The First Station
Pilate Condemns Jesus to Death
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
At the order of Pilate the soldiers scourge Jesus, place a crown of thorns on his head, put a purple robe on him, slap and mock him saying “Long live the King of Jews.” Then Jesus is unjustly condemned to be crucified. Jesus accepts this unjust condemnation in silence as the will of his Father. St. Vincent Pallotti says: “Do not condemn, but pardon the one who condemns considering that his intention is good. Sympathize with all and pray for all.” (OOCC, XIII, p. 689)
Am I judgmental? Do I condemn and accuse others unjustly? Am I sympathetic towards those who are unjustly condemned?
How do I react when I am unjustly judged, blamed or condemned?
Eternal Father, grant me the grace not to be judgmental. Help me to accept unjust condemnation with calmness and a Christ-like attitude.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Through her heart, His sorrow Sharing
All his bitter anguish bearing
Now at length the sword has passed
The Second Station
Jesus Accepts His Cross
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
After Pilate condemns Jesus to be crucified, the soldiers take charge of him and place the heavy wooden cross on his bruised and bleeding shoulders. By accepting the cross, Jesus willingly offers himself to suffer and die for the salvation of the world. St. Vincent Pallotti invites us to “perfect spiritual observance of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ ... [and] become similar to him in living a humble, poor, hard working, [and] contemptuous life.” (OOCC, III, p. 60)
Do I accept a life of suffering in imitation of the cross of Jesus?
What is my attitude towards the crosses in my life?
Am I ready to live like Jesus; a humble, poor, and hard working life?
Eternal Father, give me the grace to accept the crosses in my life in imitation of Jesus who suffered for me.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed!
Of the sole Begotten One
The Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Jesus begins his journey towards Mount Calvary carrying his heavy cross. All the sufferings he has undergone thus far have weakened him. His wearied legs and fatigued body do not allow him to move on. He stumbles and falls under his cross. Despite all of this, he continues on, thinking of humanity. St. Vincent Pallotti says: “When I realize that I have failed ... I will perform an act contrary to the omission committed [as] an act of sorrow for the defect.” (OOCC, X, p. 6)
How do I cope with my repeated sinfulness?
Do I accept my failures? Am I genuinely sorry for them?
Do I correct my actions contrary to my defects?
Eternal Father, by the power of Jesus’ first fall under the cross, help me to walk in your grace and to avoid habitual sin.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Christ above in torment hangs
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son
The Fourth Station
Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
On his way to Calvary, Jesus sees his Mother. Jesus and Mary look at each other. Their gaze melts each other’s hearts and they are stricken with grief. Their love for one another empowers them to accept God’s will and persevere with courage and determination. St. Vincent Pallotti says: “Love accommodates all, believes all, hopes all, [and] bears all... It does not stop at any difficulty, but conquers; it is not alarmed by any contradiction, but ... is more courageous in charity.” (OOCC, I, p. 111)
Do I allow charity to empower me to cope with difficulties?
Am I a person of faith, hope and endurance?
Do I have the spirit of love to withstand contradiction and loss?
Eternal Father, fill my heart with the same spirit of love that filled the hearts of Jesus and Mary so I may face loss and pain with courage.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Is there one who would not weep?
‘Whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ’s dear Mother to behold
The Fifth Station
Simon Helps Jesus to Carry His Cross
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Weakened by his sufferings, Jesus finds it difficult to carry the cross. The executioners fear Jesus may die en route and they force Simon of Cyrene, a passerby, to help Jesus carry his cross. Initially Simon reluctantly helps Jesus. Carrying the cross together with Jesus makes Simon realize the help he offers to Jesus is good and acceptable to God, thus giving him a sense of purpose. St. Vincent Pallotti says: “Since good is all that I plan to do... I intend to do good always... I will try to excite in myself ... the intention to do it all. ” (OOCC, X, pp. 32-33)
Am I generous in giving myself to the service of others?
Do I work for the good of others in everything I do?
Are my motives for doing good correct?
Eternal Father, grant me the grace to see the needs of others. Help me to address their needs, thereby bringing you glory.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Can the human heart refrain?
From partaking in her pain
Is that Mother’s pain untold?
The Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Jesus’ face covered with sweat and blood moves Veronica to wipe his face with her veil. An image of Jesus’ holy face is imprinted on the cloth, thus rewarding Veronica for her kindness as Jesus continues on his journey to Calvary. St. Vincent Pallotti says: “On thinking about, hearing or seeing afflicted, distressed, tormented persons, worn out and weighed down with work or heavy loads ... I will try to excite in myself a vivid compassion for them.” (OOCC, X, pp. 19-20)
Do I empathize with those who suffer?
Do I reach out with compassion towards those in need?
What prevents me from doing acts of kindness?
Eternal Father, like Veronica, give us a compassionate heart and a courageous spirit that impels me to reach out to those in need.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled
She beheld her tender child
All with bloody scourges rent.
The Seventh Station
Jesus Falls the Second Time
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Exhausted by carrying the heavy cross and climbing the steep hill, Jesus succumbs to exhaustion and falls a second time. The soldiers force him to continue. Though struggling, Jesus perseveres in accomplishing the will of his Father.
According to Pallotti: “For love of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must persevere until death to live lovingly the perfect observance of being nailed to the mystical cross.” (OOCC, III, p. 81)
Do I persevere in my state of life despite the sufferings I experience?
When suffering is continuous, do I persevere in the Christian life?
Does the example of Jesus’ perseverance inspire me to persevere?
Eternal Father, by the example of Jesus’ second fall under the weight of the cross, grant me the grace to persevere in my vocation until my death.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
For the sins of his own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.
The Eighth Station
Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Carrying his cross to the place of his death, Jesus meets some women of Jerusalem, who are moved with pity weeping and wailing for him. Despite fatigue and mental torment, Jesus feels concern for them, their children, and for Jerusalem and its inhabitants and the difficulties that lie ahead. St. Vincent Pallotti, fascinated by Jesus’ sensitivity and feelings for others amid his own personal suffering, said: “Perfect spirit is found in the crucified Jesus ... in whom is found love, charity, humility, poverty, solitude and everything else.” (OOCC, X, pp. 126-127)
Do I get lost and weighed down in moments of personal suffering?
Like Jesus, do I look beyond my suffering and to the needs of others?
What should I learn from Jesus’ response to the women of Jerusalem?
Eternal Father, grant me the grace to imitate Jesus who was sensitive and showed concern for others even amid his own personal suffering.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Oh sweet Mother! Fount of Love
Touch my spirit from above
Make my heart with yours accord.
The Ninth Station
Jesus Falls the Third Time
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Jesus becomes slower and slower as his strength diminishes due to the weight of the cross. Beating him cruelly, the soldiers insist Jesus continue to walk faster. Jesus’ body gives out and he falls for the third time. The thought of accomplishing his Father’s plan for the salvation of the world compels him to get up and continue his journey towards Calvary.
Pallotti reminds us: “I confess and affirm ... that your most holy will contains all good and all the most sublime perfection... [Hence] may your most holy and most plain will especially in the unfavorable things, be my paradise.” (OOCC, X, pp. 377, 379)
Does the desire to accomplish God’s will compel me to carry my crosses?
Like Jesus, am I ready to do the will of God in unfavorable situations?
Do I imitate Jesus in accomplishing the Father’s plan?
Eternal Father, by the merits of Jesus’ third fall, grant me the grace to seek, discern, and choose what You want of me.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Make me feel as you have felt
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord
The Tenth Station
Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Finally Jesus reaches the place of execution. Lacking all respect, the soldiers violently strip Jesus of his garments, reopening his bleeding wounds. Jesus suffers excruciating pain. Jesus suffers the pain and immodest treatment of his body in reparation for my sins of immodesty and impurity. St. Vincent Pallotti says: "I wish to mortify my sight by looking only at what I must look at... [I will be] always moderate in laughter, with a humble, modest and edifying look ... [and] do all things with a certain splendor of devotion that renders them pleasing in the eyes of God and venerable in the eyes of men." (OOCC, X, pp. 540-541)
Do I mortify my senses so as to live a life of modesty and purity?
Am I modest in my look, my speech, and my thought?
What are some concrete measures I need to take to grow in modesty?
Eternal Father, bless me with the spirit of modesty, perfect purity and genuine love according to my state of life.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Holy Mother, pierce me through
In the heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified
The Eleventh Station
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Having been stripped of his clothes, the executioners now begin the crucifixion of Jesus on the wood of the cross. Forcefully stretching out his hands and his feet, they fasten Jesus to the cross and raise the cross leaving him to die. Jesus freely accepts crucifixion and suffers the pains and torments in reparation for the sins of humanity.
St. Vincent Pallotti says: “My God … destroy me completely; do everything in me … absorb me, destroy me, reform me, be all in me now and forever.” (OOCC, X, pp. 216)
Am I willing to make self sacrifice to be more Christ-like?
Do I have strength of character to bring about radical conversion?
What practical steps do I need to take to live radically for Jesus?
Eternal Father, through the merits of the crucifixion of Jesus, give me the grace of self sacrifice in imitation of your Son.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Let me share with you His pain
Who for all our sins was slain?
Who for me in torment died?
The Twelfth Station
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Jesus hangs on the cross for three hours in fidelity to all he preached. Forgiving his executioners, comforting the thief on his right, entrusting his mother to us as our mother, and abandoned by his friends, Christ expresses satisfaction that he has accomplished the Father’s will, and joyfully surrenders himself to his Father and dies. The manner in which Jesus died should impel us to die to self and live for Christ. St. Vincent says: “[One] must live perfectly dead to the world and to himself, so that he may possess those spiritual dispositions which make him say ‘the life I now live is not my own, it is Christ living in me.’” (OOCC, II, p. 547)
Am I ready to die to my self-centered living?
Do I imitate the self surrender of Jesus on the cross?
Do I let Christ’s life be my life?
Eternal Father, through the merits of Jesus’ death on the cross, grant me the grace of dying to self and living for Christ and others.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Let me mingle tears with thee
Mourning Him who mourned for me
All the days that I may live
The Thirteenth Station
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Mary, mother of Jesus, present at the cross, witnessed the torments her son endured up to and including death. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, with the permission of Pilate, removed the body of Jesus from the cross and laid it in the arms of his sorrowful mother. She received the lifeless body of her son with great tenderness and a deep sense of loss. Mary accepted it with great resignation in a true spirit of martyrdom, surrendering herself to the Father’s will. Addressing this point St. Vincent Pallotti says: “Mary never lost sight of any aspect of the passion of Jesus, but participated so fully in the sufferings of her son that she arrived at the state of being the Queen of Martyrs.” (OOCC, XIII, pp. 745-746)
Do I understand the great loss Mary experienced at the death of Jesus?
Do I have a spirit of martyrdom and resignation to God’s will?
What do I learn from Mary’s acceptance of her son’s death?
Eternal Father, through the merits of the sorrows of Mary, my mother, give me the grace of true resignation to Your will and the spirit of martyrdom.
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
By the cross with you to stay
There with you to weep and pray
Is all I ask of you to give!
The Fourteenth Station
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
Reflection
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you! (Genuflect)
All: Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
Meditation (Leader)
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with spices according to the Jewish burial custom. They placed it in a new sepulcher that had been dug out of a solid rock, closed the entrance of the tomb with a large stone, and then departed. By his resurrection, Jesus brings about victory over sin and death, thus opening the possibility of our transformation into the likeness of God. For St. Vincent Pallotti, the merits of Jesus’ burial and resurrection break open the tomb of sin, unite us to God and transform us into the image of the Trinity. (OOCC, XIII, p. 756)
Do I open myself to the merits of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
Am I ready to die to sin?
Do I allow God to transform my life into his likeness?
Eternal Father, through the merits of Jesus’ burial and resurrection, grant me the grace to give up my attachment to sin and allow You to transform me
(Pause briefly)
Offering (All)
Eternal Father, in union with the most sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, I offer you the most precious Blood of the Immaculate Lamb, our divine Redeemer, in thanksgiving as if you had already granted all the graces I have requested for myself and my neighbor. Amen. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 33-34)
(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be – Optional)
Leader: Jesus Christ crucified!
All: Have mercy on us!
— H y m n —
Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.