Sunday, August 6, 2017

THE WAY OF THE CROSS


STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Knowing well that Christ was blameless
Pilate in a deed most shameless
to the cross Him did condemn.

FIRST STATION: JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider how Pilate condemned the innocent Jesus to death, and how your Redeemer submitted to this sentence, to free you from the sentence of everlasting death.

My Jesus, it was not Pilate. No, it was my sin that condemned You to die. I beg You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist me in its journey towards eternity. I love You my Jesus, I love You more than myself. 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, 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.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus; Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.




With contempt the rabble varmints
robed the King in royal garments
to belie His royalty.

SECOND STATION: JESUS IS MADE BEAR HIS CROSS
V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider how Jesus took upon His shoulders the Cross which your many sins made so heavy.
My beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations You have destined for me until death. I beg You by the merits of the pain You suffered in carrying Your cross to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love You my Jesus, my Love, I repent of 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 




Weakened by the cruel flaying,
still the wicked rule obeying
Jesus fell beneath the cross.

THIRD STATION: JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider how Jesus, overcome by weariness and pain, fell to the ground under the heavy weight of the Cross.
My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the cross but my sins which have made You suffer so much pain. 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 of 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 



When He met His holy Mother
Who had served Him as no other
Eyes at eyes in silence gazed.

FOURTH STATION: JESUS MEETS HIS BLESSED MOTHER

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider the anguish which filled the heart of Jesus and Mary at this sorrowful meeting. It was your sin that caused the Son and the Mother this affliction.
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 were overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by your intercession a continual remembrance of the Passion of your Son.  I love You, Jesus my love, I repent of 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 




Simon stopped to lend Him aid
by the soldiers, them obeyed,
helping Jesus in His plight.

FIFTH STATION: JESUS IS HELPED BY SIMON OF CYRENE

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider how the soldiers, seeing that Jesus was no longer able to drag His cross along, compelled Simon of Cyrene to carry it after Him.
My beloved Jesus, I accept the cross and embrace it. I accept the death which awaits me. 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. Help me by Your grace. I love You, my Jesus, my Love. I repent of 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 




The image of His holy Face
henceforth never was erased
from Veronica's soothing cloth.

SIXTH STATION: VERONICA CONSOLES JESUS

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider how this woman tried to ease the sufferings of Jesus and how He rewarded her by leaving the print of His sacred Face on the towel she had in her hands.
My beloved Jesus, Your Face was beautiful before but in this journey it has lost all its beauty and wounds and blood have disfigured it. 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 of 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 




For the second time He stumbled
beaten by the Cross He crumbled,
but He rose despite the pain.


SEVENTH STATION: JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider the sufferings Jesus endured in this second fall. We have been the cause of them by our frequent relapses into sin.
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. 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 my Jesus my Love, with my whole heart. I repent of 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 




Women of Jerusalem
wept until He counselled them:
save your weeping for your own.

EIGHTH STATION: JESUS SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider how Jesus exhorts these women to weep, not for Him but for themselves. Thus He teaches us to weep more for our sins than for His sufferings.

My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offences I have committed against You, because of the pains they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure they h ave caused You, Who have loved me so much. It is your love which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus I love you more than myself. I repent of 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




Yet again He tripped and fell
still amid the taunts of hell
rose and took the cross again.

NINTH STATION: JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider how Jesus falls the third time, enduring excruciating pain, to atone for our obstinacy in continually committing new sins.

My outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness You suffered in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect, and all my untoward passions, which have led me to despise Your friendship. I love You, my Jesus my Love, with my whole heart. I repent of 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 



Lily of all purity,
how they shamed Thy dignity
when they tore Thy garments off.

TENTH STATION: JESUS IS STRIPPED AND GIVEN GALL TO DRINK

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider the shame Jesus endured in being stripped of His garments and being offered sour wine. Thus He atoned for our immodesty and our intemperance in eating and drinking.

My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment You have 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 my Jesus, with my whole heart. I repent of 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 




Hideous nails through hands and feet
still the Lamb refused to bleat
while His mother stood her ground.

ELEVENTH STATION: JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider the dreadful sufferings Jesus endured when the soldiers stretched His bleeding Body on the cross and fastened it thereon with nails through His sacred Hands and Feet.

My Jesus, I kneel before Your Feet and pledge never to leave You again. I love You more than myself. I repent of 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 



While she stayed close by His side
for three hours until He died
she sustained Him with her love.

TWELFTH STATION: JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider how Jesus, after hours of agony, dies on the cross for your salvation. 

O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the cross on which You died for love of me. Your death is my hope. By the merits of Your death, give me grace to reject sin. I yield myself into You Hands. I love You with my whole heart. I repent of 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 




When they took Him down, they laid Him
in her arms a cradle made Him
for her Son, the King of kings.

THIRTEENTH STATION: JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider the grief of the Mother of God, when she takes into her arms the Body of her divine Son, lifeless.

O mother of sorrow, for the love of this Son, accept me for 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 only You and nothing more. I love You my Jesus and I repent of 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 




Joseph's sepulchre received Him
He was dead - yet she believed Him
for He'd said He'd rise again.

FOURTEENTH STATION: JESUS IS LAID IN THE SEPULCHRE

V. We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou has redeemed the world.


Consider how the most sacred Body of Jesus was laid, with the greatest reverence, in the tomb.

O my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that enclosed You. But You rose again the third day. I beg You by Your resurrection, make me rise glorious with You on the last to be always united with you in heaven, to praise You and love You forever. I love You and I repent of 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 











GUIDELINES FOR EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION (EMHC)


THE EUCHARIST IS A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING TO THE FATHER, A BLESSING BY WHICH THE CHURCH EXPRESSES HER GRATITUDE TO GOD FOR ALL HIS BENEFITS, FOR ALL THAT HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH CREATION, REDEMPTION AND SANCTIFICATION" (CCC 1360).

On January 29th 1973, Pope Paul VI issued the instruction Immensae caritatis, which provided for the designation of men and women to distribute the Holy Eucharist as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
  The instruction stated that "...this faculty may be used whenever there is no priest, deacon or instituted acolyte present, or when the ordinary minister is prevented from administering Communion because of other pastoral obligations, ill health, or advanced age, or when the number of the faithful is so great that, unless Extraordinary Ministers assist in the distribution, the celebration would be unduly prolonged". [1]

  If you feel called to be an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, this blessed vocation enables you to bring the precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to fellow brothers and sisters.
  Training in how to carry out this important apostolate is found within the excellent Guidelines for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC), Archdiocese of Sante Fe.
  If you wish to train to become a Minister of the Eucharist, or to institute a program of training within your parish, the pdf file contains full and comprehensive guidelines.
http://www.archdiocesesantafe.org/Offices/SacramentalPolicies/GuidelinesEMHC.pdf

[1] Guidelines for Extrarodinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) Archdiocese of Sante Fe, page 3
http://asfworship.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GuidelinesEMHC.pdf

With thanks to the Archdiocese of Sante Fe, archdiocesesantefe.org