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The Second Station: Jesus receives His Cross So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. (John 19: 17) We pray that Jesus, through His Cross, will transform the ocean of sorrow that engulfs our world into the redemptive power that leads us to the Father. We pray that we may be given loving and willing hearts so that we may embrace our daily difficulties and lay them at the foot of the Cross. |
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The Fourth Station: Jesus meets His Holy Mother All who pass this way, look and see: is any sorrow like the sorrow that afflicts me? How can I describe you, to what compare you, daughter of Jerusalem? For huge as the sea is your affliction; who can possibly cure you? (Lamentations 2:13) We pray that, encouraged by Mary’s example, we may never turn away from the humiliated Christ, no matter in what guise He struggles by us. We pray for the grace to recognize the agonized face of Our Lord in every poor and suffering person and to minister to them in their need. |
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The Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. (Matthew 25: 34 -37, 40) We give thanks for all those who put themselves at risk by standing up for those who suffer oppression at the hands of governments or of those among whom they live. We pray or the grace to cast off the cowardice of human respect and to support and encourage those who live with rejection. |
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The Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem Our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active; only by this can we be certain that we are children of the truth. (1John 3: 18) We pray for forgiveness for the times when our response to those who suffer has been limited to mere words and gestures. We pray for the grace to truly walk alongside the suffering people of our world that we may lift them up by our every thought and word and deed. |
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The Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” (John 19: 23) We pray for all those who deliberately set out to humiliate others, that they may recognize that, in belittling their victims, they also demean themselves. We pray for all who live with humiliation every day, that they may discover inner peace and that their dignity may be restored. |
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The Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the Cross From noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27: 45) We pray that we may always be mindful of the wonder and the power of Christ’s redeeming death. We pray for all bishops, priests and deacons, that in their daily ministry they may deepen our understanding of this saving act. |
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The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb Do you know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life. (Romans 6: 3 – 4) We pray for all those who have no faith, for those who believe that there is nothing beyond the grave. We pray that ours may be a living faith, bringing hope to the hopeless and a glimpse of new life to those who see no future. |
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The First Station: Jesus is condemned to death When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. (Matthew 27: 24 – 26) We ask for forgiveness for all the times when we have lied and acted contrary to the ways of justice and love. We pray for the leaders of our political and social life who have given in to the lust for power. We pray for leaders who will serve their people selflessly and responsibly. |
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The Third Station: Jesus falls for the first time Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12: 23 – 25) We pray that we may acknowledge and defend the value of every single human life. We pray for conversion for all those who are guilty of abortion, euthanasia or other acts of violence. We pray for forgiveness for the sins that make Our Lord’s Cross so heavy and for strength to rise up from those sins.
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The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry His Cross As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. Luke 23: 26 We give thanks for all those who help others to bear the cross of suffering, especially for all those who work within the hospice movement. We pray for the grace to be like Simon of Cyrene for our brothers and sisters in need, and to comfort in them our crucified Lord. |
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The Seventh Station: Jesus falls a second time Jesus said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet not what I wantm but what you want.” (Mark 14: 34 – 35) We give thanks for the gift of perseverance and for all those who continually battle against apparently impossible odds. We pray for the grace to maintain the struggle against the ills that continually afflict us.
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The Ninth Station: Jesus falls for the third time “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world – therefore the world hates you. Remember the word I said to you, ‘Servants are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. (John 15: 18 – 20) We give thanks for all those who are determined to complete the work to which they are called no matter how demanding it may be. We pray that, when our own burdens become too much for us to bear, we may place them in the wounded hands of Christ, confident in the knowledge that he will help us to lift them once again. |
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The Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord, so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead. (Romans 14: 7 – 8) We pray for all those who suffer the wounds of division, between races and peoples, within nations, in families or in the workplace, that they may be given the grace to both give and receive pardon. We pray for all responsible efforts to achieve genuine communion between the different Christian denominations. |
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The Thirteenth Station: Jesus is placed in the arms of His Mother I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18) As we contemplate the absolute desolation that Mary must have experienced at this time, we pray that her example of faith may strengthen us when all appears lost. We pray for all Christian families, especially for those who are coming to terms with bereavement. We pray for all who comfort them in their hour of need. |
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The Fifteenth Station: Jesus is raised from the dead Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection from the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. (1 Corinthians 15: 14 – 16, 19 – 20) We give thanks for Our Lord’s promise of sins forgiven and a share in His eternal kingdom, a promise guaranteed by His victory over death. We pray that we may always live out our lives in the light of the resurrection and draw others to share our joy.
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