Stations of the Cross by Saint Alphonsus Ligouri

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS COMPOSED BY SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

The devotion arose first in Jerusalem among the Christians who dwelt there out of veneration for those sacred spots which were sanctified by the suffering of our Divine Redeemer. From the Holy City this devout exercise was introduced into Europe. When, in 1342, the Franciscan Fathers established their house in Jerusalem, and undertook the custody of the sacred places of the Holy Land, they began to spread, throughout the Catholic world, the devotion of the Way of the Cross. This excellent devotion has been repeatedly approved by the Holy See, and is enriched with many Indulgences. To gain them, it is necessary to meditate, according to one’s ability, on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to go from one Station to another, as the space and number of persons will admit.

PREPARATION
Let each one, kneeling before the High Altar, make an Act of Contrition and form the intention of gaining the Indulgences whether for themselves 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 I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance,
and to amend my life.
Amen.

My Lord Jesus Christ, You have made this journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned You, but now I love You with my whole heart, and because I love You, I repent sincerely 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 wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You. 

Stabat Mater (At the Cross Her Station Keeping) 
Hymn: 

At the Cross her station keeping, 
Stood the mournful Mother weeping, 
Close to Jesus to the last.

THE FIRST STATION 

JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

Pilate said to them, “Then what am I to do with Jesus, the so-called Messiah?” “Crucify him”, they all cried. He said, “Why, what has He committed?” But they only shouted the louder, “Crucify Him!” At that, he released Barabbas to them. Jesus, however, he first had scourged; then he handed Him over to be crucified. Mt 27:22-23, 26

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest: Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross. 

People : My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, it was my sins that condemned You to die. I beseech You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity. I love You, my beloved Jesus; I repent with my whole heart for having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn :  

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, 
All His bitter anguish bearing, 
Now at length the sword had passed! 

THE SECOND STATION 

JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS

Afterward they took hold of the reed and kept striking Him on the head. Finally, when they had finished making a fool of Him, they stripped Him of the cloak, dressed Him in His own clothes, and led Him off to crucifixion. Mt 27:30-31

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest : 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. 

People : My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations You have destined for me until death. I beseech You, by the merits of the pain You did suffer in carrying Your Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent for having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE

Hymn: 

O how sad and sore distressed, 
 Was that Mother highly blessed 
Of the sole-begotten One.

THE THIRD STATION 

JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

Yet it was our infirmities that He bore, our sufferings that He endured, while we thought of Him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon Him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by His stripes we here healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the Lord laid upon Him the guilt of us all. Is 53:4-6

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest :  Consider 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. 

People : My most beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but my sins, which have made You suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love You, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent for having offended You. Never permit me to separate myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn:

 Christ above in torment hangs, 
She beneath behold the pangs 
Of her dying, glorious Son. 

THE FOURTH STATION 

JESUS MEETS HIS SORROWFUL MOTHER

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother: “This child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed, and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare”… His mother meanwhile pondered all these things in her heart. Lk 2:34-35, 51

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest :  Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on the 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. 

People : My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow You experienced in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Your Most Holy Mother. And you, my Queen, who was overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by your intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of your Son. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent for having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn: 

Is there one who would not weep, 
Whelmed in miseries so deep, 
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

THE FIFTH STATION 

SIMON HELPS JESUS TO CARRY THE CROSS

As they led Him away, they laid hold of one Simon the Cyrenian who was coming in from the fields. They put a crossbeam on Simon’s shoulder for him to carry along behind Jesus. A great crowd of people followed Him, including women who beat their breasts and lamented over Him. Lk 23:26-27

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest :  Consider how the Jews, seeing that each step Jesus took was weakening Him to 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 behind our Lord. 

People : 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 You have destined for me; with all the pains that may accompany it; I unite it to Your death, 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 for having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn:

 Can the human heart refrain 
From partaking in her pain 
In that Mother’s pain untold?

THE SIXTH STATION 

VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

There was in Him no stately bearing to make us look at Him, nor appearance that would attract us to Him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces. Is 53:2-3

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest: Consider how 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. 

People : My most beloved Jesus, Your 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 Your grace in Baptism, but I have disfigured it since by my sins. You alone, my Redeemer, can restore it to its former beauty. Do this by Your Passion, O Jesus. I repent for having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn: 

 Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, 
She beheld her tender Child, 
All with bloody scourges rent.

THE SEVENTH STATION 

JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

I am a man who knows affliction from the rod of his anger, one whom he has led and forced to walk in darkness, not in the light... He has blocked My ways with fitted stones, and turned My paths aside… He has broken My teeth with gravel, pressed My face in the dust. Lam 3:1-2, 9, 16

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest: 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. 

People : My most gentle Jesus, how many times You have pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend You. Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary help to persevere in Your grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to You. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent for having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn: 

For the sins of His own nation 
Saw Him hang in desolation 
Till His spirit forth He sent.

THE EIGHTH STATION 

THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM WEEP OVER JESUS 

Jesus turned to them and said: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me. Weep for yourselves and for your children. The days are coming when they will say, ‘Happy are the sterile, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed’. Then they will begin saying to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’, and to the hills, ‘Cover us’. If they do these things in the green wood, what will happen in the dry? Lk 23:28-31

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest :  Consider how those 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”. 

People : My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offenses I have committed against You, because of the pains they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure they have caused You, who have loved me so much. It is Your love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love You more than myself; I repent for having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn: 
O thou Mother! Font of love, 
Touch my spirit from above, 
Make my heart with yours accord.

THE NINTH STATION 

JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME 

It is for a man to bear the yoke from his youth, Let him sit alone and in silence when it is laid upon him. Let him put his mouth to the dust; there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to be struck, let him be filled with disgrace. For the Lord’s rejection does not last forever; Though He punishes, He takes pity, in the abundance of His mercies. Lam 3:27-32

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest:  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. 

People : Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness You did 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 Your friendship. I love You, Jesus my love, with my whole heart; I repent for having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn: 

 Make me feel as You have felt; 
Make my soul to glow and melt 
 With the love of Christ my Lord.

THE TENTH STATION 

JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS 

Upon arriving at a site called Golgotha, a name which means Skull Place, they gave Him a drink of wine flavored with gall, which He tasted but refused to drink. When they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among them by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over Him. Mt 27:33-36

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest :  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. Comfort your Savior that was cruelly treated, and say to Him: 

People : My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment You felt, help me to strip myself of all affection to things of earth, in order that I may place all my love in You, who are so worthy of my love. I love You, O Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent for having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn:

Holy Mother! Pierce me through, 
In my heart each wound renew 
Of my Savior crucified.

THE ELEVENTH STATION 

JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS 

It was about nine in the morning when they crucified Him. The inscription proclaiming His offenses read: “The King of the Jews.” With Him they crucified two insurgents, one at His right and one at His left. Mk 15:25-27

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest: Consider how 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. 

People : My Jesus! Loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Your feet, that it may ever remain there, to love You, and never quit You again. I love You more than myself; I repent for having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn:

Let me share with you His pain, 
Who for all my sins was slain, 
Who for me in torment died.

THE TWELFTH STATION 

JESUS IS RAISED UPON THE CROSS AND DIES 

From noon onward, there was darkness over the whole land until midafternoon. Then toward midafternoon Jesus cried out in a loud tone, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” That is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” This made some of the bystanders who heard it remark, “He is invoking Elijah!” Once again Jesus cried out in a loud voice, and then gave up His spirit.
Mt 27:45-47, 50

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest: Consider how Jesus, after three hours of Agony on the Cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies. 

People : O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the Cross on which You died for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death; but Your death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Your death, give me grace to die, embracing Your feet, and burning with love for You. I yield my soul into Your hands. I love You with my whole heart; I repent for ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn:

 Let me mingle tears with Thee, 
Mourning Him who mourned for me, 
All the days that I may live.

THE THIRTEENTH STATION 

JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS 

The centurion and his men who were keeping watch over Jesus were terror-stricken at seeing the earthquake and all that was happening, and said; “Clearly this was the Son of God!” Many women were present looking on from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to attend to His needs. Mt 27:54-55

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest: Consider how, after the death of our Lord, 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. 

People : O Mother of sorrow, 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, permit me to love You; for I wish for You, and nothing more. I love You, my Jesus, and I repent for ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn: 

By the cross with You to stay; 
There with You to weep and pray, 
Is all I ask of You to give.

THE FOURTEENTH STATION 

JESUS IS LAID IN THE SEPULCHER 

When evening fell, a wealthy man from Arimathea arrived, Joseph by name. He was another of Jesus’ disciples, and had gone to request the body of Jesus. There upon Pilate issued an order for its release. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in fresh linen and laid it in his own new tomb which had been hewn from a formation of rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mt 27:57-60

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. 

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

Priest: Consider how 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. 

People : Oh, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that enclosed You. But You rose again on the third day. I beseech You, by Your resurrection, make me rise gloriously with You on the last day, to be always united with You in heaven, to praise You and love You forever. I love You, and I repent for ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will. 

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, GLORY BE 

Hymn:

Virgin of all Virgins best! 
Listen to my fond request; 
Let me share your grief divine.

PRAYER TO JESUS CRUCIFIED 

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in Your sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul, I pray and beseech You that You would impress upon my heart lively sentiments of Faith, Hope and Charity, with true contrition for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment; while with deep affection and grief of soul, I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate Your five wounds, having before my eyes the words which David the prophet put on Your lips concerning You: “They have pierced My hands and My feet, they have numbered all My bones.”

OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY

Source: http://www.fatherpeffley.org/docs/StationsBook2011.pdf