Stations of the Cross by Fr. Angelos Sebastian
Dear Lord Jesus, you told your disciples that whoever wishes to come after you must deny himself, take up his cross and follow you. We wish to follow you but denying ourselves and carrying our own crosses often becomes unpleasant and inconvenient. So we avoid our crosses and refuse to deny ourselves. As we begin this Stations of the Cross with the desire to follow you, grant us the grace to embrace our daily crosses with great joy, knowing that cross leads us to resurrection and eternal life. Mary our blessed Mother, teach us to follow your Son just the way you followed him. Amen
First Station
Jesus is condemned to death
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Pilate condemns Jesus to death. The powerful ones in this world continue to condemn the weak and vulnerable ones to death. This act of Pilate continues to happen in our society and in our lives. Those who are in power and authority condemn those who are powerless and often cannot defend themselves. History repeats itself and the Pilates and Herods have not disappeared from the face of the earth. When an innocent person is unjustly condemned and made to suffer, I have often remained a silent spectator not willing to defend or protect the voiceless. There are times I have also condemned others out of jealousy, rivalry, anger, or hatred. All those times when I have failed you Lord, I ask your pardon and mercy. Grant me the strength and grace to be the voice of the voiceless and strength of the weak. Amen
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Second Station
Jesus Takes Up His Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Our Lord carries the Cross for our sins. God carries the weight of humanity’s sins and begins the most painful journey to set us free from the bondages and slavery of sin. He undertook this journey all by himself. He had to carry the cross by himself though there were many onlookers, including those who benefited from his ministry and miracles.
Lord, my life also is a way of the cross. I have many crosses in life. When I have heavy crosses in life, I find myself often alone and weak. There are many in my life who neither understand my crosses nor help me carry them. When I am tired, weak, lonely and afraid, please give me the strength to follow you willingly, carrying my crosses to the end. Amen
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time under the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
When I reflect on this third station where our Lord falls for the first time under the heavy weight of the Cross, it reminds me of the many first falls I have had in my life. We see our Lord falling under the cross but he gets up and continues his painful and humiliating journey without complaining and blaming anyone. When I have fallen, I have made many excuses or have blamed others for my falls. Many times I refused to take responsibility for my failures and continued to stay in the fallen state or have looked around for sympathy. Instead of running to you and asking for your mercy and forgiveness, I preferred to continue my sinful life. Forgive me Lord for my failure to get up from my fallen state. Every time I fall into sin, help me remember to seek your mercy and forgiveness and the grace to continue my journey of following you carrying my crosses, Amen.
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Fourth Station
Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
The meeting between Jesus and his mother Mary must have been such a profoundly painful moment where a mother witnesses her only son being led to be crucified. Which mother on earth can bear such a pain? This station brings to mind the millions of mothers around the world who helplessly watch their children getting killed or taken away from them or those mothers who are unable to feed, clothe or care for their children because of poverty and have to helplessly watch them die. The fear, pain, helplessness, brokenness in their eyes would move even the stony hearts. Lord we bring before you all the mothers in the world who have to go through such unbearable pain of losing their children; those helpless mothers who are unable to protect or defend their children. Be with them dear Lord and be their protection and shield. Mother Mary pray for all mothers in the world, especially those crying over their children. Amen.
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Fifth Station
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the Cross of our Lord. What a blessing and privilege that was. There were so many people watching the Lord carrying the cross. They witnessed his struggles and heard his cries for help. But none of them dared to come forward. They must have been fearful or were there to watch him suffer. How many times in our lives we have seen others struggling with their crosses and have refused to help! When I come to the church, I always look for my own comforts and refuse to accommodate others. Whenever I had the opportunity to help others, or welcome them and make them feel a little better, I have focused on my own self and my comforts. Little did I know that whenever I refused to help others carry their crosses, I have refused to help Jesus. Lord Jesus you have taught me in Mathew 25: 31 “whatever I did for one of these least brothers of mine, I did it for you”. Help me remember these words of yours and be eager to lend a helping hand to others when I see them struggle, Amen.
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Women have a tender and compassionate heart and we see many women who were close to the Lord. They enjoyed his friendship and company and they loved the Lord. At this station we get to see one of such women, Veronica who shows great courage and compassion. She didn’t care about what others would think of her or how they would treat her. Her only concern was to be there for the Lord and offer him some comfort and love.
Our world is still blessed with such women who serve the Lord with much love and courage. Women have a very special way of showing love and bringing comfort to those suffering. They understand the language of love more than others. Thank you Lord for the women in our lives who bring much love, comfort, and hope to us. Bless all those women who serve you in the church, world and families and may they continue to bring hope and comfort to your people, Amen
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Seventh Station
Jesus Falls a Second Time
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Our life is a story of many fallings and risings. Jesus falls a second time because the cross was heavy and the journey was painful. Through his falls our Lord is showing us how human life is. None of us is strong enough to say that we never fall. Though we never want to fall in our lives, falls are part of life. Just as how we run away from crosses and sufferings, we would rather run away from all our falls. Jesus teaches us that the only way we can continue our journey of following him is by rising from our falls and carrying our crosses. Thank you Lord for rising from your falls and teaching us how to follow you. Continue to teach and guide us so like you we will also get up from our falls and complete our life journey to meet you our Lord and King, Amen.
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Eighth Station
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Here we meet a group of women who were crying for Jesus. They felt his pain and they understood his agony. They wanted to offer him some comfort. These women must have brought a brief moment of comfort and relief to our Lord. But even there he was more concerned about their wellbeing. He asks them to cry for their children.
These women tried to give company to the Lord in his moments of loneliness. How many of us have the heart to speak up for someone who has been condemned by the society? We would rather join the crowd and not risk our lives. Lord, there have been times in my life when I refused to stand for the truth, when I refused to speak up for others, when I turned my face away from the less fortunate ones, failed to comfort the lonely. I know all those moments I refused to help you. Forgive my selfishness Lord. Let me learn from you that I may not think too much of myself but rather think of what I can do to help and comfort others, Amen
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Ninth Station
Jesus Falls a Third Time
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
This was our Lord’s last fall and in a few moments time he would be hung on the cross. After this fall, he couldn’t get up any longer because he had no more strength or energy left in him. The lashes, the crown of thorns, the weight of the cross, the painful journey, the humiliation, the rejections and denials, everything took a heavy toll on him. How can a person endure all these? And yet he did all these for my sake, for your sake. If this doesn’t move our hearts to love him, to thank him, to follow him, then nothing else will. Lord, when I see others falling because they have no more energy left, or no more hope in their lives, give me the grace to be there for them. Help me to be compassionate and understanding towards others and not judge them because of their weaknesses. Amen
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Tenth Station
Jesus is stripped of His Garments
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Stripping someone of his/her cloths is the violation of human dignity and yet this goes on in many parts of the world. Many people in our society are denied their basic human dignity because of their poverty, culture, ethnicity, or color. Whenever I have looked down upon someone, I have deprived him of his dignity. Whenever I have spoken about others with bias and prejudices, I have violated their dignity. There have been times in my life when I have forgotten that every person is created in the image and likeness of God. Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to restore people’s dignity whenever it’s violated. Help me see your face in everyone, especially in those who don’t belong to my society, or culture, or ethnicity, or who have a different skin color than mine, or who are poor, homeless, and not as fortunate as me, Amen.
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Eleventh Station
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
They crucified him with two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Jesus had foretold his disciples many times that he would be handed over to sinners and be put to death. They didn’t understand him then and perhaps they didn’t even now. This was the moment when all their hopes and dreams were shattered. They were looking forward to a life of glory but without the pain of the cross. I am also like the disciples, unwilling to go through the pain of the cross, yet wanting to have my dreams and hopes come true. I am not willing to die to myself in order to have life. I haven’t crucified my sins, my ego, my selfishness, my jealousy, my sinful desires, my anger and hatred. Lord, as I gaze on you hanging on the cross helplessly, let me also nail all my sins on the cross and be willing to die to myself in order to live with you, Amen.
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Twelfth Station
Jesus Dies on the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Our Lord dies on the cross for the sins of the world. His last words on the cross were, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”. Having said this, he breathed his last. He came to this world in order to fulfil his Father’s will and having done it, he offers his life to the Father. Our Lord also prayed a very special prayer from the cross for those who were crucifying him. He said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing”. This is a beautiful prayer of forgiveness. Lord, you taught me to love my enemies and to pray for those who persecute me. I have often refused to love those who do not love me and have failed to pray for those who criticize or harm me. You offered your life to the Father on the cross but from the cross you also offered forgiveness to your enemies. Melt my stony heart O Lord and fill me with your forgiving love that I may readily forgive everyone and love others the way you love me, Amen.
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Thirteenth Station
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 of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Mother Mary holds the lifeless body of her beloved son in her arms. Her heart must have broken with such intense pain and sorrow. Her Son, her only son that she cherished and loved is now dead and is lying in her lap. The memories of her holding her baby in her arms and him embracing and holding her must have crossed her mind. She must have longed to hear his voice, see his smiling face, and feel his love in her heart. But now her son was dead. Which mother can bear such pain? But Mary did and she offered them up to the heavenly Father her sufferings and pains just as our Lord offered his life to the Father. Let us remember all the mothers in the world who have to hold the lifeless bodies of their children in their arms, those mothers who have lost their children, mothers who cry for their children day in and day out. Mary, our heavenly Mother, comfort and strengthen all our mothers and give them joy and hope.
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Fourteenth Station
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because of your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
The Lord of the universe had no place to be born and no tomb of his own to be buried. He was buried in a tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. The Scripture tells us that he emptied himself taking the form of a slave in order to set us free from our slavery and make us children of God. The whole mission of Jesus was to make us children of God and thus give us eternal life. Our salvation was our Lord’s mission and for this he emptied himself completely, suffered the most painful death, and now buried in a tomb. Let us remember that one day we will also have to leave this world. We came into this world empty handed and empty handed we shall return. All that we can carry with us would be the good deeds we did while alive. Lord Jesus, my loving Savior, grant me the grace to empty myself like you for the sake of others and always do good that one day I can be with you in heaven. Amen
Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy!
Hail Mary…
Pray for the intentions of the Holy Father…Final blessing:
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