Stations of the Cross
STATIONS OF THE CROSS, THEN & NOW
STAISIÚIN NA CROISE, ANOIS AGUS ANSIN
First Station: Jesus is condemned to Death
Before each Station: We adore you O Christ and we bless you because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the World.
After each Station: Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be to the Father.
Jesus was condemned in this unjust trial, but often today condemned in unjust trials too. Innocent people are sometimes condemned. We can hold our own little personal and private courts too, be judge and jury in our own way! Yes, Jesus is still being condemned to death. The mob shouted “crucify Him, crucify Him”. We can crucify the Lord from behind the scene, behind the back, under the counter, or as we say as Gaeilge “uisce fé talamh”. (water underground). Our Father etc.
Second Station: The Cross is laid on the shoulders of Jesus.
We adore You……..
Jesus told us that if we want to become followers of His we must take up our Cross and follow Him. But suffering is part of life. A poet wrote “we are born in another’s pain & perish in our own”. We remember in prayer all who are suffering at this time of the Covid-19 pandemic. All who suffer the cross of that illness in hospital, at home or in “cocooning”. We remember in prayer. Our Father etc.
Third Station: Jesus falls the First Time.
We adore You…….
This comes as no surprise after the agony, scourging, crowning with thorns & the night in the Garden of Gethsemane. But Jesus got up and carried on. There are different things in life that get us down. We list them in our minds for a moment. Lord, give us the strength and courage to begin again & again as You did. Our Father etc.
Fourth Station: Jesus meets His Mother.
We adore you…….
When Mary & Joseph presented the Child Jesus in the Temple, all those years before, the old man Simeon said to Mary that a sword would pierce her own heart too. This is now coming to pass. Did Mary remember back? We pray in this Station for all mothers who stand by their sons & daughters in the most needy times in their lives, as mothers so often do to this day. Our Father etc.
Fifth Station: Simon helps Jesus to Carry His Cross.
We adore You…
On the way of the Cross of Life, we often meet someone who is carrying his or her heavy cross of life, We must be like Simon and try to help. In the same way when we are carrying our own cross we must not be too proud to seek help. We pray for all those who provide care for the homeless in the Simon Community, locally and nationwide & who provide service in the Simon of this stations name. We remember too the health care workers today and all who provide vital services of food & medicine & vital care of any kind. Our Father etc.
Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
We adore You….
According to tradition the print of the face of Jesus came out on the towel. The Lord has assured us that whatever we do for those in need we do to Him. We pray for all who care for the sick at home, in hospital & in nursing homes, those suffering from the coronavirus or from any other illness or old age. Our Father etc.
Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time.
We adore You……
Although Jesus was the Son of God He was human too & weak. We must always be aware of our own frailty & that of others. St. Paul reminds us that we are “but earthenware vessels”. Our Father etc.
Eight Station: Jesus consoles the Women of Jerusalem.
We adore You…
Even in his own need Jesus felt sorry for the Women of Jerusalem. He knew that the Romans would soon capture Jerusalem after a terrible siege & a great famine would follow. We pray for all those who suffer from war & famine in our world today. Our Father etc.
Ninth Station: Jesus falls the Third Time. We adore You…
Once again we are reminded of the humanity & therefore vulnerability of Jesus. The word “vulnerable” comes from the Latin “vulnus”, meaning “wound”. We are all highly vulnerable especially at this time of Covid-19, children too and women & men. We pray for all who feel vulnerable at this time through the loss of jobs, places of work, businesses, income & future. Our Father etc.
Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments.
We adore You….
Our clothes are always signs of our dignity. May we always respect the dignity of each person, also the dignity of each person’s good name, especially if there is the opportunity for a “cheap shot” or the lie of a “half-truth”. Our Father etc.
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross.
We adore You….
In this station we remember all those who suffer from violence in any way in our country & in our world. We remember those who suffer from drug abuse & the pain and violence that are part of it, all of this in our own day.
Our Father etc.
Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the Cross.
We adore You….
The last words of Jesus were “Into your hand O Lord I commit my Spirit”. Whatever words, wise or foolish we have spoken during our lifetimes, we pray that our last words will be something like those of Jesus. We pray for all those who have died recently through Covid-19 illness or accidents, or by their own hand or naturally. May they rest in the peace of the Lord.
Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the Cross & Laid in the arms of His Mother.
We adore You…
This sad scene is presented to us by Michelangelo in his famous work the “Pieta”. We too often see this in the sufferings of mothers & fathers who bury babies, still births, sons & daughters. Many examples spring too quickly to mind. We remember them in this Station. Our Father etc.
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb.
We adore You…
The Ministry of the Burial of the Dead goes on around us every day. We remember in this Station, grave diggers, crematorium staff, undertakers. Funeral Ministry Teams, cantors & sacristans and all who arrange Funeral Liturgies & all who try to console families by providing refreshments, direct traffic etc. We give thanks to God for their ministry, though in sadness, but in appreciation. Our Father etc.
Fifteenth Station: The Resurrection, Easter Sunday Morning.
We adore You….
Jesus overcomes all evil and all challenges. We also do so through Him. Our Faith is a Faith of Hope & Resurrection. That we will have hope in the Risen Jesus of Easter to accompany us at this time of need & to raise us up in the challenges that will be ours in the coming days, months & years, because He will be with us always until the end of time. Our Father etc.
Conclusion:
If you pass by Ovens or Farran Churches at this time, please note the Cross that stands in both Church grounds. A reminder to us in this strange Holy Week of Jesus’ Passion, Death & Resurrection.
HOLY WEEK/EASTER CEREMONIES AT THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. MARY & ST. ANNE WITH BISHOP FINTAN GAVIN.
Holy Thursday: Mass of the Last Supper at 7.30pm.
Good Friday: Liturgy of the Passion at 3pm.
Holy Saturday: Easter Vigil at 9pm.
Easter Sunday: Mass at 11.30am.
Easter Week & Onwards: Mass from the Cathedral daily at 10.15am.
www.corkcathedral.ie, Also on RTE News Now (Sky Channel 521. Saorview 21).
A Message from Pope Francis.
Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, from knowing that with Him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our Life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them! We accompany, we follow Jesus, but above all we know that he accompanies us and carries us on his shoulders. This is our joy, this is the hope that we must bring to this world of ours. Let us bring the joy of the faith to everyone.