…"If My people who bear My name, humble themselves and pray and seek My presence and turn from their wicked ways, I Myself will hear from Heaven and forgive their sins…" (2 Chron. 7:14) – "You will see that in prayer you will find more knowledge, more light, more strength, more grace and virtue than you could ever achieve by reading many books, or by great studies. Never consider as wasted the time you spend in prayer. You will discover that in prayer God communicates to you the light, strength and grace you need…" (Sr Lucia dos Santos)
QUESTION: “…I do notice people still going around the Stations of the Cross… When did the devotion of doing the Stations of the Cross begin? … Would you recommend it as a practice for Lent?
ANSWER: The answer to your second question is that I would certainly recommend it as a devotional practice for Lent. Lent is a time of prayer and penance in preparation for Easter – for Christ’s death and Resurrection. The Stations of the Cross, prayed at home or in the church, with their focus on the suffering of Christ as he made his way to Calvary is an ideal prayer and practice for Lent.
When did this devotion begin? The devotion to the passion of Christ actually began with the Crucifixion but it developed into its present form through the efforts of Franciscan Friars in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Franciscan preachers and writers began spreading the devotion worldwide, publicising the spiritual richness of the devotion.”
This article was published in “Saint Martin Magazine” issue March 2004. For subscriptions please visit http://www.stmartin.ie (external link).
Begin by expressing sorrow for all the sins of your life and rejecting all attachment to sin. If possible, move from Station to Station. Say before each Station:
V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee; R. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.
(Genuflect at the word “because” and remain on one knee; arise after “redeemed the world”.)
Station I: Jesus is condemned to death It was for our sins, O Jesus, that You were condemned to suffer. Grant that we may detest our sins and, by this repentance, obtain Your mercy and pardon.
Station II: Jesus is burdened with the Cross O Jesus, grant us, by virtue of Your Cross, that we may accept the difficulties of our state with meekness and cheerful submission. May we always be ready to take up our cross and follow You.
Station III: Jesus falls for the first time O Jesus, it was for our sins that You bore the heavy burden of the Cross and fell under its weight. May the thought of Your sufferings make us watchful over ourselves and save us from falling into sin.
Station IV: Jesus meets His sorrowful Mother O Jesus, by the compassion which You felt for Your Mother, have compassion on us and give us a share in her intercession. Our most afflicted Mother, intercede for us, that through the sufferings of Your Son, we may bear with courage the sorrows of this life.
Station V: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross O Jesus, just as Simon relieved You of Your burden, inspire us also to console You by our prayers of reparation and love.
Station VI: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus O Jesus, may the contemplation of Your Holy Face enkindle in our hearts a more fervent love for You, and may Your image be imprinted on our minds and souls until we are transformed into Your likeness.
Station VII: Jesus falls a second time O Jesus, our repeated falls into sin have added to the burden which You carried for our redemption. As You are weakened by the weight of our sins, we are the cause of this second fall. Please give us the strength never to offend You again.
Station VIII: Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem O Jesus, just as You instructed the women of Jerusalem, please instruct us in the ways of virtue and help us to escape the dreadful judgements prepared for all who reject or neglect You in this life.
Station IX: Jesus falls the third time O Lord Jesus! We entreat You, by the merits of this third most painful fall, to pardon our frequent relapses and our long continuance in sin. May the thought of Your sufferings grieve us and move us to make frequent acts of love and reparation.
Station X: Jesus is stripped of His garments O Jesus, by the pain You suffered in having Your clothing torn from Your bleeding body, please strip us of all conceit and pride, and instruct us in the ways of humility, purity of intention and simplicity of heart.
Station XI: Jesus is nailed to the Cross As You were nailed to the Cross, O Jesus, fasten our hearts there also, that they may be united to You until death.
Station XII: Jesus dies on the Cross O Jesus, we devoutly embrace the holy Cross whereon You loved us even unto death. We thank You for Your sacrifice, and we desire to love You as much as You love us.
Station XIII: Jesus is laid in the arms of His holy Mother We grieve with you, O Mary, for the sorrow you experienced as you examined the wounds on the body of your dear Son. By these sacred Wounds may we obtain pardon and mercy for our sins.
Station XIV: Jesus is laid in the tomb O Jesus, someday our bodies will also be placed in a tomb. Freed from the bonds of this earth, may we then be received into Heaven by You and Your holy Mother, so that we may praise and love You for all eternity. Amen.
PREPARATION: Let each one, kneeling before the High Altar, make an act of contrition and form the intention of gaining the Indulgences whether for themselves or for the souls in Purgatory. Then say: My Lord Jesus Christ, You have made this journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned You, but now I love You with my whole heart, and because I love You, I repent sincerely for ever having offended You. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey. You go to die for love of me; I wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.
THE FIRST STATION
JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH (Mt 27:22-23, 26)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.
People: My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins that condemned You to die. I beseech You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity. I love You, my beloved Jesus; 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, Hail Mary, Glory be…
THE SECOND STATION
JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS (Mt 27:27-31)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on His shoulders thought of us, and for us offered to His Father the death He was about to undergo.
People: My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations You have destined for me until death. I beseech You, by the merits of the pain You did suffer in carrying Your Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent 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, Hail Mary, Glory be…
THE THIRD STATION
JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME (Is 53:4-6)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider this first fall of Jesus under His Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that He could scarcely walk, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times on His journey.
People: My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but my sins, which have made You suffer so much pain. Ah, 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 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, Hail Mary, Glory be…
THE FOURTH STATION
JESUS MEETS HIS SORROWFUL MOTHER (Lk 2:34-35,51)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly. People: 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 was overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by your intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of Your Son. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent for 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 be…
THE FIFTH STATION
SIMON HELPS JESUS TO CARRY THE CROSS (Lk 23:26-27)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how the Jews, seeing that at each step Jesus took was weakening Him to the point of expiring, and fearing that He would die on the way, when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the Cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the Cross behind our Lord.
People: My most sweet Jesus, I wiLl not refuse the Cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it; I embrace it. I accept in particular the death You have destined for me; with all the pains that may accompany it; 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, and to please You. Help me by Your grace. I love You, Jesus my love; I repent for 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 be…
THE SIXTH STATION
VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS (Is 53:2-3)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel, with which He wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His holy countenance.
People: My most beloved Jesus, Your face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it. Alas, 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 for 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 be…
THE SEVENTH STATION
JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME (Lam 3:1-2,9,16)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross, a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
People: 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. Oh, 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, Jesus my love; I repent for 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 be…
THE EIGHTH STATION
THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM WEEP OVER JESUS (Lk 23:28-31)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in such a pitiable state, streaming with blood, as He walked along. But Jesus said them: Weep not for Me, but for your children.
People: 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 have caused You, who has loved me so much. It is Your love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love You more than myself; I repent for 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 be…
THE NINTH STATION
JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME (Lam 3:27-32)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of His executioners was excessive, who tried to hasten His steps when He had scarcely strength to move.
People: Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness You did suffer in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect, and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise Your friendship. I love You, Jesus my love, with my whole heart; I repent for 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 be…
THE TENTH STATION
JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS (Mt27:33-36)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments adhered to His torn flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin came with them. Be compassionate to your Saviour who was cruelly treated, and say to Him:
People: My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment You 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 Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent for 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 be…
THE ELEVENTH STATION
JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS (Mk 15:25-27)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how Jesus, after being thrown on the Cross, extended His hands, and offered to His Eternal Father the sacrifice of His death for our salvation. These barbarians fastened Him with nails, and then, raising the Cross, allowed Him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet.
People: My Jesus! Loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Your feet, that it may ever remain there, to love You, and never quit You again. I love You more than myself; I repent for having offended You. Never permit me offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…
THE TWELFTH STATION
JESUS IS RAISED UPON THE CROSS, AND DIES (Mt 27:45-47,50)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how Jesus, after three hours Agony on the Cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies.
People: O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the Cross on which You died for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death; but Your death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Your death, give me grace to die, embracing Your feet, and burning with love for You. I yield my soul into Your hands. I love You with my whole heart; I repent for 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 be…
THE THIRTEENTH STATION
JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS (Mt 27:54-55)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how, after the death of our Lord, two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took Him down from the Cross, and placed Him in the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received Him with unutterable tenderness, and pressed Him to her bosom.
People: O Mother of sorrow, for the love of Your Son, accept me as your servant, and pray to Him for me. And You, my Redeemer, since You have died for me, permit me to love You, my Jesus, and I repent for 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 be…
THE FOURTEENTH STATION
JESUS IS LAID IN THE SEPULCHRE (Mt 27:57-60)
V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. R. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
Priest: Consider how the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by His holy Mother, who arranged it in the sepulchre with her own hands. They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew.
People: O my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses You. But You rose again on the third day. I beseech You, by Your resurrection, make me rise gloriously with You on the last day, to be always united with You in heaven, to praise You and love You forever. I love You, and I repent for ever having offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant me that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will.
“Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for my sins and those of the whole world.”
• FIRST STATION
Jesus is condemned to death
My Jesus, so meek and uncomplaining, teach me resignation in trials. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• SECOND STATION
Jesus carries His Cross
My Jesus, this Cross should be mine, not Yours: my sins crucified You. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• THIRD STATION
Our Lord falls for the first time
My Jesus, by this first fall, never let me fall into mortal sin. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• FOURTH STATION
Jesus meets His Mother
My Jesus, may no human tie, however dear, keep me from following the road of the Cross. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• FIFTH STATION
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His Cross
Simon unwillingly assisted You; may I with patience suffer all for You. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• SIXTH STATION
Veronica wipes the Face of Jesus
My Jesus, You did imprint Your Sacred features upon Veronica’s veil; stamp them indelibly upon my heart. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• SEVENTH STATION
The second fall of Jesus
By Your second fall, preserve me, dear Lord, from relapse into sin. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• EIGHTH STATION
Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem
My greatest consolation would be to hear You say: “Many sins are forgiven You, because You have loved so much.” Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• NINTH STATION
Third fall of Jesus
O Jesus, when weary upon life’s long journey, be my strength and my perseverance. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• TENTH STATION
Jesus is stripped of His garments
My soul has been robbed of its robe of innocence; clothe me, dear Jesus, with the garb of penance and contrition. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus is nailed to the Cross
You forgave Your enemies; my God, teach me to forgive mine. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• TWELFTH STATION
Jesus dies on the Cross
You are dying, my Jesus, but Your Sacred Heart still throbs with love for Your sinful children. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• THIRTEENTH STATION
Jesus is taken down from the Cross
Receive me into your arms, O Sorrowful Mother; and obtain for me perfect contrition for my sins. Ask your Son to have mercy on me and on the whole world.
• FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus is laid in the Sepulchre
When I receive You into my heart in Holy Communion, O Jesus, make it a fit and abiding place for Your Adorable Body. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.
THE 14 “CONSIDER…” MEDITATIONS ON THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST
(These reflections can be used as Stations of the Cross. In this case, pray at each station: “We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.” The following act of contrition may be used: “I love You, Jesus, my love above all things. I repent with my whole heart 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.”)
I. JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH
Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.
(Our Father; Hail Mary; Glory be; to be repeated after each meditation.)
II. JESUS RECEIVES THE CROSS
Consider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on his shoulders, thought of us, and offered for us to his Father the death he was about to undergo.
III. JESUS FALLS FOR THE FIRST TIME
Consider the first fall of Jesus under his Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, his head was crowned with thorns; he had lost a great quantity of blood. So weakened he could scarcely walk, he yet had to carry this great load upon his shoulders. The soldiers struck him rudely, and he fell several times.
IV. JESUS IS MET BY HIS BLESSED MOTHER
Consider this meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Their looks became like so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.
V. THE CROSS IS LAID UPON SIMON OF CYRENE
Consider how his cruel tormentors, seeing that Jesus was on the point of expiring, and fearing he would die on the way, whereas they wished him to die the shameful death of the Cross, constrained Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross behind our Lord.
VI. VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS
Consider how the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so ill-used, and bathed in sweat and blood, wiped his face with a towel, on which he left the impression of his holy countenance.
VII. JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME
Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross; a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds in his head and members.
VIII. THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM MOURN FOR OUR LORD
Consider how these women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in such a pitiable state, streaming with blood, as he walked along. ‘Daughters of Jerusalem’, said he, ‘weep not for me, but for yourselves and for your children’.
IX. JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME
Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of his executioners excessive, who tried to hasten his steps when he could scarcely move.
X. JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS
Consider the violence with which Jesus was stripped by the executioners. His inner garments adhered to his torn flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin came with them. Take pity on your Saviour thus cruelly treated.
XI. JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS
Consider how Jesus, having been placed upon the Cross, extended his hands, and offered to his Eternal Father the sacrifice of his life for our salvation. Those barbarians fastened him with nails, and then, securing the Cross, allowed him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet.
XII. JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
Consider how Jesus, being consumed with anguish after three hours’ agony on the Cross, abandoned himself to the weight of his body, bowed his head and died.
XIII. JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS
Consider how, after our Lord had expired, two of his disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took him down from the Cross and placed him in the arms of his afflicted Mother, who received him with unutterable tenderness, and pressed him to her bosom.
XIV. JESUS IS PLACED IN THE SEPULCHRE
Consider how the disciples, accompanied by his holy Mother, carried the body of Jesus to bury it. They closed the tomb, and all came sorrowfully away.
QUESTION: “…I do nontice people still going around the Stations of the Cross… When did the devotion of doing the Stations of the Cross begin? … Would you recommend it as a practice for Lent?
ANSWER: The answer to your second question is that I would certainly recommend it as a devotional practice for Lent. Lent is a time of prayer and penance in preparation for Easter – for Christ’s death and Resurrection. The Stations of the Cross, prayed at home or in the church, with their focus on the suffering of Christ as he made his way to Calvary is an ideal prayer and practice for Lent.
When did this devotion begin? The devotion to the passion of Christ actually began with the Crucifixion but it developed into its present form through the efforts of Franciscan Friars in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Franciscan preachers and writers began spreading the devotion worldwide, publicising the spiritual richness of the devotion.”
– This article was published in “Saint Martin Magazine” issue March 2004. For subscriptions please visit http://www.stmartin.ie (external link).
CONTEMPLATING THE LORD’S SUFFERINGS – A WAY OF THE CROSS
Give yourself up contemplating, imitating, and tenderly pitying the all-holy life, sufferings and death of our Saviour Jesus Christ… Leave all that perishes and gather that which is eternal… There is no knowledge half so momentous as the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His mysteries, nothing which is of more immediate and practical use to men.
THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS
(Before each station, please pray: “We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.” After the suggested Bible reading and stated prayer, please pray for each station: “Lord, by Your Cross and Resurrection You have set us free. You are the Saviour of the world.”)
The Stations can be prayed in any Catholic church; every church has the images of the 14 Stations displayed. Alternatively, you can meditate on the Stations at home, reading the Bible passages, praying, reflecting, meditating on each Station – preferably for at least half an hour every day.
FIRST STATION
Jesus is condemned to death
Reading: Jn 19:4-16
Lord Jesus, if I have to judge, let me do so with justice, mercy and selflessness.
SECOND STATION
Jesus takes up His Cross
Reading: Mat 11:29-30
Lord Jesus, I wish to take up my cross with you daily. Help me to bear patiently whatever comes my way.
THIRD STATION
Jesus falls for the first time
Reading: Is 53:6-12
Lord Jesus, may the suffering You endured restore hope to a fallen world, bringing healing and comfort to those who suffer.
FOURTH STATION
Jesus meets His Mother
Reading: Lk 2:22-35
Lord Jesus, You willed that Your Mother should be with You on Your way to Calvary: give me an undaunted spirit to face life’s trials as Mary Your Mother did.
FIFTH STATION
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry His Cross
Reading: Is 52:14
Lord Jesus, give me a generous heart to accept my duties and responsibilities even when they seem too heavy to bear.
SIXTH STATION
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Reading: Is 53:2-5
Lord Jesus, imprint on me Your virtues of compassion, kindness, love, meekness, patience and forgiveness.
SEVENTH STATION
Jesus falls for the second time
Reading: Heb 5:7-10
Lord Jesus, when all my efforts seem to fail, help me to trust in Your help.
EIGHTH STATION
The women of Jerusalem mourn for Jesus
Reading: Lk 23:27-32
Lord Jesus, You found the strength to console the women of Jerusalem despite Your own sufferings; give me strength to bring comfort to those in sorrow.
NINTH STATION
Jesus falls the third time
Reading: Rom 7:15-25
Lord Jesus, when anxiety and fear cause me to lose heart, give me support that I may walk steadily in Your way.
TENTH STATION
Jesus is stripped of his garments Reading: Jn 19:2-24 Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to detach my heart from all sinful vanities, so that I may seek only You, my supreme and eternal happiness.
ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus is nailed to the Cross
Reading: Lk 23:33-43
Lord Jesus, help me to heal the wounds caused by hate and to witness to Your love that did not count the cost.
TWELFTH STATION
Jesus dies on the Cross
Reading: Lk 24:44-49
Lord Jesus, Your death brought life into the world. Grant that my life may be a source of joy to those whose paths cross mine.
THIRTEENTH STATION
Jesus is taken down from the Cross
Reading: Mt 27:55-58
Lord Jesus, help me to approach death unafraid, confident that I have tried to do Your will.
FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus is placed in the tomb
Reading: Mk 15:42-47
Lord Jesus, give us strength to endure our daily frustrations and sufferings, and make us understand that You give meaning even to our death. Amen.
“Jeanne Jugan was born on October 25, 1792, in the midst of the French Revolution, in the little village of Petites Croix, near Cancale (Ille-et-Vilaine), as the sixth child of a poor fisherman. At the age of only six years she lost her father, who never returned from a fishing expedition at sea. Twice the young girl received marriage proposals. Each time she declined. With regard to a sailor who asked for her hand in 1816, she explained to her mother: ‘God wants me for himself. He wants me for a work that has not yet been started.’
In 1817 Jeanne Jugan began to work in the Hospital Rosais in Saint-Servan, caring for the sick. In this connection she accepted the invitation of a certain Mademoiselle Lecoq to live at her house, not really as a domestic servant but rather as a friend and co-worker. With this pious lady she would call on the sick, day after day, for fifteen years and assist them. During this time Jeanne Jugan became a member of the Third Order of Saint Eudes in the Society of the Heart of the Admirable Mother (Societe du Coeur de la Mere admirable).
After the death of Mademoiselle Lecoq, Jeanne Jugan, together with her friend Francoise Aubert, rented a simple house in Saint-Servan; this served not only as their home, from which they went out to visit poor sick people, but also as a place where they took them in to care for them. The first woman they took in – and Jeanne Jugan gave up her own bed for her – was the blind, half-lame Widow Harraux.
BEGINNINGS OF THE CONGREATION OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR
This laid the cornerstone for the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, which was founded later. Gradually, as the poor sick people who were cared for in the house were joined by still other poor, old individuals, additional helpers, notably the eighteen-year-old orphan Virginie Tredaniel and her friend Marie Jamet, came also to care for the sick, and, together with Jeanne Jugan and Francoise Aubert, they formed the foundation of the future community of Sisters. So as to provide the necessary support for this little community of Sisters, they began collecting alms. This was to become and remain a characteristic feature of the Little Sisters of the Poor.
In 1842 Jeanne Jugan was elected superior of the little community, which more and more was assuming the form of a religious order. On this occasion two priests stood by her side, namely, the secretary (later the provincial) of the Hospitaller order of Saint John of God, Father Felix Massot, who instilled much of his order’s spirituality into the women’s community as it was being formed; and the chaplain in Saint-Servan, Father Augustin Le Pailleur, who indeed was a great help to the Sisters but who began to falsify the history of their congregation, in that he eventually presented himself as its founder and allowed himself too much influence over its direction. When Jeanne Jugan was reelected the superior of the small community in 1843, he considered the election invalid and appointed Marie Jamet as superior, though she was only twenty-three years old, whereas Jeanne Jugan, at age fifty-one, was assigned merely to collect alms, and she was prevented from having any part in the direction of the institute she had founded. In 1852 she had to go back to the novitiate house, which was located first in Rennes, then in La Tour Saint-Joseph (Saint-Pern). Here Sister Jeanne Jugan, who after professing vows had taken the religious name Sister Marie of the Cross, was sentenced to apparent inactivity for twenty-seven years, until her death on August 29, 1879. During all these years, however, she was for the novices of the growing congregation of nuns the embodiment of the ideal of the Little Sisters of the Poor and the living rule of this institute.
Jeanne Jugan was endowed with heroic humility; in 1879; when she fell asleep in the Lord, the community of the Little Sisters of the Poor – which had been approved definitely on March 1, 1879, by Pope Leo XIII – numbered 2,400 Sisters in 177 houses, and these were not only in France but had spread beyond Europe and America. At the beatification of Sister Jeanne Jugan on October 3, 1982, Pope John Paul II charcterised her as follows:
‘AND HE LIFTED UP THE LOWLY!’
Et exultavit humiles! And he lifted up the lowly! These well-known words of the Magnificat fill my spirit and heart with the feeling of joy since I have just declared the humble foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor one of the Blessed…[A] close reading of the Position on the virtues of Jeanne Jugan, as well as of recent biographies about her and her evangelical charity, inclines me to say that God could glorify no more humble a servant than her. Dear pilgrims, I have no fears about encouraging you to read or re-read these works which speak so well of the heroic humility of Blessed Jeanne Jugan as well as of that wondrous divine wisdom which so carefully arranges events destined to help a vocation to flower and a new order to blossom, an order which is at once ecclesial and social.
Having said this, I would like to meditate with you and for you on the reality of the spiritual message of the new Blessed Jeanne. Jeanne invites all of us, and I quote here from the Rule of the Little Sisters, ‘to share in the bliss of spiritual poverty which leads to total abandonment and lifts the soul to God.’ She invites us to this much more by her life than by those few words of hers which have been recorded and which are so marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit such as these: ‘It is so beautiful to be poor, to have nothing, to wait simply on the good God.’ Joyfully aware of her poverty, she depends completely on Divine Providence which she saw in her own life’s work and that of others.
LIVING THE GOSPEL
Still, this absolute confidence did not make her inactive. With the courage and faith that characterises the woman of her native land, she did not hesitate to beg on behalf of the poor whom she cared for. She saw herself as their sister, their ‘Little Sister’. She wanted to identify with all of the elderly who were often so sickly and even abandoned. Is this not the Gospel in its pure form? (cf. Mt 25:34-41). Is this not the way which the Third Order of St John Eudes had taught her, ‘…to have one life, one heart, one soul, one will with Jesus,’ to join together all those whom Jesus singled out, the little ones, and the poor? Thanks to her daily exercises of piety – long periods of silent prayer, participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice and reception of Holy Communion more frequently than was the custom at that time, thoughtful recitation of the Rosary which she never stopped, and fervently kneeling as she made the Stations of the Cross – the soul of Jeanne was steeped in the mystery of Christ the Redeemer, especially in his passion and his cross. Her name in religion, Sister Mary of the Cross, is a real and moving symbol of this. From her native village of Petites-Croix (in English, Little Crosses – was this a coincidence or a sign?) until her departure from this world on 29 August 1879, this foundress’ life can be compared to a long and fruitful Way of the Cross, lived in the joyful peace of the Gospel.
SIMPLICITY AND HUMILITY
Must we not recall here that four years after the foundation of the Order she was exposed to the abusive and public meddling of some of her first companions? She allowed herself to be stripped of the office of superior, and a little later she went back to the Motherhouse for a retreat which was to last twenty-seven years, without the slightest complaint. Saint John Eudes, her spiritual [father], used to say, ‘The real measure of sanctity is humility’. Speaking to the Little Sisters, she would often say, ‘Be little, stay little! If we begin to consider ourselves as something, we would no longer be praising God, and we would collapse!’ Jeanne really surrendered herself to the spiritual life. In her long retreat at the Tour Saint-Joseph, many novices and Little Sisters came under her decisive influence and she left on her Congregation the stamp of her spirit by the quiet but eloquent radiance of her life.
In our day, pride, the search for success, and temptation to power all run rampant, and sometimes, unfortunately, even in the Church. They become an obstacle to the coming of the Kingdom of God. This is why the spirituality of Jeanne Jugan can attract followers of Christ and fill their hearts with simplicity and humility, filled with hope and the joy of the Gospel, strengthened by God and by forgetfulness of self. Her spiritual message can lead all those baptised and confirmed to a rediscovery and a practice of that realistic chaity which is stunningly effective in the life of a Little Sister, or of a lay person whenever the God of mercy and hope reigns over her completely.
A GREAT HUMAN FAMILY
Likewise, Jeanne Jugan has left us an apostolic lesson in reality. You could say that she received the Spirit as a kind of prophetic intuition born of the needs and deep desires of the elderly: their desire to be respected, esteemed and loved; their fear of loneliness and at the same time their wish for independence and intimacy; the sadness of feeling no longer useful; and very often, a desire to deepen their life of faith and to live it all the more. I would even add that, never having read the beautiful words of Gaudium et Spes, Jeanne already secretly agreed with what they say about establishing a great human family where all men are treated as brothers (n. 24) sharing the world’s goods according to the law of justice (n. 69) which is inseparable from the law of charity. Though the structures of the social security system have done away which much of the misery of Jeanne Jugan’s time, still her daughters come across the misery of the elderly in many different countries today. And even where these structures do exist, they often do not provide the kind of home atmosphere the elderly so deeply desire and need for their physical and spiritual well-being. You can see it today: in a world where the number of older people is constantly growing…, the timeliness of the apostolic message of Jeanne Jugan cannot be disputed. From the start, the foundress wanted her Congregation not to limit itself to the West of France, but to become a real network of family homes where each person would be received, honoured and even, to the extent possible, brought to a new widening of his or her existence.
THE LITTLE SISTERS TODAY
The timeliness of the apostolate undertaken by this foundress can be seen from the fact that there are today constant requests to be admitted to these homes and to found new ones. When she died, two thousand four hundred Little Sisters were ministering to the needs of the poor and aged in ten countries. Today, there are four thousand and four hundred of them in thirty nations and on six continents. The whole Church and society itself must admire and applaud the amazing growth of this little seed of the Gospel, sown in the soil of Brittany, and here, a hundred and fifty years later, so poor in possessions but rich in faith.
May the beatification of their dear Foundress bring to the Little Sisters new strength to be faithful to the charism of their mother. May this event have the effect of drawing more and more young girls throughout the world into the ranks of the Little Sisters. May the glorification of their fellow country-woman be a vigorous call to the parishioners of Cancale and the whole Diocese of Rennes to the faith and love of the Gospel. Finally, may this beatification be a source of joyous hope for all the aged of the world, thanks to the great witness of that lady who loved all of them so much in the name of Jesus Christ and of his Church!”
– “Example of Courage and Humility for Today’s World”, L’Osservatore romano, October 18, 1982
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