The Way of the Cross (St. Thomas'
8 February 2021
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Starting in the Garden with Unique Arrangement
Stations: Opening 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Conclusion
Before Stations of the Cross
It is appropriate to sit in quiet meditation prior to the beginning of the Stations of the cross. During this time you may:
- Meditate on a passage of scripture
- Pray for Christ’s church and the world
- Confession of Sins
This version of the Stations of the Cross may be done exactly written or the part of “Reader” may be done by the leader and the part of “Leader” read by all the group.
Between stations a verse of “Where you there…” may be sung. Or some other song or Verse, e.g., “Lord have Mercy. Christ have Mercy. Lord have Mercy."
Opening Devotions
Introduction (said at the foot of the altar)
Leader:
God of power and mercy,
in love your sent your Son
that we might be cleansed of sin
and live with you forever.
Bless us as we gather to reflect
on his suffering and death
that we may learn from his example
the way we should go.
We ask this through that same Christ, our Lord.
All:
Amen.
First Station
Jesus in the garden
Reader:
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.” He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 25:36-41
Leader:
Lord, grant us your strength and wisdom, that we may seek to follow your will in all things
Second Station
Jesus, betrayed by Judas, is arrested
Reader:
Then, while [Jesus] was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who had come from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying, “the man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him and lead him away securely.” He came and immediately went over to him and said, “Rabbi.” And he kissed him. At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.
Mark 14:43-46
Leader:
Lord,
grant us the courage of our convictions
that our lives may faithfully reflect the good news you bring.
Third Station
Jesus is Condemned by the Sanhedrin
Reader:
When day came the council of elders of the people met, both chief priests and scribes, and they brought him before their Sanhedrin. They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us,” but he replied to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond. But from this time on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further need have we for testimony? We have heard it from his own mouth.”
Luke 22:66-71
Leader:
Lord,
grant us your sense of righteousness
that we may never cease to work
to bring about the justice of the kingdom that you promised.
Fourth Station
Jesus is Denied by Peter
Reader:
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. One of the maids came over to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about!” As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazorean.” Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!” A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; even your speech gives you away.” At that he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately a cock crowed. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.” He went out and began to weep bitterly.
Matthew 26:69-75
Leader:
Lord,
grant us the gift of honesty
that we may not fear to speak the truth even when difficult.
Fifth Station
Jesus is Judged by Pilate
Reader:
The chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so.” The chief priests accused him of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.” Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed…. Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barrabas… [and] handed [Jesus] over to be crucified.
Mark 15:1-5, 15
Leader:
Lord,
grant us discernment
that we may see as you see, not as the world sees.
Sixth Station
Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
Reader:
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck him repeatedly.
John 19:1-3
Leader:
Lord,
grant us patience in times of suffering
that we may offer our lives as a sacrifice of praise.
Seventh Station
Jesus bears the cross
Reader:
When the chief priests and the guards saw [Jesus] they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him.” … They cried out, “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha.
John 19:6, 15-17
Leader:
Lord,
grant us strength of purpose
that we may faithfully bear our crosses each day.
Eighth Station
Jesus is Helped by Simon the Cyrenian to Carry the Cross
Reader:
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
Mark 15:21
Leader:
Lord,
grant us willing spirits
that we may be your instruments on earth.
Ninth Station
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
Reader:
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?”
Luke 23:27-31
Leader:
Lord,
grant us gentle spirits
that we may comfort those who mourn.
Tenth Station
Jesus is crucified
Reader:
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. [Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”]
Luke 23:33-34
Leader:
Lord,
grant us merciful hearts
that we may bring your reconciliation and forgiveness to all.
Eleventh Station
Jesus promises his kingdom to the good thief
Reader:
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43
Leader:
Lord,
grant us perseverance
that we may never stop seeking you.
Twelfth Station
Jesus speaks to his mother and the disciple
Reader:
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
John 19:25-27
Leader:
Lord,
grant us constancy
that we may be willing to stand by those in need.
Thirteenth Station
Jesus dies on the cross
Reader:
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until 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.
Luke 23:44-46
If Possible it is appropriate to kneel and keep a moment of silence before proceeding.
Leader:
Lord,
grant us trust in you
that when our time on earth is ended
our spirits may come to you without delay.
Fourteenth Station
Jesus is placed in the tomb
reader:
when it was evening, there came a rich man from arimathea named joseph, who was himself a disciple of jesus. he went to pilate and asked for the body of jesus; then pilate ordered it to be handed over. taking the body, joseph wrapped it [in] clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.
Matthew 27:57-60
Leader:
Lord,
grant us your compassion
that we may always provide for those in need.
Conclusion
Closing Prayer:
Leader:
Lord Jesus Christ,
your passion and death is the sacrifice that unites earth and heaven
and reconciles all people to you.
May we who have faithfully reflected on these mysteries
follow in your steps and so come to share your glory in heaven
where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit
one God, for ever and ever.
All:
Our Father…
Scripture excerpts are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament Copyright © 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce these excerpts in free distribution of these stations.
Pictures are taken from the Unique Stations of the Cross at St Dominic’s Church, Barbados
What was the cross of Jesus like?
Just as Jesus was at the center of the cross when He was crucified, so the cross has become the center of Christianity. The symbol is seen not only in churches and cathedrals, but on necklaces, key chains, rings, and pendants.
Strange, isn’t it, that an implement of execution should find such common expression. We would surely be appalled to see someone with a small guillotine dangling from an ear lobe, or a gold-plated electric chair on a charm bracelet.
Yet the cross of Jesus has overcome all the negative associations to symbolize instead the meeting of God and man; the fusion of deity and humanity and the blood sacrifice that redeemed us all.
There is no definitive description of what that original cross looked like. Based on archeological evidence, crosses used in crucifixions were rough-hewn planks nailed together where they met. Criminals were often called to drag the crosses, weighing 110 pounds or more, to their execution places.
To make the executions take longer, the Romans nailed a small platform to the foot of the cross where the criminal’s feet were nailed. This allowed the victim to push upwards enough to get a breath of air and stave off suffocation.
If we could see the cross of Jesus as it was when He died, its bloodstains would testify to the blood sacrifice made in our behalf. We would still see the holes in the wood where His hands and feet were nailed.
And we could imagine, once again, the power of God descending from heaven into that upright beam and meeting - and redeeming - our sinful nature there: At the cross of Jesus.
Pictured are three types of crosses commonly used by the Roman army in the first century A.D. Each carried an inscription stating the victim’s capital offense and a seat-like projection, not designed for the victim’s comfort, but to prolong their agony. Nails and ropes held the victim’s legs and arms in place. The cross on the left was called a “high tau” cross because it was shaped like the capital Greek letter tau (“T”). The middle cross was known as a “low tau” cross, shaped like the lower case tau (“t”). In both cases the central post was generally set permanently in the ground while the cross bar was carried to the site by the victim. The cross on the right was an actual tree still in the ground (dead or alive) with its limbs serving as the cross bar. Jesus was probably crucified on a “low tau” type cross.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Cor. 15:3-4)