Way of the Cross: Fourteenth Station

Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense

V. We adore you, O Christ and praise you.
R. Because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Reading

From the Passion according to Mark

And when it had already become late … there came Joseph, the one from Arimathea. He was a reputable councillor; and he was also waiting for the kingdom of God. He was daring enough to go to Pilate and ask for the body of Jesus… And when [Pilate] had confirmation [of Jesus’ death] from the centurion, he gifted the corpse to Joseph. And he bought a linen cloth and took him down and wrapped him in the linen cloth and placed him in a tomb which was hewn out of rock. And he rolled a stone on to the door of the tomb. And Mary the Magdalene and Mary [the mother] of Joses were watching where he lay.

Meditation

Finally, Jesus is laid in the tomb. His pain and suffering are over. Now his loved ones have a great wound in their heart that cannot be healed, a hole that cannot be filled. Whom have you loved and lost as they did?

Prayer

Jesus, the Resurrected One, though it seemed that all was finished when they laid you in the tomb, you rose again in glory that first Easter morning. Take into your care all our loved ones who have left us, and grant them a place at your side in your Kingdom.

Close

All: Our Father …
Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
Be Thy Mother my defence,
Be Thy cross my victory.
Find the remaining stations here.

Way of the Cross: Thirteenth Station

Deposition or Lamentation: Jesus' body is removed from the cross

V. We adore you, O Christ and praise you.
R. Because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Reading

From the Passion according to Mark

And the veil of the Temple was torn in two, from the top to the very bottom. And seeing that he expired in this way, the centurion who stood by, over against him, said, ‘Truly this man was Son of God.’

Meditation

It was not the temple authorities, or the scribes or the Pharisees, but a Roman centurion who saw Jesus for who He really was, the Son of God. Do you see Him for who He really is? Who do you say Jesus is to you?

Prayer

Jesus, our Lord, help us to see you for who you really are - the Son of the Living God.

Close

All: Our Father …
Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him who mourn'd for me,
All the days that I may live.
Find the remaining stations here.

Way of the Cross: Twelfth Station

Jesus dies on the cross

V. We adore you, O Christ and praise you.
R. Because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Reading

From the Passion according to Mark

And when it came to the sixth hour, darkness came on the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus shouted in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, eloi, lema sabachthani?’ when it is translated is, ‘My God, my God, for what purpose did you abandon me?’ And some of the bystanders, hearing [this], started to say, ‘Look – he is calling on Elijah.’… ‘Wait – let’s see if Elijah is coming to take him down.’ But Jesus, letting out a great shout, expired.

Meditation

Even Jesus appears to have lost hope now. No one is coming to save him. Do you find yourself crying, ‘My God, my God, for what purpose did you abandon me?’

Prayer

Jesus, our Lord, you’ve shown us you understand the depths of our hopelessness and pain. But God did not abandon you, and three days later, He proved it for the entire world to see. Give us the patience and courage to hold on to the promises of God.

Close

All: Our Father …
Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.
Find the remaining stations here.

Way of the Cross: Eleventh Station

Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross

V. We adore you, O Christ and praise you.
R. Because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Reading

From the Passion according to Mark

Now it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the inscription of his charge was inscribed ‘The King of the Jews’. And with him they crucify two brigands, one on [the] right and one on his left. And the passers-by started to blaspheme him, nodding their heads and saying, ‘Aha! The chap who destroys the Temple and builds it in three days! Save yourself [by] coming down from the cross!’

Meditation

Even now, it was not too late for Jesus to save Himself from this terrible fate. But He had pledged His life to serving God and glorifying God’s name right up to the very end. How is God calling you to glorify His name? Do you trust in His infinite mercy and goodness?

Prayer

Jesus, Son of the Father, you resisted every temptation to show your power and glory in a way that was not in accordance with God’s will. You could only do that because of your unshakeable faith in Him. Give us that same faith in our weakest moments.

Close

All: Our Father …
Holy Mother! Pierce me through;
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.
Find the remaining stations here.

Way of the Cross: Tenth Station

Jesus is stripped of His garments

V. We adore you, O Christ and praise you.
R. Because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Reading

From the Passion according to Mark

And [the soldiers] tried to give him wine flavoured with myrrh – but he didn’t take it. And they crucify him. And they ‘divide up his garments, casting a lot over them [to see] who would get something.’

Meditation

Jesus was stripped of all his clothes, of all his dignity. And then they nailed him to the cross like a piece of wood. The carpenter’s son from Nazareth was nailed like a plank of wood himself. The world pressures us to treat our brothers and sisters as mere objects to be used and disposed, removed of all the dignity of the sons and daughters of God. Do you feel that pressure?

Prayer

Jesus, true God and true Man, you accepted the humiliation of the Cross for our sake. Give us the respect for human life and dignity that you always had, and the courage to defend it against the pressures and ideologies of the world.

Close

All: Our Father …
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ our Lord.
Find the remaining stations here.

Way of the Cross: Ninth Station

Jesus falls the third time

V. We adore you, O Christ and praise you.
R. Because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Reading

From the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians

So let everyone who thinks that they are secure watch out for a fall. The only temptation that has seized you is of a human kind. God is faithful; and God will not permit you to be tempted beyond what you can manage. Along with the temptation, he will fashion a successful outcome, so that you[‘ll] be able to bear up under it.

Meditation

The weight of the cross is too much. Jesus falls again, a third time. Surely he cannot get up again. But he does. Have you felt the same in your life?

Prayer

Jesus, our Redeemer, you called on your beloved ‘Abba’, the Father, each time you felt crushed by the terrible burden you carried; and he gave you strength to get up again. Give us that strength of faith and hope when the temptations and tribulations of life threaten to crush us into dust.

Close

All: Our Father …
O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above;
Make my heart with thine accord.
Find the remaining stations here.

Way of the Cross: Eighth Station

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

V. We adore you, O Christ and praise you.
R. Because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Reading

From the Passion according to Mark

And there were women looking at him from afar, among whom were also Mary the Magdalene, and Mary mother of James the Little and of Joses, and Salome, the women who when he was in the Galilee used to follow him and minister to him, and many other women who came with him up to Jerusalem.

Meditation

Jesus life and ministry would have been impossible were it not for the support and assistance of the numerous women in his life. And, unlike his apostles, they were with him to the very end. Do you appreciate the gifts of men and women as much as you could?

Prayer

Jesus, our Saviour, by your death you wanted to plant the seeds for a new heaven and a new earth. Give us the wisdom to recognise that all gifts come from you through the Holy Spirit, and that our gifts complement, rather than contradict, each other.

Close

All: Our Father …
Christ above in torment hangs;
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying glorious Son.
Find the remaining stations here.