Jesus is condemned to death

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

We fill the shoes of Pilate so often, fearful of what people will say if we do not go along with the crowd.   And so, because we are too cowardly to stand up for what is right, we turn away from you, Jesus, the best friend we've got.   Give us the strength to do what is right, no matter what anybody thinks or says.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.  

Stations of the Resurrection - The Empty Tomb Matthew 28: 1- 8

Jesus bears His cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Lord, when things don't go the way we want them to, we complain and try everything we can to get rid of the little cross we are carrying, and we even try to take revenge sometimes on anybody who is the cause of our trouble.   And yet, you not only accepted the cross, you also accepted us in all our weakness, and this love of yours has saved the world!

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.  

Stations of the Resurrection: Peter and John (John 20:3-8)

Jesus falls for the first time

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Lord, we are weak, and without your help we would fall a hundred times a day and never get up again.   But, with your life within us, with your Spirit leading us, we can win the victory over sin and our own selfishness.   We are no longer alone against the world, the flesh and the devil.   We are with you and you with us, and together we can rise and move on to eternal life.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.   

Stations of the Resurrection: Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18)

Jesus meets his mother

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother too, how natural it would have been for you to run out through the mob in an attempt to stop it all, to life the cross from the shoulders of your son.   But no, you knew Jesus was willing to take whatever our rescue would cost and so you held back and accepted what was killing your son and breaking your own heart.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.

Stations of the Resurrection: Appearance to the Eleven (John 20: 19-20)

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Lord, how great was your plan of rescuing and freeing us!   You knew you were going to get weak and that you would need help; and so you knew somebody would have to help you.   When this stranger was first picked for the job, he probably resented it and tried to get out of it.   But what a privilege it was!   And the same is true for us, when you permit us to help you with your work of saving the world by giving us a chance to work at your side by helping others, by showing others by our good life what it means to be a friend of yours.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.   

Stations of the Resurrection:  Emmaus (Luke 24: 13 - 32)

Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Lord Jesus, why do we always hang back when there is some good we could do, when we should help a friend, when we should break through the opinion of the crowd and do what is right?   Help us to have the courage of Veronica.   Help us to realize the amazing chance we have dozens of times each day to do as much as Veronica did for you - by doing good to all those with whom we live.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.   

Stations of the Resurrection: The Cover-Up (Matthew 18:11-15)

Jesus falls a second time

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Our Lord and our God, what an amazing thing it is that you would permit men to put you in a position where you were truly helpless.   Even then, because you are God, you could have stopped the whole thing, called upon thousands of angels to come and rescue you.   But no, you wanted to be in a position where men who had been the cause of your suffering would have the chance to life you to your feet and assist you on your way to saving them.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.

Stations of the Resurrection:  Institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (John 20:22-23)

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

O Lord, how blind these women were!   No wonder you said to them, "Weep not for me but for yourselves."   They should have wept for themselves, for they completely missed what was really happening.   They completely missed the tremendous thing you were doing.   They didn't realize that you weren't just a man, a poor convict condemned to death.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.

Stations of the Resurrection:  Thomas (John 20: 24 - 29)

Jesus falls a third time

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

O Jesus, we think that if we had been there, we would have rushed forward to help you to your feet.   But if we had, we know you would have preferred that we share with you the pain and the suffering - not that we would try to eliminate it.   Help us to recognize and accept the true cross in our lives.   Give us the courage not to duck the low blows that may come our way, but to take them as you did, realizing that this is the only way we can turn away from our own selfishness - the only things that stands in our way blocking our becoming your perfect friend and disciple.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.  

Stations of the Resurrection:  The Fishermen (John 21: 1 - 14)

Jesus is stripped of his garments

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

O Lord, how amazing was your submission to all the cruelty that you would allow this new torture without a word of complaint!   Now it's time for us to speak.   Now it's time for us to have the nerve to stand facing you, facing what we've done to you by our sins.   You stood in the position of the criminal, but we are the ones guilty of the crime - the crime of rejecting your love and turning to our own selfish wants and desires.   We admit it all now.   Help us never to turn away from you again.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.    

Stations of the Resurrection:  Jesus Selects Peter (John 21: 15 - 19)

Jesus is nailed to the cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

O Jesus, it's hard to believe love could be as great as yours.   Here you are - God - and yet you became a man and endured all of this for us.   You completely turned away from what your human body wanted and went along with the will of your Father.   Your Father permitted all of this as part of his plan for rescuing us.   He knew if we ever saw this for what it truly is (a compelling demonstration of infinite love), we would be moved to give you our love in return.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.    

Stations of the Resurrection:  The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20)

Jesus dies on the cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Jesus, help us to see, really see, what has happened.   Help us realize that you were the first man to make the trip back home where every man belongs!  Make us never forget that the only way we can get there is by joining ourselves to you, our leader, so that with you we too can die to sin and turn totally to the Father.   We know this will mean some tough going - our own cross - but with you we can do it.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.    

Stations of the Resurrection:  Ascension (Luke 24: 50-53)

Jesus is taken down from the cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Mary, we know that is must have been almost more than you could stand, being without your son, Jesus.   As if that wasn't enough, before he died, he told you that you were the Mother of all of us - hardly a fitting substitute for the son you had lost.   When you realized he was merely stating a fact that we are one with him in his new body, the Church, then you accepted us with joy as your sons and daughters.   Help us to be genuinely yours, perfectly united with Jesus.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.    

Stations of the Resurrection:  Preparation for Pentecost (Acts 1:12-14, 21 - 25)

Jesus is taken down from the cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Jesus our Lord, we know this was not the end of the story.  We realize that in your death, you completely destroyed the power of sin and became the first man to turn completely away from selfishness, totally destroying the one obstacle standing in the way.   Your death was not an exit but an entrance, the gateway to the Father and glory!  Now it was just a matter of time before you let all men and women of all time know this.

Lord Jesus, crucified.   Have mercy on us.    

Stations of the Resurrection:  Pentecost (Acts 2: 1 - 11)

Concluding Prayer

Jesus, our risen Lord, help us to become a part of your great redemptive act, your "Passover".   Help us to make our own journey with you, turning away from sin and selfishness and giving ourselves wholeheartedly to you.   You are the Way, the Truth  and the Life for us!  We make your prayer our own as we say "Amen!"