THE WAY OF THE CROSS - BY ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

PREPARATORY PRAYERS

Kneeling before the altar, make an Act of Contrition, and form the intention of gaining the indulgences, whether for yourself or for the souls in purgatory.

ACT OF CONTRITION

O MY GOD, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

Following the act of contrition say:

MY LORD, JESUS CHRIST, You have made this journey to die for me with unspeakable love; and I have so many times ungratefully abandoned You. | But now I love You with all my heart; and, because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for ever having offended You. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey. You go to die for love of me; I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.

THE FIRST STATION PILATE CONDEMNS JESUS TO DIE

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW JESUS CHRIST, after being scourged and  crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to  die on the cross. 

All say: MY ADORABLE JESUS, it was not Pilate; no, it was my sins  that condemned You to die. I beseech You, by the merits  of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul on its journey to  eternity. I love You, beloved Jesus; I love You more than I love  myself. With all my heart I repent of ever having offended You.  Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will. 

Our Father…

THE SECOND STATION JESUS ACCEPTS HIS CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER JESUS as He walked this road with the cross on His shoulders, thinking of us, and offering to His Father in our  behalf, the death He was about to suffer.  

All say: MY MOST BELOVED JESUS, I embrace all the sufferings You have destined for me until death. I beg You, by all You  suffered in carrying Your cross, to help me carry mine with  Your perfect peace and resignation. I love You, Jesus, my love; I  repent of ever having offended You. Never let me separate  myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and  then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE THIRD STATION JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER THE FIRST FALL OF JESUS. Loss of blood from the  scourging and crowing with thorns had so weakened Him  that He could hardly walk; and yet He had to carry that great  load upon His shoulders. As the soldiers struck Him cruelly,  He fell several times under the heavy cross. 

All Say: MY BELOVED JESUS, it was not the weight of the cross but the  weight of my sins which made You suffer so much. By  the merits of this first fall, save me from falling into mortal sin. I  love You, O my Jesus, with all my heart; I am sorry that I have  offended You. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may  love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE FOURTH STATION JESUS MEETS HIS AFFLICTED MOTHER

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW THE SON met his Mother on His way to  Calvary. Jesus and Mary gazed at each other and their  looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which  loved each other so tenderly.

All Say: MY MOST LOVING JESUS, by the pain You suffered in this  meeting grant me the grace of being truly devoted to  Your most holy Mother. And You, my Queen, who was  overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by Your prayers a tender  and a lasting remembrance of the passion of Your divine Son. I love  You, Jesus, my Love, above all things. I repent of ever having  offended You. Never allow me to offend You again. Grant that I may  love You always; and then do with me as You will. 

Our Father…

THE FIFTH STATION SIMON HELPS JESUS CARRY THE CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW WEAK and weary Jesus was. At each step He was  at the point of expiring. Fearing that He would die on the way  when they wished Him to die the infamous death of the cross, they  forced Simon of Cyrene to help carry the cross after Our Lord. 

All Say: MY BELOVED JESUS I will not refuse the cross as Simon did: I  accept it and embrace it. I accept in particular the death that is destined for me with all the pains that may accompany it. I unite it  to Your death and I offer it to You. You have died for love of me; I  will die for love of You and to please You. Help me by Your grace. I  love You, Jesus, my Love; I repent of ever having offended You. Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may love You always;  and then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE SIXTH STATION VERONICA OFFERS HER VEIL TO JESUS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER THE COMPASSION of the holy woman, Veronica.  Seeing Jesus in such distress, His face bathed in sweat and  blood, she presented Him with her veil. Jesus wiped His face,  and left upon the cloth the image of his sacred countenance. 

All Say: MY BELOVED JESUS, Your face was beautiful before You  began this journey; but, now, it no longer appears  beautiful and is disfigured with wounds and blood. Alas, my  soul also was once beautiful when it received Your grace in  Baptism; but I have since disfigured it with my sins. You alone,  my Redeemer, can restore it to its former beauty. Do this by the  merits of Your passion; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE SEVENTH STATION JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW the second fall of Jesus under His cross  renews the pain in all the wounds of the head and  members of our afflicted Lord. 

All Say: MY MOST GENTLE JESUS, how many times You have forgiven  me; and how many times I have fallen again and begun  again to offend You! By the merits of this second fall, give me  the grace to persevere in Your love until death. Grant, that in all  my temptations, I may always have recourse to You. I love You,  Jesus, my Love with all my heart; I am sorry that I have  offended You. Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may  love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE EIGHTH STATION JESUS SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW the women wept with compassion seeing  Jesus so distressed and dripping with blood as he walked  along. Jesus said to them, “Weep not so much for me, but rather  for Your children.” 

All Say: MY JESUS, laden with sorrows, I weep for the sins which I have  committed against You because of the punishment I deserve  for them; and, still more, because of the displeasure they have caused  You who have loved me with an infinite love. It is Your love, more  than the fear of hell, which makes me weep for my sins. My Jesus, I  love You more than myself; I am sorry that I have offended You. Never allow me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You  always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE NINTH STATION JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW JESUS CHRIST fell for the third time. He was  extremely weak and the cruelty of His executioners was  excessive; they tried to hasten His steps though He hardly had  strength to move. 

All Say: MY OUTRAGED JESUS, by the weakness You suffered in  going to Calvary, give me enough strength to overcome  all human respect and all my evil passions which have led me  to despise Your friendship. I love You, Jesus my Love, with all  my heart; I am sorry for ever having offended You. Never  permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You  always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE TENTH STATION: JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW JESUS was violently stripped of His clothes  by His executioners. The inner garments adhered to his  lacerated flesh and the soldiers tore them off so roughly that the  skin came with them. Have pity for your Savior so cruelly  treated and tell Him: 

All Say: MY INNOCENT JESUS, by the torment You suffered in being  stripped of Your garments, help me to strip myself of all  attachment for the things of earth that I may place all my love  in You who are so worthy of my love. I love You, O Jesus, with  all my heart; I am sorry for ever having offended You. Never let  me offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and  then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE ELEVENTH STATION JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER JESUS, thrown down upon the cross, He stretched  out His arms and offered to His eternal Father the sacrifice  of His life for our salvation. They nailed His hands and feet,  and then, raising the cross, left Him to die in anguish.  

All Say: MY DESPISED JESUS, nail my heart to the cross that it may  always remain there to love You and never leave You  again. I love You more than myself; I am sorry for ever having  offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that  I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE TWELFTH STATION JESUS DIES UPON THE CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW YOUR JESUS, after three hours of agony on the  cross, is finally overwhelmed with suffering and, abandoning  Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head and dies.  

All Say: MY DYING JESUS, I devoutly kiss the cross on which You  would die for love of me. I deserve, because of my sins, to  die a terrible death; but Your death is my hope. By the merits of  Your death, give me the grace to die embracing Your feet and burning with love of You. I yield my soul into Your hands. I  love You with my whole heart. I am sorry that I have offended  You. Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may love You  always; and then do with me as You will.

All kneel for a moment and pray, Our Father…

THE THIRTEENTH STATION JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW, after Our Lord had died, He was taken  down from the cross by two of His disciples, Joseph and  Nicodemus, and placed in the arms of His afflicted Mother. She  received Him with unutterable tenderness and pressed Him  close to her bosom.  

All Say: O MOTHER OF SORROWS, for the love of Your Son, accept me  as Your servant and pray to Him for me, And You, my  Redeemer, since you have died for me, allow me to love You, for I desire only You and nothing more. I love You, Jesus my  Love, and I am sorry that I have offended You. Never let me  offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then  do with me as You will.

Our Father…

THE FOURTEENTH STATION JESUS IS PLACED IN THE SEPULCHER

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect) 

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.  

CONSIDER HOW the disciples carried the body of Jesus to its  burial, while His holy Mother went with them and  arranged it in the sepulcher with her own hands. They then  closed the tomb and all departed. 

All Say: OH, MY BURIED JESUS, I kiss the stone that closes You in. But  You gloriously did rise again on the third day. I beg You  by Your resurrection that I may be raised gloriously on the last  day, to be united with You in heaven, to praise You and love  You forever. I love You, Jesus, and I repent of ever having  offended You. Grant that I may love You always; and then do  with me as You will.

Our Father…

CONCLUDING PRAYER -PRAYER TO JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED 

MY GOOD AND DEAR JESUS, I kneel before You, asking You  most earnestly to engrave upon my heart a deep and  lively faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my  sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. As I reflect upon Your five wounds, and dwell upon them with deep compassion and  grief, I recall, good Jesus, the words the Prophet David  spoke long ago concerning Yourself: “They pierced My hands  and My feet; they have numbered all My bones.'

AMEN.