The Stations of the Cross
Mother
Mary, Jesus’s mother, began the devotion we know as the Stations of The
Cross. The following is taken from the book,
The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ*:
When
Jesus was sent to Herod by Pontius Pilate, “the Mother of Jesus, with Magdalen
and John, had stood in a recess in the forum:
they were overwhelmed with the most bitter sorrow, which was but
increased by all they heard and saw.
When Jesus was taken before Herod, John led the Blessed Virgin and
Magdalen over the parts which had been sanctified by his footsteps. They again looked at the house of Caiphas,
that of Annas, Ophel, Gethsemani, and the Garden of Olives; they stopped and
contemplated each spot where he had fallen, or where he had suffered particularly;
and they wept silently at the thought of all he had undergone. The Blessed Virgin knelt down frequently and
kissed the ground where her Son had fallen, while Magdalen wrung her hands in
bitter grief, and John, although he could not restrain his own tears,
endeavoured to console his companions, supported, and led them on. Thus was the holy devotion of the ‘Way of the
Cross’ first practiced; thus were the Mysteries of the Passion of Jesus first
honoured, even before that Passion was accomplished, and the Blessed Virgin,
that model of spotless purity, was the first to show forth the deep veneration
felt by the Church for our dear Lord.”
The
Stations of the Cross begin with Jesus being condemned to death. They omit the Agony in the Garden, the
betrayal of Judas Iscariot, Jesus being arrested, Jesus being taken to the High
Priest Annas’ house, then to the High Priest Caiphas’ house, being tortured by
Caiphas, taken to Pontius Pilate’s palace, sent to King Herod’s palace, and
thence back to Mr. Pilate’s house where he was scourged, rejected by the people
in favor of Mr. Barabbas and then sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate.
The First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death
Taken from The Dolorous Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ*:
“Pilate,
who did not desire to know the truth, but was solely anxious to get out of the
difficulty without harm to himself, became more undecided than ever; his conscience
whispered—‘Jesus is innocent;’ his wife said, 'He is holy;’ his superstitious
feelings made him fear that Jesus was the enemy of his gods; and his cowardice
filled him with dread lest Jesus, if he was a god, should wreak his vengeance
upon his judge. He was both irritated
and alarmed at the last words of Jesus, and he made another attempt for his
release; but the Jews instantly threatened to lay an accusation against him
before the Emperor. This menace
terrified him, and he determined to accede to their wishes, although firmly
convinced in his own mind of the innocence of Jesus, and perfectly conscious
that by pronouncing sentence of death upon him he should violate every law of
justice, besides breaking the promise he had made to his wife in the
morning. Thus did he sacrifice Jesus to
the enmity of the Jews, and endeavor to stifle remorse by washing his hands
before the people, saying, ‘I am innocent
of the blood of this just man; look you to it.’ . . .”
“Our Lord was still clothed in his purple
garment, his crown of thorns upon his head, and his hands manacled, when the
archers brought him up to the tribunal, and placed him between the two
malefactors.”
“The
Blessed Virgin, who had retired to some distance after the scourging of Jesus,
again approached to hear the sentence of death pronounced upon her Son and her
God. Jesus stood in the midst of the
archers, at the foot of the staircase leading up to the tribunal. The trumpet was sounded to demand silence,
and then the cowardly, the base judge, in a tremulous undecided voice,
pronounced the sentence of death on the Just Man.”
“.
. . Pilate spoke of the accusations which had been brought against Jesus by the
High Priests. He said that they had
condemned him to death for having disturbed the public peace, and broken their
laws by calling himself the Son of God and King of the Jews; and that the
people had unanimously demanded that their decree should be carried out . . . and
that he should therefore pronounce sentence—which he did in these words: ‘I condemn Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the
Jews, to be crucified;’ and he ordered the executioners to bring the cross.”
Taken
from The Way of Divine Love**, March 24, 1923, Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menéndez:
“Meditate for a moment on the martyrdom of My
supremely tender and loving Heart at finding Barabbas preferred to Me, and how,
at seeing Myself so scorned, I felt cut to the quick by the cries of the crowd
urging My death.
“I
called to mind the sweet caresses of My Mother when she pressed Me to her heart
. . . the toils of My . . . father, and the care with which he surrounded My
life. . . .
“I
reviewed in spirit the benefits so liberally bestowed by Me on this ungrateful
people . . . how I had given sight to the blind . . . health to the sick . . .
healing to the lame . . . how I had fed the multitude in the desert . . . and
even raised the dead to life . . . and see now to what a contemptible state I
am reduced . . . more hated, too, than perhaps any man has ever been . . .
condemned to death as an infamous thief . . . the multitude has demanded My
death. . . . Pilate has now given sentence. O all ye who love Me, attend and see the
sufferings of My Heart!”
Second
Station:
Jesus Carries His Cross
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**,
March 28, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menéndez:
“. . . It was ten o’clock when she [Josefa] went to the Auxiliary Chapel to follow Him to Calvary. Jesus was waiting for her. “I will accompany you in the state in which I was when I went through the streets of Jerusalem bearing My Cross.”
“He was wearing a red mantle over His
white tunic,” she wrote; “it was soiled with blood and torn in many places. The Crown of Thorns was pressed deep on His
forehead and His mournful face bore traces of the ill-treatment He had received
and was all disfigured with clotted blood.”
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**, March 26, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menendez:
“. . . the executioners, devoid of every
feeling of humanity, now placed a hard and heavy Cross upon My lacerated
shoulders. I was to consummate on the
Cross the mystery of man’s redemption.”
“. . . wearily I dragged Myself forward,
for My body was broken by many torments and bathed in sweat and blood. I suffered, but there was none to
compassionate Me. The crowd followed Me,
the soldiers pitiless as ravening wolves surrounded Me, no one had pity on
Me. So great was My exhaustion and so
heavy the Cross that I fell on the way. . . . See how roughly the inhuman
soldiery raised Me to My feet once more . . . one seized an arm, another My
garments which clung to My open wounds . . . a third grasped hold of Me by the
neck . . . and another by the hair. Some
showered blows on Me with their clenched fists and others brutally kicked My
prostrate body. . . . The Cross which fell upon Me crushed Me with
its weight. My face bruised and torn,
mingled the blood which covered It with the dust of the highway, blinding My
eyes and adhering to My sacred face. I
became the vilest and most contemptible of all creatures!”
Taken from The Dolorous Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ*:
“. . . I beheld our Blessed Saviour and
Redeemer–his bare feet swollen and bleeding–his back bent as though he were
about to sink under the heavy weight of the cross, and his whole body covered
with wounds and blood. He appeared to be
half fainting from exhaustion (having had neither refreshment nor sleep since
the supper of the previous night), weak from loss of blood, and parched with
thirst produced by fever and pain. He
supported the cross on his right shoulder with his right hand, the left hung
almost powerless at his side, but he endeavoured now and then to hold up his
long garment to prevent his bleeding feet from getting entangled in it.”
Taken
from 3. ADAM AND EVE DRIVEN FROM
PARADISE, The
Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations, Volume I, From the Visions of the
Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich***
“I saw Adam and Eve reach the earth, their place of penance. Oh, what a touching sight – those two creatures expiating their fault upon the naked earth! Adam had been allowed to bring an olive branch with him from Paradise, and now he planted it. Later on, the Cross was made from its wood.”
Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**,
March 28, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menéndez:
“By My first fall I obtained for sinners
rooted in evil, the grace of conversion.”
Taken from The Dolorous Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ*:
“. . .The street through which they led
Jesus was both narrow and dirty; he suffered much in passing through it, . . .”
“The street . . . after turning a little
to the left, became rather steep, as also wider; a subterranean aqueduct
proceeding from Mount Sion passed under it, and in its vicinity was a hollow
which was often filled with water and mud after rain, and a large stone was
placed in its centre to enable persons to pass over more easily. When Jesus reached this spot, his strength
was perfectly exhausted; he was quite unable to move; and as the archers
dragged and pushed him without showing the slightest compassion, he fell quite
down against this stone, and the cross fell by his side. The cruel executioners were obliged to stop,
they abused and struck him unmercifully, . . .
Vainly did he hold out his hand for someone to assist him to rise: ‘Ah!, he exclaimed, ‘all will soon be over;’
and he prayed for his enemies. ‘Lift him
up,’ said the Pharisees, otherwise he will die in our hands.’”
Fourth
Station:
Jesus Meets His Mother
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**,
March 26, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menéndez:
“Come a little further with Me. . . .
There you will see My blessed Mother, whose heart is pierced with grief.
“Consider the martyrdom of these two
hearts. What does this Mother love more
than her Son? . . . And far from being able to help Him, she
knows that the sight of her anguish increases His.
“And I, what do I love more than My
Mother? Not only can I offer her no
comfort, but I know that the terrible plight in which she sees Me pierces her
heart with a sorrow like My own; for if I suffer death in the body, she suffers
death in her heart.
“See those eyes fixed on Mine, as Mine
dulled and blinded with blood are fixed on hers! No word is spoken, but what a world of
intercourse our two hearts exchange in one heart-rending glance. . . .”
“There was silence. . . .
Jesus appeared absorbed by the memory of His Mother’s agonized
look. . . . Josefa was penetrated by this long silence,
which at last she broke timidly by asking Him if Our Lady knew of His
sufferings during those dreadful hours?
“Yes,” He answered, “My Mother was
present in spirit at all the torments of My Passion by divine revelation. Some of the disciples, though afar off for
fear of the Jews, also tried to find out what was going on in order to report
it to her. As soon as she knew that My
death sentence had been pronounced she came forth to meet Me and did not leave
Me any more till I was placed in the tomb.”
Fifth
Station:
Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**,
March 26, 1923:
“Fearing that I might die before
crucifixion, those wicked men inspired by hatred, not compassion, looked around
for someone to help Me carry the Cross, and for that purpose, offering a small
reward, seized on a man of that neighborhood, called Simon. . . .”
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**,
March 27, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menendez:
“Contemplate Me on the way to Calvary
loaded with My heavy Cross, watch Simon carrying it behind Me and consider two
things; though he was a man of good will, yet he was mercenary, and if he
carried My Cross, it was for pay. So
when he began to tire, he allowed the weight to bear more and more on Me, and that
is how I fell twice.
“Secondly, this man helped Me to bear
part of My Cross, but not the whole of it.”
Sixth
Station:
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Taken from The Dolorous Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ*:
“While the procession was passing through
a long street, . . . the door of a beautiful house on the left opened, and a
woman of majestic appearance, . . . came out, and
walked up to the very head of the procession.
Seraphia was the name of the brave woman who thus dared to confront the
enraged multitude; she was the wife of Sirach, one of the councillors belonging
to the Temple, and was afterwards known by the name of Veronica, which name was
given from the words vera icon (true
portrait), to commemorate her brave conduct on this day.
“Seraphia . . . was . . . enveloped in a
long veil . . . a large veil was likewise hanging on her arm. . . . Those
who were marching at the head of the procession tried to push her back; but she
made her way through the mob, the soldiers, and the archers, reached Jesus,
fell on her knees before him, and presented the veil, saying at the same time,
‘Permit me to wipe the face of my Lord.’
Jesus took the veil in his left hand, wiped his bleeding face, and
returned it with thanks. Seraphia kissed
it, and put it under her cloak.”
Seventh
Station:
Jesus Falls the Second Time
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**,
March 28, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menéndez:
“. . . By My second fall, [I obtained]
encouragement for those weak souls blinded by sadness and anxiety, so that
rising up they might make a fresh start in the way of virtue. . . .”
Eighth
Station:
Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem
Taken from The Dolorous Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ*:
“. . . The officers had fastened an
inscription upon a post which stood at the commencement of the road to Calvary,
to inform those who passed by that Jesus and the two thieves were condemned to
death. A group of women had gathered
together near this spot, and were weeping and lamenting; many carried young
children in their arms; the greatest part were young maidens and women from
Jerusalem, who had preceded the procession, but a few came from Bethlehem, from
Hebron, and from other neighbouring places, in order to celebrate the Pasch.
“. . . When the women and children of
whom we have spoken above, saw the deplorable condition to which our Lord was
reduced, they uttered loud cries, wept, and, according to the Jewish custom,
presented him cloths to wipe his face.
Jesus turned towards them and said:
‘Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not
over me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold the days shall come wherein they
will say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the
paps that have not given suck. Then
shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall upon us, and to the hills, Cover
us. For if in the green wood they do
these things, what shall be done in the dry?’ He then addressed a few words of consolation
to them . . .”
Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**,
March 28, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menéndez:
“We have nearly reached Calvary. The crowd is growing excited while I drag Myself
along with the utmost difficulty, and soon, worn out with fatigue, I fall for
the third time.”
“. . .My third fall will help souls to
repent in the supreme hour of death.”
Tenth
Station:
Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**,
March 28, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menéndez:
“We have now reached the summit. Look at the officiousness with which these
hardened sinners surround Me . . . some seize hold of the Cross and lay it on
the ground . . . others tear My garments from Me, reopening all My wounds . . .
My blood flows afresh. . . .
“Think, dear souls, of My shame in
seeing Myself thus exposed to the gaze of the mob . . . what physical agony,
what confusion for My soul. Think of the
affliction of My Mother as she witnessed this terrible scene. . . . How she
longs to take possession of the tunic now impregnated with My Blood.”
Eleventh
Station:
Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
Taken from The Way of Divine Love**,
March 28, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menéndez:
“The hour has come! The executioners stretch Me upon the
Cross. They violently seize and extend My
arms that My hands may reach the holes they have prepared in the wood. Every shock causes My thorn-crowned head to
come into violent contact with the Cross . . . the thorns are driven deeper and
deeper into it. Hear the first sound of
the hammer that fixes My right hand . . . deep into the very earth it
resounds. Listen again: they fasten My left hand. The very heavens tremble, . . .
“As for Me, I keep the deepest silence—not a murmur escapes My lips.
“Having nailed My hands, they pull
pitilessly at My feet; My wounds burst open afresh . . . the nerves are severed
. . . the bones dislocated . . . the torture is unspeakable! . . . They pierce My feet and My blood is
poured forth upon the ground!
“Stay a while and contemplate these
pierced hands and feet . . . this body covered with wounds. . . .
This head pierced through and through by cruel thorns, fouled with dirt,
bathed in sweat and blood.
“Wonder and marvel at My silence,
patience, and resignation under such brutal treatment. Ask yourself who suffers? Who is the victim of such barbarity? It is Jesus
Christ, the very Son of God, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things
. . . who causes the plants to grow and every living thing to prosper. . . .
Who created man, and whose power sustains all things. . . .
Behold Him unable to move, an object of scorn, despoiled of all. But soon what a multitude will follow Him,
throwing away fortune, comfort, honour, family and homeland . . . everything that
the world can give, to render Him honour and glory and the love that is His
due.”
“. . .see thy Jesus extended on the
Cross, without honour or liberty. He
cannot stir hand or foot. . . . Nothing remains to Him.”
Twelfth
Station:
Jesus Dies on the Cross
From The Way of Divine Love**,
March 30 and 31, 1923. Jesus's words to Sister Josefa Menéndez:
“‘My
God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
“‘. . .
Yes, henceforth a soul has the right to say to its God: ‘Why hast Thou forsaken me?” After the mystery of the Redemption was
consummated, man became the son of God, Christ is his brother, eternal life his
heritage.
“‘I
thirst!
“‘I thirst for souls, and to appease
this thirst I have given the last drop of My Blood . . . and so I can say:
“‘All
is consummated!
“‘Now at length is accomplished that
great mystery of love in which a God delivers up His own Son to death. I came into this world to do Thy will; O My
Father! It is accomplished.
“‘Into
Thy hands I commend My Spirit!
“‘To Thee I give back My soul. Thus shall souls that do My will have the
right to say in all truth: All is
consummated. . . . My Lord and My God, receive My soul which I
commit into Thy hands.’”
Thirteenth
Station:
Jesus Is Taken Down From the Cross
Taken from The Dolorous Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ*:
“. . .The Blessed Virgin and Magdalen
were seated at the foot of the Cross . . .”
“Nicodemus and Joseph [of Arimathea]
placed the ladders behind the Cross, and mounted them, holding in their hands a
large sheet, to which three long straps were fastened. They tied the body of Jesus, below the arms
and knees, to the tree of the Cross, and secured the arms by pieces of linen
placed underneath the hands. Then they
drew out the nails, by pushing them from behind with strong pins pressed upon
the points. The sacred hands of Jesus
were thus not much shaken, and the nails fell easily out of the wounds; for the
latter had been made wider by the weight of the body, which, being now
supported by the cloths, no longer hung on the nails. The lower part of the body, which since our
Lord’s death had sunk down on the knees, now rested in a natural position,
supported by a sheet fastened above to the arms of the Cross. Whilst Joseph was taking out the nail from
the left hand, and then allowing the left arm, supported by its cloth, to fall
gently down upon the body, Nicodemus was fastening the right arm of Jesus to
that of the Cross, as also the sacred crowned head, which had sunk on the right
shoulder. Then he took out the right
nail, and having surrounded the arm with its supporting sheet, let it fall
gently on to the body. At the same time,
the centurion Abenadar, with great difficulty, drew out the large nail which
transfixed the feet. . . .”
“Then Joseph and Nicodemus, having
placed ladders against the front of the Cross, in a very upright position, and
close to the body, untied the upper strap, and fastened it to one of the hooks on
the ladder; they did the same with the other two straps, and passing them all
on from hook to hook, caused the sacred body to descend gently towards the
centurion, who having mounted upon a stool received it in his arms, holding it
below the knees; while Joseph and Nicodemus, supporting the upper part of the
body, came gently down the ladder, stopping at every step, and taking every
imaginable precaution, as would be done by men bearing the body of some beloved
friend who had been grievously wounded.
Thus did the bruised body of our Divine Saviour reach the ground.”
“. . . When the body was taken down it
was wrapped in linen from the knees to the waist, and then placed in the arms
of the Blessed Virgin, who, overwhelmed with sorrow and love, stretched them
forth to receive their precious burden.”
Fourteenth
Station:
Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb
Taken from The Dolorous Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ*:“. . .The procession [bearing Jesus’s body from Calvary] stopped at the entrance of Joseph’s garden . . . they placed the Sacred Body on a long board covered with a sheet. . . . The holy women sat down in front of the grotto, while the four men carried in the body of our Lord, partially filled the hollow couch destined for its reception with aromatic spices, and spread over them a cloth, upon which they reverently deposited the sacred body. After having once more given expression to their love by tears and fond embraces, they left the grotto. Then the Blessed Virgin entered, seated herself close to the head of her dear Son, and bent over his body with many tears. When she left the grotto, Magdalen hastily and eagerly came forward, and flung on the body some flowers and branches which she had gathered in the garden. Then she clasped her hands together, and with sobs kissed the feet of Jesus; but the men having informed her that they must close the sepulchre, she returned to the other women. They covered the sacred body with the extremities of the sheet on which it was lying, placed on the top of all the brown coverlet, and closed the folding-doors, which were made of a bronze-coloured metal, and had on their front two sticks, one straight down and the other across, so as to form a perfect cross.
“The large stone with which they
intended to close the sepulchre . . . was so heavy that it was only by means of
levers that the men could roll it before the door of the sepulchre.”
__________
*The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord
Jesus Christ From the Visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich, Translation
published circa 1928 by Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd., London
**The Way of Divine Love, by
Sister Josefa Menéndez, Reprinted by arrangement with the copyright
holder: Sands & Co. (Publishers),
Ltd., 79 Larmans Road, Enfield, Middlesex, England 1949. Copyright © 1972 by TAN Books &
Publishers, Inc. (Pocketbook Edition).
***Taken from the book
The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations, Volume I, From the
Visions of the Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, Originally published in
1914 by Desclée, De Brouwer & Co. of Lille, Paris, and Bruges, in
conjunction with The Sentinel Press of New York. Reprinted by Academy Library Guild in 1954,
and later by Apostolate of Christian Action, both of Fresno, California. Reprinted in 1979 by TAN Books and Publishers,
Inc. Retypeset and published again in
1986 by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., page 26
Copyright Bernardette Grant, 2010, 2014, 2021 All Rights Reserved
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