Opening Prayer:
Sign
of the Cross
Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Leader:
Lord Jesus,
At your Birth you came to share our nature.
In your Passion and Death
You shared our pains and sorrows.
Through our meditation on the sufferings
You endured for our salvation,
may we share your rejection of sin
and your life of commitment
to God and neighbor.
May we come to share also
in the glory of your Resurrection
in the Kingdom where you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
All: Amen.
1st
Station: The Institution of the
Eucharist
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise
you.
All: Because by your holy Cross, you
have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading
from the Letter of Paul to the Corinthians
(1 Cor 11:23-26)
For
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on
the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke
it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new
covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of
the Lord until he comes.
(Silent
Reflection)
All: Lord Jesus, it was not enough for you to
become one of us when you took flesh and came to share our destiny. In your
love for us you did even more; you made yourself bread and wine, to be our
food, our constant companion and our model.
(Brief pause)
All: Teach
us dear Lord, to become like you - bread and wine, offered in sacrifice to God
and in humble service to our neighbor. Help us to be everything to all, till I
come to share the food of eternal life, forever and ever.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
2nd
Station: The Agony in Gethsemane
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise
you.
All: Because by your holy Cross, you
have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading from the Gospel of Luke. (Lk22:39-45)
Then going out he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of
Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to
them, “Pray that you may not undergo the test.” After withdrawing about a
stone’s throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, “Father, if you are
willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”
(And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. as in such agony
and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on
the ground.) When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found
them sleeping from grief.
Silent Reflection
All: Hands clasped in prayer, in a
desperate attempt to gather strength to do the Father’s will. Those you asked
to watch and pray with you that night did not seem to care. We, too, don’t seem
to care about those who agonize in their loneliness, their fears, and their
weaknesses.
(Brief pause)
All: Forgive our
selfishness, Lord, and grant us a heart as caring as yours, that we may do the
Father’s will even when it hurts deeply, for only in doing His will shall we
find peace.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
3rd Station: Jesus is Sentence to Death
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise
you.
All: Because by your holy Cross, you
have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading
from the Gospel Mark (Mk 14:60-61; 15:1)
The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned
Jesus, saying, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?”
But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and
said to him, “Are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?” Then Jesus
answered, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of
the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” At that the high priest tore
his garments and said, “What further need have we of witnesses? You have heard
the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as deserving to die.
As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away,
and handed him over to Pilate.
Silent Reflection
All: It
sounds incredible: sentenced to death by the very people to whom you had come
to bring life. And this terrible contradiction seems to have no end, as we
ourselves sentence you to death, once again, every time we turn our backs on
the truth of your love. This failure of human justice goes on the unjust
sentences by which criminals are acquitted and innocent people are condemned to
die a thousand deaths in a life of misery and rejection that puts us all to
shame.
(Brief pause)
All: Lord
of life, make us more appreciative of your gift of life, life for all, life in
its fullness.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
4th
Station: Jesus is Scourged and Crowned
with Thorns
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise
you.
All: Because by your holy Cross, you
have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading
from the Gospel Matthew (Mt 27:22-30)
Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus called
Messiah?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” But he said, “Why? What evil
has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” When Pilate
saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out
instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying,
“I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.” And the whole
people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” Then he
released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over
to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the
praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his
clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of
thorns, 17 they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And
kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They
spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head.
Silent Reflection
All: The
scourges were like plows that cut deep into your flesh which knew no sin! They
crowned your head with thorns, in cruel mockery, calling you “king” a title
which was rightfully yours, but which you never claimed for yourself. Lord
Jesus the hands that tormented you so savagely are also ours for we, too have
done to you what they did. And still do it, when we become merciless toward our
brothers and sisters or put them to shame.
(Brief pause)
All: Have mercy on us, dear Jesus, have
mercy on us!
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
5th
Station: Jesus Receives the Cross
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise
you.
All: Because by your holy Cross, you
have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading from the Gospel Matthew (Mt 27:31)
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him.
Silent Reflection
All: Lord
Jesus, you had carried wood so many times in your life, for you had been a
carpenter for many years. But the wooden
beam you made to carry now is the instrument of your death. And it is so heavy,
for it includes the weight of the sins of all mankind. We see in you numberless
human beings who stagger under the weight of their defects from which they are
unable to set themselves free; weight of other people’s defects and faults.
(Brief pause)
All: Grant us the grace, O Lord, never
to burden others with our deficiencies but always to carry the cross of our
daily duties in union with you.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
6th
Station: Jesus Falls Under the Weight of
the Cross
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise
you.
All: Because by your holy Cross, you
have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading
from the Book of Prophet Isaiah (Is 53:4-5)
Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that
he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and
afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him
was the chastisement that makes us whole; by his stripes we were healed.
Silent Reflection
All: It was
more than you could bear. The weight of the cross on your shoulders, the weight
of the insults being hurled at you by the mad mob brought you down to the dust
in total exhaustion. We too, fall, O Lord, when trials and failures make us
stumble and crush us to the ground.
(Brief pause)
All: When this happens, Lord, do not
let discouragement and lack of faith in ourselves keep us in the dust of
humiliation and defeat. And when our brothers and sisters fall, give us a
compassionate heart that we may not add insult to injury.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
7th
Station: Simon of Cyrene Carries the
Cross of Jesus
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise
you.
All: Because by your holy Cross, you
have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading from the Gospel According to Mark (Mk 15:21)
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who
was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his
cross.
Silent Reflection
All: It
must have been quite a surprise for Simon to see you, Lord, stagger under the
weight of the cross. He did not hesitate
to take your cross on his shoulders and so relieve you of its material weight. But
the weight of our sins was still on your shoulders, for that weight only you
could bear.
(Brief pause)
All: Make us like Simon of Cyrene,
Lord. Grant me the strength and generosity we need to carry our neighbor’s burdens,
for our society is crowded with poor Christs, crushed by crosses of all shapes
and weights.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
8th
Station: Jesus Meets the Pious Women of
Jerusalem
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise
you.
All: Because by your holy Cross, you
have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading from the Gospel According to Luke. (Lk 23:27-31)
A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women
who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of
Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your
children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are
the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’ At
that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills,
‘Cover us!’ for if these things are done when the wood is green what will
happen when it is dry?”
Silent
Reflection
All: Those
women were really sincere in their sorrow at seeing you so afflicted. They knew
your goodness, Lord. They knew your innocence. But you directed their attention
and tears to SIN in all its forms, as the deeper cause of your suffering, and
to the terrible punishment which un-repentance brings down on all.
(Brief pause)
All: Grant us a new heart, O Lord. Grant
that our tears may be accompanied by the sincere resolve to eliminate the cause
of all tears: our offenses against your love.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
9th Station: Jesus
is Nailed to the Cross
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise
you.
All: Because by your holy Cross, you
have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading from the Gospel According to Luke (Lk 23:33-35)
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified
him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." They
divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the
rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, “He saved others, let him save
himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God.”
(Silent
Reflection)
All: Lord,
your gentle hands, which blessed the children and the sick, are now mercilessly
nailed to the wood of the cross. Your feet, which had taken you from village to
village to bring the good news of the Kingdom of all, are now immobilized
forever. Your enemies dare you to come down from the cross, but you don’t. Not
because of the nails, but because of your love for us sinners.
(Brief pause)
All: When the faithfulness to our
duties, Lord, becomes like sharp nails that pin us to the cross of our
commitments, grant us the grace to persevere to the end, out of love.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
10th
Station: Jesus Promises Heaven to the
Repentant Thief
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because
by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading
from the Gospel According to Luke
(Lk 23:39-43)
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,
“Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking
him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same
condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we
received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied
to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Silent Reflection
All: Lord,
we see the left hand of the repentant thief desperately trying to reach out to
you as his last hope. We see your right hand trying to reach out to him in a
merciful embrace. But the nails prevent both of you to touch each other. Yet,
his sorrowful voice and your reassuring words reach each other’s heart. The man
is saved on the last lap of his life!
(Brief pause)
All: Lord,
grant that we may be as well disposed to people who have done wrong as you were
to the repentant thief. When our time comes, may we hear from you the
reassuring words: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
11th
Station: Mary and John at the Foot of
the Cross
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because
by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading
from the Gospel According to John
(Jn 19:25-27)
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his
mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw
his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman,
behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And
from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Silent Reflection
All: A Son, a Mother and a disciple:
all three bound together by an ardent love. But the bond is specially deep
between you and your Mother, dear Lord. Her destiny is uniquely bonded to
yours. Thinking of the years to come, you entrusted your Mother to the disciple
you loved the most, and to her you entrusted the disciple who represents all of
us.
(Brief pause)
All: Thank you, dear lord, for the gift
of your Mother. We are now even more a member of your “family” and nothing
should break the wonderful relationship which you established between your
Mother and us, between her and all mankind.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
12th
Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because
by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Leader: A Reading
from the Gospel of Luke and John.
( Lk 23:44, 46; Jn 19:28-30)
It
was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”;
and when he had said this, he breathed his last.
After
this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might
be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common
wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to
his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing
his head, he handed over the spirit.
(Silent Reflection)
All: We were all condemned to die
because of our sins. Out of love, you took upon yourself the death penalty that
you alone did not deserve. When you reached the end of your agony, you had only
a word of hope: “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.” It was our sins,
it was your love for us that killed you, dearest Jesus. You died that we might
live forever.
(Brief pause)
All: And now, dear Lord, only this is
left for us: that we should live for you, moment by moment, in faithfulness and
gratitude, so that, when our time comes, your last words may be ours, too: “Father,
into your hands, I commend my spirit.”
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory
13th
Station: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because
by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Leader: A
Reading from the Gospel According to Matthew.
(Mt 27:57-60)
When
it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was
himself a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus;
then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it
(in) clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then
he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.
(Silent Reflection)
All: Lord
Jesus, the dark night of death has engulfed you. In the darkness of the
sepulcher, the only brightness comes from the tender love of your Mother, the
faithfulness of John and Mary Magdalene, and the friendship of Joseph of
Arimathea and a few others. You are now laid to rest like a seed entrusted to
the soil for the harvest to come. Your burial gives hope to our burials, Thanks
to you, death does not frighten us any more, for we know that it is but a long
sleep
in the lap of mother earth.
(Brief pause)
All: Give
us rest, Lord! Give us the rest and peace with you forever!
Our Father… Hail Mary…
Glory…
14th
Station: Jesus Rises from Death
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because
by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Leader: A
Reading from the Gospel According to Matthew.
(Mt 28: 1-6)
After
the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for
an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone,
and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white
as snow. The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. Then
the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are
seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he
said. Come and see the place where he lay.
(Silent Reflection)
All: Your
enemies were celebrating over your death.
Your disciples and friends were in deep mourning, for with your death
they had seen all their dreams vanish. Both your enemies and friends
underestimated your power. Your body could not undergo corruption, for it was
the body of God’s incarnate Son. Your victory over sin would not have been
complete if you had not risen from death. Your resurrection, Lord, is the
pattern of our resurrection. It is a challenge for us to rise from the grave of
sin to the life of grace.
(Brief pause)
All: Thank you, lord, for dying for us.
Thank you for rising for us!
Our Father… Hail Mary…
Glory…
Prayer for the Intentions of the
Holy Father
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory…
Leader:
Final
Prayer
All-powerful,
ever-living God,
your only Son died for our sins
and rose triumphantly from the dead.
In your
goodness,
raise up your faithful people
to be one with him in the eternal life of heaven,
where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen!
And may the blessing of Almighty
God:
XFather, Son and Holy Spirit,
descend upon us and always remain with us.
Amen!
