Carmelitemissionaries

St. Francis Xavier Province, India

Saturday, March 15

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS,MARCH ,2014.

COME BACK TO ME


In the name of the Father,Son and the holy Spirit, Amen.
Hymn- O Cross erected above the world, cross of our Saviour King.
Fount from which gushed the waters
Straight from the wound in his side,
Filling our lives with his gift of grace,
Cross of our Saviour King..!

Introduction: “The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected, and to be raised up on the third day. If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow Me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for My sake, that man will save it”.(LK.9:22-24 )
Lord Jesus, I truly repent of all my sins that caused you torment, suffering and death. Help me to recollect my sinfulness and meditate on Your goodness and your gift of salvation to all mankind, as I walk with  You along Your holy Way of the Cross.

 THE 1ST STATION:     JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH
V. We adore you o Christ and we bless you.
R. Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
‘Here is your king!’ said Pilate to the Jews.”Take  him away, take him away!’ they said. ‘ Crucify him!’     Jn 19:15
Reflection:
Today we condemn Jesus to death in: the physically handicapped, the blind, the hearing impaired, the mentally retarded, the elderly, the outcaste. We fail to make them full members of our communities.
S. Pause.
Prayer:
Lord, you call us to protect these least of our brothers and sisters. Forgive us for the times when we have been like the crowd shouting ‘crucify him,crucify him.’
S. Pause:
Have mercy on us o Lord, have mercy on us.

2nd STATION : JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS
We adore you..........
Because by your..........
They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out of the city to the place of the skull, or as it is called in Hebrew, Gologtha. Jn. 19:17
Reflection:
Let us think of all those who bear crosses: women who have been raped and must live with that memory; parents with retarted children; a family in which the bread-winner has been made redundant and is unable to find another job; children with alcoholic parents.

Prayer:
We pray for all those who bear crosses. May they experience Jesus walking with them as they struggle with their cross.We pray that all cultures may respect the rights and dignity of women.

Have mercy on us  o Lord, Have mercy on us.

Hymn -  If you wish to be my deciple,
Take up your cross and follow me.
Whoever loves his life, will only loose it.
It’s only sacrifice that brings one gain.

  
THE 3RD STATION:          JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME
We adore you........
Because by your ........
For though the virtuous man falls seven time, he stands up again, the wicked are the ones who stumble in adversity. Proverb 24:16
Reflection:
Let us think of people who experience their first fall: broken families; public figures who preach high ideals and yet are weak in some area of their private lives; people who enter politics or trade unionism  and then find themselves making  compromises; critizing; gossiping; pulling down one another & breaking hearts for their selfish desires & ulteria motives.

Prayer:
We pray for all those who have experienced their first fall. May the first fall of Jesus remind them that they need not give up their high ideals. May they accept the challenge to stand again.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the father.........

THE 4TH STATION: JESUS MEETS HIS AFFLICTED MOTHER
We adore............
Because  .........
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother’s sister; Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala       Jn.19: 25
Reflection:
Mary lives in the afflicted mothers who watch their children carry a cross: mothers who see their children go to prison or even condemned to death; mothers who watch their children die from illness; mothers who watch their children are misunderstood; unfairly criticized and humiliated, mothers whose children are drug addicts, homosexuals or lesbians or gays, mothers who see their children as rag pickers and are on the streets and railway stations.
Prayer:
Lord, we thank you for the Mary’s today, the courageous women whom you call to stand by the cross on which their children are being crucified. We pray to strengthen their faith  and courage  and bless them with good health of mind, body and spirit.


Hymn-    From the depths I call to you, O Lord, listen to my cry.
Lord, in compassion, listen to my pleading,
Listen to my cry,
If you refuse, Lord, to forgive your peoples sins,
We shall surely die
                           

 The 5th STATION:      SIMON OF CYRENE HELPS JESUS TO CARRY HIS CROSS
We adore you.............
Because by ...........
 As they were leading Him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus.     Lk. 23:26
Reflection:
Let us think of those who are Simon of Cyrene today: teachers who give extra attention to slow learners; the worker who is Simon of Cyrene for his or hers fellow workers; groups who are Simon of Cyrene to the young people who have been considered failures; organizations which provide for the homeless; orphanages, house bound; countries which assist other countries in times of  natural disasters.
Prayer:
 We thank you Lord, for calling on men and women to shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus. We thank you that they answer this call with courage and dignity.

Hymn : Come back to me with all your heart
Don’t let fear keep us apart.
Trees do bend, though straight & tall;
So must we to others call.
Long have I waited for your coming home to me
And living deeply our new life.

THE 6TH STATION:  VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS
We adore.....
Because by.........
‘But you’, he said,’ who do you say I am?’             Lk. 9:20
Reflection:
We would like to live at peace with all, we want a good life without conflict. Veronica preserves on her towel the disfigured face of Jesus. She is the preacher who shows up our conpromises, the hungry children, the disfigured bodies we see on the t.v., the people we have hurt because we took the easy way out. Hide from it as we try, Veronica still shows the world the face of Jesus.
Prayer:
We pray for all those who must be Veronicas in the world today. Give them courage to preserve the towel and be always ready to show the true face of Jesus to those who seek him.
Hail Mary...

 
THE 7TH STATION: JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME
We adore you....
Because by  .........
It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins.       Heb. 2:17
Reflection:
In this fall Jesus experiences the weakness of his brothers and sisters: we see in him people of power who freely choose to walk with little people, sharing their frustrations; the adults who confess their mistakes and  failures to the young, and ask for their forgiveness and encouragements; in Church leaders who search for the truth along with everyone else, experiencing pain and the anxieties that are common to all; teachers who toil side by side with their students, helping and being helped by them.
Prayer:
We thank you , Lord, for those leaders who keep alive in the world today Jesu’s way of authority. We pray especially for the Church,our Holy Father Pope Francis, Cardinals, bishops, priests, religious, nuns and for many new vocations to priesthood and religious life    to consecrate their lives to proclaiming the Gospel.
Our Father,Hail Mary,Glory be......
Have mercy on us O Lord, have mercy on us.
 
THE 8TH STATION OF THE CROSS:   JESUS SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN OF JERUZALEM
We adore you........
Because by..........
Large numbers of people followed him, and of women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said: ‘Daughters of Jeruzalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children’.    Lk 23: 27-28
Reflection:
Let us think of those today who turn to us with the message ‘weep not for me’ weep rather for yourselves and for your children’:The person afflicted with a terminal illness whose spirit is not crushed but who teaches us, the strong and the healthy, how to treasure the gift of life; a blind person who shows us that we are closing our eyes to the truth; the family that chooses to live a simple life-style and must face the scepticism of friends and relatives, but their way of life challenges our consumer society.
Prayer:
We thank you , Lord, for those people who, when we would console them, turn and challenge us to examine our lives.
 Have mercy on us O lord, have mercy on us.

Hymn-  Mother of God, plead with your son,
Pray for us sinners, Mary most pure.


THE 9TH STATION:    JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME
We adore you.....
Because by.......
‘I have toiled in vain, I have exhausted myself for nothing.’    Isaiah 49:4
Reflection:
Jesus is falling today in those who are being crushed by others: people who live under dictatorships; battered wipes ; children habitually abused and raped by their own parents or guardians; people so insulted are rejected that they have neither self-confidence nor self-respect.
Prayer:
Lord we pray for all those who remain in despair under the weight of their cross. We pray that, like Jesus, they may get up again knowing their cause is with the Lord and their reward with God.

Hymn – Yes, I shall arise and return to my Father,
To you O Lord, I lift up my soul,
In you, O my God, I place all my trust.

THE 10TH STATION:     JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS
We adore......
Because by......
When they had finished crucifying him they shared out his clothing by casting lots.      
 Mt.   27:35
Reflection:
Today, Jesus is stripped of his garments whenever people are stripped of their dignity: children made to feel failures by parents because they fail their examination; elderly people when they are treated hashly at government offices and in their own families; people whose culture is looked down upon because of the caste discrimination.
Prayer:
Forgive us for the time when we too strip others of their dignity. You call us to clothe the naked. Help us to be people who encourage others to grow in awareness of their dignity as children of God. We pray for all broken families, for unity within our community that God may enlighten & strengthen our bond of love with one another.

Hymn – We hail thee, Saviour and Lord, Thy cross ever be adored!


THE 11TH STATION:     JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS
We adore you......
Because.......
The people stayed there watching him. As for leaders, they jeered at him.’ He saved others’, they said, ‘let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the chosen one’.
Lk.23:35-36
Reflection:
Let us think of those who have been nailed to a cross: the worker who tries to organize his colleagues and is therefore victimized; the female employee who refuges to give in to the advances of her boss and suffers victimization or loses her job; those imprisoned for their commitment to justice and right.

Prayer:
Lord, we thank you for those people whom you have called to be nailed to the cross. Forgive us for the time when we too have been among the leaders jeering at them.

Hymn -  Were you there when they crucified my Lord ?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord ?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble,
Were you there when they crucified my Lord ?



 THE 12TH STATION:   JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
We adore you ....
Because.....
‘Father into your hands I commit my spirit’. With these words he breathed his last.
Reflection:
Let us think of those who, like Jesus, have died on a cross; martyrs  like Martin Luther King, Archbishop Romero, Maximilian Kolbe; our ancestors who died struggling against their oppressors, the silent prophet, the artist, the craftsman/woman whose talents have died under the cross of cultural domination.
Prayer:
Lord, we thank you for the witness of these people. We thank you that they, having lived and died like Jesus, have become a source of life for us. We pray for the safety  and empowerment of our women and our girl child.


Hymn- Into your hands we commend our spirit, O Lord,
Into your hands we commend our hearts.
For we must die to ourselves in loving you,
Into your hands we commend our love.


 THE 13 TH STATION:   JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS
We adore you.....
Because by.....
Having been assured by the centurian that Jesus was dead, Pilate granted the corpse to Joseph who brought a shroud, took Jesus down from the cross and wrapped him in the shroud..   Mk. 15: 45
Reflection:
 Let us think of those today who have been taken down from their own cross and placed in a tomb: parents in their old age abandoned by their own children, and now who see the sacrifices they made as futile; workers suddenly made redundant after working for a company for many years; people in places like Middle East who live daily with war and see no immediate prospect of peace.
Prayer:
Lord teach us what it is to endure in faith the emptiness of the tomb, save us from despair. Help us to realise that it is in silence and darkness, in the womb and in the earth, that new life forms. We pray for our young people who spend more time before the t.v. set, computers, mobiles.. and neglect their studies and family life.

Hymn-  Coming home, coming home, never more to roam!
            Open wide thy arms of love, Lord am coming home.


 THE 14TH STATION:   JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB
We adore you ....
Because by the .....
They wrapped the body in the linen clothes and placed it in the tomb. It was not a kind of farewell they wanted to say. Everything had to be done quickly because the sabath rest began at sunset. Having rolled large stone across the mouth of the tomb,they went away.Mk.15: 46
Reflection:
Let us spare a thought for those who are grieving, and for those who are in a tomb of loneliness or depression ; those who do not even  have the consolation of a burial because the bodies of their loved ones are never found.
Like Jesus ,we too must lie in the grave. But Jesus rises in triumph on the third day.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, grant eternal rest to all who sleep in death.  Have mercy on us and grant us the grace to rise to a new spiritual life, that dying to ourselves now, we may rise gloriously with you on the last day.
Hymn- Forgive my sins O Lord...
CLOSING PRAYER: Thank you lord,for sharing our struggles, our pain, our fear of death, and even death itself. Be with us in our sufferings. May we who have followed your painful journey to calvary, Witness to you by lives of prayer, love and service, and so come to share in your Easter victory. We ask this through, who live and reign with the father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever .Amen.
For the intention of the Holy Father:  Our father, Hail Mary and Glory....
Concluding Hymn- When the sun has set & the night is on,
When the darkness falls and the light has gone,
You be my light O Lord, and lead me on.
You be my light O Lord, and lead me on.

When am growing weak and my steps are slow
When the hopes are bleak and I’ve strength no more.
You be my strength O Lord and lead me on.
You be my strength O Lord and lead me on.

Sr. Cristina Pereira. C.m.

1 comment:

  1. As we approach the anniversary of Oscar Romero's martyrdom, we thought you might enjoy our music video honoring the Archbishop. Go to http://youtu.be/21CN815v2G0. More information may be found at TheMartyrsProject.com.

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