Eleventh Station: Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross
ADORATIONV. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTUREFrom the Gospel according to Mark 15:25-27 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.
MEDITATIONConsider how Jesus, after being thrown on the Cross, extended His hands, and offered to His Eternal Father the sacrifice of His death for our salvation. These barbarians fastened Him with nails, and them, raising the Cross, allowed Him to die with anguish.
PRAYERMy Jesus! loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Your feet, that it may ever remain there, to love You, and never leave You again. I love You more than myself I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always and then do with me what You will. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Why Do We Pray The Stations Of The Cross
The Way of the Cross isa school for the examination of conscience, for conversion, for inner transformation and compassion not as sentimentality, as a mere feeling, but as a disturbing experience that knocks on the door of my heart, that obliges me to know myself and to become a better person.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Following Jesus as he makes the way to his death is disturbing this is not a comfortable prayer. But by remembering the Stations of the Cross, walking with Jesus, and taking up our own crosses as Jesus calls us to do, we are pulled out of our selfishness. We become more willing to be patient, love, and sacrifice. We become more like the people God created us to be when we remember Christs sacrifice.
Orders Of Service And Meditations
When practicing the Way of the Cross, there are two possible formats. First, there are the traditional orders of service. These orders of service typically include versicles and responses, a prayer, a Scripture reading, or a brief reflection. Popular Catholic orders of service include the method of St. Francis of Assisi, or the method of St. Alphonsus Ligouri. The Anglican order can be found in the Book of Occasional Services. In addition to these more traditional orders of service, you will sometimes find thematic orders, including prayers or reflections on a specific topic. For example, Pope Francis led a Way of the Cross service focused on praying for specific groups of people who are suffering.
While the second format still follows the same station-by-station outline, they are meditations about each station rather than an order of service. Fulton Sheens The Way of the Cross is a short examination of our motives and attitudes towards the Crossin many ways similar to a preparation for confession. Henri Nouwens Walk With Jesus combines reflections on a beautiful series of artwork by Sister Helen David with stories of poverty and suffering Nouwen witnessed during his travels. Nouwen ties these stories of pain and sorrow back to the hope and example of Jesus.
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About The Stations Of The Cross
The Way of the Cross, also known as the Stations of the Cross, are a way to pray and meditate on Christ’s sacrifice for us. It is divided into fourteen stations from the time He was condemned to his burial. This devotion has been long encouraged by the church, and is especially useful during Lent and Good Friday.
The devotion, highly recommended by the Church, was developed during the Crusades when the knights and pilgrims began to follow the route of Christ’s way to Calvary. This devotion spread throughout Europe and was promulgated by the Franciscan friars in the 14th and 15th centuries. Eventually, the Stations of the Cross became an important catechetical tool, and the popularity of this devotion inspired some of the greatest examples of medieval Christian art. Some scholars believe that medieval miracle plays, which were essentially tableaux of Christ’s life, developed from the sculptured representations of the Stations of the Cross in the great Churches. These scenes from the Way of the Cross have provided inspiration for many of the world’s greatest works of visual art.
During Lent or Holy Week most parishes have a service of Stations at least once.
The Fourteen Stations
After announcing each station, genuflect and say:
Guide: We adore you O Christ and we praise you,All: Because by you holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Then say the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory be to the Father.
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Franciscans And The Stations Of The Cross
In the early thirteenth century, St. Francis of Assisi made the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. However, he had to get special permission to visit because the Crusades were still occurring. So, while Jerusalem was still under Muslim rule, St. Francis founded the Custody of the Holy Land in 1217 with permission of his Franciscan order. In 1342, the Vatican recognized the Franciscans as the official custodians of holy places . The Franciscans continue to take care of the physical and original holy places we recognize in the Stations of the Cross.
After this recognition, the Franciscans began replicating these sacred moments and sites around Europe. While this movement started with building the shrines outside, the Franciscans also built stations indoors in churches around Europe. This wasnt approved by the Vatican at the time, but the Franciscans continued to request that the replication of holy places be approved by the Church. Finally, Pope Innocent XI approved this request in 1686. Nowadays, most churches have the Stations of the Cross in the interior or an outdoor area for walking meditation.
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Prepare For The First Station
Before you begin, choose which set of stations you plan to pray with, the original or Scriptural. Then, as you prepare yourself for prayer, ask yourself how to make this time in meditation peaceful. For example, you might want to close your eyes or take a few deep breaths before you begin.
Next, make the Sign of the Cross and walk to, look at, or lead your thoughts to the scene of the first station.
How To Pray The Stations Of The Cross
There are many ways to incorporate the Way of the Cross into your Lenten observance. While the services are relatively short, they are best read slowly and with pauses for reflection. Physically moving from place to place is optional, but encouraged as a way to embody the devotion.
Consider one or more of these opportunities to follow the Way of the Cross:
- Talk to your local parish about hosting a Way of the Cross service on Good Friday in addition to the appointed Good Friday liturgy. The service may be led by a layperson.
- Personally pray the stations each Friday during Lent, either in your home or while walking through your neighborhood or a local park.
- Read a book of meditations on the stations, focusing on 2-3 stations for each week of Lent or each day of Holy Week.
- Reflect on artwork associated with the Stations of the Cross, such as this virtual audio tour from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
- If safe to do so, organize a prayer walk through your local community. Plan stops along the way to pray each station, and identify ways to pray for those suffering or in need within your hometown.
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Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross
ADORATIONV. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTUREFrom the Gospel according to Mark 15:20 After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
MEDITATIONConsider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on His shoulders, thought of us, and for us offered to His Father the death He was about to undergo.
PRAYERMy beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations You have destined for me until death. I beg You, by the merits of the pain You suffered in carrying Your Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love You, Jesus my love I repent of 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. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Third Station: Jesus Falls The First Time
ADORATIONV. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTUREFrom the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we esteemed him stricken smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
MEDITATIONConsider this first fall of Jesus under His Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowed with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that 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 in His journey.
PRAYERMy beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but my sins, which have made You suffer so much pain. By the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love You, O my Jesus, with my whole heart I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always and then do with me what You will. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
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Fourteenth Station: Jesus Is Laid In The Tomb
ADORATIONV. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTUREFrom the Gospel according to Mark 15:46-47 Joseph of Arimathea, wrapped the body of Jesus in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
MEDITATIONConsider how the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by His holy Mother, who arranged It in the sepulcher with her own hands. They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew.
PRAYEROh, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses You. But You rose again the third day. I beg You, by Your resurrection, make me rise glorious with You at the last day, to be always united with You in heaven, to praise You and love You forever. I love You, and I repent of ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love you always and then do with me what You will. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Fourth Station: Jesus Meet His Sorrowful Mother
ADORATIONV. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTUREFrom the Gospel according to Luke 2:34-35, 51 Simeon said to Mary, his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign of contradiction, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. And a sword will pierce through your own soul also His mother kept all these things in her heart.
MEDITATIONConsider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts, which loved each other so tenderly.
PRAYERMy most loving Jesus, by the sorrow You experienced in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Your most holy Mother. And you, my Queen, who were overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by your intercession a continual remembrance of the Passion of your Son. I love You, Jesus, my love I repent of ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always and then do with me what You will. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
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Original And Scriptural Stations
The original Stations of the Cross were passed down through tradition, following the footsteps of Christs last day on earth, as we read the Gospels.
On Good Friday in 1991, St. John Paul II celebrated the Stations of the Cross with an alternative to the original Stations of the Cross. These alternative Stations of the Cross lead us back to the Scriptural moments leading up to Christs passion. Because of this, we call them the Scriptural Stations of the Cross.
Below, you can read the fourteen Stations of the Cross in their original and Scriptural forms. Both devotions are beautiful to pray with as you look to grow closer to Christ.
Seventh Station: Jesus Falls The Second Time
ADORATIONV. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTUREFrom the Book of Lamentations 3:1-2, 9, 16 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light He has blocked my ways with hewn stones he has made my paths crooked He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes.
MEDITATIONConsider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross a fall, which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
PRAYERMy most gentle Jesus, how many times You have pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend You! By the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary help to persevere in Your grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assault me I may always commend myself to You. I love You, Jesus my love, with my whole heart I repent of having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always and then do with me what You will. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
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First Station: Jesus Is Condemned To Death
ADORATIONV. We Adore You Oh Christ and We Bless You R. Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed the World
SCRIPTUREFrom the Gospel according to Mark 15:14-15 But the crowd shouted all the more, Crucify him. So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
MEDITATIONConsider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.
PRAYERMy Jesus, it was not Pilate, it was my sins that condemned You to die. I beg You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey toward eternity. I love You, my beloved Jesus I love You more than myself 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. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Stations Of The Cross
Franz LisztVia crucis St. Raphael’s Cathedral
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitations of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, which is a traditional processional route symbolising the actual path Jesus walked to Mount Calvary. The objective of the stations is to help the Christian faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ. It has become one of the most popular devotions and the stations can be found in many Western Christian churches, including those in the Roman Catholic,Lutheran,Anglican, and Methodist traditions.
Commonly, a series of 14 images will be arranged in numbered order along a path, along which worshippersindividually or in a processionmove in order, stopping at each station to say prayers and engage in reflections associated with that station. These devotions are most common during Lent, especially on Good Friday, and reflect a spirit of reparation for the sufferings and insults that Jesus endured during his passion. As a physical devotion involving standing, kneeling and genuflections, the Stations of the Cross are tied with the Christian themes of repentance and mortification of the flesh.
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Way Of The Cross Church Of Christ Finally Poised To Move Into New Home
As he stood outside a white revival tent that was pitched on his 20 acres in Capitol Heights, Bishop Alphonzo D. Brooks ignored the flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder that were moving into the area. He was focused on a new $16 million sanctuary across a large lot.
For more than 50 years, The Mother Church, the Way of the Cross Church of Christ, was in Northeast Washington. But last year, the church sold that sanctuary and started to hold services in the tent in Capitol Heights. A large recreational vehicle has served as the churchs office during that time.
But in coming weeks, the doors of the new Way of the Cross Church of Christ will open. In many ways, the storm clouds that were moving in reminded Brooks of the many battles he has waged in the church founded by his father, Bishop Henry C. Brooks, in 1927. He said that at the time, it was one of only two Pentecostal congregations in the District.
In the 1930s, the church was forced to move from Fourth Street and Virginia Avenue to a building on the Southeast Freeway. Although the church found a home at Ninth and D streets NE, the members struggled to find parking. Last year, the church identified the land in Capitol Heights.
The devil did everything to discourage me, but thank God for faithful members, said Brooks, 74, who, prior to preaching, enlisted in the Army and jumped out of C-130s with the 82nd Airborne, ran a limousine service and managed rental properties.