The Stations of the Cross
Oil Paintings from St. Joseph Catholic Church
Rayne, Louisiana
Opening Prayer
My Lord Jesus, I believe that when You gave me the gift of baptism, your life filled my soul. I believe that you dwell in me and I in You, and that in a mysterious but real way, You have made me one with You. Because you dwell in me, what I do, I do through You.
Thus, Your Way of the Cross two thousand years ago and this way of the cross that I am about to make are joined, are one way, our way of the cross.
Help me Lord to bear my small crosses today as You bore Your great cross, with love and a total acceptance of Your Divine Will. Help me walk with You on the Way of the Cross. Amen.
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| I. Jesus is condemned to death |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" 34 "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?" 35 "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?" 36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." 37"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." 38 "What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?" 40 They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion. John 18:33-40
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| II. Jesus Takes up His Cross |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: Now it was the day of preparation for thePassover; it was about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!" 15 So they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King ?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." 16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified. 17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. John 19:14-17
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| III. Jesus falls the First Time |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way ; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. Isaiah 53:4-7
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| IV. Jesus Meets His Mother |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed - 35and a sword will pierce even your own soul to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." Luke 2:34-35
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| V. Jesus is helped by Simon the Cyrene to carry His Cross |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross. Mark 15:21
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| VI. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, O LORD, I shall seek." 9 Do not hide Your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation! Psalm 27:8-9
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| VII. Jesus falls for a Second Time |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. Isaiah 63:9
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| VIII. Jesus meets the Women of Jerusalem |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. 28 But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 "For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.'30 "Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'FALL ON US,' AND TO THE HILLS,'COVER US.' 31 "For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Luke 23:27-31
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| IX. Jesus fall a Third Time |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: "You are those who have stood by Me in My trials ; 29 and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Luke 22:28-30
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| X. Jesus is stripped of His garments |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece.24 So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be"; this was to fulfill the Scripture: "THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS." John 19:23-24
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| XI. Jesus is nailed to the Cross |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others ; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One." 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine 37 and saying, "If You are the Kingof the Jews, save Yourself !" 38 Now there was also an inscription above Him, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." Luke 23:33-38
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| XII. Jesus dies on the Cross |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished !" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:28-30
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| XIII. Jesus is taken down from the Cross |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. John 19:38-40
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| XIV. Jesus is laid in the tomb |
Because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Scripture: Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in atomb which had been hewn out in the rock ; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid. Mark 15:46-47
