THE WAY OF THE CROSS

THE MOST NECESSARY PRAYERS

• My Prayer Book - Father Lasance - Sept. 19, 1908

STATIONS OF THE CROSS DEVOTION

Compilation of Texts from Holy Scripture and The Liturgy

NOTE: The indulgence attached to the Stations of the Cross devotion is for a plenary, and the Stations must be said, going from Station to Station in a church. However, every time we honor the Passion of Christ in a heart-felt and reverent manner we gain great graces as many Saints have taught us.

Preparatory Prayer

Most merciful Jesus!  With a contrite heart and penitent spirit I purpose now to perform this devotion in honor of Thy bitter passion and death.  I adore Thee most humbly as my Lord and my God.  I thank Thee most heartily, my divine Saviour, for the infinite love wherewith Thou didst make the painful journey to Calvary for me, a wretched sinner, and didst die upon the cross for my salvation.  I am truly sorry for all my sins, because by them I have offended Thee, Who art infinitely good.  I detest them and I am resolved to amend my life.   Grant that I may gain all the indulgences which are attached to this devotion, and since Thou hast promised to draw all things to Thyself, draw my heart and my love to Thee, that I may live and die in union with Thee.  Amen

First Station

Jesus is Condemned to Death

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  JESUS, most innocent and perfectly sinless, was condemned to death, and, moreover, to the most ignominious death of the cross.  To remain a friend of Caesar, Pilate delivered Him into the hands of His enemies.  A fearful crime - to condemn Innocence to death, and to offend God in order not to displease men.

Prayer

O INNOCENT Jesus! Having sinned, I am guilty of eternal death, Thou willingly dost accept the unjust sentence of death, that I might live. For whom, then, shall I henceforth live, if not for Thee, my Lord? Should I desire to please men, I could not be Thy servant. Let me, therefore, rather displease men and all the world than not please Thee, O Jesus.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Second Station Jesus Carries His Cross

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  When our divine Saviour beheld the cross, He stretched out His bleeding arms toward it with eager desire, lovingly embraced it, tenderly kissed it, and, placing it on His bruised shoulders, joyfully carried it, although He was worn and weary unto death.

O MY Jesus! I can not be Thy friend and follower if I refuse to carry the cross, a dearly beloved cross! I embrace thee, I kiss thee, I joyfully accept thee from the hands of my God. Far be it from me to glory in anything, save in the cross of my Redeemer. "By it the world shall be crucified to me and I to the world, that I may be Thine, O Jesus, forever.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Third Station

Jesus Falls the First Time

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  Our dear Saviour carrying the cross was so weakened by its heavy weight as to fall exhausted to the ground.  Our sins and misdeeds were the heavy burden which oppressed Him; the cross was to Him light and sweet, but our sins were galling and insupportable.

Prayer

O MY Jesus! Thou didst bear my burden and the heavy weight of my sins. Should I, then, not bear in union with Thee my easy burden of suffering and accept the sweet yoke of Thy Commandments?

Thy yoke is sweet and Thy burden is light: I therefore willingly accept it. I will take up my cross and follow Thee.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Fourth Station

Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  How painful and sad it must have been for Mary the sorrowful Mother, to behold her beloved Son laden with the burden of the cross.  What unspeakable pangs her most tender heart experienced!  How earnestly did she desire to die in place of Jesus, or at least with Him!  Implore this sorrowful Mother to assist you graciously in the hour of your death.

Prayer

O  JESUS! O Mary! I am the cause of the great and manifold pains which pierce Thy loving hearts. O that my heart also would experience at least some of Thy sufferings! Mother of Sorrows! pray for me that I may be truly sorry for my sins, bear my sufferings patiently in union with Thee, and merit to enjoy thy assistance in the hour of my death.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Fifth Station

Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus to Carry the Cross

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  Simon of Cyrene was compelled to assist Jesus in carrying His cross,  and Jesus accepted his assistance.  How willingly would He also permit you to carry the cross.  He calls, but you hear Him not; He invites you, but you decline the invitation.  What a reproach it is to bear the cross reluctantly!

Prayer

O JESUS! Whosoever does not take up his cross and follow Thee is not worthy of Thee. Behold, I will accompany Thee on the Way of the Cross; I will carry my cross cheerfully; I will walk in Thy bloodstained footsteps, and follow Thee, that I may be with Thee in life eternally!

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Sixth Station

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  Veronica, impelled by devotion and compassion, wipes the disfigured face of Jesus with her veil.  And Jesus imprints on it His holy countenance; a great recompense for so small a service.  What return do you make to your Saviour for His great and manifold benefits?

Prayer

O MOST merciful Jesus! What retum shall I make for all the benefits Thou hast bestowed upon me? Behold I consecrate myself entirely to Thy service. I offer and consecrate to Thee my heart: imprint on it

Thy sacred image, never again to be effaced by sin.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Seventh Station

Jesus Falls the Second Time

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  The suffering Jesus, under the weight of His cross, again falls to the ground; but the cruel executioners do not permit Him to rest a moment.  Pushing and striking Him, they urge Him onward.  It is the frequent repetition of our sins which oppresses Jesus.  Knowing and realizing this, how can I continue to sin?

Prayer

O JESUS, Son of David! Have mercy on me! Extend to me Thy gracious hand and support ne, that I may never fall again into my old sins. From this very moment I will earnestly strive to reform my life and to avoid every sin. Help of the weak, strengthen me by Thy grace, without which I can do nothing, that I may carry out faithfully my good resolution.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Eighth Station

The Daughters of Jerusalem Weep over Jesus

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  These devoted women, moved by compassion, weep over the suffering Saviour.  Be He turns to them saying:  “Weep not for Me Who am innocent, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”  Weep thou also; for there is nothing more pleasing to Our Lord, and nothing more profitable for thyself, than tears that are shed in contrition for sin.

Prayer

O JESUS! Who will give to my eyes a fountain of tears, that day and night I may weep for my sins. I beseech Thee, through Thy bitter tears, to move my heart to compassion and repentance, so that I may weep all my days over Thy sufferings and still more over their cause, my sins.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Ninth Station

Jesus Falls the Third Time

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  Jesus, arriving exhausted at the foot of Calvary, falls the third time to the ground.  His love for us, however, remains strong, and fervent.

What a fearfully oppressive burden our sins must be to cause Jesus to fall so often!  Had He, however, not taken them upon Himself, they would have plunged us into the abyss of hell.

Prayer

MOST merciful Jesus! I return Thee infinite thanks for not permitting me to continue in sin and to fall, as I have so often deserved, into the depths of Hell. Enkindle in me an earnest desire of amendment; let me never again relapse, but vouchsafe me the grace to persevere in penance to the end of my life.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Tenth Station

Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  When Our Saviour has arrived on Calvary, He was cruelly despoiled of His garments.  Howe painful must his have been, because they adhered to His wounded and torn body and with them parts of His bloody skin were removed!  All the wounds of Jesus are renewed.  Jesus is despoiled of His garments that He might die possessed of nothing; how happy shall I also die after casting off my evil self with all its sinful inclinations!

Prayer

HELP me, Jesus! to conquer myself and to be renewed according to Thy will and desire. I will not count the cost but will struggle bravely to cast off my evil propensities; despoiled of things temporal, of my own will, I desire to die, that I may live for Thee forevermore.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Eleventh Station

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  Jesus, after He had been stripped of His garments, was violently thrown upon the cross, to which His hands and His feet were nailed most cruelly.  In this excruciating pain He remained silent, and perfectly resigned to the will of His Heavenly Father.  He suffered patiently, because He suffered for me.  How do I act in sufferings and in trouble?  How fretful and impatient, how full of complaints I am!

Prayer

O JESUS, meek and gentle Lamb of God! I renounce forever my impatience. Crucify, O Lord my flesh and its concupiscences. Punish me, afflict me in this life, as Thou willest, only spare me in eternity. I commit my destiny to Thee, resigning myself to Thy holy will: Not my will but Thine be done!

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Twelfth Station

Jesus Dies on the Cross

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  Behold Jesus crucified!  Behold His wounds, received for love of you!  His whole appearance betokens love! His head is bent to kiss you, His arms are extended to embrace you, His Heart is open to receive you. O superabundance of love! Jesus, the Son of God, dies upon the cross, that man may live and be delivered from everlasting death.

Prayer

O MOST amiable Jesus! If I can not sacrifice my life for love of Thee, I will at least endeavor to die to the world. How must I regard the world and its vanities, when I behold Thee hanging on the Cross, covered with wounds? O Jesus! receive me into Thy wounded Heart; I belong entirely to Thee, for Thee alone do I desire to live and to die.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Thirteenth Station

Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation: Jesus did not descend from the cross, but remained on it until He died.  And when taken down from it, He, in death as in life, rested on the bosom of His blessed Mother,  Persevere in your resolutions of reform and do not part from the cross:  he who perseverth to the end shall be saved.  Consider, moreover, how pure the heart should be that  receives the body and blood of Christ in the adorable Sacrament of the Altar.

Prayer

O LORD, Jesus! Thy lifeless Body, mangled and lacerated, found a worthy resting-place on the bosom of Thy virgin Mother. Have I not often compelled Thee to dwell in my heart, despite its unworthiness to receive Thee? Create in me a new heart, that I may worthily receive Thy most Sacred Body in Holy Communion, and that Thou mayest remain in me and I in Thee, for all eternity.

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Fourteenth Station

Jesus is Laid in the Sepulcher

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

Meditation:  The body of Jesus is interred in a stranger’s sepulcher.  He Who in this world had not whereupon to rest His head would not even have a grave of His own, because He was not of this world.  You who are so attached to the world, henceforth despise it, that you may not perish with it.

Prayer

O JESUS! Thou hast set me apart from the world: what, then, shall I seek therein? Thou hast created me for Heaven; what, then, have I to do with the world? Depart from me, deceitful world, with thy vanities! Henceforth I will follow the Way of the Cross traced out for me by my Redeemer, and journey onward to my heavenly home, my eternal dwelling place!

Our Father, etc.; Hail Mary, etc.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified:

R. Have mercy on us!

Conclusion

ALMIGHTY and eternal God! merciful Father!Who hast given to the human race Thy beloved Son as an example of humility, obedience, and patience, to precede us on the Way of the Cross and on the Way of Life, graciously grant that we, inflamed by His infinite love, may take upon us the sweet yoke of His Gospel and the mortification of the cross, following Him as His true disciples, so that we may one day gloriously rise with Him and joyfully hear the final sentence: "Come ye blessed of My Father, possess you the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

(Matt. XXV. 34)

Stabat Mater

The liturgical hymn Stabat Mater takes its title and inspiration from St. John’s Gospel

Latin and English Translation

STABAT Mater dolorosa iuxta Crucem lacrimosa, dum pendebat Filius.	AT, the Cross her station keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to Jesus to the last.
Cuius animam gementem, contristatam et dolentem pertransivit gladius.	Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, all His bitter anguish bearing, now at length the sword has passed.
O quam tristis et afflicta fuit illa benedicta, mater Unigeniti!	O how sad and sore distressed was that Mother, highly blest, of the sole-begotten One.
Quae maerebat et dolebat, pia Mater, dum videbat nati poenas inclyti.	Christ above in torment hangs, she beneath beholds the pangs of her dying glorious Son.
Quis est homo qui non fleret, matrem Christi si videret in tanto supplicio?	Is there one who would not weep, whelmed in miseries so deep, Christ's dear Mother to behold?
Quis non posset contristari Christi Matrem contemplari dolentem cum Filio?	Can the human heart refrain from partaking in her pain, in that Mother's pain untold?
Pro peccatis suae gentis vidit Iesum in tormentis, et flagellis subditum.	Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, she beheld her tender Child All with bloody scourges rent:
Vidit suum dulcem Natum moriendo desolatum, dum emisit spiritum.	For the sins of His own nation, saw Him hang in desolation, Till His spirit forth He sent.
Eia, Mater, fons amoris me sentire vim doloris fac, ut tecum lugeam.	O thou Mother! fount of love! Touch my spirit from above, make my heart with thine accord:
Fac, ut ardeat cor meum in amando Christum Deum ut sibi complaceam.	Make me feel as thou hast felt; make my soul to glow and melt with the love of Christ my Lord.
Sancta Mater, istud agas, crucifixi fige plagas cordi meo valide.	Holy Mother! pierce me through, in my heart each wound renew of my Savior crucified:
Tui Nati vulnerati, tam dignati pro me pati, poenas mecum divide.	Let me share with thee His pain, who for all my sins was slain, who for me in torments died.
Fac me tecum pie flere, crucifixo condolere, donec ego vixero.	Let me mingle tears with thee, mourning Him who mourned for me, all the days that I may live:
Iuxta Crucem tecum stare, et me tibi sociare in planctu desidero.	By the Cross with thee to stay, there with thee to weep and pray, is all I ask of thee to give.
Virgo virginum praeclara, mihi iam non sis amara, fac me tecum plangere.	Virgin of all virgins blest!, Listen to my fond request: let me share thy grief divine;
Fac, ut portem Christi mortem, passionis fac consortem, et plagas recolere.	Let me, to my latest breath, in my body bear the death of that dying Son of thine.
Fac me plagis vulnerari, fac me Cruce inebriari, et cruore Filii.	Wounded with His every wound, steep my soul till it hath swooned, in His very Blood away;
Flammis ne urar succensus, per te, Virgo, sim defensus in die iudicii.	Be to me, O Virgin, nigh, lest in flames I burn and die, in His awful Judgment Day.
Christe, cum sit hinc exire, da per Matrem me venire ad palmam victoriae.	Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence, by Thy Mother my defense, by Thy Cross my victory;
Quando corpus morietur, fac, ut animae donetur paradisi gloria. Amen.	While my body here decays, may my soul Thy goodness praise, safe in paradise with Thee. Amen.

Oremus

Interveniant pro nobis, quaesumus, Domine Jesu Christe, nunc et in hora mortis nostril, apud tuam clementiam, beata Virgo Maria Mater tua, cujus sacratissimam animan in hora tuse passionis doloris gladius pertransivit.  Per te, Jesu Christe, salvator mundi, qui cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivis et regnas, per omnia seacula saeculorum.  Amen

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that the most blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, through whose most holy soul, in the hour of Thine own passion, the sword or sorrow passed, may intercede for us before the throne of Thy mercy, now and at the hour of our death, through Thee, Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, Who livest and reigned, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, now and forever.  Amen