The Way of the Cross - Meditations for Our Days

The Way of the Cross

Meditations for Our Days

By Fr. Alejandro Rodriguez, sx

“In that Crucified Lord you will find in all the contingencies of your arduous apostolate, your honor, your glory, and above all your Leader and your Master. With your eyes fixed on Him, and inspired by Him, you will never forget… that your love should gather up in its embrace all, for in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor freeman, but in Him we are all one.”

-  Saint Guido M. Conforti  -

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, I come to you just as I am. Graciously look upon me, good and gentle Jesus as I humbly kneel before your face. I ask you most earnestly to engrave upon my heart a deep and lively faith, hope and love, and a contrition for my sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. I know it was my sins that caused you to suffer and die on the cross. Please forgive me and with all my heart I am truly sorry for ever having offended you. Please make my heart like yours and never let me be separated from you again. Amen

1. Jesus is Condemned to Death

Capital Punishment & Abortion

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider Jesus in the many condemned to death, either because they are unplanned, undesired, or repudiated. Just as Jesus was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the cross, many are condemned to die today.

Prayer: O most innocent Jesus, you have accepted the condemnation to death on the cross for the salvation of all. Grant that we may defend life from conception to death, and that sinners may come to know you, love you, and to hope for eternal life.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

2. Jesus carries His Cross

Poverty & Social Inequality

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider that Jesus journeys with the weight of the cross on his shoulders. In the same way many of our bothers and sisters carry the brutal weight of poverty, which renders them unable to care for themselves or their loved ones.

Prayer: O Jesus, my savior, as you embraced and carried your cross, grant that we may work towards a more just society; one in which we are able to care and provide for all.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

3. Jesus Falls for the First Time

Immigrant Children Die on the Journey

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider Jesus under his cross. He was scourged, crowned with thorns, and lost his vitality. In these modern days, many flee situations of war and hunger. They are caged away, punished, or left to die.

Prayer: Through your sorrow, Lord Jesus, may the hearts of those in the position to help, ensure the safety and well being of many brothers and sisters who are fleeing their land and seeking a safe place in order to work for a better life, to earn a decent living.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

4. Jesus meets His Mother, Mary

Mass Incarceration

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider Mary meeting Jesus on his way to be executed. Many mothers must see their loved ones go to calvary because of systematic incarceration.

Prayer: O Jesus, through you loving consolation, grant that, in the mist of our debates, we may find ways to rehabilitate and educate, rather than incarcerate. May the protective care of Mary, your mother, bring consolation to all mothers and children separated by bars.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

5. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

Essential Workers and First Responders

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider how Jesus was helped to reach the place of his ignominious death on the cross. Our essential workers are put in harm’s way for us to reach a safe future.

Prayer: O Jesus, through the most tender sense of gratitude you felt toward the Cyrenean, grant all those who are on the front line, essential workers and first responders, the benefit of your protection; move our hearts to be ever grateful of your Divine Providence, present through their work.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Family, Friends, and Ministers

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider that Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, went and wiped his face. Many of our friends, relatives, and ministers are the ones who wipe our eyes in times of trouble and desperation.

Prayer: Blessed Jesus, you left the imprint of your sacred countenance on the towel with which Veronica wiped your face. Hear our prayers, and grant that we may become a helping hand and a crying shoulder for many who need consolation.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

7. Jesus Falls For the Second Time

People Without Health Insurance

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider the second fall of Jesus as the fall of many who had to endure the lack of work, and now, on top of it, must endure the uncertainty of means for their health needs.

Prayer: Through the physical exhaustion which caused you to fall again, we ask you, Lord, to preserve the health and physical energy of our loved ones. We pray for those who are ill, and implore your divine healing.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

8. Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

Abused Women and Children

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider Jesus strengthening the women who wanted to console him. We ought to console those oppressed and abused, those who are most vulnerable.

Prayer: O Jesus, my God, through your tenderness, which consoled the women in the midst of your torment, move us to console and support those who have endured abuse. We also pray for those who have committed abuse, so your tender heart may transform their hearts.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

9. Jesus Falls For the Third Time

Leaders Concerned with Their Own Issues

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider Jesus falling for the third time. He is extremely weak, and his executioners do not care. We pray for leaders, government and religious, that they may be concerned with the good of the people they serve.

Prayer: O, Lord Jesus, through the sorrow of this third fall, grant to all leaders your wisdom, to act with charity and justice, while they care for the people entrusted to them by their offices.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

10. Jesus is Stripped of His Clothes

Children Separated from Their Immigrant Parents

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider the excessive pain caused by the stripping of Jesus’ garments. Many children and teens must endure how their immigrant parents are deported and separated from them.

Prayer: O most generous Jesus, through the extreme poverty and humiliation of your stripping, grant that those separated by borders created by human hands, may be reunited in you.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

11. Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

Dehumanization

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider Jesus being nailed to the cross, lifted and left to die in anguish. Many of our brothers and sisters are nailed, lifted, and left to die in a vast array of vices and inhuman conditions. Nobody is concerned because it is not their business.

Prayer: As you utter the words: “Father forgive them,” we ask you, o Lord, to forgive our indifference and our lack of knowledge. Through your infinite love, uproot from our heart: hatred, xenophobia, inequality, and dark feelings, that we may rise from death into your eternal life.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

12. Jesus Dies on the Cross

The Reign of Darkness and Despair - God is for Sunday

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider Jesus, exhausted and consumed by anguish, abandoning himself into the hands of the Father. We are to re-learn how to abandon ourselves into the hands of God, and remember that we are the Church, whether gathered in a material building or in the intimacy of our homes.

Prayer: O Jesus, who suffered death on the cross for the salvation of mankind, increase our faith, redouble our zeal, and sanctify our labors, that we may discover your presence in our life.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

13. Jesus is Taken Down From the Cross

Selfless People Who Care For Others

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider Jesus, now dead, being taken down from the cross by his mother and his friends. What kind of painful tenderness that evoked? Many brothers and sisters will care for us in our darkest times. May we feel their tender care with gratitude.

Prayer: O most sorrowful mother, through the immense pain you felt while holding your son in your arms, help us to console those who find no consolation, inspire those in despair, and illumine those in darkness. Sanctify their sorrows, and move us to be grateful for the salvation your Son has gained for us.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

14. Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

Victims of the Pandemic

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

Meditation: Consider the disciples, with Mary, carried the body of Jesus to bury it with no special preparations, no bath, no rituals. We face a historical moment where no one can mourn, console, or accompany their loved ones as we usually do. Many of the victims of Covid19 must be placed in their eternal rest with only a handful of people, with no special prayers or rites.

Prayer: Kneeling reverently before your tomb, O Lord, we ask you with all our hearts to grant eternal rest to all our dead: parents, relatives, friends, and the many victims of this pandemic. Grant peace and consolation to those left behind and help them to see that death is only a step to an eternity with you.

One Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Closing Prayer

Almighty and Eternal God, when all seemed los, you restored to us the Savior we thought defeated and conquered. Help us, we beg you, so to empty ourselves of self-concern that we might see your hand and love in every failure, and your victory in every defeat. This we ask for your glory, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Credits:

Opening Prayer from: The way of the Cross, by Francis C. Ventre. Xaverian Missionaries.

Closing Prayer from: Prayers for Daily and Occasional Use, Xaverian Missionary Fathers.