Stations of the Cross (SCIAF)

First Station

JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross. It ran "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews." (John 19:19)

Even at his birth Jesus seemed destined for this trial: hunted by Herod, threatened with death, forced into exile. Now he is finally in the hands of pitiless authority. Yet, Pilate's death sentence opens the path to our salvation: and atop his cross will be emblazoned the name given by the angel at his conception: Jesus, a name which means 'God saves'.

Lord Jesus, may no child experience the threat of violence, hunger or war. May their rights be upheld, and their dignity promoted by those in authority.

All:

I love you Jesus, my love above all things; I repent with my whole heart for having offended you. Never permit me to separate myself from you again. Grant that I may love you always, and then do with me what you will.

Second Station

JESUS ACCEPTS HIS CROSS

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Pilate handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they pleased. (Luke 23: 25)

We can only imagine the hostility of the crowd as Jesus set out on his way, but the gospels remind us that he did not set out alone: rather, we hear of those who accompanied and supported him: kind eyes in the sea of cruelty.

Lord Jesus, may those who suffer most in our world discover kind eyes, kind words, kind hands, in the midst of the times of shadow and barrenness. For those who serve the poorest serve you.

All:

Third Station

JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

The Lord God shaped man from the soil of the ground, and blew the breath of life into his nostrils. (Genesis 2: 7)

Man was made from the dust of the earth (Adama) and bears its name (Adam). To this earth Jesus returns in his first fall, embracing it reluctantly, its dust and dirt. Yet he will not return to the dust from which he was made, experiencing the corruption of the tomb. Rather he will be raised up on the last day to share his glory.

Lord Jesus, we pray for all who work on the land and the seas, labouring for our daily bread. May we always be grateful for those whose sweat and toil allow us to enjoy the fruits of the earth.

All:

Fourth Station

JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother." (John 19: 25)

The love and intimacy built up in the heart of the Holy Family during the long years of Jesus' hidden life in Nazareth now become like a cloak around Jesus' tired shoulders. Eyes meet, hands touch, and in a fleeting moment the world pauses, a foretaste of heaven on earth.

Lord Jesus, may your mother's protection become a blessing for all wjo need it most this day. And may mothers all over the world, who worry and fret for their children, rejoice to see them thrive and prosper.

All:

Fifth Station

SIMON OF CYRENE HELPS JESUS

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross." (Mark 15: 21)

Mark's gospel reports that Simon was "the father of Alexander and Rufus". How would Mark know this if the two sons hadn't been members of the Christian community, able to tell their father's story? Was Simon's encounter with Jesus the beginning of a faith journey for him and his family?

Lord Jesus, we pray for all families around the world. May family members encourage and inspire each other to live the virtues of generosity, compassion and faith.

All:

Sixth Station

VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, "Woman, this is your son". (John 19: 26)

To Simon's generous gesture is added that of Veronica, wiping the sweat and blood from Jesus' face: two acts of tenderness to a man in need. Just as Mary and the Beloved Disciple will stand together at the foot of the cross, so the tender actions of this man and woman stand side by side in the memory of Jesus' passion.

Lord Jesus, we pray for harmony and co-operation between men and women: in the church, in society, in the home and the workplace, so that the values of the Kingdom may shine ever more clearly in today's world.

All:

Seventh Station

JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"To the man the Lord God said, "Painfully you will get food from the earth. By the sweat of your face you will earn your food." (Genesis 3: 17.19)

In the Book of Genesis we hear how man was to till the earth and care for it and, despite the harshness of labour, he would produce a harvest. Here Jesus falls to the earth once more, experiencing its hardness and hostility, yet his suffering will produce a rich harvest of new life.

Lord Jesus, we pray for n ever greater respect for our created world, our mother and sustainer. May we appreciate and enhance its beauty, and may our actions yield a plentiful harvest of justice and peace.

All:

Eighth Station

JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"Large numbers of people followed him, and women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children." (Luke 23: 27-28)

"Weep for your children," Jesus tells the women, and indeed many a mother in every age has shed tears for their child. The tears and prayers of St Monica brought her son Augustine to faith. This should be no surprise: God sees every tear that falls to the ground, and none is wasted.

Lord Jesus, dry the tears of all who weep:may all who are anxious and suffering realise that their pain is united to yours for the salvation of the world.

All:

Ninth Station

JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends." (John 15: 13)

The Church Father Tertullian said that when God was moulding man from the earth, in his thoughts was a likeness of the Christ to come. Here Jesus, face down in the earth, so despised and lowly, shows us his true likeness: the servant of all, bruised and broken, giving his life for his friends.

Lord Jesus, you reveal to us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Help us to perfect that image by being more like you: compassionate, loving and selfless.

All:

Tenth Station

JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS CLOTHING

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"The Lord God made tunics of skins for the man and his wife and clothed them." (Genesis 3: 21)

God made clothes for our first parents to cover their shame, since in their disobedience they felt naked before God. By God's tender gesture they were reassured that even their sin could not strip them of human dignity. Jesus is stripped here, but he remains God's beloved, dignified, beautiful Son.

Lord Jesus, the hands of the soldiers sought to strip you of dignity, but you taught us that the dignity of the children of God can never be removed. May we live by your teaching and example.

All:

Eleventh Station

JESUS IS CRUCIFIED

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

One of the criminals said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He answered him, "In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23: 42-43)

Jesus is raised up as an object of scorn: a criminal dying a humiliating death. Yet the cross becomes Jesus' last pulpit, as his teaching and witness converge in a unique way: "Father forgive them ... Here is your mother ... Today you will be with me in paradise."

Lord Jesus, your teaching and witness were united on the cross, mirroring your ministry. Help us to practice what we preach, so that we can build the Kingdom of justice and peace for which we long.

All:

Twelfth Station

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"One of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance, and immediately there came out blood and water." (John 19: 34)

Jesus' words are stilled, but even now his powerful witness cannot be silenced. The blood and water which flow from his side become powerful symbols of the Baptism and Eucharist through which, as he promised, we will one day be with him in paradise.

Lord Jesus, through the sacramental life of the Church, we gain access to your passion, and to the graces which flow from it. May we treasure such gifts.

All:

Thirteenth Station

JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS AND PLACED IN THE ARMS OF HIS MOTHER

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"She gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger." (Luke 2: 7)

At his birth Mary wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes, clothing him with a mother's tenderness. She now wraps her son in the shroud of death, enfolding him in her love.

Lord Jesus, we pray for all mothers, especially those struggling to provide for their children in the midst of poverty and fear of the future. May they feel the cloak of Mary's maternal protection embracing them.

All:

Fourteenth Station

JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB

Leader:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: (genuflecting)

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

"The took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, following the Jewish burial custom." (John 19: 40)

Jesus enters the condition of those who are utterly powerless, those who have no voice. Yet this very vulnerability gives birth to a community: the small group of faithful friends who prepare him for the tomb.

Lord Jesus, help us to be true friends to the poor and vulnerable, creating communities which will flourish in the midst of life's trials and joys.

All:

Concluding Prayer

God our Father, in your Son's passion and death, good triumphed over evil, light over darkness. His example of faithfulness and obedience light our way. Give us the grace to follow that example, to love and serve him in the poor, and to allow our own poverty to be enriched by his goodness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Father

Hail Mary

Glory Be

Text by Fr Stephen Reilly for SCIAF Lenten appeal 2018.

Pictures from St Margaret's Church, Lerwick, Shetland

Catholic Shetland

St Margaret's RC Church, Lerwick

Stations of the Cross (SCIAF)

JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

JESUS ACCEPTS HIS CROSS

JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER

SIMON OF CYRENE HELPS JESUS

VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME

JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS CLOTHING

JESUS IS CRUCIFIED

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS AND PLACED IN THE ARMS OF HIS MOTHER

JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB

Concluding Prayer

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