STATIONS OF THE CROSS - Divine Savior Parish

STATIONS
    OF
   THE
  CROSS

Opening Prayer
All Stand

Presider
In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

All
Amen.

Presider
We enter into the Spirit of Lent honoring Our Lord Jesus
Christ, and as we remember his passion and suffering on
the cross, we ask Mary our Mother to help us walk the
Way of the Cross as she did.

First Station
Jesus is Condemned to Death

Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.

All:
Because by your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.

Reader
The chief priest and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for
evidence against Jesus in order to have him executed. But
they could not find any. Mk 14:55
Again the high priest asked him and said to him, “Are you
the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?”
‘I am,’ said Jesus, ‘and you will see the Son of Man seated
at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds
of heaven.’ The high priest tore his robes and said, ‘What
need of witnesses have we now? You heard the blasphe-
my. What do you think?”
“They all condemned him as deserving to die.”
                              2

All Kneel

All
For the times we have condemned Jesus //
through our silence and indifference towards others, //
have mercy on us, O Lord.

Stabat Mater
At the cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

Second Station
Jesus Carries His Cross

Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.
All:
Because by your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.

Reader
As Jesus stood before Pilate, with Barabbas in the dis-
tance, the crowd kept shouting, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked
them, “What harm has he done?” But they shouted louder,
“Crucify him!”So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, re-
leased Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be crucified. Mk 25: 12-15
All Kneel

 All
 For the times we have walked away from the burdens
 of Others;// when we are deaf and blind to their
 pain,// Have mercy on us, O Lord.

                            3

All Stand

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

Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time

Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.

All:
Because by your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.
Reader:
Tradition has it that Jesus fell beneath the weight of the
cross, not only once but three times. The sins of the world
made for a heavy burden. Those who took up their cross
and tried to follow him fell over and over again.
But there was a difference. Jesus fell out of physical weak-
ness. The disciples fell from spiritual weakness.

All Kneel

All
Lord Jesus, // touch our hearts, // fill us with your
love.// May we always hold on to your cross as we stum-
ble and fall // For this we pray to you, our Lord and Sav-
ior. Amen.

All Stand

O how sad and sore distressed
Was that mother highly blest
Of the sole begotten Son.

                              4

Fourth Station
Jesus Meets His Mother
Presider: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.

All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the
world
Reader
Mary was following Jesus as he carried the cross.
Watching him stumble along, she must have remembered
what the old prophet Simeon had said to her: “Mary,
your sorrow over this child will be great. It will be as if a
sword is piercing your heart.” Lk 2: 34

All Kneel

All
Sorrowful Mother, // let me share your sorrow //so that
the Holy Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ //
remains always vivid within me // as a reminder of
God's love for me.

All Stand

Is there one who would not weep,
Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear Mother to behold.

Fifth Station
Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.
All:
Because by your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.

                              5

Reader:
Simon came from far-off Cyrene in North Africa and was
living in the environs of Jerusalem. That morning, when
they led Jesus to the place of crucifixion (Mk 15: 25), he
happened to be coming into Jerusalem from the country.
Let us listen to Simon of Cyrene:
I did not know him then. I was going about my business
when they pushed me into the crowd and forced me to car-
ry the cross. I had no idea what was going to happen.
But then I saw the love burning in his eyes. Since then, my
sons Rufus and Alexander and I (Mk15:21) have taken up
our own cross.
Now, we are His followers. (Mk 8: 34)
All Kneel

All
Lord Jesus, You carried the cross for all of us //and you
asked us to carry it with you. // When we fear carrying our
cross, // help us, O Lord.

All Stand

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain
In that Mother’s pain untold?

Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.
All:
Because by your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.

Reader
As Jesus approached, Veronica took her veil and placed it
to Jesus’ face. With that gesture, her veil received the
image of Christ’s suffering and dying.

                              6

As Jesus moved on, Veronica placed the veil over her head
and face. Veiled with the image of Christ, she stood silent
witness to his saving death.

All Kneel

 All
 Lord Jesus, // You renewed us in your image, // the
 image of one whose whole life is to give life. // When
 we are not faithful to You, // forgive us O Lord.

All Stand

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

Seventh Station
Jesus Falls for the Second Time
Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.

All:
Because by your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.

Reader:
Jesus falls again under the weight of the cross. Maybe Je-
sus felt like Jeremiah the prophet who cried out: “I am in
anguish! I feel great pain. My heart is throbbing.”
(Jeremiah 4: 19)

All Kneel

All
When all our efforts are not enough, // help us Jesus to
imitate you // and try again.
                             7

All Stand

For the sins of his own nation
Saw him hang in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent.

Eighth Station
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.

All:
Because by your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.

Reader
Large numbers of people followed him, and women too.
Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem,
do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your
children.”   Lk 23: 28
All Kneel

All
Lord Jesus, // you met the women in Jerusalem in the
crowded streets of the city //and your heart went out for
them. // Deepen our faith // so that we may see you in
our brothers and sisters //bruised by our envy, //hurt by
injustice // and broken by our greed and indifference.

All Stand

O Thou Mother! Font of love,
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with thine accord.

                             8

Ninth Station
Jesus Falls the Third Time
Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.
All:
Because by your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.

Reader
Jesus falls to the ground now for the third time. It was
his faith in God that kept him going. In the Garden of
Gethsemane he had prayed, “Father, let this pass from me,
but your will, not mine, be done.”
Lk 22:42

All Kneel

 All
 Lord Jesus, // your gaze is always fixed on God // even
 when you fell for the third time. //When we fall over and
 over again, // keep us faithful by your side.

All Stand

Make me feel as thou has felt
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.

Tenth Station
Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.
All:
Because by your holy cross,
you have redeemed the world.
                            9

Reader
The soldiers led Jesus into the palace of the Roman
governor. They stripped him of his garments, dressed him
in royal purple, and placed a crown of thorns on his head.
They mocked him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” They knelt be-
fore him in homage. Afterwards they removed the purple
cloak, dressed him in his own garments, and led him out to
be crucified.
Mk 15:16-20

All Kneel

All
Lord Jesus, // in baptism we put on Christ. // We put
on the garments of Christian life. //When we strip
others with our gossip and uncharitable actions, // help
us to clothe them with your love instead.

All Stand

Holy Mother, pierce me through
in my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

Eleventh Station
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

Presider: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.
All: Because by your holy cross,
 you have redeemed the world.

Reader
They brought Jesus to Golgotha, the Place of the Skull,
and they crucified him.   Mk 15: 22-25
When they crucified him, they put up the inscription,
“The King of the Jews.”   Mk 15: 26

All Kneel
                             10

All
 Lord Jesus, // sometimes I forget that // I am to live
 as a brother or sister to all people. // When I use
 harsh words and cause them hurt and pain, //
 have mercy on me, O Lord.

All Stand

Let me share with thee his pain,
Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torment died.

Twelfth Station
Jesus Dies on the Cross

Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.

All:
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Reader
At noon, darkness descended over the whole land.
At 3 o’clock, Jesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabacthani?”
(“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)
Bystanders did not understand.
“When Jesus breathed his last, the veil of the sanctuary
was torn from top to bottom. Even the centurion was
moved by the way he died and said, ‘Truly this man was
the Son of God.’ ”
Mk 15: 33-39

All Kneel

All
Lord Jesus, //abandoned by all, //you died for us.//
Be with us now as we face our own weakness//
and our eventual death, //that our lives be united//
in your supreme sacrifice.
                             11

All Stand

Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

Thirteenth Station
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.

All:
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Reader
When the soldiers came to Jesus, they saw that he was
already dead, so that they did not break his legs, but one of
them opened his side with a lance, and immediately there
came out blood and water.

After this, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate in secret to let
him remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave
permission. Jn. 19: 33-34, 38

All Kneel

All
Lord Jesus, // you rested in the arms of your Mother
Mary. // May she welcome us too, // as she welcomed
your body, // at the moment of our death.

All Stand

Virgin, in your love befriend me,
At the Judgment Day defend me,
Help me by your constant prayer.

                              12

Fourteenth Station
Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb

Presider
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You.

All:
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Reader
Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus and wrapping
it in a clean linen cloth, he laid it in his new tomb which
he had hewn out of rock. Mk 15: 46
Then he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the
tomb and departed. Mt 27: 59-60

All Kneel

All
It is finished. // But not so: // after death, the Resurrec-
tion. // Lord Jesus, // teach me to see
what is temporary and fleeting. // Let me see toward the
light that shines forever // so it may shine in everything
that I do.

 All Stand

 Virgin of all Virgins blest!
 Listen to my fond request:
 Let me share thy grief divine.

                             13

Prayer Before the Crucifix

Look down upon me, good and
gentle Jesus, while before your
face I humbly kneel and with
burning soul, pray and beseech
Thee to fix deeply in my heart
lively sentiments of faith, hope
and charity, true contrition for
my sins, and a firm purpose of
amendment, while I contem-
plate, with great love and ten-
der pity, Thy five most pre-
cious wounds, pondering over
them with me and calling to
mind the words which David,
Your prophet said to You, my
Jesus. “They have pierced My
hands and My feet, they have
numbered all my bones.”
Amen.
(Psalm 22:17-18)

                14

Anima Christi
    Soul of Christ, santify me.
     Body of Christ, save me.
  Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash
                me.
 Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
      O good Jesus, hear me.
  Within your wounds, hide me.
Never let me be separated from you.
From the malignant enemy, defend
                me.
  At the hour of death, call me;
     and bid me come to you.
That with your saints I may praise
                you
         forever and ever.

              Amen.

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