First Station
Jesus Is Condemned to Death

The leaders of the people brought Jesus before Pilate, the Roman governor. He wanted to set Jesus free, but the people demanded that Jesus be put to death. Pilate washed his hands to show he was not guilty of the blood of Jesus, and then he sent Him out to be nailed to the Cross.

Meditation First Station:
Jesus, you so loved us that even though You were innocent, You allowed Yourself to be condemned to death. May we follow Your example and reject every kind of selfishness that might lead us away from You.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Second Station
Jesus Takes Up His Cross

The soldiers treated Jesus with great cruelty. They beat Him and placed a crown of thorns on His head. Now they led Him outside and placed the wood of the Cross on His shoulder. They made Him carry the Cross as they led Him to the place where He would die.

Meditation Second Station:
Jesus, even though the Cross was heavy and You were weak and tired, You still took up Your Cross out of love for us. Teach all of us to carry our crosses out of love for You.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time

Jesus had not been allowed to sleep all night, and He was now exhausted. He had been beaten and whipped, and He was nearing the end of His strenght. Even as He tried to walk along, the soldiers continued to push and shove Him. Finally, it was too much for Him and He fell down.

Meditation Third Station:
Jesus, when You were born in Bethlehem, You took our weakness upon Yourself. Grant that we may always look to You as the source of our strenght.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Fourth Station
Jesus Meets His Mother, Mary

As the soldiers dragged Jesus through the streets, they led Him to the place where Mary, His Mother, was standing. Mary felt such great sorrow to see her only Son suffering such horrible pain. Yet Jesus had assured her that He must fulfill the Father's will. So she surrendered her Son to the will of the Father.

Meditation Fourth Station:
Jesus, when You were dying, You told Your beloved disciple to care for Mary Your Mother. May we, too, remember that she is our Mother. May we make a home for her in ours hearts.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Fifth Station
Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

The soldiers realized that Jesus was too weak to carry His Cross all the way to Calvary. They began to worry that He might die along the way. So they forced a man who was standing nearby, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the Cross for Jesus the rest of the way.

Meditation Fifth Station:
When Your strength failed you, Jesus, You accepted the help of Simon of Cyrene. May we never fear asking for help from our family and friends, and especially from You!

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Jesus was now totally exhausted. Many of the people around Him mocked Him and spit at Him. One courageous woman named Veronica came forward and wiped the face of Jesus with her veil. God rewarded her loving kindness, for He caused an image of the face of Jesus to appear on her veil.

Meditation Sixth Station:
Jesus, Veronica saw Your suffering, and she put away her fears to reach out to You in love. Help us to put away our fears and reach out to those who are different in whatever way.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Seventh Station
Jesus Falls the Second Time

The soldiers kept leading Jesus along, but He continued to grow weaker and weaker. Once again, His strength failed Him and He fell to the ground. The soldiers immediately forced Him to get back on His feet and to continue His cruel journey.

Meditation Seventh Station:
Lord Jesus, the soldiers showed You no mercy as You grew weaker, stumbled and fell. Grant that we may never rejoice in the downfall of another, even if it is someone whom we do not like.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Eigth Station
Jesus Meets the Weeping Women

As Jesus struggled along, He encountered a group of women who were weeping for Him. He looked up and told them that they should not weep for Him, but rather for themselves and their children.

Meditation Eighth Station:
Jesus, even though You were exhausted and were on the way to Your death, You took time to speak to some women of Jerusalem. Let us never be so busy with what we are doing that we ignore the needs of those around us.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Ninth Station
Jesus Falls the Third Time

Jesus' strength now failed Him completely. He was near the place where He was to be crucified, but He could not go another step. He fell to the ground, ready to die there. But once again the soldiers forced Him up, and Jesus somehow found the strength to finish His terrible journey.

Meditation Ninth Station:
Jesus, there are many people who faill into sin over and over again. They often feel like giving up, for they believe that they have no place to turn. Let them see that You are reaching out to them to lift them up from their suffering.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Tenth Station
Jesus Is Stripped of His Clothes

When they reached the place where Jesus was to die, the soldiers ripped off the robe that Jesus had been wearing. They were going to cut it up into pieces to divide among themselves. But when they saw it was made from one piece of cloth, they decided to roll dice for it.

Meditation Tenth Station:
Jesus, the whole time that they were crucifying You, they continued to mock You and swear at You. Even now thye gambled for Your clothes. Let us never treat You or anyone else with such disrespect.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Eleventh Station
Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross

The soldiers then threw Jesus to the ground and began to nail Him to the Cross. They used one nail for each of His hands and one for both of His feet. Jesus felt horrible pain as they were driving the nails into His flesh.

Meditation Eleventh Station:
Jesus, through You God created the whole world, but now You allowed Yourself to be nailed to a Cross. With Your hands You healed the sick, but now they were cruelly fixed to the wood. Forgive us.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Twelfth Station
Jesus Dies on the Cross

Jesus was crucified at noon and He hung on the Cross for about three hours. Even then, He did not forget His love for us. When the end was near, He looked up into the heavens and said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Then He gave His spirit over to the Father and breathed His last.

Meditation Twelfth Station:
Jesus, by Your death You conquered death and won eternal life for us. Help us to live our lives for You.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Thirteenth Station
Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

As evening approached, some of the disciple went and asked Pilate for permission to take down the body of Jesus. They lowered Him to the ground and placed Him in the arms of Mary, His loving Mother.

Meditation Thirteenth Station:
Jesus, Your pain was now ended, but the pain of Your holy Mother and Your disciples had only just begun. We ask You to visit those who have lost a loved one and to comfort them in their pain.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Fourteenth Station
Jesus Is Placed in the Tomb

It was now important to bury the body of Jesus quickly, for it was almost susset. Some disciple of Jesus went to nearby garden and found a new tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, who was also a disciple. They laid our Lord's body in the tomb and covered the entrance to the tomb with a rock.

Meditation Fourteenth Station:
Jesus, even as your disciple placed Your body in the tomb, You went to welcome those who had never known Your Name. We ask that when we die, You may welcome us also into Your heavenly Kingdom.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Fifteenth Station
Jesus Rises from the Dead

Early on Sunday morning some of the women went to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. They found that the stone had been rolled back. An angel told them that Jesus had risen from the grave. The women told the other disciples the good news. Jesus then appeared to them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

Meditation Fifteenth Station:
Jesus, You told the disciples that You would be put to death and rise on the third day. After completing the work given You by the Father, You now rose in glory. We adore You and we bless You.

Response: We will walk with you, Jesus.

Opening:
The Stations of the Cross remind us of the many things Jesus suffered in order to save us from sin. They help us to understand how much He loved us. When we make the Stations of the Cross it is like following Jesus from one place to another and seeing what He suffered.

Opening Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to be open to your closeness and presence as we begin this journey to Calvary with you. Help us to fine in your Passion and Death the strength to take up our cross and follow you.

Closing:
Dear Jesus, I know that after three days You rose from dead on Easter Sunday. You conquered sin and death forever.

Closing Meditation:
Love, then, consist in this: not that we have loved God but that He has loved us and has sent His son as an offering for our sins. Beloved, if God has loved us so, we must have the same love for one another.