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The Way of the Cross by St. Francis of Assisi
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Preparatory Prayer
O most merciful Jesus, with a contrite heart and
penitent spirit, I bow down in profound humility
before Thy divine majesty. I adore Thee as my
supreme Lord and Master; I believe in Thee, I
hope in Thee, I love Thee above all things. I am
heartily sorry for having offended Thee, my
Supreme and Only God. I resolve to amend my
life, and although I am unworthy to obtain
mercy, yet the sight of Thy holy cross, on which
Thou didst die, inspires me with hope and
consolation. I will, therefore, meditate on Thy
sufferings, and visit the stations of Thy
Passion in company with Thy sorrowful Mother and
my guardian angel, with the intention of
promoting Thy honor and saving my soul.
I desire to gain all the indulgences granted for
this holy exercise for myself and for the Poor
Souls in Purgatory. O merciful Redeemer, who has
said, "And I, if I be lifted from earth, will
draw all things to Myself," draw my heart and my
love to Thee, that I may perform this devotion
as perfectly as possible, and that I may live
and die in union with Thee. Amen.
STATION 1 - Jesus is condemned to Death
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
Jesus, most innocent, who neither did nor could
commit a sin, 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, but 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
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.
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STATION 2 - Jesus is made to carry His Cross
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
When our divine Savior beheld the cross, He most
willingly stretched out His bleeding arms,
lovingly embraced it, and tenderly kissed it,
and placing it on His bruised shoulders, He,
although almost exhausted, joyfully carried it.
Prayer
O my Jesus, I cannot be Thy friend and follower,
if I refuse to carry the cross. O 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 Lord and Redeemer. By it the world shall
be crucified to me and I to the world, that I
may be Thine forever.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword has passed.
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STATION 3 - Jesus falls the First Time
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
Our dear Savior, 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
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
O, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole-begotten One!
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STATION 4 - Jesus meets His Sorrowful Mother
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
How painful and how 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 that she assist you in the
hour of your death.
Prayer
O Jesus, O Mary, I am the cause of the great and
manifold pains which pierce your loving hearts!
Oh, that also my heart would feel and experience
at least some of your sufferings! O Mother of
Sorrows, let me participate in the sufferings
which thou and Thy Son endured for me, and let
me experience thy sorrow, that afflicted with
thee, I may enjoy thy assistance in the hour of
my death.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs,
Of her dying, glorious Son.
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STATION 5 - Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry
His Cross
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
Simon of Cyrene was compelled to help Jesus
carry 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. What a
reproach, 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 join Thee in the Way of Thy Cross; I will be
Thy assistant, following Thy bloody footsteps,
that I may come to Thee in eternal life. ------
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Jesus Christ, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
Is there one who would not weep
Whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ's dear Mother to Behold?
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STATION 6 - Veronica wipes the Face of Jesus
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
Veronica, impelled by devotion and compassion,
presents her veil to Jesus to wipe His
disfigured face. And Jesus imprints on it His
holy countenance: a great recompense for so
small a service. What return to you make to your
Savior for His great and manifold benefits?
Prayer
Most merciful Jesus! What return 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
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother's pain untold?
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STATION 7 - Jesus falls the Second Time
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
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
oppress Jesus. Witnessing this, how can I
continue to sin?
Prayer
O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Offer
me Thy helping hand, and aid me, that I may not
fall again into my former sins. From this very
moment, I will earnestly strive to reform:
nevermore will I sin! Thou, O sole support of
the weak, by Thy grace, without which I can do
nothing, strengthen me to carry out faithfully
this my resolution.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender child,
All with bloody scourges rent.
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STATION 8 - The women of Jerusalem weep over
Jesus
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
These devoted women, moved by compassion, weep
over the suffering Savior. But 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 shed from contrition for thy
sins.
Prayer
O Jesus, Who shall give to my eyes a torrent of
tears, that day and night I may weep for my
sins? I beseech Thee, through Thy bitter and
bloody tears, to move my heart by Thy divine
grace, so that from my eyes tears may flow
abundantly, and that I may weep all my days over
Thy sufferings, and still more over their cause,
my sins.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His Spirit forth He sent.
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STATION 9 - Jesus falls the Third Time
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
Jesus, arriving exhausted at the foot of
Calvary, falls for the third time to the ground.
His love for us, however, is not diminished, not
extinguished. 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
tanks 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
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
O thou Mother! fount of love,
Touch my spirit from above.
Make my heart with thine accord:
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STATION 10 - Jesus is stripped of His Garments
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
When Our Savior had arrived on Calvary, He was
cruelly despoiled of His garments. How painful
this must 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 were renewed. Jesus was despoiled of His
garments that He might die possessed of nothing;
how happy will I also die after laying aside my
former self with all evil desires and sinful
inclinations!
Prayer
Induce me, O Jesus, to lay aside my former self
and to be renewed according to Thy will and
desire. I will not spare myself, however painful
this should be for me: despoiled of things
temporal, of my own will, I desire to die, in
order to live for Thee forever.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.
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STATION 11 - Jesus is nailed to the Cross
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed
the world.
Meditation
Jesus, being stripped of His garments, was
violently thrown upon the cross and His hands
and feet nailed thereto. In such excruciating
pains He remained silent, because it pleased His
heavenly Father. He suffered patiently, because
He suffered for me. How do I act in sufferings
and in troubles? How fretful and impatient, how
full of complaints I am!
Prayer
O Jesus, gracious Lamb of God, I renounce
forever my impatience. Crucify, O Lord, my flesh
and its concupiscences; scourge, scathe, and
punish me in this world, do but spare me in the
next. I commit my destiny to Thee, resigning
myself to Thy holy will: may it be done in all
things!
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
Holy Mother, pierce me through!
In my heart, each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
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STATION 12 - Jesus is raised upon the Cross and
Dies
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
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! Who will grant me that I
may die for 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
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.
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STATION 13 - Jesus is taken from the Cross and
given to His Mother
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
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 divine Mother. Persevere in
your resolutions of reform and do not part from
the cross; he who persevereth 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, full of sin
and impurity as it was? 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
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.
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STATION 14 - Jesus is laid in the Sepulcher
Adoration
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
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 from 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, there to dwell forever and ever.
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Jesus Christ, crucified, have mercy on us!
Sabat Mater
By the cross with thee to stay,
There with thee to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of thee to give.
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Concluding Prayer
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 life, bearing the
cross: Graciously grant us that we, inflamed by
His infinite love, may take up the sweet yoke of
His Gospel together with the mortification of
the cross, following Him as His true disciples,
so that we shall one day gloriously rise with
Him and joyfully hear the final sentence: "Come,
ye blessed of My Father, and possess the kingdom
which was prepared for you from the beginning,"
where Thou reignest with the Son and the Holy
Ghost, and where we hope to reign with Thee,
world without end.
Amen.
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