Stations of the Cross - Part 3

The 12th Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross


“Behold Jesus crucified! Behold His wounds received for love of you! His whole appearance betokens love. His head is bent to kiss you. His arms are extended to embrace you. His heart is open to receive you. Oh what love! Jesus dies on the Cross, to preserve you from eternal death.” –St. Francis of Assisi


The 13th Station: Jesus is Taken Down From the Cross


The body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the arms of His mother. Jesus proved that He has power over life and death by raising Lazarus from the dead. Instead of taking Himself off of the cross, He must be lifted from it by one of His disciples. In the midst of suffering and affliction, we must pray that we may persevere until the end. If Jesus Christ, the Son of God, prayed to the point of sweating blood, how much more do we need to pray.


The 14th Station: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb


In the Rite of Burial, the Church prays, “Lord Jesus Christ, by your own three days in the tomb, you hallowed the graves of all who believe in you and so made the grave a sign of hope that promises resurrection.”
As we keep vigil before the empty tabernacle from the crucifixion on Good Friday until Easter Sunday, and as we keep vigil before the graves of our loved ones, let us remember the vigil that the disciples kept during those three dark days, and thank God that He has given us the hope of resurrection.


The Resurrection of Our Lord (To be prayed on Easter Sunday)


Today we approach the tomb of Jesus with the women and the disciples, we see the stone rolled back and the burial clothes rolled up. Pope St. John Paul II wrote of this moment, “The empty tomb is the sign of the definitive victory of truth over falsehood, of good over evil, of mercy over sin, of life over death. The empty tomb is the sign of the hope which 'does not deceive' (Rom 5:5).


'[Our] hope is full of immortality' (cf. Wis 3:4).”


Lord God almighty,
you have prepared us for this Easter Sunday
by the self denial of Lent,
as we celebrate today
look upon us in Your mercy
shine the light of Your Presence upon us,
enlighten us with Your Truth,
and fill us with the Life of the Spirit,
that we may see your presence among us
as clearly as the Apostles saw you
in the upper room.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.