In the name of the Father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you, eternal Father, we now offer this tribute of our worship in a spirit of humility and with a contrite heart. May it redound to your honor and glory, and make us and all faithful Christians, both living and dead, deserving of the forgiveness of our sins, the increase of grace, and the reward of everlasting life.
V. Let us glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. In whom is salvation, life and resurrection.
Let Us Pray
O God, / through the passion, death, and resurrection of your Son, / you showed us the path to eternal glory by the way of the Cross. / As we now follow him by our prayers to the place of Calvary, / may we also share in his victory over sin and death, / and be received into his kingdom for all eternity, / where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen
SEE, HOW SAD AND SORE DISTRESSED
WAS THAT MOTHER HIGHLY BLESSED
OF THE SOLE BEGOTTEN ONE!
CHRIST ABOVE IN TORMENT HANGS:
SHE BENEATH BEHOLDS THE PANGS
OF HER DYING GLORIOUS SON.
First Station
Jesus Is Condemned to Death
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
In the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole council, binding Jesus, led him away and took him to Pilate. And they all condemned him saying: He is guilty of death; we have found this man saying that he is Christ the King. and Pilate, sitting in the place of judgment, handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.
V. God spared not his only Son.
R. But delivered him up for all of us.
Let Us Pray
O Lord Jesus Christ, / you came down upon earth from the glory of the Father in heaven, / and shed your precious blood for the remission of our sins. / We humbly pray that, on the day of judgment / you may find us worthy to be placed at your right hand, / and to hear your words: Come, you blessed of my Father! / This we ask of you now living and reigning for ever. Amen.
WHO, ON CHRIST'S DEAR MOTHER GAZING,
PIERCED BY ANGUISH SO AMAZING,
BORN OF WOMAN, WOULD NOT WEEP?
Second Station
Jesus Takes Up His Cross
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Carrying his Cross, Jesus went forth to the place called Calvary. Hail, O Christ our King! You alone had pity on the folly of our sins. Obedient to the will of the Father, you are led forth to be crucified, like an innocent lamb to the slaughter. To you be glory; to you be triumph and victory over sin and death; to you the crown of highest honor and acclaim.
V. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
R. For the wickedness of his people he has stricken him.
Let Us Pray
Lord, you once said: / Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, / for I am gentle and lowly of heart, / and you will find rest for your souls. / For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. / Grant that we may be able so to carry it as to obtain your saving grace. / This we ask of you now living and reigning for ever. Amen.
WHO ON CHRIST'S DEAR MOTHER THINKING,
SUCK A CUP OF SORROW DRINKING,
WOULD NOT SHARE HER SORROWS DEEP?
Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time Under the Cross
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Our Lord Jesus Christ humbled himself to the point of death, even to death on the Cross. That is why God exalted him above every creature, and gave him a name that is above all other names. Come, let us adore and bow down in worship before God; let us weep in the presence of the Lord who made us, for he is indeed the Lord our god.
V. Surely he has borne our infirmities.
R. And he has carried our sorrows.
Let Us Pray
Almighty God and Father, / we confess that we are weak / and that we often fail in the midst of trials and sufferings. / Through the merits of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, your only begotten Son, / give us new courage and hope. / This we ask in Jesus' Name, who lives and reigns for ever. Amen.
GRACIOUS MOTHER, FONT OF LOVE,
TOUCH MY SPIRIT FROM ABOVE,
MAKE MY HEART WITH YOURS ACCORD.
FOURTH STATION
Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
To what shall I compare you? Or to what shall I liken you, virgin daughter of Jerusalem? For great as the sea is your distress. O Mother of mercy, grant that we may always realize in ourselves the death of Jesus and share with him in his saving passion.
V. A sword of sorrow has pierced your soul.
R. And has filled your heart with bitter pain.
Let Us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, / at the hour of your cruel death on the Cross, / a sword of sorrow pierced the grieving soul of the Virgin Mary, your Mother. / May she plead for clemency in our behalf, now and at the hour of our death. / This we ask of you now living and reigning for ever. Amen.
MAKE ME FEEL AS YOU HAVE FELT;
MAKE MY SOUL TO GLOW AND MELT
WITH THE LOVE OF CHRIST MY LORD.
Fifth Station
Simon of Cyrene is Forced to Take Up the Cross
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
As the soldiers were leading Jesus away on the road to Calvary, they laid hold of a certain Simon, of Cyrene, a passerby, who was coming in from the country, and forced him to take up the Cross of Jesus. If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
V. Whoever does not carry his cross and come after me.
R. Cannot be my disciple.
Let Us Pray
O God of Grace and might, accept our prayers and sacrifices, / and be moved to have mercy on us. / Strengthen us in our weakness / so that our rebellious wills may yield to your diving will in all things. / This we ask of you, through Christ our Lord. Amen
BRUISED, DERIDED, CURSED, DEFILED,
SHE BEHELD HER TENDER CHILD
ALL WITH BLOODY SCOURGES RENT.
Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Lo, we have seen him, and there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness. He is despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, his face full of grief. He is worn out by suffering, like the one in whose presence the people hide their faces. He is scorned and disdained. His appearance is that of one tortured beyond human endurance. And yet he is fairer than all the sons of men, and by his wounds we are healed.
V. Turn not your face away from us.
R. And withdraw not from your servants in your anger.
Let Us Pray
O God, renew us according to your own image and likeness / by the precious blood of Jesus Christ your Son. / Guide our footsteps in your paths, / that we may truly experience the gift of your divine charity. / This we ask through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
FOR THE SINS OF HIS OWN NATION,
HE NOW WALKS IN DESOLATION
TILL HIS EARTHLY LIFE IS SPENT.
Seventh Station
Jesus Falls a Second Time
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
They delivered me into the hands of the impious, they cast me out among the wicked, and they spared not my life. The powerful gathered together against me, and like giants they stood against me. Afflicting me with cruel wounds, they mocked me.
V. But I am a worm and no man.
R. The reproach of men and the outcast of the people
Let Us Pray
O God, by the humiliation of your Son, you lifted up our fallen worlds. / Grant your faithful people abiding peace and joy. / Deliver us from the perils of eternal death, / and guide us to eternal happiness in heaven. / This we ask through the same Christ our Lord. Amen
HOLY MOTHER, PIERCE ME THROUGH
IN MY HEART EACH WOUND RENEW
OF MY SAVIOR CRUCIFIED.
LET ME SHARE WITH YOU HIS PAIN,
WHO FOR ALL MY SINS WAS SLAIN,
WHO FOR ME IN TORMENTS DIED.
James Tissot [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
