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Stations of the Cross

The Ways of The Cross

Tradition of his devotion has evolved over time. It is believed to have all started with Holy Mother’s daily visiting places of Christ’s Passion and walking the way to Calvary. After 250 years of persecution, Emperor Constantin permitted Christians to legally worship and in 335 he opened the Church of Holy Sepulcher in the place where it was believed the Tomb of Jesus was.

The Muslim conquest in the seventh century made the pilgrimages and travel to the Holy Land more dangerous and sometimes impossible. This created an option to reproduce the stations at other significant places of worship.

In 1342, Franciscan friars were given the custody of the Holy places in Jerusalem and in 1686 Pope Innocent XI declared indulgences be given to those friars who will visit the following stations: At Pilate’s house, where Christ met His mother, where He spoke to the women, where He met Simon of Cyrene, where the soldiers stripped Him of His garments, where He was nailed to the cross, and at His tomb.

In 1726, this privilege was extended to all visiting by Pope Benedict XIII and Pope Clement XII has set the number of stations at 14 Ways of Jerusalem.

 

Four necessary conditions to gain Plenary Indulgence.

  1. Sacramental Confession
  2. Sacramental Confession
  3. Detachment form sin, even venial
  4. Prayer for the intention of the Holy Father

Gaining the Plenary Indulgence at home – only if it is absolutely impossible to attend the Church

  1. Being in a state of grace – no mortal sin
  2. Sacramental Confession within 20 days before or after the prayer
  3. Sacramental Confession within 20 days before or after the prayer
  4. Detachment from sin, even venial
  5. Prayer for the intention of the Holy Father

If all the conditions are not met, the indulgence becomes a partial indulgence, so even while we’re striving to be free from sin, our Lord mercifully rewards us for our efforts to grow closer to him.https://saintlukesparish.org.uk/v2/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cross.png

 

The Way of The Cross According to the Method of Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Act of Contrition

My Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast made this journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned Thee; but now I love Thee with my whole heart, and because I love Thee, I repent sincerely for having ever offended Thee. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany Thee on this journey. Thou goest to die for love of me; I wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of Thee. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to Thee.

Station I – Jesus is Condemned to Die

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.

(Kneel)

My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins that condemned Thee to die. I beseech Thee, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity. I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

Stabat Mater dolorosa Juxta crucem lacrymosa Dum pendebat Filius

At the cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last.


Station II – Jesus is made to carry His Cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider that Jesus, in making this journey with the cross on His shoulders, thought of us and offered for us to His Father the death that He was about to undergo.

(Kneel)

My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations that Thou hast destined for me until death. I beseech Thee, by the merits of the pain Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

Cujus animam gementem, Constristatam et dolentem, Pertransivit gladius

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing All His bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword has passed.


Station III – Jesus Falls the First Time

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider this first fall of Jesus under His cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that He could scarcely walk, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.

 

(Kneel)

My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the cross but of my sins which have made Thee suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love Thee, O my Jesus, with all my heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

O quam tristis et afflicta Fuit illa benedicta Mater unigeniti!

O, how sad and sore distressed Was that Mother highly blessed Of the sole Begotten One


Station IV – Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.

 

(Kneel)

My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow Thou didst experience in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Thy most holy Mother. And thou, my Queen, who wast overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by thy intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of thy Son. I love Thee, Jesus, my Love. I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

Quae moerebat, et dolebat, Pia Mater dum videbat Nati penas inclyti.

Christ above in torment hangs, She beneath beholds the pangs Of her dying, glorious Son.


Station V – Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry His Cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider that the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus, from weakness, was on the point of expiring and fearing that He would die on the way, when they wished Him to die the ingnominious death of the cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the cross behind Our Lord.

 

(Kneel)

My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the cross as the Cyrenian did: I accept it, I embrace it. I accept in particular the death that Thou hast destined for me with all the pains which may accompany it. I unite it to Thy death and I offer it to Thee. Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of Thee and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. I love Thee, Jesus, my Love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

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.


Station VI – Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider that the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted and His face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel, with which He wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His holy countenance.

 

(Kneel)

My most beloved Jesus, Thy face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it. Alas, my soul also was once beautiful, when it received Thy grace in Baptism; but I have disfigured it since with my sins. Thou alone, my Redeemer, canst restore it to its former beauty. Do this by Thy Passion, O Jesus. I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

Quia 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?


Station VII – Jesus falls the Second Time

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the second fall of Jesus under the cross – a fall which renews the pains of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.

(Kneel)

My most gentle Jesus, how many times Thou hast pardoned me, and how many times I have fallen again and begun again to offend Thee! Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary helps to persevere in Thy grace until death. Grant, that in all temptations which assail me, I may always commend myself to Thee. I love Thee, Jesus, my Love with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

Pro peccatis suae genetis, Vidit Jesum in termentis, Et flagellis subditum.

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, She beheld her tender Child All with bloody scourges rent.


Station VIII – The Women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider that those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in so pitiable a state, streaming with blood, as He walked along. But Jesus said to them, “Weep not for Me, but for your children.”

(Kneel)

My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offenses that I have committed against Thee, because of the pains which they have deserved, and still more, because of the displeasure which they have caused Thee, Who hast loved loved me so much. It is Thy love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love Thee more than myself; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

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.


Station IX – Jesus Falls the Third Time

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of His executioners excessive, who tried to hasten His steps when He had scarcely strength to move.

 

(Kneel)

Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness that Thou didst suffer in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise Thy friendship. I love Thee, Jesus, my Love, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

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.

 

Station X – Jesus is stripped of His Garments

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments adhered to His torn flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin came with them. Compassionate your Savior thus cruelly treated, and say to Him:

 

(Kneel)

My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment which Thou hast felt, help me to strip myself of all affection to things of earth, in order that I may place all my love in Thee, Who art so worthy of my love. I love Thee, O Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

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.


Station XI – Jesus is nailed to the Cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider that Jesus, after being thrown down on the cross, extended His hands and offered to His eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our salvation. These barbarians fastened Him with nails, and then, raising the cross, left Him to die in anguish on this infamous gibbet.

 

(Kneel)

My Jesus, loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Thy feet, that it may ever remain there to love Thee and never quit Thee again. I love Thee more than myself; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

Sancta Mater istud agas, Crucifixi fige plagas, Cordi meo valide.

Holy Mother, pierce me through, In my heart each wound renew Of my Saviour crucified.


Station XII – Jesus is raised upon the Cross and Dies

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how Thy Jesus, after three hours of agony on the cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head and dies.

 

(Kneel and pause)

O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the cross on which Thou didst die for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death, but Thy death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Thy death, give me grace to die, embracing Thy feet and burning with love for Thee. I commit my soul into Thy hands. I love Thee with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

Tui nati vulnerati, Tam dinati pro me pati Poenas mecum divide.

Let me share with thee His pain, Who for all our sins was slain, Who for me in torments died.


Station XIII – Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the Arms of His Mother

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider that Our Lord having expired, two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took Him down from the cross and placed Him in the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received Him with unutterable tenderness and pressed Him close to her bosom.

(Kneel)

O Mother of Sorrow, for the love of this Son, accept me for thy servant, and pray to Him for me. And Thou, my Redeemer, since Thou hast died for me, permit me to love Thee; for I wish but Thee, my Jesus; and I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

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.


Station XIV – Jesus is laid in the Sepulchre

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider that the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by His holy Mother, who arranged it in the sepulcher with her own hands. They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew.

 

(Kneel)

Ah, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses Thee. But Thou didst rise again the third day. I beseech Thee, by Thy resurrection, make me rise glorious with Thee at the Last Day, to be always united with Thee in Heaven, to praise Thee and love Thee forever. I love Thee , and I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Lord Jesus, crucified. Have mercy on us!

Juxta 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.

 

Quando corupus 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.

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul, I pray and beeseech Thee that Thou wouldst impress upon my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, with true contrition for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment: while with deep affection and grief of soul, I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate Thy five wounds, having before my eyes the words which David Thy prophet put on Thy lips concerning Thee: “They have pierced My hands and My feet, they have numbered all My bones.

To complete the devotion of the Stations, say five Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Be in honour of the Passion of Jesus Christ.