“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole earth, until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying: “Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”” Mathew 27: 45-46
Station 1 – Jesus is condemned to death
The Lord stood there, quietly and humbly. accepting His fate for a crime He had never committed. The Lord did this for me. I recall many times when I was accused, rightly or wrongly, that my first instincts were to deflect the accusations or defend my actions. In some cases I was vocal and disruptive in my defense. I am also sad to say that in my past, in times of weakness, I have also blamed others. Lord, grant me the strength to be humble as I am condemned. You were humble in Your innocence. Help me to be humble in accepting my guilt.
Station 2 – Jesus is laden with the Cross
I often get upset at the little problems in life. I complain incessantly about nothing of importance. Nothing pleases me. The heaviest thing I have to carry is my briefcase across the parking lot. Lord, I surrender my shoulders to You. Place the burdens that You will upon them. Let my legs buckle under the weight.
Station 3 – Jesus falls for the first time
My Lord, if I stood there and watched You fall, would I have had the courage to help you in your time of need? Would I have walked away? How many times have I seen one fall in my life. How many times have I walked away? I have lost count my Lord.
Station 4 – Jesus meets his Blessed Mother
.My Lord, I can only imagine what Mother Mary may have been thinking and feeling watching her only Son suffer. Yet, in that instant, through Your anguish and pain, I can also imagine the love You both shared – fleeting in time, but eternal in nature. Lord my God help me to love in such a manner. Even those that torment me.
Station 5 – Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the cross
In Your suffering Lord, You were given a short reprieve. Not for Your sake, but for the sake of Your tormentors. I now understand that the short reprieve was not about You, rather about us. How many times have I caused suffering on others for my own personal gain?
Station 6 – Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Though Your body was ravaged by your tormentors and Your face was unrecognizable, yet Your sweet innocence shined forth for all those who chose to see it. My Lord, let me also see the sweet innocence in others as they struggle to live in an ugly world that they have inherited through no fault of their own.
Station 7 – Jesus falls beneath His cross, the second time
Through Your own will power You carried the burden placed upon Your shoulders to the point of exhaustion. Yet, rather than let the burden defeat You my Lord, You continued on your journey despite knowing Your ultimate fate. How many times have I left my load where it dropped and walked away, leaving my burden there for others to carry. My Lord, grant me the strength to carry my own load. Better still, allow others to place their burdens on my shoulders.
Station 8 – Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem
You were selfless my Lord. Despite Your overwhelming suffering and the constant abuse by Your tormentors, You took the time to counsel those who mourned Your suffering rather than You profess Your pain and seek pity from them. I constantly seek others out to share my petty peeves. My Lord, please ask the Holy Spirit to guide me to seek out those that need my help.
Station 9 – Jesus falls beneath His cross the third time
If anyone had any doubts about Your determination to carry out the will of your Father, Your third fall should have left no doubt among your detractors. My Lord, allow me to fall as many times as You will it. Grant me the will and the strength to get up and continue my journey of faith.
Station 10 – Jesus is stripped of His garments
In your holy nakedness your tormentors attempted to humiliate you. Through your nakedness you showed those around you that your garments did not make You who you were. Your nakedness exposed to others their desire to cloth themselves to hide their sin. You had nothing to hide my Lord. I have a great deal to hide. Allow me my Lord to shed myself of sin and exposé my naked soul in your name.
Station 11 – Jesus is nailed to the cross
For your tormentors, my Lord, Your journey ended on a wooden cross. Little did they know that Your cross would be a beginning for many. My Lord, I confess that it has been a beginning for me. I still journey, knowing that my time on the cross is close at hand. Grant me the courage to be nailed along with my other brothers and sisters that follow along the same path that You walked.
Station 12 – Jesus dies on the cross
Silence…a deafening silence. A deep silence. My Lord, fill my emptiness with Your silence. Let me shed the world and all the noise that comes with it. I simply want your silence…..Peace at last.
Station 13 – Jesus is taken down from the cross
You were left alone my Lord, except for a simple few who saw a lifeless body and felt abandoned by You. Little did they know…little do we know. My Lord, help me to know.
Station 14 – Jesus is laid in the Holy Sepulchre
My Lord, though You were laid to rest in a hewn cave for burial and entombed securely, nothing could hold Your graces from springing forth to give new life to Your teachings. My Lord, allow me to rise up from my decaying body and soul. Let me also to be a shining light to those around me. Let nothing hold me down from proclaiming Your Word and living the Truth. Through Your death and resurrection my Lord, You have made me worth more than 30 pieces of silver.
“And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” Mathew 28: 18-20
God Bless
Copyright 2017, Luciano Corbo
Luciano Corbo
Luciano Corbo holds a Master of Arts - Integrated Studies from Athabasca University. His major interests are Culture, Work, Organizations and Leadership, within a context of Catholic Social Teaching Principles. He writes from Canada.
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