THE PASSION OF OUR LORD

The Way of the Cross

The traditional fourteen Stations of the Cross invite the faithful to meditate upon the Passion and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This devotional form is commonly prayed during Lent and throughout the year.

At each station: Announce the mystery, kneel if possible, adore Christ, and meditate briefly. A customary response is: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

The fourteen stations

Jesus is condemned to death.
O Jesus, innocent Lamb, teach me to accept injustice patiently and never to condemn my neighbour unjustly.
Jesus takes up His Cross.
O Jesus, help me to take up the duties and crosses of my state in life with patience and love.
Jesus falls the first time.
O Jesus, when I fall through weakness, grant me humility to rise and begin again with Thy grace.
Jesus meets His Blessed Mother.
O Mary, sorrowful Mother, obtain for me a tender love for Jesus and fidelity in suffering.
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross.
O Jesus, make me willing to help others bear their burdens and to serve Thee in my neighbour.
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
O Jesus, imprint Thy holy countenance upon my heart and purify my thoughts and desires.
Jesus falls the second time.
O Jesus, preserve me from discouragement and strengthen me against repeated temptation.
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.
O Jesus, give me true contrition for my sins and the grace to weep for sin rather than merely for its consequences.
Jesus falls the third time.
O Jesus, sustain those who are exhausted and tempted to despair; let me never abandon Thee.
Jesus is stripped of His garments.
O Jesus, detach my heart from vanity, pride and every disordered attachment.
Jesus is nailed to the Cross.
O Jesus, nail my sinful habits to Thy Cross and teach me to forgive those who injure me.
Jesus dies upon the Cross.
O Jesus, by Thy holy death deliver me from sin and grant me perseverance to the end.
Jesus is taken down from the Cross.
O Mary, Mother of Sorrows, receive me beneath the Cross and help me remain faithful in grief.
Jesus is laid in the tomb.
O Jesus, teach me to hope in the resurrection and to prepare faithfully for a holy death.

Concluding prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, who by Thy most precious Blood hast redeemed the world, grant that we who have meditated upon Thy sacred Passion may receive the fruits of Thy Cross and Resurrection. Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.

This is a devotional meditation arranged around the traditional fourteen stations, not a verbatim reproduction of one named historical manual. The customary responses and prayers vary among approved prayer books. For indulgences attached to the Stations, consult the current Enchiridion of Indulgences and the applicable norms; do not assume that every online text satisfies all conditions.