THE WAY OF THE CROSS

The Way Of The Cross, is from a Prayer Book of "Our Lady Of The Snows"
composed by Father John Maronic, O.M.I.
Please take time to follow this beautiful Way Of The Cross
if you unable to finish it put a bookmark and come back.
Inside nearly every Catholic church, one can find 14 images marked by a cross around the building. The faithful, in imitation of pilgrims to Jerusalem, have the custom of going from image to image, praying and meditating on our Lord's Passion and Death.

As you begin the Way Of The Cross, put aside the thoughts and concerns of the world around you and enter by spirit into the awesome mystery of the Passion and death of Jesus, Son of God who became man for our sakes. Last night He was dreadfully alone. In His loneliness He looked for companionship and found none. He wanted someone to talk to, to console Him in this final hour. He turned to His three closest friends and asked, "Will you watch one hour with me?" But his friends were fast asleep. He now turns to you and to me,
"Will you spend one hour with me? Will you walk by my side to the Hill of Calvary and share some of the feelings of anxiety, of the cruelty of men?"
Reply from the depths of your heart,
'Lord Jesus, I will walk with you to Calvary. I will share Your sufferings, the mistreatment and abandonment you experienced. Let Your Holy Spirit take hold of my thoughts and affections as I walk beside You to the Crucifixion.'

THE WAY OF THE CROSS
The Stations of the Cross

I. JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

It is early morning and Jesus stands before Pilate. All night long He has been the victim of torture. First, the agony and bloody sweat in the garden. Then the betrayal with the scorching kiss of a renegade. An all-night vigil of trials, and the mockery by the drunken soldiers who decided to 'play king' with the crowns of thorns, a reed for a scepter, and a slap in the face as a sign of loyalty. He was punished with the lash to pacify the crowd outside. Pontius Pilate offers the people a choice, Barabbas or Jesus. Jesus the innocent One is picked to be crucified. Pilate orders a bowl of water to be fetched and washes his hands of the blood of this innocent Man.
Jesus starts off on the lonely road to Calvary, looking for people who have enough faith to see through His poverty, His misery, the blood and sweat, and see him as he is THE SON OF GOD. Can we pass the test of faith: to see beyond mere appearance and follow him in this dark hour

II. JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS

Most willingly Jesus accepts and patiently bears His Cross for my sake. The heavy cross is laid on the bruised shoulders of Jesus and causes extreme pain. He is forced to carry the instrument of His own execution. This practice is to put more shame on the condemned man. What does the Cross mean to us? It means everything, it is the very heart of our religion. The Cross is an altar: Jesus is sacrificed here, once and for all, this Supreme Sacrifice is the force behind all sacrifices. The Cross is our ladder to Heaven: if anyone wants to be saved, they must accept the Cross which they were given. The Cross is the will of God: it is not of our choosing--in the likeness of Jesus, we receive a Cross imposed by Our Heavenly Father.
LORD JESUS, I accept the Cross which you have given me. Many times I have pushed it aside through cowardice and fear, or have tried to exchange it for a lighter one. I know now that the Cross which You impose is the only one for me. You have picked it out and measured it for me, and have given me sufficient grace to carry it. Jesus, and Mary, help me carry the Cross and teach me evermore the lessons of the Cross.

III JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

Weakened by torments and by loss of blood, Jesus falls beneath His Cross. Jesus could not fall into sin, but he could fall beneath the weight of our sins. He does so three times, each fall is worse. With every step toward Calvary He becomes weaker and the cross becomes heavier. THE THREE falls of Christ are a portrayal of every man and woman walking along the pathway of life. As we walk along God first imposes lighter sacrifices in keeping with our strength. We will often fall on one knee, and it might be our first parting of ways , because many at this point will decide to walk no more with Jesus. Those who do go on look up to Christ for encouragement. They see Him rise at once and go on to Calvary. In imitation of Him, they rise at once and go on to greater trials, on to Calvary, on to intimate friendship with Our Lord Jesus, Mary and the Saints.
LORD JESUS, As I look at You brought down by the Cross and by my sins, I know that all of us are bound to stumble and fall. In imitation of You I will get up and go on again. I will go on carrying my cross, even though I know that greater trials lie ahead. Give me the courage to go on in spite of my failings and in spite of any other falls that lie before me.

IV. JESUS MEETS HIS SORROWFUL MOTHER

Oceans of grief deluge their Hearts as they face each other. Jesus is grieved to see His Mother suffer, she is the innocent one. She is the fair flower of Israel, the purest creature to come from the hand of God. She is His great consolation in this hour of need, the one soul who gives Him complete satisfaction. She was always there when He needed her: at Bethlehem when He first came into this world; at Cana when she urged Him to perform His first miracle; and now at Calvary as He walks His 'last mile'. As they look at each other not a word is spoken, words are useless; they cannot convey the message. In one glance He tells her 'His hour has come'. Her glance tells Him she understands and is ready to be his companion in His Passion. As we look at Jesus and His mother at this moment, we think of ourselves. Why are we so afraid of the trials which come our way, if we but remember that Mary, our Mother, is always at our side as she was at Jesus' side in His hour of need.
LORD JESUS, make me realize that without the Cross there is no life of intimacy with You or Mary. I will carry my cross and try to fulfill my share in the Passion willingly and faithfully. Mary, Consoler of Jesus in his last hour of Passion, be my consoler in my suffering as well.

V. SIMON of CYRENE HELPS JESUS CARRY THE CROSS

The next person Jesus meets on His way to Calvary is a man. The soldiers look for someone to help carry the Cross and they spot Simon. Simon of Cyrene doesn't know who is being crucified and why, but the job is forced on him. Legions of angels would have love to carry the Cross for Jesus, Our Blessed Mother or Mary Magdalene would have gladly help, but this is a mans job. The apostles would certainly like to, but they were so bewildered, so afraid. Yes, it is a MAN"S JOB! Christ is asking man to associate himself in the Passion of Christ. The role of man is incorporated into the Passion. Man is to do the heavy work in Christ's Church, he is to be the breadwinner, the builder, and the leader.
LORD JESUS, You who have invited man to do a manly job for You and Your Church, help them do all in their power to live up to that role You have given them. Help them be good husband and fathers as they take up their place as head of their family. Let them learn to go out of their way to help pick up those who fall, as You did for them. Teach them to be a man in the fullest sense of Christ the Man.

VI. VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

The next person Jesus meets is a WOMAN. As Jesus struggles under the burden of the Cross, blood is trickling into his eyes, His matted hair dangles before His face, dust and dirt are kicked up before Him by the crowd, and He can hardley see His way. Jesus is blinded by the cruelty of men. A brave young is moved by compassion for Him. She puts aside all human respect, elbows her way to Jesus and steps out to perform a service. She takes off her veil and wipes the blood, grime and sweat from his Sacred Face. This daring deed raises our respect and gratitude, and could only be done by a woman. Any man stepping out would have been knocked down by the soilders. The soilders never expect a woman to be so bold and daring, and who would dare strike a woman! In this heroic moment Veronica receives her reward, an imprint of his Sacred Face on her veil. Just as Jesus imprints His image on the souls of those who look after His little ones: the sick, crippled and lame; the poor and the needy; the deaf and the blind; the mentally retarded and the mentally sick; those in prison; the agonizing and the dying.
LORD JESUS, make me more consicious of Your little ones. Make me realize that each time I do service for the sick, the deaf, the blind and the lame that You are hidden beneath each one. Blessed Mother, you were deeply moved by this act of kindness by Veronica. Help every woman see the needs of Christ's Mystical Body and lend themselves to those that come their way.

VII. JESUS FALLS A SECOND TIME

Jesus becomes more exhausted by the mintue, the pain of his wounds and loss of blood make every step more difficult. He is being pushed and pulled this way and that way by the angry mob. Finally His strength gives out, He falls a second time. Simon steadies the Cross with one arm and reaches down with the other to help Jesus back to His feet.
This depicts those courageous souls who withstood the first trials and come now to greater trials. God sometimes put even failures in the path of His Saints. They are failures in the eyes of the world, they don't make the headlines and are not found among the great and the admired, but they are the chosen souls of the Cross. What a surpise we shall have in heaven to see these souls. Here is a mother who has cared for an invalid child for twenty years, there is another whose husband is an alcoholic, another who works as a scrubwoman to send her son to the seminary. Here is a man who lost his wife and becomes father and mother to his children, another who has fought his craving for alcohol through a lifetime.
LORD JESUS, may this second fall be a strong incentive for me to go beyond what people normally do. Give me the strength to follow You to this second fall, and on to the Passion itself. Jesus, by the merits of this second fall, keep me free from mortal sin. Help me not to fall into any serious sin for the rest of my life. Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother, pray to me so that I can follow Jesus, your son all the way as you did.

VIII. JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

A group of women from Jerusalem are standing along the road they sense that something is wrong. Their intuition tells them that their menfolk are up to no good, but they are powerless. They take the only weapon women have in the face of an impasse, tears. In this case even the women's tears have no effect on the stone-hearted men.
In spite of fatigue, agony and torture, Jesus is still moved at the sight of tears, and turns to console the holy women. Jesus acknowledges their sympathy but at the same time warns them to purify their emotions. There is no place in His Kingdom for mere sentimentality. Our grief has to be real, has to have meaning and purpose. The real fact of the matter is that man is now crucifying his Savior and King. If such sufferings are imposed on Holiness and Innocence itself, what terrors will fall on those who have anything to do with the death of the Son of God.
LORD JESUS, after meditating on this scene from the Passion, I ask You to teach me not to burden others with my aches and pains. Let me forget my own personal griefs and go out of myself to console others in theirs. When, at times I have to face my own burdens and sorrows, then let me give them proper meaning and purpose. Let what sufferings I do have to undergo be united with Your Passion and Death and that will be a payment for my own personal sins.

IX. JESUS FALLS A THIRD TIME

Jesus had reached the point of exhaustion. A whole night of torture had finally taken its toll: the Agony in the Garden, the merciless beatings, the endless processions to Annas and Caiphas, to Herod and Pilate, and now this final procession to Calvary. He falls for the last time and cannot pick Himself up again. Simon reaches down, gently pulls Him to His feet, and helps Him to remain standing. What a tremendous privilege for Simon to hold up the God who holds the world! But now the soldiers push Simon aside and take over. They are close enough now, right at the foot of Calvary. This third fall depicts those heroic souls whom God leads all the way with trial and suffering, those chosen victims who never say No to God. Some are afflicted with lifelong disease; others are strapped to a bed or wheelchair with incurable illness; those who suffer a lifetime of dire and absolute poverty; others are the deaf-mutes, the blind, the insane. This Ninth Station also includes those other people who, though physically well, are marked by God for extraordinary difficulty and intense trial; spiritual abandonment, long periods of spiritual dryness.
This third fall may also be considered as a particular type of atonement for the sin of sacrilege, the hideous sin which would beat Christ down and push His Face into the dust. Those souls who have perverted their natures and twisted their consciences out of shape; the atheists and bigots; renegades from the faith or from a vocation; the sworn enemies of The Church and Holy Father; the desecrators of the Mother of Christ and his saints; the perverters of the minds and hearts of little children.
LORD JESUS, may this third fall be a source of strength and encouragement to the heroic souls You have chosen for Yourself. When You invite me at times to practice heroism, be my courage and my boldness. May this third fall also repair the damage done by sacrileges and outrages of the deepest kind. If I perhaps have been in any of these categories, of even tempted in the least toward such a frightful sin, forgive me and bring me back to the complete path of goodness and holiness.

X. JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS

JESUS now comes to the final phase of execution. The soldiers prepare Him for crucifixion. They first strip Him of His clothing. As they tear the garment from His bleeding Body, the wounds are opened afresh and cause Him excruciating pain. It is as though the whip is being applied all over again.
This particular torture of Christ deals a blow to the sins of immodesty and impurity committed by people. The Son of God is exposed to shame and public ridicule to make amends for those who know no shame, who have no sense of decency, who scoff at His tenets of modesty. The sins of the flesh are hereby stripped of their power over man. There is no person so deeply ingrained in the flesh who cannot be helped by the grace and power won by Christ. Even those who have sold themselves into complete slavery of the flesh can find their way back to the forgiveness and love of God. Christ has atoned for all sin and every sinner who has the courage to come back to Him.
LORD JESUS, guard me from the great destroyer, the vice of impurity. Impress deeply into my mind and heart the fact that my body is a temple; it is the dwelling place of my soul; it is the mansion of grace; it is the place where the Holy Trinity wants to be at home. If at any time I have been under the bonds of the flesh, let the healing power of Your Grace not only wipe out the stain, but lay the axe to the roots of evil as well. I promise that I will be more careful, more faithful to prayer and more disciplined by self-denial. Increase in me the conviction, my Jesus, that this is cast out only by prayer and fasting, and is kept chained by the powerful virtue of prudence.

XI. JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

They lay Jesus out on the ground and begin to nail Him to the Cross. First they take his right hand and drive in the spike with a hammer, next they take His left hand and pull until it is taut and nail it down. They grasp the feet, pull them as far as the body will stretch and fasten them to the Cross with a large spike. They lift the Cross and let it slip into a hole dug for it. Dirt and stones are packed around the bottom to hold the Cross in place.
IMAGINE the agonizing torture of Jesus to have three nails pierce His sacred hands and feet. When the Cross is lifted, the whole body is suspended on these nails. The nervous system reacts and the body contorts with pain. Our Blessed Mother looks on, and as she hears the strokes of the hammer, three nails are driven into her heart. She would gladly be nailed to the Cross with Him, but she has to stand there and suffer a mother's grief. Many another would faith away, but her strong heart helps her to stand and suffer the keenest pain with her Son.
LORD JESUS, I ask You right now to nail me to my cross of daily duty. Nail down these hands and feet which have so often lead to occasions of sin. Seal my lips with silence whenever I cannot say something good about someone or when I vent myself in foul language. Put the blinders of love about my eyes that I may see only the good, the noble and the beautiful in the creations which belongs to You. Blessed Mother, I have cause you so much grief by my half-hearted service to your Son Jesus, help me keep these resolutions. You who could not help You Son in his last agony, help me in mine.

XII. JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

Jesus, hangs on the Cross for three endless hours. Massive clouds are rolling in and the sky darkens, nature is hiding its face from this horrible crime being committed by men. The writhing figure of Christ is clearly outlined against the black sky. The people are fearful at the sudden change in nature. The few friends who are there hang on His dying lips to catch every word of this Man among Men.
First: Jesus exclaims, 'I THIRST!', He is not thirsting for water, but for Love and Souls.
Secondly: He gives us His Own Mother. In His last hours Jesus says to Himself, 'Besides the thousand ways I have tried, what else can I do to show these people that I love them. Perhaps if I gave them My Own Mother then they may realize that I love them more than they could ever dream' So it is done! Jesus gives Mary to us and us to Mary.
Thirdly: He forgives His enemies: 'Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.'
Fourth: He teaches us that we should never despair. If the good thief can steal heaven with one intense act of contrition and love, then no matter what sins we have committed Our Lord will forgives us if we show intense love and sorrow for our sins.
Fifth: The Heart of Jesus is opened with a spear so that every last drop of Blood flows out in reparation for our sins. He shows us that His love is complete and without measure. That wounded Heart can only be healed with love, the personal and intimate love of each individual heart.
LORD JESUS, the five gaping wounds are open before me. The lessons You gave are burning within my heart. I hereby make five acts of love in reparation for the five wounds and in gratitude for the five lessons of Calvary:
JESUS, SON OF MAN, I LOVE YOU!
JESUS, SON OF MARY, I LOVE YOU!
JESUS, SON OF DAVID, I LOVE YOU!
JESUS, SON OF JOSEPH, I LOVE YOU!
JESUS, SON OF GOD, I LOVE YOU!
You know all things, the innermost secrets of my heart. You know that in spite of my past infidelity, my cowardice, my selfishness, I love You from the bottom of my heart.

XIII. JESUS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS

AT LAST two men who believed in Him secretly, throw their fear and caution to the winds. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus go openly and boldly to Pilate to ask for the Body of Jesus. With the help of John the Apostle, they take the Body down from the Cross as tenderly as possible. Our Lady reaches out for her dead son and they lay Him beside her with His Head on her lap. Mary gently loosens the crown of thorns and removes it from His Head. She smooths out the knotted hair. She takes her veil and wipes the Blood and grime from His Sacred Face and neck and arms. Many times she clasps Him to her Mother's heart.
MARY, My Mother , Simeon said that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed. From my heart I thank you for forgiving me the part I had in the death of your Son. It was my personal sins that betrayed Him, that applied the whip to His back, that pressed the crown of thorns into His head, that nailed Him to the Cross and finally pierced His Sacred Heart. Mother, help me to repair the damage I have done. Help me make good the grief I caused you both. Dear Mother, no matter what happens to me later on, at this moment I consecrate myself forever to Jesus and to you. My Queen, my Mother, remember I am your own; keep me, guard me as your property and possession.

XIV. JESUS IS LAIED IN THE TOMB.

JOHN THE APOSTLE now comes forth and lifts the head and shoulders gently off Mary's lap while Joseph and Nicodemus take up His Body. Joseph had already planned on what to do. Some time before he had chiseled out a rock for his own grave not far from Calvary. There they would take the corpse for burial. Meanwhile, they wash off the Body with soap and water, dry it and wrap it in a clean linen shroud. They lay the Body out on the rock slab in the tomb, arrange the shroud neatly around Him, place a folded cloth under his head, and go out of the sepulchre.
Mary, overcome by grief, but still drawing from a reservoir of special grace, follows the proceedings step by step. One last time she kisses those sacred lips and finally edges her way out of the stone cave. They roll a large boulder to the entrance of the tomb to seal it off from the world.
IN THE meantime, those many thoughts keep running through her mind. The words flash back again and again,'This is a child of contradiction!' He is and will always be a sign of contradiction because goodness and evil, justice and injustice will not stand together for long. For an apparent moment, evil has done away with goodness, injustice has overtaken justice, darkness has put out the light. But not for long! Mary firmly believes in the reality of things. Three different times in His public life Jesus had said, 'On the third day I shall rise again.' He meant that literally. The disciples and holy women think this is the end. Mary knows it is only the beginning. Christ will burst the bonds of cloth and launch forth from this tomb into a new world of faith, with
A NEW NATION, A NEW KINGDOM, A NEW CHURCH.
Yes, the Old Testament was stopped mightily when God sent a bolt of lightning to rip the veil from the Holy of Holies and to strip the old temple of its sacred character. The New Testament with Christ as Eternal High Priest and Victim, the Head of the Mystical Body, the source of all sanctity, the King of the Hearts of Men, had just begun.
DEAR MOTHER MARY, the grief, the emptiness, the loneliness at this time must have been a heavy cross for you to bear. You couldn't eat, you couldn't sleep, you couldn't talk to anyone because no one really understood the depth of your sorrow. There are times when I too am struck by these moments of utter desolation, please be my companion during those dark hours. Teach me that such trials are given by God to purify the soul from its earthiness. From now on, at times like these, I will relive the story of the Passion and Death of Jesus together with you in order to regain my true spiritual self. Mary, my Mother, be with me always and lead me ever closer to your Son, Jesus Crucified.

Concluding Prayer
Almighty and Eternal God, merciful Father, who has given Your only begotten Son to the human race as an example of humility, obedience and patience, and has ordained that He carry the Cross and lead us on the way to life; grant, we beseech You, that inflamed by His infinite love we may take upon ourselves the sweet yoke of his Gospel and the mortication of the cross, following Him as His true disiples.

WELCOME, VISITOR

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