THE WAY OF THE CROSS
In Honor of the Precious Blood
Opening Prayer
Ever-faithful God,
you were well pleased with Abraham’s obedience
and you accepted the sacrifice of your Son,
who gave himself up for the sake of us all.
Train us by Christ’s teaching
and school us in his obedience,
that, as we walk his way of sacrifice,
we may come to share in your glory.
We ask this through Christ, our deliverance and hope,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
holy and mighty God for ever and ever. Amen. (Second Sunday of Lent)
(Collects are taken from the 1998 Sacramentary of the International Committee on English in the Liturgy. Intercessions are taken from the Liturgy of the Hours)
First Station: Jesus is Condemned
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” But he did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed. (Mt. 27:11-14)
Lector 2: You have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel. (Hb. 12:22-24
Intercession
V/. Source of all life, remember the death and resurrection of the Lamb slain on the cross,
R/. --listen to his blood’s voice as he lives forever, making intercession for us.
Collect
Almighty and eternal God,
when you sent our Saviour into the world,
you gave us all an example to follow:
in humble obedience he took upon himself a body like ours
and gave himself up to death on the cross.
In your mercy, grant us the grace
to learn from the example of his passion
and to share in the glory of his resurrection.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Passion Sunday)
Hymn
Word of God now interceding,
With that blood of ceaseless pleading,
Hear our cry for justice, Lord.
(Sung to the tune of At the Cross her Station Keeping;
lyrics by Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S)
Second Station: Jesus Bears the Cross
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him. (Mt. 27:26-31)
Lector 2: For in [Christ] all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for [God], making peace by the blood of his cross, [through him], whether those on earth or those in heaven. (Cl. 1:19-20)
Intercession
V/. Father, you sent your Son to reconcile all people to you through his blood,
R./ --help us to work toward achieving this reconciliation.
Collect
All-powerful God,
in obedience to your will,
your only Son suffered death on the cross
to save the human race.
Grant that we who embrace this mystery on earth
may share the triumph of his redemption in heaven.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Holy Cross)
Hymn
Sovereign King of all creation,
Christ our reconciliation,
Bring an end to strife, O Lord.
Third Station: Jesus Falls A First Time
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: 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, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. (Is. 53:2-3)
Lector 2:If we say, “we have fellowship with [God],” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth. But if we walk in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. (1 Jn. 1:6-7)
Intercession
R/. Through the mystery of your blood, deepen our love, our perseverance and our trust,
V/. --strengthen the weak, console the sorrowful, and give hope to the dying.
Collect
O God of eternal glory,
you anointed Jesus, your servant,
to bear our sins,
to encourage the weary,
to raise up and restore the fallen.
Keep before our eyes
the splendour of the paschal mystery of Christ,
and, by our sharing in the passion and resurrection,
seal our lives with the victorious sign
of his obedience and exaltation.
We ask this through Christ, our liberator from sin,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
holy and mighty God for ever and ever. Amen. (Passion Sunday)
Hymn
High Priest sharing in our weakness,
Fallen, silent, untold meekness!
Give us strength to rise, O Lord.
Fourth Station: Jesus Meets his Mother
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. (Lk. 2:33-35)
Lector 2: These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple . . . . For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Rv. 7:14-17)
Intercession
R/. Your martyrs washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb,
V/. --help us to avoid the weaknesses of the flesh and worldly allurements.
Collect
O God,
when your Son was lifted high on the cross
you willed that his mother should stand beside him
and share his suffering.
Grant that your Church,
joined with Mary in the passion of Christ,
may share in the glory of his resurrection.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Our Lady of Sorrows)
Hymn
Queen of Martyrs, pierced by sorrow,
Throned amidst the Lamb’s bright morrow,
Hear your mother’s pleas, O Lord!
Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: As they led [Jesus] away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. (Lk. 23:26)
Lector 2: Therefore, remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision, by those called the circumcision . . . were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. (Ep. 2:11-13)
Intercession
V/. Lord Jesus, you prayed to your heavenly Father that we all may be one,
R/. --may your blood overcome all barriers and make of all people one family of God.
Collect
For our sake, O God, you willed
that your Son should climb the scaffold of the cross
to lift from our shoulders the dark yoke of Satan.
Grant that we may come to share
the grace and power of Christ’s resurrection.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Wednesday of Holy Week)
Hymn
Christ our peace, has made us one,
Barring access toward none,
Seal us in your blood, O Lord.
Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: Whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:16-18)
Lector 2: In [Christ] we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of our transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us . . . In him we were also chosen . . . so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. (Ep. 1: 7,11-12)
Intercession
V/. Holy Father, you have called us to a heavenly banquet,
R/. --increase our charity through the blood we are privileged to receive.
Collect
Lord God,
by the suffering and death of your Son
you dissolved the legacy of darkness and death
that had fallen to the lot of every generation.
We were shaped in the likeness of Adam
and must bear the image of his earthly nature.
Reshape us in the likeness of Christ,
that we may bear the stamp of his heavenly glory
through the sanctifying power of your grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Good Friday)
Hymn
Image of the Father’s glory,
Love incarnate’s wondrous story,
Move our hearts to mercy, Lord.
Seventh Station: Jesus Falls a Second Time
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely need. (Hb. 4:14-16)
Lector 2: When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. (Hb. 9:11-12)
Intercession
V/. Preserve the covenant which you have ratified in your blood,
R/. --cleanse and sanctify your church.
Collect
Watch over your Church, Lord God, with unfailing mercy,
and since without you humankind will surely fall,
protect us by your grace from every harm
and guide us toward those things that work for our good.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent)
Hymn
Christ, Redeemer of the nations,
Source of all our consolations,
Aid us in our need, O Lord.
Eighth Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests, for our God.
Lector 1: A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’ At that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?” (Lk. 23:27-31)
Lector 2: God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. (Rm. 5:8-9)
Intercession
V/. Through your precious blood, Lord, you redeemed us from the slavery of sin,
R/. --grant us the freedom of the sons and daughters of God.
Collect
God of mercy and compassion,
grant that your household, the Church,
may persevere in obeying your will,
so that in our own day
those who offer you true service
may grow in number and holiness.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent)
Hymn
Christ, the source of all compasssion,
Through your Spirit in us fashion,
Temples of your glory, Lord.
Ninth Station: Jesus Falls a Third Time
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: 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 made us whole, by his stripes we were 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)
Lector 2: Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, to consecrate the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing the reproach that he bore. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come. (Hb. 13: 12-13)
Intercession
V/. Blessed are you Jesus, redeemer of humanity; you did not hesitate to undergo your passion and death,
R/. --to redeem us by your precious blood.
Collect
All-powerful God,
as often as we grow faint through human weakness,
grant us new life and breath
through the passion and death of your beloved Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Monday of Holy Week)
Hymn
Savior by our guilt oppressed,
In your blood have we been blessed,
Heal us of our sins, O Lord.
Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped
V/. You have redeemed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: They took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,” in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled [that says]: “They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.” This is what the soldiers did. (Jn. 19: 23-24)
Lector 2: Then I saw the heavens opened, and there was a white horse; its rider was [called] “Faithful and True.” He judges and wages war in righteousness . . . He wore a cloak that had been dipped in blood, and his name was called the Word of God . . . Out of his mouth came a sharp sword to strike the nations . . . He has a name written on his cloak and on his thigh, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Rv. 19: 11,13,15-16)
Intercession
V/. Faithful witness, firstborn of the dead, you washed away our sins in your blood,
R/. --make us always remember your wonderful works.
Collect
Lifted up among us, O God,
is Jesus the crucified:
sign of your steadfast love
and pledge of your will to save.
To those who look upon the cross with faith
grant healing of soul
and life eternal.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Holy Cross)
Hymn
Faithful, true, and sovereign witness,
Bared of all but human weakness,
Strip us of all falsehood, Lord.
Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
V/. You have redeemed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: They brought him to the place of Golgotha (which is translated Place of the Skull). They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it. Then they crucified him . . . It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him . . . With him they crucified two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left. (Mk. 15: 22-25,27)
Lector 2: For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. (Hb. 9:13-14)
Intercession
V/. Through the eternal Spirit, you offered yourself to God as the perfect sacrifice,
R/. --may your blood purify us from sin and make us fit servants of the living God.
Collect
Pardon, merciful Lord, the offences of your people,
and in your goodness
release us from the bonds of sin
which in our human weakness
we have fashioned for ourselves.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent)
Hymn
Sacred victim pierced and rent,
Priest of God’s new covenant,
Cleanse us in your blood, O Lord.
Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross
V/. You have redeemed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until about three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last. (Lk. 23: 44-46)
Lector 2: Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. (1 Pt. 1:17-19)
Intercession
V/. Holy Father, you have reconciled us to yourself in the blood of Christ,
R/. --keep us in your name, that we may be one.
Collect
From the throne of grace, O God of mercy,
at the hour your Son gave himself to death,
hear the devout prayer of your people.
As he is lifted high upon the cross,
draw into his exalted life
all who are reborn
in the blood and water flowing from his opened side.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Good Friday)
Hymn
Spotless, perfect, Lamb of God,
For us sinners you have bled,
Bring us to your kingdom, Lord.
Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken from the Cross
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath . . . the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (Jn. 21: 31-34)
Lector 2: This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord. (1 Jn. 5:6-8)
Intercession
V/. Lord Jesus, blood and water flowed from your side,
R/. --give new life to your Church through the sacraments of your new and unending covenant.
Collect
God and Father of mercies,
as your only Son hung on the cross,
he gave his Mother, the blessed Virgin Mary,
to be our Mother also.
Grant that under her loving care
your Church, growing daily more fruitful,
may rejoice in the holiness of its children,
and draw to its bosom all peoples of the earth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Mary, Mother of the Church)
Hymn
Adam, fresh-formed, sleeps in death,
God’s new likeness, bringing health,
Breathe your life in us, O Lord.
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Tomb
V/. You have freed us, O Lord, in your blood.
R/. And made us a kingdom, and priests for our God.
Lector 1: They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by. (Jn. 21: 40-42)
Lector 2: May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever [and ever]. Amen. (Hb. 13:20-21)
Intercession
V/. Lord Jesus, through your resurrection you entered the sanctuary of heaven to offer the blood of your own sacrifice,
R/. --lead us with you into the glory of the Father.
Hymn
Risen Shepherd of the sheep,
Death and darkness could not keep,
Shine your light on us, O Lord.
Concluding Collect
Remember, Lord, your tender mercies,
which you showed in ages past;
watch over and sanctify your servants,
for whom Christ your Son, by shedding his blood,
has established the paschal mystery.
Grant this in the name of Jesus, the Lord. Amen. (Good Friday)
(Collect of Good Friday)