A “Modern” Twist on the Stations of the Cross

1^st Station:  Jesus is condemned to death

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

Reflection

There may be times in our lives when people say things about us that aren’t true, and these accusations can have negative consequences. In some situations a personal slight can leave us feeling sad, confused or maybe even angry. In other instances, the accusations can be compounded by social and reputational consequences. Think of how many rifts among family and friends are the result of false accusations, or the people serving prison sentences for crimes they did not commit. Words are very powerful and can be used for good or bad. The choice is always ours. We need to be very careful never to say anything to, or about anyone that may be damaging, even if only in the slightest way.

Jesus was accused of sedition; a crime against the government, in part due to Judas’ betrayal for 30 pieces of silver. And as we know, this trumped up charge against him resulted in a sentence of death by crucifixion. In the final days of his life, Jesus anticipated the worst, but nonetheless, in the Garden of Olives, after enduring three episodes of agony, he prayed: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). There is no one answer to the question of how we should respond when we are accused of something we did not do. Our best recourse, however, is to recognize and do, what God would have us do.

Prayer

Almighty Father, in good times and in bad, your will is always our best course of action. Give us the grace to understand it, to trust in it unconditionally, especially in difficult times, and the desire to see it through to completion for love of you. We join our prayers to those of Jesus who in his final hours said: “…, not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42).”

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

2^nd Station:  Jesus takes up his cross

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

Reflection

How many times throughout the course of our lives have we made the sign of the cross? How many of us wear a cross or crucifix around our neck, or have one hanging in our home? And who has ever taken time to consider why we do so or what it means to us? A cross reminds us and proclaims to others that we are Christians, whereas a crucifix goes a step further. A crucifix distinguishes us as members of the Roman Catholic Church.

The question then becomes, do we live what we profess to believe? Immediately following Jesus’ first prediction of his passion, he said to his disciples: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Jesus is telling us that following him will not always be easy. It will have its share of burdens, some more difficult than others, but knowing what to expect can make them easier to bear when they come. Jesus gave us an example to follow, and not only that, but a promise as well. He told us: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Matt 11: 28-29). So, when faced with a difficult situation, remember the cross or crucifix around your neck or in your home, and know that Jesus understands. He will provide what you need to carry your cross.

Prayer

Almighty Father, in the last hours of his life, Jesus bore the weight of our sinfulness upon his shoulders, as demonstrated in the cross he carried. He told us that in following him, we too would be called daily to bear our crosses. Help us to follow his example by lovingly taking up our crosses, trusting that Jesus will walk with us and help make our burden light.

 We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

O how sad and sore distressed was that Mother highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One.

3^rd Station:  Jesus falls under the crushing weight of his cross

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

Reflection

People, tribes, clans, and countries have long competed for dominance, which in modern times has become the way of the world. We see it in people, sports, education, politics, business, and even in religion. Our culture is obsessed with ‘winning,’ of doing whatever it takes to be better than the other.

In this third station, we see Jesus exhausted to the point of collapsing under the weight of the cross. To his followers, those who invested their time and their future in him, Jesus seemed an utter failure, while those who sought to crush him and the message he proclaimed, gloated in their success. It is important to recall, however, that although Jesus was the Son of God, he was also a man. He suffered terribly, and at this point along the way, he lost what little strength he had, causing him to collapse under the weight of the cross. But we know that this was not the end; not yet. Jesus had a mission to accomplish, and nothing was going to prevent him from finishing what he came to do.

Prayer

Almighty Father, in times of weakness, especially when the weight of our suffering is so great that we feel we can’t go on, remind us that Jesus understands our feelings intimately, having experienced them himself. As he overcame his exhaustion, rose up and continued the way of the cross, help us when we feel we can longer go on. Let us look to Jesus for strength, so that we too will rise from our weakness and carry on as your faithful disciples.

 We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Virgin of all virgins blest, listen to my fond request:
let me share your grief divine.

4^th Station:  Jesus meets His Blessed Mother along the way of the cross

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

Reflection

It’s a sad commentary that the daily violence we witness in our communities is something we’ve come to expect. Seeing grieving mothers on television mourning the senseless killing of their children is reminiscent of Our Blessed Mother’s encounter with Jesus along the way of the Cross. Her feelings of grief, desperation, helplessness, and perhaps even anger must have been overwhelming. Yet, she stuck by him throughout his entire passion and death. Mary knew sorrow all too well in her life, and she has proven herself as one who benevolently assists those who suffer for the sake of her son.

There are numerous stories of martyrs who in their final hour sought Mary’s intercession. Take for instance the Martyrs of Compiègne. In July of 1794, in the closing days of the “Reign of Terror,” 16 Carmelite nuns were beheaded in Paris for crimes against the state. The first to ascend the scaffold was the youngest of the Carmelites, Sister Constance. Called by the executioners, she knelt before her Mother Superior, asking for her blessing and for permission to die. She then kissed a small statue of Mary, and placed herself beneath the guillotine without any need of assistance or force. Each of the remaining nuns followed in exactly the same manner. Their devotion to Mary enabled them to exercise the greatest testimony of faith; to give their lives for the sake of Christ and his Church. This station clearly reveals how Mary comes to the aid of those who look to her for help in there time of need.

 Prayer

Almighty Father, you chose the Virgin Mary to be the Mother of your Son, the one who along with Saint Joseph would be most influential in preparing him to carry out his mission as savior. You also knew that your Church would need her as a mother and role model, a person who would demonstrate what being a faithful disciple of Jesus entails. Help us to look to her for guidance and to remain confident in her desire to intercede for us, especially in moments of desperation.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

5^th Station:  Simon of Cyrene is ordered to carry Jesus’ cross

Focus: We make Jesus present when we exercise mercy.
Action: Be merciful and do what you can to relieve the suffering of others.

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

Reflection

Many people have been spared suffering by being born in times, places, and to people who live well-off, in free, democratic societies. Others, unfortunately, are born into poverty or in countries that do not respect human rights, and who as a result live in fear, enduring grave suffering every day.

The Gospels make it very clear that mercy was one of the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Then again in his Sermon on the Mount, he says: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matt. 5:7). As disciples of the Lord we are called to be channels of God’s mercy.

Simon of Cyrene did not take up the cross of Jesus out of compassion, rather, he was forced to do so by the soldiers who accompanied Jesus along the way of the cross. He is not, therefore, the best example of discipleship. Instead, Jesus asks us to imitate his example, doing what we can to relieve the burdens of those who suffer.

Prayer

Almighty Father, Simon of Cyrene was given the privilege, although reluctantly, to help relieve Jesus of his suffering by shouldering his cross for a while. Loving Father, as you have been merciful to us, grant us the grace to be channels of your divine mercy to other. Help us also to understand that although our specific acts of mercy are important, what matters more is the love with which we do them.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Can the human heart refrain, from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother’s pain untold?

6^th Station:  Veronica wipes the face of Jesus with her veil

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

Reflection

According to Church tradition, a woman named Veronica was moved with pity when she saw Jesus carrying his cross, and broke through the crowd to wipe his face with her veil. Jesus accepted her kindness and left an image of his face miraculously impressed upon it. Regardless of whether or not the encounter between Veronica and Jesus was true, what matters is the example of courageous compassion described, compassion that disregarded the risk of personal injury.

We can imagine many people being horrified at what they were witnessing as Jesus made his way to Calvary. Nor is it hard to believe that someone, perhaps a woman, was so overcome by the sight of Jesus suffering, that ignoring the consequences, was compelled to reach out and comfort him. Have you ever had someone reach out unexpectedly to help you, or witnessed someone performing an unsolicited act of kindness to a stranger?

God did not create people to live in isolation from one another. We are naturally social beings, who by virtue of our baptism, are united to Jesus in his death and resurrection. Saint Teresa of Avila described the implications of our union with Jesus. This is what she said:  “Christ has no body now but yours. Yours are the eyes that look compassion on the world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses the all the world. Christ has no body now but yours!”  

Prayer

Almighty Father, the woman Veronica, whose legacy we recall in this 6^th Station, was a person who exercised compassion in a courageous manner. Without regard for her own safety, she reached out to wipe the face of Jesus, a simple, unsolicited yet powerful act of kindness that Jesus rewarded by imprinting the image of his face on her veil.

We beg you Father, to imprint his image upon our hearts, and may that impression overpower any fear that would prevent us from exercising mercy and compassion where it is be needed.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, she beheld her tender child,
all with bloody scourges rent.

7^th Station:  Jesus falls to the ground a second time

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

Reflection

In Saint Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi, he said: “…, though he was in the form of God, (Jesus) did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2: 6-8).

Why would God, the Almighty, the All-powerful, want to come to earth and experience poverty, rejection, suffering and death? The answer is simple, yet profound; because he loves us. Jesus himself said: “…, no one has greater love than this; to lay down one’s life, for one’s friends” (John 13-15).

It was Jesus’ love for us that enabled him to bear the cross. In taking on our human nature, Jesus exposed himself to the entire scope of our human condition, except sin. Imagine then, having a weight cast upon his shoulder that was at least equal to his own weight, and then carrying it uphill for a quarter mile after having been beaten mercilessly. Consider what it took Jesus to lift himself up again with the cross on his shoulder after collapsing to the cold, hard ground amidst the relentless abuse of the onlookers. That is what love did for us!

Prayer

Almighty Father, Jesus’ physical endurance and his tolerance for pain and suffering is inconceivable. Forgive us for ever having complained about anything we’ve suffered in life. It’s clear that our sorrows pale in comparison to what Jesus freely chose to undergo for love for us. This knowledge is humbling, yet at the same time it inspires us to want to change. In your mercy Father, grant us the desire and the grace to become more and more like Jesus. When we are called on to suffer, give us strength to bear it without complaining in thanksgiving for the love he demonstrated throughout his passion and continues to show us each and every day.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

For the love of His own nation, saw Him hang in desolation,
till His spirit forth He sent.

8^th Station: Jesus speaks with the grieving women of Jerusalem

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

Reflection

In Jesus’ lifetime, the role of women in Jewish society was of little consequence. The Pharisees considered women to be inferior to men and as a result, they were forced to live under male authority. Jesus, however, did not conform to this belief nor to other oppressive rules imposed by the Pharisees, which only served to fuel their anger toward him. Take for instance the time when in a Nazarene synagogue, Jesus declared that the words the prophet Isaiah spoke long ago referred to him: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor…, to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind…, to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Luke 4: 18). Denouncing this as blasphemy, the Jewish leaders sought then and there to do away with him.

In this 8^th station, we recall Jesus pausing to speak with a group of grieving women on the side of the road, some of whom he may have recognized as his followers. Given the unstable political situation in Jerusalem and the imminent calamity that was fast approaching, Jesus knew that he would no longer be present to advocate for them. So, turning to them he said: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:28). As always, Jesus’ compassion for others, outweighed his concern for himself.

Prayer

Almighty Father, over and over, we see Jesus reaching out to help others, especially those who were the least powerful in society. Never did he turn a blind eye to these people. Instead he sought them out to comfort them, to heal them and to restore their dignity. Jesus was and remains a role model for his disciples, demonstrating the mercy and compassion that is expected of his followers. Father, so we can most effectively be the presence of Christ in the world, grant us to see with his eyes, to understand with his mind, to speak with his voice, to work with his hands and to love with his heart, especially those who are most in need of love and mercy.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

O Dear Mother, fount of love, touch my spirit from above.
Make my heart with yours accord.

9^th Station:  Jesus falls to the ground a third time

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

Reflection

Regardless of our chosen state in life, a Christian’s primary duty is to carry out the great commission Jesus gave us before ascending to his father: “…, to make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). To be effective in this, we must exemplify what being a true disciple is all about, which is not an easy task, nor is it a part-time job.

Being a follower of Christ is a lifetime commitment. In laying out the conditions of discipleship, Jesus said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). A subtle, yet important point to keep in mind is this: everyone will have his or her own share of crosses to bear in life, and we need to realize that although it’s a disciple’s duty to help people in need, we cannot help everyone. If we take on crosses that are not meant for us, we not only run the risk of wearing ourselves out, but we might end up preventing others from bearing the crosses meant for their salvation.

When we’re worn out, sin can appear harmless, and we may at times be tempted to give into this illusion and fall from grace. In those moments of weakness, recall this 9th station, and how after falling a third time, Jesus managed to pull himself up and continued on, not toward relief, but rather to his execution. He understands what it is to suffer, and will not abandon the faithful who ask for his help.

Prayer

Almighty Father, we recognize that being faithful followers of Christ can be challenging at times. Help us, therefore, to know our limits, but do what we can to help those in need, although, not to the point of wearing ourselves out. We recognize Lord that society and culture persistently compete for our allegiance. So give us strength in times of struggle, and if we fall from grace, let us not give into despair, but rather seek your forgiveness and the help we need to rise up and carry on as you would have us do.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Make me feel what you have felt; make my soul to glow and melt,
with the love of Christ my Lord.

10^th Station:  Jesus is publically stripped of his clothing

Focus: The naked, bruised and battered Jesus is an image of the poorest of the poor.
Action: Be generous in sharing what we’ve been given in abundance.

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

Reflection

We live in a society that unceasingly seeks to accumulate things, even if we don’t really need them, and regardless of how much we get, we are seldom satisfied. We are constantly bombarded with messages that try to convince us of the material things we are lacking, such as the shoes, clothes, cars, medicine, etc., that will satisfy us and make us happy. How many times have we given in to such messages only to feel a sense of discontent in the end?

Saint Augustine was very much a consumer like you and me. After years of inordinate consumption of knowledge, prestige, literature and sex, he came to the realization that the life he was leading was meaningless, and that only God could satisfy his deepest longings. In his most famous work, The Confessions, he says it this way:  “O Lord, you made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you!”

In this 10^th station, we witness the humiliation Jesus endured in having been stripped in front of the callous onlookers. He was stripped of everything he owned. He lost his friends, his prestige, and now his honor. The one thing left to him was a soiled cloak, but eventually even this was taken from him, leaving him naked in every sense of the word. In being stripped of everything, he became an iconic image of destitution.

Prayer

Almighty Father, we are blessed to live in a free country, where the majority of people do not lack the basic necessities of life. Help us to recognize how privileged we are. May we learn to live with less so we can appreciate the plight of those who are poor, and always be willing to do what we can to help lessen their suffering.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

By the Cross with you to stay, there with you to weep and pray,
is all I ask of you to give.

11^th Station:  Jesus is nailed to the cross

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

Reflection

We’ve arrived at the summit of Mount Calvary, reflecting on the worst of that which human beings are capable. Imagine if you can what Jesus has been through up to this point. He likely has not slept for hours, nor has he eaten since the night before. He has been betrayed by one of his inner circle, abandoned by the rest, incarcerated, interrogated, abused, beaten, crowned with thorns and condemned to death by crucifixion.

Exhausted, dehydrated, bleeding and broken, he has carried the cross upon which he will die a quarter mile or more uphill to the place of his execution. Amidst the taunts and abuse of the spectators, he collapsed three times, but somehow got up and continued on his way. Upon his arrival at the summit of Mount Calvary, he was stripped of his garments and thrust down upon the cross in preparation for being affixed to it with iron spikes. Such barbarism is hard to imagine, yet this is the truth of what Jesus endured. One by one, the spikes were hammered through each wrist and then through his feet. The pain must have been excruciating. If ever we doubt the depth of Jesus’ love for us, we need only to recall the suffering he endured to save us from sin and death.

Prayer

Almighty Father, we are people who would rather not look evil in the face, especially images of horrific violence. Such images are hard to bear and make us justifiably uncomfortable. In this case, however, meditating on Jesus being nailed to the cross is a meaningful way to acknowledge what he did for us and to pay him the homage he deserves for having endured such incomprehensible violence. May our remembrance of his suffering, in particular of him being nailed to the cross, give us strength to bear our own trials willingly for love of him.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

12^th Station:  Jesus dies on the cross

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

Reflection

Saint John of the Cross sketched an image of Jesus’ crucifixion from a vantage point above the cross, looking down at him (front cover). The image vividly portrays how the weight of his body hung from the nails that secured him to the cross. It is a disturbing perspective. If you consciously meditate on the image, it will conjure up a sense of just how agonizing the crucifixion must have been.

Laying on the ground with nails hammered through his wrists and feet was bad enough, but think of the awful pain he endured as the cross was violently hoisted upright, intensifying the pain caused by the weight of his body hanging from the nails. Now imagine this agony lasting not just minutes, but hours. About this agony, St. Ambrose says: “As God he was not distressed, but as a human he was capable of being distressed.  It was not as God he died but as man. It was in human voice that he cried ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Medical experts tell us that with every minute Jesus hung on the cross, his breathing would have become increasingly difficult from the accumulation of fluid in his lungs. There was no relief for him whatsoever. The consensus among these experts is that in all likelihood, Jesus died from asphyxiation due to drowning in his own bodily fluids. If you have ever experienced not being able to breathe, and the consequential desperation of futilely trying to take in air, you’ll get a sense of just how horrible those final moments were that led to Jesus’ death.

Prayer

Almighty Father, the pain and suffering Jesus endured during his passion, and in particular throughout his crucifixion is unfathomable. As we reflect on this sorrowful 12th station, help us to appreciate that it was his commitment to you and his love for us that enabled him to endure such horrific suffering. When we are called on to suffer, grant us the help of your grace so that we may do so willingly and without complaining, all for love of you.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Christ above in torment hangs, she beneath beholds the pangs,
of her dying glorious Son.

13^th Station:  Jesus is taken down from the cross

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

Reflection

In Saint John’s account of the Crucifixion, we are told that Our Blessed Mother, her sister and Saint Mary Magdalene were present, standing by the cross of Jesus (John 19: 25). Further on Saint John declares: “An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may [come to] believe” (John 19:35).

Anyone who has had first-hand experience in witnessing the suffering of a loved one, can relate to what those who stood by the cross of Jesus throughout his crucifixion must have felt. Being unable to help someone in agony is truly an exasperating experience on many levels: emotional, physical and even spiritual. It’s a time when people most often feel that God has abandoned them, the same as Jesus felt when from the cross he cried out:  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46).

We do not know precisely what the people standing by the cross said or felt, but it’s likely their empathy for Jesus caused them the same kind of anguish any of us feel in similar circumstances. It would have been easier to avoid this scene altogether, but their love for Jesus won out, and they stood by him to the end. True love cares not so much for oneself, but willingly sacrifices for the good of others.

Prayer

Almighty Father, we recognize that suffering is part of our fallen human condition.  Help us, therefore, to be vigilant concerning the suffering of others and sensitive to what they may be experiencing. Grant us the grace and desire to stand by them, to offer whatever we can to ease their suffering, such that they realize that at least to us, their lives truly matter.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

Let me mingle tears with you, mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live.

14^th Station:  Jesus is laid to rest in a tomb

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

Reflection

“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate permitted it, so Joseph came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes…, they took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices…, and laid him in a tomb” (John 19: 38-40).

Associating oneself with Jesus became increasingly risky in the days leading up to his execution. The Apostles abandoned him, including Saint Peter who went as far as denying him not once, but three times. From what we read in the Gospels, it seems as though only a few people publically demonstrated their fidelity to Jesus: the women he spoke to along the way of the cross; his mother and her sister, Mary Magdalene, Saint John, and the two men mentioned in this station.

Being a Christian today is not necessarily going to win us any popularity contests, and in some cases, it still can cost us our lives. Satan will remain relentless in his efforts to turn us away from Jesus, so we must never let our guard down. Prayer, fasting and works of mercy will release torrents of grace to strengthen our faith, sustain our hope and increase our love for Christ and for each other. Doing this will diminish the devil’s influence over us and embolden us to proclaim what the psalmist declared long ago: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge. Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

Prayer

Almighty Father, help us to always cherish the faith we profess. Although at times we might find it uncomfortable and even challenging to publically admit that we are Catholic, nonetheless, make us bold in giving witness, never for our own glory, but always with the intention of giving the glory to you, our loving and benevolent Father. Since Jesus died for us, help us to die to our selfish inclinations and come at last to share in the glory of his resurrection.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

While my body here decays, may my soul your goodness praise,
safe in Paradise with you.