The Stations of the Cross Opening Devotions The Lord be with you. And also with you. Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death on the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
First Station Jesus is condemned to death. After Jesus had been arrested in the garden of Gethsemani, and had been questioned by the chief priests and the elders, he was handed over to Pilate, the Roman governor of Jerusalem. Pilate found no reason to put him to death; he brought Jesus before the crowd, dressed in a purple robe with a crown of thorns on his head. He sat on the judgment seat and offered to release Jesus in exchange for another prisoner. But they all shouted, He deserves to die! Crucify him! Then, in fear of the people, Pilate washed his hands, and gave the order for Jesus to be executed. I have heard the whispering of the crowd; fear is all around;* they put their heads together against me; they plot to take my life. My times are in your hand;* rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Psalm 31:13, 15 Almighty God, whose blessed Son heard the sentence of death; help us to be slow to judge and quick to forgive, that trusting in your mercy and goodness we may always be open to the way of reconciliation and peace, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 1
Second Station Jesus takes up his cross. Forced to carry the instrument of his own death Jesus picked up his cross. Only recently it had been a tree, green and living; now, cut down and still smelling fresh, it will bear not a single leaf or flower, but the suffering body of a man. Splinters tear into Jesus back and hands as he staggers under its heavy weight on the way to Calvary. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer,* and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the time of my trouble I will call upon you,* for you will answer me. Psalm 86:6-7 Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for us and for our salvation; Grant to us the courage to willingly take up our own cross and follow in his way; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 2
Third Station Jesus falls the first time The cross is awkward and heavy, difficult to hold, weighing much more than a man. It makes each step on the uneven cobblestones slow and unsteady. The one who carries it is forced to measure each movement carefully in order to keep going. As the crowd watches, Jesus loses his balance and falls down, the cross tumbling beside him. He knows that he will have to pick it up again. Be pleased, O God, to deliver me;* O Lord, make haste to help me. Let those who seek my life be ashamed and altogether dismayed;* let those who take pleasure in my misfortune draw back and be disgraced. Psalm 70:1-2 O God, the helper of all in need, come to us who cannot bear our burdens or stand without you; uphold and support us through all struggles and trials, dangers and temptations, through the love of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 3
Fourth Station Jesus meets his mother As Jesus drags his cross through the crowded streets of Jerusalem, the women who have followed him try to keep pace alongside. Among them is his mother, Mary. The noise, the blinding sun, and the pain have kept Jesus from seeing her until this moment when they meet face to face. They look into each other s eyes, son to mother and mother to son. Mary s anguish at Jesus fate is the anguish of all mothers throughout the world who are helpless in the face of terror, war, oppression and injustice. Unable to deliver their children from immense suffering, they suffer alongside them in grief and sorrow. Turn to me and have mercy upon me;* give your strength to your servant; and save the child of your handmaid. Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it, and be ashamed;* because you, O Lord, have helped and comforted me. Psalm 86:16-17 O God, in the passion of your Son a sword of grief and anguish pierced the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary his mother; grant that we who have been redeemed by him may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 4
Fifth Station The cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene As Jesus was led along the way like an animal to be slaughtered, they came upon a man coming into Jerusalem from Cyrene, whose name was Simon, a simple and thoughtful man. Seeing Jesus he was filled with both pity and compassion. As he stood watching the guards grabbed him, and forced him to carry Jesus cross. He would have offered to carry it anyway. I called upon the Lord in my distress* and cried out to my God for help. He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling;* my cry of anguish came to his ears. Psalm 18:6-7 Heavenly God, whose Son came among us as one who knew human weakness and need, bless all those who minister to the suffering and sick, the friendless and the needy, and all in distress; grant us grace to give our selves to your service that we may walk with you all the days of our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 5
Sixth Station A woman wipes the face of Jesus In the stress of great physical exertion Jesus grimaces, his face contorted with effort. With courage and great compassion, a woman steps out from the safety of the crowd with a cloth to wipe away the sweat pouring into his eyes and down his cheeks. It is a simple gesture of caring for one who is in great suffering and distress. Turn to me and have pity on me,* for I am left alone and in misery. The sorrows of my heart have increased;* bring me out of my troubles. Protect my life and deliver me;* let me not be put to shame, for I have trusted in you. Psalm 25:15-16, 19 O God, incarnate in human likeness, help us to see your glory in the face of those around us, and by your grace find the courage to reach out to all who are rejected and despised by the world; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 6
Seventh Station Jesus falls the second time Weakening with each step, with each brutal scrape of the cross, Jesus falls a second time. The crowd roars. Here is a spectacle. As he is kicked and shouted at by the guards, Jesus lurches to his feet once more, but his strength is failing. Have pity on me, O God, for I am weak;* heal me, Lord, for my bones are racked. My spirit shakes with terror;* how long, O Lord, how long? Turn, O Lord, and deliver me;* save me for your mercy s sake. Psalm 6:2-4 Almighty and most merciful God, in the trials of Jesus you give us an example of perseverance in the face of pain; help us to be steadfast to you in the midst of all that weakens us, that relying on your strength we may rise again, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 7
Eighth Station Jesus meets the sorrowing women of Jerusalem Great numbers of people followed along the way, including many women, who wept and lamented over him. Jesus said to them, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me: no, weep for yourselves and for your children. For yet to come are days of such disaster that those who have no children will be blessed, for they will not see them suffer. You have fed us with the bread of tears;* you have given us bowls of tears to drink. You have made us the derision of our neighbors,* and our enemies laugh us to scorn. Restore us, O God of hosts;* show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. Psalm 80:5-7 Almighty God, whose blessed Son lamented over Jerusalem as a mother weeps for her children; grant that our eyes may see your truth, even through the lens of our tears, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ninth Station Jesus falls the third time Each step becomes slower and more difficult as Jesus drags his feet over the stones along the path to Calvary. Dazed, disoriented, and all the while knowing that the worst is yet to come, Jesus falls yet a third time. My soul has longed for your salvation;* I have put my hope in your word. My eyes have failed from watching for your promise,* and I say, When will you comfort me? Psalm 119:81-82 O God, by the passion of your Son you made the instrument of a shameful death to be the means of everlasting life; Grant us so to embrace the way of the cross that we may persist in faith, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. 9
Tenth Station Jesus is stripped of his clothing When they came at last to Golgotha, which means the place of the skull, the soldiers stripped Jesus of his clothing, exposing him to the humiliation of public nakedness. Pausing in their gruesome task, they took his clothes, and divided the garments among themselves by casting lots. Packs of dogs close me in, and gangs of evildoers circle around me;* they pierce my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me;* they divide my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing. Be not far away, O Lord,* you are my strength; hasten to help me. Psalm 22:16-18 Lord our God, whose Son our Savior gave his body to the shame of the cross; Give us grace to accept the sufferings of our present time, confident of the glory that will be revealed through Christ our Lord. Amen. 10
Eleventh Station Jesus is nailed to the cross On the hill in sight of Jerusalem, Jesus was nailed to the cross and crucified. Over his head was written, This is the King of the Jews. Two criminals were also crucified, one on his right, and the other on his left. In the midst of mortal agony, Jesus asked forgiveness for his executioners, and told the thief who repented, today you will be with me in paradise. All who see me laugh me to scorn;* they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying, He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him;* let him rescue him, if he delights in him. Psalm 22:7-8 Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your holy Name. Amen. 11
Twelfth Station Jesus dies on the cross From midday a darkness fell over the whole land, which lasted until three in the afternoon; and about that hour Jesus cried aloud, Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Then Jesus gave a loud cry and died. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion on duty saw how Jesus died, he said, Truly this man was the son of God. The Lord is great in Zion;* he is high above all peoples. Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome;* he is the Holy One. Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and worship him upon his holy hill;* for the Lord our God is the Holy One. Psalm 99:2-3, 9 O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; who lives and reigns now and forever. Amen. 12
Thirteenth Station Jesus is laid in the arms of his mother The body of Jesus was taken down from the cross, and laid in the arms of his mother Mary for one last, lingering embrace. Of all his followers, her grief is most lonely, her eyes red with weeping, and her soul in confusion. This is not how she thought it would turn out. The words of the angel from long ago, telling her that Jesus would be great, now seem a cruel deception and a bitter mockery. My spirit faints within me;* my heart within me is desolate. I spread out my hands to you;* my soul gasps to you like a thirsty land. O Lord, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me;* do not hide your face from me or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. Psalm 143:4, 6-7 Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at the end die in your peace and enter your heavenly rest, for your tender mercies sake. Amen. 13
Fourteenth Station Jesus is placed in the tomb When evening came, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, bravely went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate gave Joseph permission. Joseph bought a linen sheet, and wrapped the body of Jesus in the sheet. Then he laid the body in his own unused tomb, which was cut out of the rock. He then rolled a large stone against the entrance. It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin. Blessed be the Lord day by day,* The God of our salvation, who bears our burdens. He is our God, the God of our salvation;* God is the Lord, by whom we escape death. Psalm 68:19-20 O God, whose blessed Son was laid in a sepulcher in the garden: Grant that we who have been buried with him in the waters of baptism may find our perfect rest in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. 14
Concluding Prayers before the Altar Savior of the world, by your cross and precious blood you have redeemed us: Save us and help us, we humbly beseech you, O Lord. O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, we pray you to set your passion, cross, and death between your judgment and our souls, now and in the hour of our death. Give mercy and grace to the living, pardon and rest to the dead, to your holy Church peace and concord, and to us sinners everlasting life and glory; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. May God s holy gracious name be praised. From this time forth, for evermore. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. The Psalms and Collects in this version of the Stations of the Cross are from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Some have been adapted. The narrative commentary was written by the Rev. Anne Kelsey, based on the service found in The Book of Occasional Services, 1991. Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Louis, Missouri, 2009.