Concerning the Service...
The devotion known as the Way of the Cross is an adaptation to local usage of a custom widely observed by pilgrims to Jerusalem: the offering of prayer at a series of places in that city traditionally associated with our Lord's passion and death.
The number of stations, which at first varied widely, finally became fixed at fourteen. Of these, eight are based directly on events recorded in the Gospels. The remaining six (numbers 3,4,6,7,9, and 13) are based on inferences from the Gospel account or from pious legend.
This form may be used for private devotion, especially on Fridays in Lent and on Good Friday.
Opening Devotions
+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
V. We will glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ:
R. In whom is our salvation, our life and resurrection.
Let us pray. (There follows a period of silence.)
Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our
salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation
of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and
immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
First Station: Jesus is condemned to death
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, with the elders
and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation; and
they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him to
Pilate. And they all condemned him and said, "He deserves
to die." When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out
and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the
Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. Then he handed
Jesus over to them to be crucified.
V. God did not spare his own Son:
R. But delivered him up for us all.
Officiant: Let us pray. (Silence)
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he
was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way
of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and
peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Second Station: Jesus takes up his Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Jesus went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the
place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.
Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what
he suffered. Like a lamb he was led to the slaughter; and like
a sheep that before its shearers is mute, so he opened not his
mouth. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power
and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory
and blessing.
V. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all:
R. For the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the
agony and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us
courage to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and
reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Third Station: Jesus falls the first time
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not
count equality with God a thing to be grasped; but emptied
himself, taking the form of a servant, and was born in
human likeness. And being found in human form he
humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even
death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him,
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, and kneel
before the Lord our Maker, for he is the Lord our God.
V. Surely he has borne our griefs:
R. And carried our sorrows.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, you know us to be set in the midst of so many and
great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we
cannot always stand upright: Grant us such strength and
protection as may support us in all dangers, and carry us
through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Fourth Station: Jesus meets his afflicted mother
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
To what can I liken you, to what can I compare you, O
daughter of Jerusalem? What likeness can I use to comfort
you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For vast as the sea is your
ruin. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted. The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your
days of mourning shall be ended.
V. A sword will pierce your own soul also:
R. And fill your heart with bitter pain.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, who willed that in the passion of your Son a sword
of grief should pierce the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary his
mother: Mercifully grant that your Church, having shared
with her in his passion, may be made worthy to share in the
joys of his resurrection; who lives and reigns for ever and
ever. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Fifth Station: The Cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
As they led Jesus away, they came upon a man of Cyrene,
Simon by name, who was coming in from the country, and
laid on him the cross to carry it behind Jesus. "If anyone
would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
from me; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
V. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me:
R. Cannot be my disciple.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served
but to serve: Bless all who, following in his steps, give
themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom,
patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name to the
suffering, the friendless, and the needy; for the love of him
who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Sixth Station: A woman wipes the face of Jesus
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
We have seen him without beauty or majesty, with no looks
to attract our eyes. He was despised and rejected by men; a
man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from
whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we
esteemed him not. His appearance was so marred, beyond
human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children
of men. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement
that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.
V. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts:
R. Show the light of your countenance, and we shall
be saved.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son
revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that
we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be
strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his
likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Seventh Station: Jesus falls a second time
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to
his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us
all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened
not his mouth. For the transgression of my people was he
stricken.
V. But as for me, I am a worm and no man:
R. Scorned by all and despised by the people.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the
human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to
take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the
cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully
grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also
share in his resurrection; who lives and reigns for ever and
ever. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
There followed after Jesus a great multitude of the people,
and among them were women who bewailed and lamented
him. But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of
Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and
for your children."
V. Those who sowed with tears:
R. Will reap with songs of joy.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Teach your Church, O Lord, to mourn the sins of which it is
guilty, and to repent and forsake them; that, by your
pardoning grace, the results of our iniquities may not be
visited upon our children and our children's children;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Ninth Station: Jesus falls a third time
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his
wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without
any light. He has besieged me and enveloped me with
bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness
like the dead of long ago. Though I call and cry for help, he
shuts out my prayer. He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
and made me cower in ashes. "Remember, O Lord, my
affliction and bitterness, the wormwood and the gall!"
V. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter:
R. And like a sheep that before its shearers is mute,
so he opened not his mouth.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an
instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life:
Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may
gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our
Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means
the place of a skull), they offered him wine to drink, mingled
with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And
they divided his garments among them by casting lots. This
was to fulfill the scripture which says, "They divided my
garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing."
V. They gave me gall to eat:
R. And when I was thirsty they gave me vinegar to drink.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be
whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept
joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the
glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When they came to the place which is called The Skull, there
they crucified him; and with him they crucified two
criminals, one on the right, the other on the left, and Jesus
between them. And the scripture was fulfilled which says,
"He was numbered with the transgressors."
V. They pierce my hands and my feet:
R. They stare and gloat over me.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on
the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within
the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit
that we, reaching forth-our hands in love, may bring those
who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for
the honor of your Name. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved
standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold your
son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!"
And when Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is
finished!" And then, crying with a loud voice, he said,
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." And he
bowed his head, and handed over his spirit. (Please kneel for a moment of silence.)
V. Christ for us became obedient unto death:
R. Even death on a cross.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten
Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious
resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy:
Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live
with him in the joy of his resurrection; who lives and reigns
now and for ever. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Thirteenth Station: The body of Jesus is placed in the arms
of his mother
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
All you who pass by, behold and see if there is any sorrow
like my sorrow. My eyes are spent with weeping; my soul is
in tumult; my heart is poured out in grief because of the
downfall of my people. "Do not call me Naomi (which
means Pleasant), call me Mara (which means Bitter); for the
Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me."
V. Her tears run down her cheeks:
R. And she has none to comfort her.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of
death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where
you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep
peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your
tender mercies' sake. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When it was evening, there came a rich man from
Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of
Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took
the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it
in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and
he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb.
V. You will not abandon me to the grave:
R. Nor let your holy One see corruption.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, your blessed Son was laid in a tomb in a garden, and
rested on the Sabbath day: Grant that we who have been
buried with him in the waters of baptism may find our
perfect rest in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he
lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Concluding Prayers
Savior of the world, by your cross and precious blood you
have redeemed us:
Save us, and help us, we humbly beseech you, O Lord.
Let us pray. (Silence)
We thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered us
from the dominion of sin and death and brought us into the
kingdom of your Son; and we pray that, as by his death he
has recalled us to life, so by his love he may raise us to
eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
To Christ our Lord who loves us, and washed us in his own
blood, and made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God
and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
(This form of the Way of the Cross is from the Book of Occasional Services)
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