This is a wonderful meditation for Lent as well as for any
other time of the year.
On a personal
note,
I converted to Catholicism after
praying the Stations of the Cross every day for Lent 20 years ago.
So the Stations hold a very special place in
my heart.
Sometimes known as the Stations of the Cross rosary, this
chaplet consists of 14 medals separated by 3 beads. Each of the medals depicts one of the
Stations and is often numbered as well to make it easy to keep your place while
praying. The chaplet also has a
“pendant” comprised of a crucifix and 6 beads.
Crucifix: Pray the
Apostle’s Creed
First Bead: Pray and Act of Contrition
My God,
I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you
whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help,
to do penance, to sin no more,
and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In His Name, my God, have mercy. Amen
Second Bead: A Prayer to Christ Crucified.
Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I
cast myself on my knees in Your sight and with the most fervent desire of my
soul, I pray and beg you to impress upon my heart lively sentiments of faith,
hope and charity, with true repentance for my sins, and a firm desire of
amendment, while with deep affection and grief of soul I ponder within myself
and mentally contemplate Your five most precious wounds: having before my eyes
that which David spoke in prophecy: They
have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My bones.” Amen
Third Bead: A prayer for the Deceased
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord
and let perpetual light shine upon them: and may all the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.
Fourth Bead: Pray the
Our Father
Fifth Bead: Pray one
Hail Mary
Sixth Bead: Pray one Glory Be
First Station of the Cross: Jesus is Condemned to
Death
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
THE Holy, Just, and True was judged by
sinners, and put to death. Yet, while they judged, they were compelled to
acquit Him. Judas, who betrayed Him, said, "I have sinned in that I have
betrayed the innocent blood." Pilate, who sentenced Him, said, "I am
innocent of the blood of this just person," and threw the guilt upon the
Jews. The Centurion who saw Him crucified said, "Indeed this was a
just man." Thus ever, O Lord, Thou art justified in Thy words, and dost
overcome when Thou art judged. And so, much more, at the last day "They
shall look on Him whom they pierced"; and He who was condemned in
weakness shall judge the world in power, and even those who are condemned will
confess their judgment is just.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
V. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy on us.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in
peace. Amen.
The Second Station: Jesus receives His Cross
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless
thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
JESUS supports the whole world by His
divine power, for He is God; but the weight was less heavy than was the Cross
which our sins hewed out for Him. Our sins cost Him this humiliation. He had to
take on Him our nature, and to appear among us as a man, and to offer up for us
a great sacrifice. He had to pass a life in penance, and to endure His passion
and death at the end of it. O Lord God Almighty, who dost bear the weight of
the whole world without weariness, who bore the weight of all our sins, though
they wearied Thee, as Thou art the Preserver of our bodies by Thy Providence,
so be Thou the Saviour of our souls by Thy precious blood.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
& C
The Third Station: Jesus falls under the weight of the
Cross the first time
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
SATAN fell from heaven in the beginning;
by the just sentence of his Creator he fell, against whom he had rebelled. And
when he had succeeded in gaining man to join him in his rebellion, and his
Maker came to save him, then his brief hour of triumph came, and he made the
most of it. When the Holiest had taken flesh, and was in his power, then in his
revenge and malice he determined, as he himself had been struck down by the
Almighty arm, to strike in turn a heavy blow at Him who struck him. Therefore
it was that Jesus fell down so suddenly. O dear Lord, by this Thy first fall
raise us all out of sin, who have so miserably fallen under its power.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be &
C
The Fourth Station: Jesus meets His Mother
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
THERE is no part of the history of Jesus
but Mary has her part in it. There are those who profess to be His servants,
who think that her work was ended when she bore Him, and after that she had
nothing to do but disappear and be forgotten. But we, O Lord, Thy children of the
Catholic Church, do not so think of Thy Mother. She brought the tender infant
into the Temple, she lifted Him up in her arms when the wise men came to adore Him. She
fled with Him to Egypt, she took Him up to Jerusalem when He was twelve years old. He lived
with her at Nazareth for thirty years. She was with Him at the
marriage-feast. Even when He had left her to preach, she hovered about Him. And
now she shows herself as He toils along the Sacred Way with His cross on His shoulders.
Sweet Mother, let us ever think of thee when we think of Jesus, and when we
pray to Him, ever aid us by thy powerful intercession.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be &
C
The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to
carry the Cross
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
JESUS could bear His Cross alone, did He
so will; but He permits Simon to help Him, in order to remind us that we must
take part in His sufferings, and have a fellowship in His work. His merit is
infinite, yet He condescends to let His people add their merit to it. The
sanctity of the Blessed Virgin, the blood of the Martyrs, the prayers and
penances of the Saints, the good deeds of all the faithful, take part in that
work which, nevertheless, is perfect without them. He saves us by His blood,
but it is through and with ourselves that He saves us. Dear Lord, teach us to
suffer with Thee, make it pleasant to us to suffer for Thy sake, and sanctify
all our sufferings by the merits of Thy own.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be &
C
The Sixth Station: The Face of Jesus is wiped by
Veronica
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
JESUS let the pious woman carry off an
impression of His Sacred Countenance, which was to last to future ages. He did
this to remind us all, that His image must ever be impressed on all our hearts.
Whoever we are, in whatever part of the earth, in whatever age of the world,
Jesus must live in our hearts. We may differ from each other in many things,
but in this we must all agree, if we are His true children. We must bear about
with us the napkin of St. Veronica; we must ever meditate upon His death and
resurrection, we must ever imitate His divine excellence, according to our
measure. Lord, let our countenances be ever pleasing in Thy sight, not defiled
with sin, but bathed and washed white in Thy precious blood.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be &
C
The Seventh Station: Jesus falls a second time
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
SATAN had a second fall, when our Lord
came upon earth. By that time he had usurped the dominion of the whole
world—and he called himself its king. And he dared to take up the Holy Saviour
in his arms, and show Him all kingdoms, and blasphemously promise to give them
to Him, His Maker, if He would adore him. Jesus answered, "Begone,
Satan!"—and Satan fell down from the high mountain. And Jesus bare witness
to it when He said, "I saw Satan, as lightning, falling from heaven."
The Evil One remembered this second defeat, and so now he smote down the
Innocent Lord a second time, now that he had Him in his power. O dear Lord,
teach us to suffer with Thee, and not be afraid of Satan's buffetings, when
they come on us from resisting him.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be,
& C.
The Eighth Station: The Women of Jerusalem mourn for
Our Lord
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
EVER since the prophecy of old time,
that the Saviour of man was to be born of a woman of the stock of Abraham, the
Jewish women had desired to bear Him. Yet, now that He was really come, how
different, as the Gospel tells us, was the event from what they had expected.
He said to them "that the days were coming when they should say, Blessed
are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the breasts which have
not given suck." Ah, Lord, we know not what is good for us, and what is
bad. We cannot foretell the future, nor do we know, when Thou comest to visit
us, in what form Thou wilt come. And therefore we leave it all to Thee. Do Thou
Thy good pleasure to us and in us. Let us ever look at Thee, and do Thou look
upon us, and give us the grace of Thy bitter Cross and Passion, and console us
in Thy own way and at Thy own time.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be,
& C.
The Ninth Station: Jesus falls the third time
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
SATAN will have a third and final fall at
the end of the world, when he will be shut up for good in the everlasting fiery
prison. He knew this was to be his end—he has no hope, but despair only. He
knew that no suffering which he could at that moment inflict upon the Saviour
of men would avail to rescue himself from that inevitable doom. But, in
horrible rage and hatred, he determined to insult and torture while he could
the great King whose throne is everlasting. Therefore a third time he smote Him
down fiercely to the earth. O Jesus, Only-begotten Son of God, the Word
Incarnate, we adore with fear and trembling and deep thankfulness Thy awful
humiliation, that Thou who art the Highest, should have permitted Thyself, even
for one hour, to be the sport and prey of the Evil One.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be,
& C.
The Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His Garments
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
JESUS would give up everything of this
world, before He left it. He exercised the most perfect poverty. When He left
the Holy House of Nazareth, and went out to preach, He had not where to lay His
head. He lived on the poorest food, and on what was given to Him by those who
loved and served Him. And therefore He chose a death in which not even His
clothes were left to Him. He parted with what seemed most necessary, and even a
part of Him, by the law of human nature since the fall. Grant us in like
manner, O dear Lord, to care nothing for anything on earth, and to bear the
loss of all things, and to endure even shame, reproach, contempt, and mockery,
rather than that Thou shalt be ashamed of us at the last day.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be,
& C.
The Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
JESUS is pierced through each hand and
each foot with a sharp nail. His eyes are dimmed with blood, and are closed by
the swollen lids and livid brows which the blows of His executioners have
caused. His mouth is filled with vinegar and gall. His head is encircled by the
sharp thorns. His heart is pierced with the spear. Thus, all His senses are
mortified and crucified, that He may make atonement for every kind of human
sin. O Jesus, mortify and crucify us with Thee. Let us never sin by hand or
foot, by eyes or mouth, or by head or heart. Let all our senses be a sacrifice
to Thee; let every member sing Thy praise. Let the sacred blood which flowed
from Thy five wounds anoint us with such sanctifying grace that we may die to
the world, and live only to Thee.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be,
& C.
The Twelfth Station: Jesus dies upon the Cross
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
“It is finished!” It is
completed—it has come to a full end. The mystery of God's love towards us is
accomplished. The price is paid, and we are redeemed. The Eternal Father
determined not to pardon us without a price, in order to show us special favor. He condescended to make us valuable to Him. What we buy we put a value
on. He might have saved us without a price—by the mere fiat of His will. But to
show His love for us He took a price, which, if there was to be a price set
upon us at all, if there was any ransom at all to be taken for the guilt of our
sins, could be nothing short of the death of His Son in our nature. O my God
and Father, Thou hast valued us so much as to pay the highest of all possible
prices for our sinful souls—and shall we not love and choose Thee above all
things as the one necessary and one only good?
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be,
& C.
The Thirteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the arms of
His Blessed Mother
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
HE is Thy property now, O Virgin
Mother, once again, for He and the world have met and parted. He went out from
Thee to do His Father's work—and He has done and suffered it. Satan and bad men
have now no longer any claim upon Him—too long has He been in their arms. Satan
took Him up aloft to the high mountain; evil men lifted Him up upon the Cross.
He has not been in Thy arms, O Mother of God, since He was a child—but now thou
hast a claim upon Him, when the world has done its worst. For thou art the
all-favoured, all-blessed, all-gracious Mother of the Highest. We rejoice in
this great mystery. He has been hidden in thy womb, He has lain in thy bosom, He
has been suckled at thy breasts, He has been carried in thy arms—and now that
He is dead, He is placed upon thy lap. Virgin Mother of God, pray for us.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be,
& C.
The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the Sepulchre
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we
bless thee.
R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world..
JESUS, when He was nearest to His
everlasting triumph, seemed to be farthest from triumphing. When He was nearest
upon entering upon His kingdom, and exercising all power in heaven and earth,
He was lying dead in a cave of the rock. He was wrapped round in
burying-clothes, and confined within a sepulchre of stone, where He was soon to
have a glorified spiritual body, which could penetrate all substances, go to and
fro quicker than thought, and was about to ascend on high. Make us to trust in
thee, O Jesus, that Thou wilt display in us a similar providence. Make us sure,
O Lord, that the greater is our distress, the nearer we are to Thee. The more
men scorn us, the more Thou dost honour us. The more men insult over us, the
higher Thou wilt exalt us. The more they forget us, the more Thou dost keep us
in mind. The more they abandon us, the closer Thou wilt bring us to Thyself.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, and C.
Cardinal John Henry Newman
Credits:
The pendant meditations from “My
Treasury of Chaplets by Patricia S. Quintiliani
Meditations for the Fourteen Stations were written by Cardinal John Henry Newman
