FINAL STATION

All:    Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

          and to the Holy Spirit;

          as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

          world without end. Amen.

          We glory in thy cross, O Lord,

for by virtue of the cross,

     joy has come to the whole world.

1: JESUS IS SENTENCED TO DEATH.

 We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.

Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 

Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”  And the chief priests accused him of many things.  

And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”  

But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Mark 15:1-5

Those who first decided to follow Jesus had already made a risky choice.

It was a perilous time in Roman-occupied Palestine—violence and uprisings were common and threats to the state

were ruthlessly put down.

Jesus’ followers thought that Jesus would soon be overthrowing the Invaders, restoring the temple,

and establishing a new kingdom built on justice.

That was their dream.

But instead of defeating the Romans,

Jesus ended up being crucified by them.

Through his crucifixion, the Messiah makes it clear

that following him is not without cost. In fact, it is a dangerous choice that inevitably leads to death of one kind or another.

Or did they, and do we, suppose that taking up a cross would require only a few minor adjustments to our ordinary lives?

“The moment you stood out,

the moment you refused any longer to conform,

or to fade into the background;

the moment you stopped being nice and got angry,

confronting us with what we knew about ourselves

but preferred to attribute to others;

the moment we realised that you meant not mastery but freedom;

in that moment you signed your own death sentence.”

PRAYER: Deliver us O God from politics without principles,

from wealth without work, from pleasure without conscience,

from knowledge without character, from commerce without morality, from worship without sacrifice,

and from science without humanity. Mahatma Gandhi.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come;

thy will be done  on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation;

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,

for ever and ever.  Amen.

2: JESUS CARRIES THE CROSS

  We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. Because by Thy holy cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

 The soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion 

before him.  And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.  And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. Matthew 27:27-31

The cross means different things to different people.

For some, it is a piece of jewellery.

For others it is a sign and symbol of their commitment to Christ

or their call to ministry.

For many Christians around the world, the cross is an experience—

it takes the form of daily and life-threatening persecution.

For every Christian, the brutality of the cross is the reality

that confronts us during Holy Week,

challenging us to consider what it means for us

to take up our own cross, whatever form that may take.

“Your arms are strong.

They have cradled children.

They have broken bread and served it to your friends.

They have prepared a meal for countless empty stomachs.

They have stretched to touch and raise and heal.

Your back is strong. It has carried many cares.

It has bent to stroke a thousand fevered brows

and stooped to wash the dirt from dusty feet.

It has borne the weight of too much expectation.

Strong arms, strong back. Strong enough even for a cross”

PRAYER: May we feel your presence Lord in all the burdens we carry today. Help us to share our burdens with you more freely, not to be afraid to acknowledge our fears and our pain. May we be more aware of the crosses that others bear and make time to alleviate their burden.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

 3: JESUS FALLS FOR THE FIRST TIME

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16

It is not surprising that Jesus falls over.

The cross is heavy, he had been cruelly scourged,  and the midday heat in Jerusalem was fierce.

The ground uneven, and the crowds press around. It will not be surprising if we also fall under the weight of global fear.

As we lie on the ground – literally and metaphorically –

we see that Jesus is there with us, floored.

Together with Jesus, we find extra strength to get up and carry on.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, in falling under the weight of Your cross,

You identify Yourself with all who fall.

You understand those who experience failure and weakness,

and Your Heart goes out to them.

Give us this same compassionate heart for others,

and when things seem unmanageable,

give me the strength to persevere.  

Lord, when I feel myself falling, stay close;

give me your shoulder to lean on.

Prevent me from falling too far,

and help me to rise to my feet again.

Our Father, who art in heaven......

4: JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER

 We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed  (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also),

so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35

 “Blessed are you among women!”

This is how we want to see her:

Blessed, exalted, favoured, chosen. 

We dress her images in the finest gold, silver, fabrics and lace. She is the epitome of strength, beauty, and serenity. We forget the elder Simeon’s blessing and prediction that a sword would pierce her soul.

We forget the terror she must have felt when Herod’s soldiers came looking for her child, slaughtering so many children as they did so.

We forget her agony as she helplessly witnessed her Son’s arrest,

his trial in a sham court, and his scourging in public

amidst crowds that jeered and mocked.

We forget her despair as Jesus staggered under the weight of his cross.

We forget, finally, that she watched life ebb from his suffering body.

the same body she brought forth from her own.

She walks in the crowd, unknown,

but she doesn't take her eyes off you.

Every gesture of yours, every sigh, every blow dealt you,

every wound, pierces her heart.

She knows your sufferings, She suffers your sufferings.

Lord, help me to walk with your mother Mary,

to walk with her among people, eager to know their miseries,

may I never close my heart,

that in welcoming the sufferings of the world, with Mary, your mother,

I too may be an agent of comfort and redeem.

PRAYER: Jesus, we remember the gaze that rested between you and your mother. In that moment of pain there was also a moment of deep and enduring love. Jesus, give us the courage to bring that love into the deepest recesses of our homes, to our children and to our spouses, to those places of fracture and disharmony in our circle of relationships.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

5: SIMON OF CYRENE CARRIES THE CROSS

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The soldiers compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. Mark 15:21

 They all wanted Him out of the Way.

Make no mistake of course, Rome thought that ALL Jews got in the way!

.....and if you happened to be an African Jew, then you were in the way on two counts!

 "This African Jew - he looks strong"

"What's he doing here anyway!"

"RIGHT, African Jew,  you get under that cross - and smartish!!!

That'll teach you to get in the Way, black-Jew!"  

Jesus - Himself marginalised by Rome,

and by the ordinary people who had hung on to His every word....

even by his closest friends

(where was strong Peter when Jesus needed him most?)

The "In-the-Way" Jesus, his cross carried by the "In-the-Way" Simon.

PRAYER: Lord, help us to grasp opportunities

to be a Simon in our world,  and may we have the humility

to accept all the Simons along our road

who reach out to help us in our time of need.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6: VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

 We adore Thee, O Christ,

and we bless Thee.

Because by Thy holy cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

 I was hungry and you gave me food,

I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you clothed me, 

I was sick and you visited me, 

I was in prison and you came to me.  

Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.

Matthew. 25 25:35,36,40.

 Jesus is the Hungry – to be fed.

Jesus is the Thirsty – to be satiated.

Jesus is the Naked – to be clothed.

Jesus is the Homeless – to be taken in.

Jesus is the Sick – to be healed.

Jesus is the Lonely – to be loved.

Jesus is the Unwanted – to be wanted.

Jesus is the Leper – to be embraced.

Jesus is the Drunkard – to listen to him.

Jesus is the Blind – to be led..

Jesus is the addict – to be befriended.

Jesus is the Prostitute – to remove from danger.

Jesus is the Prisoner – to be visited.

Jesus is the Old – to be served.

PRAYER: Lord, help us to see your image in others,

that we may learn to love those we find it hard to like.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee...

7: JESUS FALLS FOR THE SECOND TIME

We adore Thee, O Christ,

and we bless Thee.

Because by Thy holy cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

He had to be made like his brothers

in every respect, 

so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

 For because he himself has suffered when tempted,

he is able to help those

who are being tempted.

Hebrews 2:17-18

Embarrassment, because we know we should help.

Guilt, because we know we could help.

Self-delusion, because we know we would help, if only ….

Pity, because we are not dead to goodness.

Memory, because we once caught sight of goodness.

Desolation, because this wretchedness suggest the doom

of goodness in us …..

What tangled feelings shimmer on the surface of this crowd

as once again, we stand and watch you fall.

PRAYER:  Jesus, from deep within yourself,

you found the courage and strength to get up once again

and continue the journey.

Give us your strength to keep going

even when hope is dim.

Our Father, who art in heaven…..

8: WOMEN OF JERUSALEM WEEP FOR JESUS

We adore Thee, O Christ,

and we bless Thee.

Because by Thy holy cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

There followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him.

But turning to them Jesus said, 

“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  

For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 

‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Luke23:27-30  

They are useless, your tears. They are facile, maudlin, just a display.

You pour them out like water from a jug, you squander them with little thought for what was paid to set them flowing.

Save your tears, daughters of Jerusalem,

and your easy cheers. Cheers, tears, it’s all the same to you.

Emotions lightly conjured up to fit the given mood.

It is enough! Enough of borrowing the deeds of others

to satisfy your own vicarious needs.

Dry your tears, resolve instead by your decision

that there will be in future fewer times

for grief like this.

Weep for the men, women and children displaced by tyranny.

Weep for the people of Gaza and Ukraine.

Weep for people who starve in the shadow of abundance.

Weep for people who are homeless, in exile or seeking refuge.

Weep for the old who are forgotten. Weep for them.

PRAYER: Lord, open our hearts to the suffering of all.

Give us the generosity of spirit to help us recognise their pain,

the courage to challenge the systems that place intolerable burdens

on them and the compassion to support them.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

9: JESUS FALLS FOR THE THIRD TIME

 We adore Thee, O Christ,

and we bless Thee.

Because by Thy holy cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

The Lord said to me, 

“My grace is sufficient for you,

 for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12: 9, 10

How can you keep falling?

Why do you not rise?

You don’t have to do this

Why must you keep falling?

You don’t have to be here,

It isn’t right, you know.

I don’t know why you’re here at all

I can’t bear to watch you fall.

“O Lord God, when thou givest to thy servants

to endeavour any great matter,

grant us also to know that it is not the beginning,

but the continuing of the same, until it be thoroughly finished,

which yieldeth the true glory;

through him who for the finishing of thy work

laid down his life for us, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.” ~ Sir Francis Drake

PRAYER; Lord, we pray that when our strength fails,

when our hope fades and when our spirit grows weary

that we will put our unbounded trust in you.

In turn may we bring your love,

in a word or action of comfort to another,

in their moment of meaningless, depression or despair.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.......

 10: JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS ROBE

 We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom,  so they said to one another,

“Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfil the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things.

John 19:23-24

 As the clothes were ripped from Jesus, he was stripped of his dignity

in front of an irreverent mob. Jesus holds nothing of himself back.

Here, on the threshold of death,

even more intensely than during his lifetime,

He surrenders everything in order to ransom all.

Gripped, ripped, stripped;

Ready for action.

PRAYER: Forgive us Lord for prying into people’s lives.

Forgive us for being consumers of gossip under the name of ‘news’.

Let us never expose anyone for the sake of distorted enjoyment.

May we respect the dignity of others and leave the judgement to God.

Let us see the good in those around us

and so enable them to reach their full potential.

Our Father, who art in heaven.....

11: JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

 We adore Thee, O Christ,

and we bless Thee.

Because by Thy holy cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

They brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).  And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.  And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.  

And it was the third hour when they crucified him.  And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”  And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. Mark 15:22-27

Jesus got in the Way!

The superscription over his head said it all -

"Jesus of Nazareth - King of the Jews!"

Mocked .... this King was made to look ridiculous;

Crown of thorns....Dressing-Up clothes; mocking subjects....

When Rome found you got in the way,

Rome had to make you look ridiculous.

Got you!

You cannot undermine the state.

You cannot challenge the establishment

and expect benign approval.

Let me hammer home the point …

You must not threaten or subvert the patriarchy.

Nor side-step altogether the balance of the powers.

How dare you be so impertinently alive?

That is to threaten God,

and we do not like that. 

Not at all.

PRAYER  O Jesus, Master Carpenter of Nazareth, who on the cross

through wood and nails didst work our whole salvation:Wield well thy tools in this thy workshop;that we who come to thee rough-hewn may by thy hand be fashioned to a truer beauty and a greater usefulness;for the honour of thy holy name. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

 12: JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

 We adore Thee, O Christ,

and we bless Thee.

Because by Thy holy cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”  And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. Matthew 27: 45 – 50.

 Jesus learned how to use wood and respect it when at home with Joseph the Carpenter from Nazareth. Now the familiar material he tooled while working with Joseph became the instrument of his death. As Jesus died, he said, “It is finished!” (John 20:50). The Cross on which Jesus died had served the purpose for which it had been crafted.

PRAYER:  O God, nails would not have held your Son to the cross

had not love held him there

Make us truly thankful for his great love shown on the cross;

and grant that it may fix us in those situations and places

which we might most happily desert. (Catherine of Sienna 1347-80)

13: JESUS IS TAKEN FROM THE CROSS (PIETA)

 We adore Thee, O Christ,

and we bless Thee.

Because by Thy holy cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister,

Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary Magdalene. 

When Jesus saw his mother

and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, 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 to his own home. John 19:25-27

Mary your Mother-

She will hold out her arms to you

She will take up upon her knee

She will turn your face to her breast

She will rock you and sing gently to you

She will smooth the hair from your brow

She will wipe the last tear from your brow

She will cover you against the chill air

She will kiss you goodnight.

Mother of Sorrows, what cradle-song have you sung to your child,

so still in your arms?

As in the days of his first slumber

when your voice lulled him,  

and behind his closed lids

he smiled at you in his sleep.

But today your Son keeps silence,

the silence of his quiet heart and body,

and in your arms see -the sorrow of families in Gaza, Ukraine,

the Mothers in all war-torn places where empty cradles

weep tears of desolation.

PRAYER: Mother of sorrows, with strength from above you stood by the cross, sharing in the sufferings of Jesus, and with tender care you bore Him in your arms, mourning and weeping.

We praise you for your faith, which accepted the life God planned for you.

We praise you for your hope, which trusted that God would do great things in you. We praise you for your love in bearing with Jesus the sorrows of His passion.

Holy Mary, may we follow your example, and stand by all your children

who need comfort and love. Mother of God, stand by us in our trials and care for us in our many needs. Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

 14: JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB

 We adore Thee, O Christ,

and we bless Thee.

Because by Thy holy cross

Thou hast redeemed the world.

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.  

He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 

And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Matthew 27:57-60

Like Joseph of Arimathea, I want to offer a space for you, Lord Jesus;

He offered his tomb; I offer my heart.

When the Sanhedrin met and denounced Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, a mamber of the Sanhedrin, expressed an opposition to their stand.

Though he was a member of the council,

[Joseph] had not consented to their plan of action.—Luke 23:50b–51a

Then, when Jesus was led to Pilate and crucified, it was Joseph of Arimathea who boldly made the official request to take away the dead body, showing a clear and much more obvious love for Christ.

Jesus’s death occurred on a Friday afternoon,

making the Sabbath just a few hours away.

Joseph, with the help of St. Nicodemus,

was forced to quickly tend to the basic needs of a burial.

Fortunately, he happened to have a tomb already prepared,

recently carved into some nearby limestone.

Some historians suggest that it might well have been prepared for Joseph himself. So, rather than hastily tossing the body of Jesus into Gehenna (the Jerusalem rubbish tip, and the term used for hell),

Joseph carefully wrapped the body in a linen shroud

and reverently placed it into his own fresh tomb.

Although there is no further mention of him in the Bible,

through these few recorded acts,

Joseph of Arimathea offers inspiration and encouragement

to those who risk painful disapproval in order to do the will of God.

EWTN

PRAYER: St. Joseph of Arimathea, you showed great courage and love

by honouring Jesus even in His death.

Pray for us, that we may have the strength to do what is right,

even when it is difficult. Help us to be generous with what we have

and to take action when we see a need.

May we, like you, always show reverence for Christ in all we do.

Prayer of Abandonment 

Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you:

I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me,

and in all your creatures.

I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul:

I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.

Our Father, who art in heaven…..

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.