Good Friday - Stations of the Cross
Meditations texts: © COPYRIGHT, The Center for Learning. Used with permission.
Leader: First Station. Jesus is Condemned to Death
Narrator: Jesus stands alone in the midst of a jealous, faithless crowd, an angry mass eager to make him the scapegoat for their problems. His miracles, healing, comfort, and teachings are forgotten and ignored. Even his closest friends hide in fear. The reward for his life of love is beatings. Mocking. Humiliation. Anguish.
ALL: “Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53)
Leader: Jesus speaks: Life is often unfair. You are misjudged. Ridiculed. Scorned. Ignored. Blamed. Betrayed. Hurt. The pain of anger and frustrations burns violently inside of you. Let go of these injuries, my child. Cast the pain aside before you continue on my way of the cross. Tell me of your suffering and let my love free your memory. Be healed. Abandon the torment of injustices — injustices we have shared. Grow beyond the pain in my love.
All: O Sacred Head surrounded by crown of piercing thorn!
O bleeding Head, so wounded, reviled and put to scorn:
The pow’r of death comes o’er you,
The glow of life decays, yet angel hosts adore you, and tremble as they gaze.
Leader: Second Station. Jesus Takes His Cross
Narrator: Jesus allows the cross, weighted by our sins, to be placed on his shoulders. He embraces this crushing burden out of love: love for his Father whose will he fulfills and love for us in spite of our weaknesses and failings.
ALL: “Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away. There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him nor appearance that would attract us to him.” (Isaiah 53)
Leader: Jesus speaks: I know your life is filled with crosses—sadness, confusion, illness, death, dissatisfaction—situations, and feelings which seem to have no reason or purpose. Choosing my way means accepting the crosses and continuing to love without condition. With this acceptance, you receive my healing love. Choose my way; let my love help you grow to love yourself and your life as I do.
All: At the cross, your sorrow sharing,
All your grief and torment bearing,
Let me stand and mourn with you.
Leader: Third Station. Jesus Falls for the First Time
Narrator: The weight of the cross overpowers Jesus. He is tired. Aching. Weak. Everyone laughs and jeers as he stumbles; no one will help him. It would be such a relief to just quit, to give up this journey of anguish undertaken for us.
ALL: “He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem.”
(Isaiah 53)
Leader: Jesus speaks: You fall, and no one seems to care. Everyone seems blind to how you are struggling. Some people even laugh or take pleasure in your trials and failures. Are you angry because they don’t understand? Are you discouraged because your efforts seem pointless? Come to me. Follow me. I fell as you have fallen. As I got up and continued on. So will you. My love will give you strength. My love will overpower your discouragement. Let its healing action erase all seeming failure from your memory.
All: I see your strength and vigor all fading in the strife,
And death with cruel rigor, bereaving you of life;
O agony and dying! O love to sinners free:
Jesus, all grace supplying, O turn your face on me.
Leader: Fourth Station Jesus Meets His Mother
Narrator: Jesus meets his mother along the road to Calvary. Does Mary understand what led her son to this gruesome death? Surely, she longs to reach out to him and comfort him. She wants to rescue him and protect him from further injury and pain. Jesus recognizes the anguish his actions bring to his mother’s life. Their eyes meet in a sorrowful exchange of suffering, magnified by the intense love they share.
ALL: “What can I show for your comfort, virgin daughter? Let your tears flow like a torrent day and night; let there be no respite for you, no repose for your eyes.”
(Lamentations 2)
Leader: Jesus speaks: I knew my mother felt every thorn which stabbed my head, every kick and blow to my aching limbs. It hurt me to see her suffer for me. At the same time, her immense love relieved some of my pain. Even when your parents do not understand or are saddened by the roads and choices of your life, can you see their love? Can you accept their sorrow as a reminder of my love for you? Can you love them for loving you even when you disagree? Whether others are suffering for you or you for others, let love continue to flow freely among you.
All: While she waited in her anguish,
Seeing Christ in torment languish,
Bitter sorrow pierced her heart.
Leader: Fifth Station. Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
Narrator: The soldiers press Simon into service to relieve Jesus of the cross’s deadly weight. Even with all our Lord has done to ease the burdens of others during his short life on earth, the only service he receives in return must be obtained by force.
ALL: “I stretch out my hands to you. Hasten to answer me, O Lord, for my spirit fails me.”
(Psalm 143)
Leader: Jesus speaks: It’s much easier to retreat to the world of happy scenes and pleasant thoughts than to face the injustice and needs of the world. Have you felt the desertion of friends or family in your times of need? Have you closed your eyes to the opportunities to serve others? If you are to follow me, you must translate my love into action. Each act of service is a celebration of our union. Be there for one another, just as I am ever-present for you.
All: Who, that sorrow contemplating,
On that passion meditating,
Would not share the Virgin’s grief?
Leader: Sixth Station. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Narrator: Veronica risks danger and ridicule to do something for Jesus. Her love moves her to respond to his suffering. She could not eliminate his pain or rescue him from his torment, but she did what she could. She offered him her veil to wipe his face; she said, “1 love you, Jesus,” in her own, special way.
ALL: “She is fairer than the sun, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of His goodness.”
(Wisdom 7)
Leader: Jesus speaks: Surely there were many people in the crowd along my way who could have offered me relief. Why didn’t they? Fear? Apathy? Concern over what others might think? Too busy? Perhaps these same things have prevented others from helping you. Have you let these excuses prevent you from helping others? Remember Veronica. Remember that every act of compassion, no matter how small or insignificant it is.
All: Christ she saw, for our salvation,
Scourged with cruel acclamation,
Bruised and beaten by the rod.
Leader: Seventh Station. Jesus Falls a Second Time
Narrator: The body of our Lord is weak. Lack of sleep, loss of blood, and mental and physical anguish take their toll. He falls again, and again he must endure not only the pain of the fall but the jeers and mocking of the crowd. There isn’t even one helping hand or consoling word. But his will cannot be overpowered; Jesus gets up and continues his journey.
ALL: “Attend to my cry, for I am brought low indeed. I have lost all means of escape; there is no one who cares for my life.”
(Psalm 142)
Leader: Jesus speaks: The journey doesn’t get any easier, does it? Life seems to become more complicated; the demands of loving and caring grow more complex. Do not dwell on the simplicity and ease of childhood days gone by. Do not long for a life free of trials. I have endured your frustration and shared your pain; let me heal your weakness and be with you in your times of need. Exercise the power of your will and grow in new strength. You are not alone. I am here, too.
All: With what pain and desolation,
With what noble resignation,
Mary watched her dying Son.
Leader: Eighth Station. Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem
Narrator: Jesus meets some weeping women along the way and tells them to weep not for him but for themselves and their children. Perhaps this was why they were weeping. Did they realize now, too late, that they had taken Jesus for granted? Were they crying for their loss? Their guilt?
ALL: “Bitterly Jerusalem weeps, tears upon her cheeks. Gone from daughter Zion is all her glory. Her virgins sigh: she is in bitter grief.” (Lamentations 1)
Leader: Jesus speaks: It is difficult to lose those you love; your grief will be much lighter if you have fully loved in life those you lose to death. Love now! Take advantage of every chance to speak and demonstrate the love you feel for others. Savor the brief time you have with those you love. Then, when they return to the Father, you will be free to rejoice in their lasting peace and share the light of this consolation with all who remain. Your peace will be a testimony of your faith in me and the consolation of my love for you.
All: In this, your bitter passion, Good Shepherd, think of me
With your most sweet compassion, unworthy though I be:
Beneath your cross abiding forever would I rest,
In your dear love confiding, and with your presence blest.
Leader: Ninth Station. Jesus Falls for the Third Time
Narrator: Again, Jesus drops to the ground, totally exhausted. Again, he finds the strength to pull himself up and continue.
ALL: “Save me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men. They have spread their cords for a net; by the wayside, they have laid snares for me.”
(Psalm 140)
Leader: Jesus speaks: I know that there are times when you despair of ever reaching a goal, being able to rest, finding peace. Doubts creep into your mind. Weariness takes over. You feel empty—void of any final reserve of strength. Turn to me. Let my love fill the void and my strength lift you up. Push aside the doubts and despair and begin again in my love. I am with you. I love you. Give me your hand and your heart. We will journey to a new life together.
All: Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Leader: Tenth Station Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Narrator: Jesus finally reaches Calvary and is subjected to yet more suffering. His clothing is brutally torn from his body, opening fresh wounds, baring his battered body to the world. He has no strength to resist this embarrassment. He endures this humiliation in silence.
ALL: “I am a man who knows affliction from the rod of his anger. He has worn away my flesh and my skin. He has hemmed me in with no escape and weighed me down with chains.” (Lamentations 3)
Leader: Jesus speaks: In your youth, I see you humiliated by the teasing and cruelty of childhood name-calling and insult. As you mature, the humiliation continues with gossip and prejudice. In old age, your years of caring and service seem forgotten; the humiliation of lost usefulness, Independence, and health weigh heavily on you. Let me have the anger of your humiliation. Allow my love to heal your wounds and replace your bitterness with forgiveness. Be free of the memory of humiliation and fix your sight on the glory I have promised you.
All: Mary, fount of love’s devotion,
Let me share with true emotion
All the sorrow you endured.
Leader: Eleventh Station: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
Narrator: Jesus is placed on his deathbed, his hands, and feet punctured by nails. He is not dragged to his death, screaming and protesting; he accepts the final command to love without condition and freely lets go of his life.
ALL: “He pierces my side with shafts from his quiver. He has broken my teeth with gravel, pressed my face in the dust. My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is.” (Lamentations 3)
Leader: Jesus speaks: To journey with me, you too are called to accept the nails, let go, and surrender to many small deaths before your body dies. I know the temptation to strike out in anger, to protest, to resist. I can heal that temptation within you. Allow yourself to be set on your cross and I will free you from fear. Each death you endure unites you to me and brings you one step closer to the eternal joy of the resurrection.
All: At the cross her station keeping,
Mary stood in sorrow, weeping,
When her Son was crucified.
Leader: Twelfth Station Jesus Dies
Narrator: Jesus dies. His gift of life is returned to the Father. The purpose of his birth has come to fulfillment. His loved ones must sit back and allow him to endure this horrible death in order that he be able to love without restraint.
ALL: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. They divide my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.”
(Psalm 22)
Leader: Jesus speaks: My mother and a few friends watched me die. They still did not fully understand the purpose of my sacrifice, yet they realized that I had to return to the Father. They had to let me go. You, too, know the sadness of letting those you love return to the Father. Often you are blind to the purpose for their leaving and the Father’s plan for them. You must trust that their purpose on earth has been fulfilled, their final reward earned. Give me those who have died. Let them come to me. I love them just as I love you. Be free of worry and sadness for them. Be healed in my love.
All: Fairest maid of all creation,
Queen of hope and consolation,
Let me feel your grief sublime.
Leader: Thirteenth Station. Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross
Narrator: Sadly, the friends and mother of Jesus remove the lifeless body of their teacher and Son from the cross. They look at him for what they believe is one last time. With love and respect, they prepare his body for burial. Soon their thoughts will focus on their loss. Jesus is gone.
ALL: “Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinels wait for the dawn.”
(Psalm 130)
Leader:: Jesus speaks: Learn from the loneliness and painful separation endured by my mother and friends. They believed I was gone forever; everything seemed lost. They were alone and frightened, unsure of what to do, where to go, what would happen next. Yet I did not abandon them, and I will never abandon you. At those times when you are lonely and frightened, seek my presence. Talk to me. Recognize me. I am with you today and always.
All: Ever patient in her yearning,
Though her tear-filled eyes were burning,
Mary gazed upon her Son.
Leader: Fourteenth Station. Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb
Narrator: The family and friends of Jesus place him in a tomb given by a friend to be his final resting place. They prepare his body according to religious custom; they do not abandon the practices of their faith even in this time of great sadness. Although confused, devastated, and weak with sorrow, they do not despair.
ALL: “Will You work wonders for the dead? Will the shades arise to give You thanks? But I, O Lord, cry out to You; with my morning prayer, I wait upon You.”
(Psalm 88)
Leader: Jesus speaks: Trust in me, my loved one. Trust that I will give you all you need to complete your mission in life. I am accompanying you on your journey and lead you to new life. All you need to do is will my presence in your life and l am there. Do not waste the brief moments of your life on earth; whatever your calling, whatever good you can do, do it now. Trust me and carry on.
All: Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
