end Pilate handed him over to
them to be crucified.
Words of Our Lord
(Jn. 10:17- 18)
“The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it
up again. No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own free will,
and as it is in my power to lay it down, so it is in my power to take it
up again, and this is the command I have been given by my father”.
Let us pray
Lord, by shedding his blood for us, your Son, Jesus Christ,
established the paschal mystery. In your goodness, make us holy and
watch over us always. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Through her heart his sorrow sharing
All his bitter anguish bearing
Now at length the sword had passed
SECOND STATION
JESUS RECEIVES THE CROSS
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
From the Gospel of St. John
(John 19:17)
They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went
out of the city to the place of the skull or as it was called in Hebrew,
Golgotha.
Words of Our Lord
(Matthew 16: 24-26)
If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself
and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save
his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will
find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and
ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?
Let us pray
Almighty and ever-living God, you gave our Saviour the command
to become man and undergo the cross, as an example for all men to
follow. We have the lessons of his sufferings: give us also the
fellowship of his resurrection. We ask this through Christ our Lord
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that mother highly blest
Of the sole-begotten one.
THIRD STATION
JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME UNDER HIS CROSS
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
From the Prophet Isaiah
(Isaiah 50: 5-7)
The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear. For my part, I made no resistance,
neither did I turn away, I offered my back to those who struck me, my
cheeks to those who tore at my beard: I did not cover my face against
insult and spittle, The Lord Yahweh comes to my help, so that I am
untouched by the insults. So, too, I set my face like flint; I know I shall
not be shamed.
Words of Our Lord
(John 12: 24-25:27-28)
“I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain fall on the ground and
dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.
Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this
world will keep it for the eternal life. Now my soul is troubled. What
shall I say; Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this very
reason that I have come to this hour: Father glorify your name!”
Let us pray
Father, through the obedience of Jesus, your servant and your Son, you
raised a fallen world. Free us from sin and bring us to the joy that lasts
forever. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Christ above in torment hangs;
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying glorious Son.
FOURTH STATION
JESUS IS MET BY HIS BLESSED MOTHER
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
From the Gospel of St. Luke
(Luke 2: 34-35)
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “You see this child:
he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined
to be a sign that is rejected and a sword will pierce your own soul too
so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare”.
Words of Our Lord
(John 10:10b; 14-15)
“I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full. I am the
good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the
Father knows me and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my
sheep”.
Let us pray
Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be a worthy mother of your
Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring
by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment to her being.
Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin. We ask this
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Is there one who would not weep,
Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear mother to behold.
FIFTH STATION
THE CROSS IS LAID UPON SIMON OF CYRENE
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
From the Gospel of St. Mark
(Mark 15:21)
They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and
Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross.
Words of Our Lord
(Matthew 10: 24-25. 28)
“The disciple is not superior to his teacher, not the slave to his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he should grow to be like his teacher
and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the
house Beelzebul, what will they not say of his house-hold? Do not be
afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him
rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.
Let us pray
Father, by the blood of your own Son you have set all men free and
saved us from death. Continue your work of love within us, that by
constantly celebrating the mystery of our salvation we may reach the
eternal life it promises. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mothers pain untold
SIXTH STATION
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 world.
From the Prophet Isaiah
(Isaiah 53:1-3)
Who could believe what we have heard, and to whom has the power of
Yahweh been revealed? Like a sapling he grew up in front of us, like a
root in arid ground. Without beauty, without majesty we saw him, no
looks to attract our eyes; a thing despised and rejected by men, a man
of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen
their faces; he was despised and we took no account of him..
Words of Our Lord
(John 12: 45-46)
“Whoever sees me; sees the one who sent me. I, the light, have come
into the world, so that whoever believes in me need not stay in the dark
anymore”.
Let us pray
God our Father, no secret is hidden from you, for every heart is open to
you and every. Wish is known. Fill our hearts with the light of your
Holy Spirit to free our thoughts from sin, that we may; perfectly love
you and fittingly praise you. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender child.
All with bloody scourges rent.
SEVENTH STATION
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.
From the Prophet Isaiah
(Isaiah 53: 4-6)
And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. But
we, thought of him as someone punished, struck by God, and brought low.
Yet he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies
the punishment that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are
healed. We had all gone astray like sheep each taking his own way, and
Yahweh burdened Him with the sins of all of us.
Words of our Lord
(Luke 12: 36-37:40)
Be like men who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding
feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy are
those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. You too
must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not
expect.
Let us pray
Almighty God, grant that we who are constantly betrayed by our own
weakness, may draw the breath of new life from the passion and death of
your only begotten Son. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
For the sins of his own nation.
Saw him hang in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent
EIGHTH STATION
THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM MOURN FOR OUR LORD
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
From the Gospel of St. Luke
(Luke 23:27)
Large numbers of people followed him, and of women too, who
mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said,
“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for
yourselves and for your children. For the days will surely come when
people will say, ‘Happy are those who are barren, the wombs that have
never borne, the breasts that have never suckled!’ Then they will begin
to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ to the hills, ‘Covers us!’ For if men
use the green wood like this, what will happen when it is dry”?
Word of Our Lord
(Matthew 5:5; 10-12)
“Happy are those who mourn; they shall be comforted. Happy are
those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and
speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be
glad, for your reward will be great in heaven”.
Let us pray
Father, help us to be like Christ your Son; who loved the world and
died for our salvation, inspire us by his love, guide us by his example.
We ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
O thou mother! Fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above.
Make my heart with thine accord.
NINTH STATION
JESUS FALLS FOR THE THIRD TIME
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
From the prophet Isaiah
(Isaiah 53: 8-10)
By force and by law he was taken; would anyone plead his cause? Yes,
he was torn away from the land of the living; for our faults struck down
in death. They gave him a grave with the wicked, a tomb with the rich,
though he had done no wrong and there had been no perjury in his
mouth. Yahweh had been pleased to crush him with suffering. If he
offers his life in atonement, he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long
life and through him what Yahweh wishes will be done.
Words of Our Lord
(Matthew 11: 28-30)
“Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give
you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is
easy and my burden light”.
Let us pray
Lord may the suffering and death of Jesus, your only Son, make us
pleasing to you. Alone we can do nothing but may his perfect sacrifice
win us your mercy and love. We ask through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Make me feel as thou hast felt
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ my Lord.
TENTH STATION
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.
From the Gospel of St. John
(John 1:23- 24)
When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing
and divided it into four shares, one for each solder. His undergarment
was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; so they said to
one another, “Instead of tearing it, let’s throw dice to decide who is to
have it.” In this way the words of the scripture were fulfilled: “They
shared out my clothing among them. They cast lots for my cloths.”
This is exactly what the soldiers did.
Words of Our Lord
(Luke 12: 4-50)
“I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing
already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my
distress till it is over!”
Let us pray
Lord, by the suffering of Christ your Son you have saved us all from
the death we inherited from sinful Adam. By the law of nature we have
borne the likeness of his manhood. May the sanctifying power of grace
help us to put on the likeness of our Lord in heaven. We ask this
through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Holy Mother, pierce me through
In my heart each wound renew
Of my saviour crucified
ELEVENTH STATION
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 work.
From the Gospel of St. John
(John 1: 18-20)
There they crucified him with two others, one on either side with Jesus
in the middle. Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it
ran; Jesus the Nazarene, king of the Jews.
Words of Our Lord
(John 8:28; 12: 31-32)
“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am
He and that I do nothing of myself; what the Father has taught me is
what I preach. Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the
prince of this world is to be overthrown. And when I am lifted up from
the earth, I shall draw all men to myself”.
Let us pray
By your will, Lord God, your Son underwent the agony of the cross to
break the power of Satan over man. Give your people grace to rise
again with Christ. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Let me share with thee his pain
Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died
TWELFTH STATION
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world
From the Gospel of St. John
(John 19: 28-30)
Jesus knew that everything had now been completed, and to fulfil the
scripture perfectly he said: “I am thirsty”. A jar full of vinegar stood
there, so putting a sponge soaked in vinegar on a hyssop stick they held
it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taking the vinegar he said, “It is
accomplished”; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.
Words of Our Lord
(John 17:1: 4-6)
“Father, the hour had come: glorify your Son so that your Son may
glorify you. I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that
you gave me to do Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me with that
glory I had with you before the world was”.
Let us pray
Father of mercy, in your great love for us you have given us your only
Son. May He take us up into his own perfect sacrifice, that we may
offer you fitting worship. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
Let me mingle tears with thee
Mourning him who mourned for me.
All the days that I may live.
THIRTEENTH STATION
JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
From the Gospel of St. John
(John 1:9: 38-39)
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus though a
secret one because he was afraid of the Jews asked Pilate to let him
remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it
away, Nicodemus came as well- the same one who had first come to Jesus
at night-time; and he brought a mixture or myrrh and aloes, weighing
about a hundred pounds.
Words of Our Lord
(John 17: 9-11)
“I pray for them, I am not praying for the world but for those you have
given me, because they belong to you: all I have is yours, and all you have
is mine and in them I am glorified, I am not in the world any longer, but
they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep those you
have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us”.
Let us pray
Father, as your Son was raised on the cross, his mother Mary stood by him,
sharing his sufferings. May your church be united with Christ in his
sufferings and death and so come to share in his rising to new life, we ask
this through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
By the cross with thee to stay,
There with thee to weep and pray
Is all I ask of thee to give.
FOURTEENTH STATION
JESUS IS PLACED IN THE SEPULCHRE
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
From the Gospel of St John
(John 19: 40-42)
They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen
cloths, following the Jewish burial custom. At the place where he had
been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in
which no one had yet been buried. Since it was the Jewish Day of
preparation and the tomb was near at hand, they laid Jesus there.
Words of Our Lord
(John 17: 20-21)
“I pray not only for these, but for those also who through their words
will believe in me. May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe it was
you who sent me”.
Let us pray
Lord God, the creation of man was a wonderful work his redemption
still more wonderful. May we persevere in right reason against al that
entices to sin and so attain to everlasting joy. We ask this through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord!
R. Have mercy on us!
Hymn
While my body here decays
May my soul thy goodness praise.
Safe in paradise with thee.
Amen
CLOSING PRAYER
For the intention of the Holy Father, Let us pray:
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
trespasses against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. Amen.
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.
Amen.
Glory be, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was
in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Let us pray
Almighty and eternal God, you have restored us to life by the
triumphant death and resurrection of Christ. Continue this healing
work within us. May we who participate in this mystery never cease to
serve you. We make our prayers through Christ our Lord. Amen