This is an ancient devotion recited particularly during the Season of Lent.
If you wish to follow this devotion, please settle yourself down quietly and try to empty your mind - as far as is possible - from the bustle of your busy life.
Begin
... by making the Sign of the Cross and say:
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection.
Prayer
Lord God,
who through the passion, death, and resurrection of thy Son,
hath shown us the path to eternal glory by the Way of the Cross.
As we follow Him now by our prayers to the place of Calvary,
may we also share in His victory over sin and death,
and be received into his kingdom for all eternity,
where He liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen.
Hymn
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Jesus, Lord, condemned, defiled,
May we too be meek and mild
As we tread Your holy Way.
May we feel no bitter hatred,
When we too are persecuted,
Left alone to walk with You.
The First Station
Jesus is Condemned to Death
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world
Reading
Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.
Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"
When the chief priests and the officers saw him they cried out,
"Crucify him, crucify him!" - John 19. 4-6.
Meditation
Pilate said: "Behold your king" ... and the people shouted: "Away with him," And they sent Him to His death. Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh, and the Light for our dark world, come and save us, and grant that we may never reject You.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Now the Cross as Jesus bore it,
Has become for us who share it,
The jewelled Cross of Victory.
The Second Station
Jesus Takes up His Cross
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
When the soldiers had mocked him, they took off from him
the purple cloak, and put his own garments on him.
And they led him out to crucify him. - Mark 15. 20
Meditation
You were led to Calvary, Lord, carrying Your own the Cross. Yet that Cross was not Yours alone. It was also ours! By Your Holy Cross, Lord Jesus, make us strong enough to be able to take up the cross that we must bear.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Weakened, prodded, cursed, and fallen,
His whole Body bruised and swollen,
Jesus fell and lay in pain.
The Third Station
Jesus Falls - the First Time
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Reading
Surely he has bourn our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Meditation
How strange it is, Lord, to see You fall ...
as One so week, who cannot go on.
And yet You rise again to take a few more steps
along the road to Calvary.
By Your first fall, Lord Jesus, give Your grace to those who fall and cannot rise again.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Jesus met His grieving Mother,
She who bore the Lord, our Brother;
Now the sword her heart has pierced.
The Fourth Station
Jesus meets His Mother
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his Mother,
"Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign that is spoken against.
And a sword will pierce through your own soul also,
that thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." - Luke 2. 34-35
Meditation
Simeon's prophecy and the Wise Men's gift of myrrh
had been warnings to Mary, the Mother of our Lord.
Now, as she watches him on the Cross,
she remains united to Him with a special depth of love.
She too knew what it meant to be obedient to God,
from the moment she replied to Him,
"Let it be done to me according to your word".
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Simon stopped in hesitation,
Not foreseeing His proud station,
Called to bear the Cross of Christ.
The Fifth Station
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus Carry the Cross
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene,
who was coming in from the country,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
to carry the Cross of Jesus. - Mark 15. 21
Meditation
Simon, coming in from the country,
was taken from the crowd by the soldiers to carry Your cross.
Did he come to know You, Lord, as he walked by Your side?
By Your meeting with the Cyrenean, may we find You
in the stranger, and in the needy we meet.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Hymn
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Brave but trembling came the woman,
None but she would flaunt the soldiers,
Moved by love beyond her fear.
The Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
Jesus said: "Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me;
and those who welcome me, welcome the one who sent me.
If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones because he is a disciple,
then I tell you solemnly,
he will most certainly not lose his reward. - Matthew 10. 40,42
Meditation
A woman named Veronica
showed an act of kindness on the Way of the Cross
by wiping the Face of Jesus with a towel.
Such a simple act! By Your meeting with Veronica,
Lord, help us to value even the small things,
which become great when given in Your name.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Prostrate on the dust He crumbled,
Flogged in Body, He resembled
All our brothers poor and scorned.
The Seventh Station
Jesus falls - the Second Time
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
He was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and by his stripes we are healed. - Isaiah 53. 5
Meditation
By Your second fall, O Lord,
we remember how weak we are without You.
We remember our helplessness and our human frailty.
We ask you, Lord ... always to remain by our side,
ready to come to our assistance.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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May our sympathy for Jesus,
Turn to those who here now need us,
May we see Christ bruised in them.
The Eighth Station
The Women of Jerusalem Weep for Jesus
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
A great crowd of people followed him, and many of the women bewailed and lamented him. - Luke 23. 27,28
Meditation
To the women who wept as You passed by, Lord, you said, "Weep not for me but weep for your children". Keep the grace of this meeting alive in our hearts, Lord. May we always show concern for all the children of the world.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Jesus fell again in weakness,
Stumbling as we do, to lead us
Through our sorrow and our pain.
The Ninth Station
Jesus falls - the Third Time
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned, every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him the guilt of us all. - Isaiah 53. 6
Meditation
Lord, we see You now. Your strength has gone.
You fall as if to the dust of death.
By Your third fall, O Lord, give us courage
to face the trials of life which confront us,
and give us patience to go on. Lord, help us in our need.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Stripped and jeered by His own nation,
Jesus stood in desolation,
Giving all He had to give.
10th Station
Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus
they took his garments and made four parts,
one for each soldier; also his tunic.
But the tunic was without seam, woven 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". - John 19. 23,24
Meditation
Like an athlete taking off the clothes
that will hinder him in the race,
so Jesus is rid of everything that will hinder him in his task.
He now awaits his final pains - and victory.
Lord Jesus, help us to face all that life
may throw at us in the certain knowledge that we are not alone,
but that You are by our side.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Pierced the hands that blessed and cured us,
Pierced the feet that walked to free us,
Walked the hill of Calvary.
11th Station
Jesus is nailed to the Cross
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
And carrying his own cross he went out of the city to the place of the skull
or, as it was called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him with two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. - John 19.17
Meditation
The hands and the feet of Jesus, nailed to the Cross,
might seem powerless.
But never were His arms more strong
than at the moment when they were lifting up a fallen world.
Lord Jesus, help all those today
who are restrained by sickness or misfortune.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Life eternal, death defiant,
Bowed His head, the world was silent,
Through His death came life anew.
The Twelvth Station
Jesus Dies on the Cross
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
Jesus, knowing that all was now finished,
said (to fulfil the scripture), "I thirst."
A bowl full of vinegar stood there,
so they put a sponge full of vinegar on hyssop
and held it to his mouth.
When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished",
and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - John 19. 28-30
Meditation
It must have seemed as if Jesus had failed.
But what looks, to those standing by, like weakness,
is His free and sovereign exercise of power
in choosing to give up His breath.
Soon He will choose to come again to His disciples -
He who at the last day will come again to be our judge.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Stunned and stricken, Mary, Mother
In Your arms was placed our Brother,
"Full of grace," now filled with grief.
The Thirteenth Station
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead,
and so instead of breaking his legs
one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance;
and immediately there came out blood and water. - John 19. 33,34
Meditation
Resting in Your mother's arms, Lord Jesus,
You were taken down from the cross.
You died trusting the Father's care, faithful unto death.
By Your holy death, O Lord, give us an unfailing trust in God,
commend us to Your Father's hands.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Jesus, Lord, Your gift accepted,
In three days You resurrected,
You did first what we shall do.
The Fourteenth Station
The Body of Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
We adore thee, O Christ, and we praise thee.
Because by thy holy Cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Reading
Joseph of Arimathaea took the body of Jesus
and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths,
following the Jewish burial custom.
At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,
and in this garden a new tomb
in which no one had yet been laid. - John 19. 40,41
Meditation
You were laid to rest in the new tomb within the garden,
like a seed fallen into the ground,
waiting to spring into new life and rise again.
Lord, help us rise again after dying with You.
May all who have fallen asleep rise again with You.
Response
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Hymn
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Christ the Alpha, and Omega,
The beginning, and the end,
Bless us all, who trust in You.
Jesus, Risen! Jesus, Saviour!
In Your Food and in our brother,
Lead us home to heaven with You.
Conclusion
Christ became obedient unto death.
Even the death of the Cross.
Prayer
O God, You willed that Your only begotten Son
should suffer and die on the Cross for us,
in order to rescue us from the power of the enemy.
As we now glory in honouring that same Holy Cross,
grant that we may everywhere rejoice in Your loving care
and obtain the grace of rising with Him.
This we ask of You,
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Antiphon
Through the Cross You brought joy into the world.
We worship You, O Lord, we venerate your Holy Cross,
We praise Your resurrection.
