Stations of the Cross
1st Station
Jesus Condemned
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.Jesus stands alone before Pilate. Abandoned by the throngs who greeted Him with palms a few days before, the crowds He had miraculously fed and healed, even His closest friends.
It is crushing to stand alone before accusing eyes. With a word, a thought, He could summon vast armies of angels to deliver Him. He chooses not to do this. ‘For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross’ (Hebrews 12:2). Thank You, Jesus, for standing mute before Your accusers, because you look forward to the joy of sharing eternity with us.
2nd Station
The Cross
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.More pain, humiliation – the disgrace and physical shock of having a cross thrust upon His shoulders. The crown of thorns has pierced his forehead and temples – the blood runs into His eyes. The jeering crowds surround Him, hurling insults. But greater pain than these is the knowledge of what is to come, what awaits Him on Golgotha.
3rd Station
The First Fall
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.Jesus must have already lost a lot of His life-blood, from the scourging and beating He had endured. The weight of the cross drives Him to His knees, causing more pain and damage to his broken body. And this for humankind that would spit on Him and deny Him through endless centuries. Jesus! How can we atone for this? How repay? We cannot, and so we humbly accept the free gift You offer us in love. Love that we cannot even fathom, let alone emulate.
4th Station
Mother And son
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.To meet His mother under these circumstances must have broken Jesus’ heart. She has already suffered so much since she accepted the role of mother of the Messiah. How can she bear to look upon her Child in this condition, and know what lies ahead for Him? Does she remember the times she had picked Him up and kissed Him better after His childhood spills in Nazareth? She has no power to make His hurt go away now. Is she thinking of Him as a young child, declaring that He must be about His Father’s business?
5th Station
Simon
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.Simon doesn’t volunteer to help shoulder the cross – his help is commandeered by the Roman soldiers. And yet, his strength is of value. Jesus must experience some relief to share the load, although the greater burden, the one in His heart, can not be shared.
We are called to shoulder Jesus’ yoke, by loving people, and helping them to find their way to Him, and so to eternal life. He gave His life that we might live. Let us live to serve Him.
6th Station
Veronica
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world./main/There was so little anyone can do to ease Jesus’ pain that day. The Roman governor has decreed that this man must die. The Roman soldiers mean to see the verdict through to completion. But one woman shows her compassion, by wiping the tears, blood and sweat from Jesus’ broken face. Such a small gesture, but one that requires great courage, and shows much love.
Lord, what can I do to show my love for You? A small gesture given with great love is precious beyond measure to You. Let me fill my life with such small services, in obedience to Your will.
7th Station
The Second Fall
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.In Jesus’ weakened state, Calvary must seem miles away from the court of Pilate. To accomplish each step is a triumph of will. Jesus is determined to lose His life to gain the prize before Him. If He has to crawl up the hill to the Place of the Skull, He would do so for you. But, summoning His waning strength, He manages to rise again, and toil on towards His death. Thank You, Lord, for not giving up on us. May we be strengthened by your example when our lives are an uphill battle.
8th Station
The Holy Woman
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.The women of Jerusalem shed tears for Jesus’ suffering. Jesus tells them not to cry for Him, but for themselves and their children. Jesus does not want our tears. He wants much more – our hearts, full of love for God’s children. He wants us to look at others the way He does, seeing through their faults and exteriors, to the precious souls within them – souls that He loves and died to save. Jesus, it is hard for me to see beyond the behaviour of others, when their actions and attitudes are harmful to themselves and others. But because You ask it, Master, I will endeavour to see them through Your eyes.
9th Station
The Third Fall
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.How hard to rise again, with the weight of the cross insisting that gravity must win this time. But Jesus has accepted the will of the Father, and nothing will prevent Him from paying the price required. No other person could ever be worthy to atone for the sin of all humanity. Only the only begotten Son of God can pay this bill, and He is going to do so, no matter what the personal cost to Himself. Thousands of years of wilful sin must surely far out-weigh the wood of the cross, yet Jesus gains His feet again, to complete the journey to His death. Lord, forgive us for adding to your sufferings that day.
10th Station
The Stripping
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.Being stripped in public is a disgrace. Jesus gave His all that day. The garments represent all His earthly possessions, but He gave more. He freely offered His life that we might live. He accepted the most disgraceful death imaginable, willingly, and holding nothing back. Lord, help us to give generously to those in need. Help us to give our time, our friendship and our presence to those whom the world has hurt. These things are more valuable than our money.
11th Station
The Nailing
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.After the long and slow agony of Gethsemane, the trial, and the road up to Calvary, came the sharp and compelling torture of the nails being driven into His wrists and ankles. The blood spurted, the bones were ground by the force of the hammer. Mary and John watched in helpless grief. Lord, how can anyone be indifferent to this inconceivable event? How can people shrug this off? Help us, Lord, to realise the reality of Calvary, and what it means to us personally – the promise of eternal joy.
12th Station
Jesus Dies
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.It is accomplished. Jesus gave up His spirit, after begging the Father to forgive us for what we had precipitated. Even on the brink of death, Jesus set aside our indifference and cruelty, and pleaded our case before the Creator of all things. He died as He had lived, offering everything He had and everything He was for the benefit of an ungrateful and selfish world. Inconceivably, to secure our redemption, he heroically, magnificently and triumphantly gave His life.
13th Station
The Descent
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.What a sad duty! To receive the dead body of Jesus from the soldiers. The last loving thing that John, Mary, and the other women at the foot of the cross could do for Him. How heartbreaking to see Him devoid of life, when only the night before He had shared the Passover meal with His friends. They must have felt like their world had ended. This shocking and appalling day had left them stunned and directionless. Lord, we who did not live through that desperate day with you, know that You defeated death, and live today. Help us to avoid lack of direction in our lives by staying focused on You.
14th Station
Jesus Entombed
We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.Jesus was laid in a new tomb, hewn out of the rock. A stone was rolled across the entrance to the tomb. The tomb was sealed, and a guard was placed to watch the only entrance, to ensure that no one removed the body. This was done at the request of the chief priests and Pharisees, as they knew that Jesus had prophesied His resurrection. These precautions proved to be useless. Lord, we know that Your death was not the end, but the start of a wonderful new era – the age of the Spirit. We thank You that we live in this age, because Your ascension into heaven has enabled the release of the Spirit in our hearts. Thank You for leaving the Father’s side, to live as one of us for 33 years, so we could find our way back to God. Thank You for your death and resurrection, and for giving us perfect liberty from our sins. Thank You for the joy of knowing You, 2000 years after Your passion and death. Praise You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.