(photo: Public Domain)
Having the opportunity to revisit some of the beloved towns we had hiked to on the Via Francigena brought us to Montefiascone. We wanted to see the small Santuario Santa Lucia Filippini crypt church (in the back of the Cattedrale di Santa Margherita) which had been closed when we were here. Along with Saint Lucia’s tomb, we encountered these unusual and intriguing Stations of the Cross by the master sculptor Mario Vinci. (There is an explanation of the Stations of the Cross in our post on the praying the Fatima Stations.)
The Santuario Stations of the Cross are installed about eight feet off the floor. No foreground or anchoring part of a scene is depicted, lending them a suspended timeless quality. They hang in simple stone niches encircling the altar and tomb. At Holy Week or any time, pondering what these renderings signify can bring gratitude, clarity, and peace. Here then, are the images along with the traditional (lots of thee-ing, thy-ing, and thou-ing!) prayers of the Stations by St. Alphonsus Liguori. For the sculptor’s “15th Station,” the prayers are from the author and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. (A couple of notes: We used Roman numerals for numbering, the same as is done on the Stations in Catholic churches. The “V” abbreviation denotes the leader if you are praying with others, while the “R” denotes the responder.) May you be blessed by your meditation.
T H E S T A T I O N S O F T H E C R O S S
OPENING: ACT OF CONTRITION
My Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast made this journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned Thee; but now I love Thee with my whole heart, and because I love Thee I repent sincerely for ever having offended Thee. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany Thee on this journey. Thou dost go to die for love of me; I wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of Thee. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to Thee.
At the Cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.
I
Jesus is Condemned to Death
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER, my soul, how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.
My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins that condemned Thee to die. I beseech Thee, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity. I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I repent with my whole heart for having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword has passed.
II
Jesus Takes Up His Cross
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on His shoulders thought of us, and for us offered to His Father the death He was about to undergo.
My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations Thou hast destined for me until death. I beseech Thee, by the merits of the pain Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love Thee, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
O, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother, highly blest,
Of the sole-begotten One!
III
Jesus Falls the First Time
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER, my soul, this first fall of Jesus under His Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that he could scarcely walk, and yet he had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.
My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but my sins, which have made Thee suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love Thee, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.
IV
Jesus Meets His Mother Mary
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.
My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow Thou didst experience in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Thy most holy Mother. And thou, my Queen, who wast overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by thy intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of thy Son. I love Thee, Jesus my love; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Is there one who would not weep,
Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?
V
Simon the Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER that they, seeing that at each step Jesus, from weakness, was on the point of expiring, and fearing that He would die on the way, when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the Cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the Cross of our Lord.
My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the Cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it; I embrace it. I accept in particular the death Thou hast destined for me; with all the pains that may accompany it; I unite it to Thy death; I offer it to Thee. Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of Thee, and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. I love Thee, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother’s pain untold?
VI
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER that the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His Face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel, with which He wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His holy countenance.
My most beloved Jesus, Thy Face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it. Alas, my soul also was once beautiful, when it received Thy grace in Baptism; but I have disfigured it since by my sins; Thou alone, my Redeemer, canst restore it to its former beauty. Do this by Thy Passion, O Jesus. I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Bruis’d, derided, curs’d, defiled,
She beheld her tender child,
All with bloody scourges rent.
VII
Jesus Falls the Second Time
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER the second fall of Jesus under the Cross – a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
My most gentle Jesus, how many times Thou hast pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend Thee! Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary help to persevere in Thy grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to Thee. I love Thee, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
For the love of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.
VIII
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER that these women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in such a pitiable state, streaming with blood, as He walked along. But Jesus said to them: “Weep not for Me, but for your children.”
My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offences I have committed against Thee, because of the pains they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure they have caused Thee, who hast loved me so much. It is Thy love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love Thee more than myself; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
O thou Mother! Fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with thine accord.
IX
Jesus Falls the Third Time
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of His executioners was excessive, who tried to hasten His steps when He had scarcely strength to move.
Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness Thou didst suffer in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect, and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise Thy friendship. I love Thee, Jesus my love, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Make me feel as thou hast felt:
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.
X
Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments adhered to His torn flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin came with them. Compassionate your Savior thus cruelly treated, and say to Him:
My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment Thou hast felt, help me to strip myself of all affection to things of earth, in order that I may place all my love in Thee, who art so worthy of my love. I love Thee, O Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Holy Mother! pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.
XI
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER that Jesus, after being thrown on the Cross extended His hands, and offered to His eternal Father the sacrifice of His Death for our salvation. These barbarians fastened Him with nails, and then, raising the Cross, allowed Him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet.
My Jesus! loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Thy feet, that it may ever remain there, to love Thee, and never quit Thee again. I love Thee more than myself; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.
XII
Jesus Dies on the Cross
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER that thy Jesus, after three hours’ Agony on the Cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies.
O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the Cross on which Thou didst die for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death; but Thy death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Thy death, give me grace to die, embracing Thy feet, and burning with love for Thee. I yield my soul into Thy hands. I love Thee with my whole heart; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him Who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.
XIII
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER that, our Lord having expired, two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took Him down from the Cross, and placed Him in the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received Him with unutterable tenderness, and pressed Him to her bosom.
O Mother of Sorrow, for the love of this Son, accept me for thy servant, and pray to Him for me. And Thou, my Redeemer, since Thou hast died for me, permit me to love Thee; for I wish but Thee, and nothing more. I love Thee, my Jesus, and I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
By the Cross with thee to stay,
There with thee to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of thee to give.
XIV
Jesus is Placed in the Tomb
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER that the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by His holy Mother, who arranged it in the sepulcher with her own hands. They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew.
Oh, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses Thee. But Thou didst rise again the third day. I beseech Thee, by Thy resurrection, make me rise glorious with Thee at the last day, to be always united with Thee in heaven, to praise Thee and love Thee forever. I love Thee, and I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be
Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.
V/. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
R/. Have mercy on us.
Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share thy grief divine.
“XV”
Jesus Rises from the Dead
V/. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R/. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
CONSIDER that after His earthly death, Jesus descended into hell to free the just who had gone before Him. This descent brings the Gospel message of mercy to complete fulfilment. Jesus in dying delivered all those who, through fear of death, were subject to lifelong bondage. Jesus in rising from the dead on the third day, as “the first-born from the dead,” is the principle of our own resurrection, even now by the justification of our souls, and one day by the new life he will impart to our bodies. (taken from CCC: 624-638)
Magdalen the third day after,
Hears her name called by the Master!
Savior till the end of days!
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Cor.: 15: 55-57)
Christ is risen from the dead!
Dying, he conquered death;
To the dead, he has given life. (Byzantine Liturgy, Troparion of Easter)
(photo: Creative Commons)