XI Pray
The Way of the Cross
Walk with Jesus from Pilate’s judgement seat to the tomb: fourteen stations with the Scripture to read and a prayer at each — in church, at home or in Jerusalem itself.
Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Way of the Cross renews the memory of the sufferings the Redeemer bore on the way from Pilate’s praetorium, where he was condemned, to Calvary, where he died for our salvation. It is prayed above all in Lent and on Fridays, but may be prayed at any time — before the stations in a church, or at home with a crucifix in hand.
The faithful who make the Way of the Cross devoutly can gain a plenary indulgence on the usual conditions — before stations lawfully erected, meditating on the Passion and moving from one station to the next; those lawfully prevented may meditate on the Passion for a while instead, for example a quarter of an hour (Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, conc. 13).
Opening prayer
Leader: Eternal Father, through the sufferings of Christ you have broken the curse that lay on mankind under sin and nothingness. Grant that we, who by nature must share the death of Adam, may be transformed into the image of Christ and share for ever in his life and glory. Through him, Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
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I
Jesus is condemned to death
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, who submitted to the sentence of death out of love for me. By your merits, deliver me from eternal death.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
In Jerusalem: the Chapels of the Flagellation and Condemnation
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II
Jesus takes up his Cross
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, laden with the Cross out of love for me. Give me the grace to carry my cross out of love for you.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
In Jerusalem: the Chapels of the Flagellation and Condemnation
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III
Jesus falls the first time
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, fallen under the Cross by the weight of my sins. By your merits, let me rise quickly after every fall.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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IV
Jesus meets his sorrowful Mother
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, grieving over the sufferings of your most holy Mother. Let me always take refuge in her with confidence.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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V
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, as you humbly accept the help of Simon. Give me the grace to accept every humiliation.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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VI
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, as you let the image of your holy Face be imprinted on Veronica’s veil. Imprint your divine likeness on my soul.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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VII
Jesus falls the second time
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, suffering in your second fall. Let me not give way to despair and discouragement in suffering and adversity.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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VIII
Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, and I ask you to give me true sorrow for all my sins, the one cause of your suffering.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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IX
Jesus falls the third time
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, in the humiliation of your fall. After every failure, let me throw myself at once into your loving arms, to be lifted up again in your embrace.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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X
Jesus is stripped of his garments
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, who out of love for me endured to be degraded and humiliated. Form my heart after your holy and humble Heart.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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XI
Jesus is nailed to the Cross
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, who out of love for me willed to suffer the pains of crucifixion. Let me too crucify my passions out of love for you.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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XII
Jesus dies on the Cross
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, dying for me. Let me not waste your merits, but give me the grace to help my neighbour to be cleansed in your Precious Blood.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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XIII
Jesus is taken down from the Cross
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, laid in the arms of Mary. Give me the grace to strip myself of all that displeases you, and let me rest with you in the arms of the Virgin.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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XIV
Jesus is laid in the tomb
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.I adore you, Jesus, and I beg you for the grace to bury all my sins, so as to rise with you to a transformed life.
All: Heavenly Father, for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Closing prayers
Leader: Almighty, eternal God, by the precious Passion and death of Christ you have restored us to life. Keep us in your mercy, that we may never be parted from Jesus Christ, your Son, whose Passion and death we have here remembered.
All: Amen.
Leader: Holy God, you willed that the Mother of Christ should stand beneath the Cross and share her Son’s sorrows. Grant that your Church, which shares with her in the sufferings of Christ, may with her share also in the glory of the resurrection.
All: Amen.
Leader: Let us pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, for the good of the Church and for the gaining of the indulgence.
All: Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Leader: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
All: And let perpetual light shine upon them.
Leader: May they rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Leader: Lord, look upon your people, who with faith, reverence and love have walked the way of the Cross of Christ, in memory of his Passion and death and in the hope of the resurrection. Let your blessing rest upon your servants; let forgiveness come, let comfort overflow, let faith grow and bear fruit for eternal salvation. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
The prayers of this Way of the Cross are those used at 1917.nu, translated from Swedish. Scripture readings open in the New American Bible on bible.usccb.org; the stations in Jerusalem are described by the Custody of the Holy Land; the indulgence is that of the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum (concession 13).