Dear Lord, as I accompany You on this Way of the Cross, deepen my love for You and my faith in Your love for me. Let not my devotion be empty or lukewarm but heartfelt and Spirit-filled, so as to make me each day more nearly what You would have me be. Lead me, Lord, and guide me, lest I lose my way, for without You I will surely be lost. Amen.
First Station
Jesus Is Condemned to Death
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord, life seems very unfair at times, and we are apt to feel sorry for ourselves. Why do others get recognition when we do not? Why do the evil prosper while we, trying to be good, barely make ends meet? Why do things so often go not as we would like them to? Lord, when such questions arise to haunt us, let us find comfort in You—perfect innocence, unjustly condemned. Let us remember that ever since the Fall of Adam, life has been, and ever will be, unfair; that we are called to be good not for immediate gain but because You are good; that if we are treated unfairly, it is nothing compared to the unfairness with which You were treated; and that the response is not “Why me, Lord?” but rather “Lord, I know that You are with me in this trial.”
Sweet Jesus, keep us from self-pity.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Second Station
Jesus Takes Up His Cross
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord, You taught us to take up our crosses and follow You. But we sometimes forget that You Whom we follow bore a cross too, that You know what You are asking, that You never ask anything of us that You have not undergone Yourself. No matter what the shape or weight of our cross, help us, Lord, to bear it bravely. We want to imitate You, Your love and mercy and compassion. Remind us that we can only accomplish this when we imitate You in carrying the cross.
Lord Jesus, make us ever mindful of all You have done for us, that we may be willing to do anything for You.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord, it’s not often easy for us to admit that we are weak—only little children on the way to our Father. But it is then You give us the strength to do Your Will. Lord, You, in Your battered humanity, were weak to the point of exhaustion; but nevertheless You continued on to do the Will of Him Who sent You. Give us the grace, Lord, to admit our weaknesses, to pick ourselves up, and to carry on.
Lord Jesus Christ, give us Your courage; help us to endure.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Fourth Station
Jesus Meets His Mother
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord, Your Mother was never far from You. As You bore Your cross on the way to Calvary, she was there watching. It was all she could do at that moment, but she could not refuse to do at least that. It must have been painful for You to know of her suffering at this moment, but just as surely her presence and her love were a soothing balm for Your wounded body and soul. Lord, when we are down and barely able to go on, let us meet Your Mother; let her gaze fall upon us and her love console us. After Your Name, Lord, let hers be most often on our lips.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of your Son.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Fifth Station
Jesus Is Helped by Simon of Cyrene
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord, even on the way of the cross Your Father was with You. Haven’t You told us that not a single sparrow falls to the ground without His knowledge? It was His loving providence that placed Your Mother along Your path. Now He sends Simon of Cyrene to Your aid. Whether Simon volunteered or was coerced by the soldiers, he was sent to help You on Your way. Sometimes God will move us to come forward unbidden to help others; sometimes it will feel almost like we are forced into service. Give us the grace to see You in all whom we meet and, bidden or unbidden, treat them as we would treat You.
Lord, help us to be a Simon to someone each day in our lives.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes Jesus’ Face with Her Veil
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Lord, yet another face emerges from the crowd, Veronica. She sees no soldiers who might intimidate her, no jeering scribes, no one but You, Lord; You, scourged, thorn-crowned, drained to exhaustion. She can do so little, but what she can do she does. And her reward? She bears away Your sacred countenance on her veil and in her heart. Lord, let us see only You in all the faces we meet. Let us never fail to do the little we can, though it may seem but a drop in the ocean. Let us forever, Lord, walk about with the image of Your cross-worn face emblazoned on our hearts.
Lord, teach us to see.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Seventh Station
Jesus Falls a Second Time
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed
the world.
Lord, with all the graces and aids our Father sends us, we fall so often. So often the same pettiness, the same anger; so little progress, it seems, such tedious repetition. Lord, give us perseverance, give us trust. Let us never doubt God’s patience, His delight in hearing once more: “Have mercy on me.” And Lord, give us a measure of that same patience—with others, with ourselves—that we may not judge the heart of anyone, that we may never despair, nor yet grow complacent.
Lord, help us never to give up.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Eighth Station
Jesus Meets the Weeping Women of Jerusalem
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed
the world.
Lord, how often we weep for some things but not others: for the small injury done to us or those we love, but not for the great injury suffered by those to whom we’re indifferent; for the sad movie or novel but not for the sad and lonely neighbor; for the sins which we find personally humiliating but not for the sins which humiliate others, or for all sin, so grievous in God’s eyes. Keep us, O Lord, from false over-sensitivity, from all superficiality, from missing the point.
Sweet Savior, let us not only see You in all who suffer, but let us see with Your eyes.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Ninth Station
Jesus Falls the Third Time
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed
the world.
Lord, the day may come, perhaps it has already, when we fall for what seems the last time, and we verge on despair; perhaps because of the sheer number of our falls, perhaps because we had deluded ourselves that we had become strong and were beyond falling. Do not let us give in to self-pity or despair. Though we have not even the strength to rise, grant us the strength to wish to do so; and let us humbly and tranquilly rest in Your love and forgiveness.
Lord Jesus, fallen a third time, have mercy on us who fall so often.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Tenth Station
Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed
the world.
Lord, none of us ever allows anyone to see our truest selves. So much time and effort are spent on disguise and bravado: We wear so many masks, so much armor. Only occasionally with someone we deeply love and trust, do we stop play-acting. Lord, be gentle in stripping us of all pretense. We are not ready to stand before the world naked, mocked, scorned. When we are stripped a little, let us know ourselves to be clothed in Your love. When we are shamed or humiliated or laughed at, let us hide in the shadow of Your sacred humanity, and know ourselves to be nearer to You for our suffering.
O Savior of the world, be with us always.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Eleventh Station
Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed
the world.
Lord, there are times when the thought of how we will die scares us more than death itself. The pain, the degradation, the burden we will be to others, all terrify us. If even You cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46), Lord, how will we fare should our crucifixion be prolonged? Give us the vision, then, of Easter, of heaven and resurrection and eternal life. Remind us that this life is a journey, not a home; that journeys are always more or less uncomfortable, that from eternity all will look different. Lord, help us to live well, to suffer well, to die well.
And, Lord, give us courage in our final moments.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Twelfth Station
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed
the world.
Sometimes it is death that frightens us, and this in spite of our faith; at other times death looks like blessed relief, the cessation of the trial, the journey’s end. Whenever the appointed day arrives for us, Lord, let us say with You, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46). Let the angels guide us on our way, Your saints send up a chorus of prayer for us; may the consolation of the sacraments be ours, and may You shepherd us home to be at peace with God our Father.
Jesus, Who died for us, may our death make us one with You.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Thirteenth Station
Jesus Is Taken from the Cross and Laid in His Mother’s Arms
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed
the world.
Lord, be kind to those we leave behind when we die; be kind to us when we lose those whom we love. You know what that loss feels like: You wept when Your friend Lazarus died. Your Mother knows, too. Let her wrap us in her mantle when our lives have been shattered by the death of a son or daughter, spouse or parent or friend. You might have kept her all to Yourself, but on the cross You gave her away—the last thing You had! Behold, Your Mother, You said (John 19:27). Never let us, Lord, take her for granted. Never suffer us to be deprived of her prayers and her presence.
Alive and dead, may we lie in her arms.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Fourteenth Station
Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb
Verse: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Response: Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed
the world.
Lord, You died on a Friday; You waited until Sunday to rise. During that time death held You in her cold embrace. Teach us to bear patiently those times in our lives when waiting is all we can do, when we are deprived of light and are helpless, struggling even to pray. Remind us that “they also serve who only stand and wait,” and that the waiting will end in resurrection.
Life has its seasons, dear Lord; never let us forget that the final season is spring, eternal spring.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Concluding Prayer
Lord, help me to measure the value of all things by You and Your cross. Walk with me and work through me, that others may come to know and love You through their contact with me. By Your grace may I bear my own crosses with patience and in peace, while doing whatever I can to lighten or eliminate the crosses of others. May I be so conformed to You in all things in this life that one day I will know the joy of being perfectly united to You in life eternal, where You live and reign with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
(Monsignor Charles Fink is a convert, Vietnam veteran, former seminary spiritual director, and current administrator of Our Lady of the Snow, Blue Point, N.Y.)