The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Another Devout Method of the Stations of the Cross
ANOTHER DEVOUT METHOD
OF
The Stations of the Cross.
MY Lord Jesus Christ, thou hast made the journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned thee; but now I love thee with my whole heart, and repent sincerely for having ever offended thee. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany thee on this journey. Thou goest to die for love of me. I wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of thee. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to thee.
STATION I.
Jesus is condemned to Death.
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and praise thee [Genuflect.]
R. Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to, die on the Cross.
My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate; no, it was my sins that condemned thee to die. I beseech thee, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in her journey towards eternity. I love thee, my beloved Jesus; I love thee more than myself. I repent with my whole heart of having offended thee. Never permit me to separate myself from thee again. Grant that I may love thee always; and then do with me what thou wilt.
Pater , Ave , Gloria.
STATION II.
Jesus is made to carry his Cross.
V. We adore thee, &c.
CONSIDER how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on his shoulders, thought of us, and offered for us, to his Father, the death he was about to undergo.
My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations thou hast destined for me until death. I beseech thee, by the merits of the pain thou didst suffer in carrying thy Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love thee, Jesus, my love, above all things.
I repent, [as at the end of First Station.]
Pater , Ave, Gloria. STATION III.
Jesus falls the first time under his Cross.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER this first fall of Jesus under his Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, his head crowned with thorns, and he had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened he could scarcely walk, and yet he had to carry this great load upon his shoulders. The soldiers struck him rudely, and thus he fell several times.
My Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but of my sins, which has made thee suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misery of falling into mortal sin. I love thee, O my Jesus! I repent, etc.
Pater , Ave, Gloria.
STATION IV.
Jesus meets his afflicted Mother.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Their looks became so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.
My sweet Jesus, by the sorrow thou didst experience in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for thy most holy Mother. And thou, my Queen, who wast overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by thy intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the passion of thy Son. I love thee, Jesus, my love, above all things. I repent, etc.
Pater , Are, Gloria. STATION V.
The Cyrenean helps Jesus to carry his Cross.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER how the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus was on the point of expiring, and fearing he would die on the way, when they wished him to die the ignominious death of the Cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenean to carry the Cross after our Lord.
My most beloved Jesus, I will not refuse the Cross as the Cyrenean did: I accept it, I embrace it. I accept in particular the death thou hast destined for me, with all the pains which may acoompany it; I unite it to thy death, I offer it to thee. Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of thee. Help me by thy grace I love thee, Jesus, my love, above all things. I repent, etc.
Pater, Ave, Gloria.
STATION VI.
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER how the holy woman Veronica, seeing Jesus so ill-used, and his face bathed in sweat and blood, presented him with a towel, with which he wiped his adorable face, leaving on it the impression of his holy countenance.
My most beloved Jesus, thy face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it. My soul also was once beautiful, when it received thy grace in baptism; but, alas! I have disfigured it since by my sins; thou alone, my Redeemer, canst restore it to its former beauty. Do this by thy passion, O Jesus. I repent, etc.
Pater , Ave, Gloria. STATION VII.
Jesus falls the second time.
V. We adore thee, etc,
CONSIDER the second fall of Jesus under the Cross; a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of his head and members.
My most sweet Jesus, how many times thou hast pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend thee! Oh! by the merits of this second fall, give me the necessary helps to persevere in thy grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to thee. I love thee, Jesus, my love, above all things. I repent, &c.
Pater , Ave , Gloria.
STATION VIII.
Jesus speaks to the Daughters of Jerusalem.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER how those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in so pitiable a state, streaming with blood as he walked along. “ Daughters of Jerusalem,” he said, " weep not over me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”
My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offences I have committed against thee, because of the pains they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure they have caused thee, who hast loved me so much. It is thy love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love thee more than myself. I repent, etc.
Pater, Ave, Gloria. STATION IX.
Jesus falls the third time.
V. We adore thee, etc,
CONSIDER the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of his executioners excessive, who tried to hasten his steps when he could scarcely move.
Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness thou didst suffer in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect, and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise thy friendship. I love thee, Jesus, my love, above all things. I repent, etc.
Pater , Ave, Gloria .
STATION X.
Jesus is stripped of his Garments.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments adhered to his tom flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the flesh came with them. Compassionate your Saviour thus cruelly treated.
My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment thou didst endure, help me to strip myself of all affection to things of earth, in order that I may place all my love in thee, who art so worthy of my love. I love thee, O Jesus, above all things; I repent, etc.
Pater , Ave , Gloria .
STATION XI.
Jesus is nailed to the Cross.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER how Jesus, after being thrown on the Cross, extended his hands, and offered to his Eternal Father the sacrifice of his life for our salvation. These barbarians fastened him with nails, and then, securing the Cross, allowed him to die with anguish on the tree of scorn.
My Jesus, laden with contempt, nail my heart to thy feet, that it may ever remain there to love thee, and never quit thee again. I love thee more than myself. I repent, etc.
Pater , Ave, Gloria.
STATION XII.
Jesus dies on the Cross.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER how Jesus, after three hours’ agony on the Cross, consumed with anguish, abandoned himself to the weight of his body, bowed his sacred head, and died.
O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the Cross on which thou didst die for the love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death, but thy death is my hope. Ah! by the merits of thy death, give me grace to die embracing thy feet, and burning with love for thee. I commit my soul to thy hands. I love thee, O Jesus, above all things. I repent, etc.
Pater , Ave , Gloria.
STATION XIII.
Jesus is taken down from the Cross.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER how our Lord, having expired, two of his disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took him down from the Cross, and placed him in the arms of his afflicted Mother, who received him with ineffable tenderness, and pressed him to her bosom.
O Mother of sorrows, for the love of this son, accept me for thy servant, and pray for me. And thou, my Redeemer, since thou hast died for me, permit me to love thee; for I wish but thee, and nothing more. I love thee, my Jesus, above all things. I repent, etc.
Pater, Ave, Gloria.
Station XIV.
Jesus is placed in the Sepulchre.
V. We adore thee, etc.
CONSIDER how the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by his holy Mother, who arranged it in the sepulchre, with her own hands. They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew.
Ah! my buried Jesus, I kiss the tomb that encloses thee. But thou didst rise again the third day. I beseech thee by thy resurrection, make me rise glorious with thee at the last day, to be always united to thee in heaven, to praise thee and love thee for ever. O Jesus, I love thee. I repent, etc.
Pater , Are, Gloria.
LET US PRAY.
LOOK down, O Lord, we beseech thee, upon this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ did not refuse to be delivered into the hands of wicked men, and to endure the torments of the Cross. Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
May our Lord Jesus Christ bless us, who for us was scourged, laden with his Cross, and crucified.
TO THE MOST HOLY VIRGIN IN HER DESOLATION.
HAIL Mary, full of sorrows, the Crucified is with thee: tearful art thou amongst women, and tearful is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of the Crucified, give tears to us, crucifiers of thy Son, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.