Meditations and Prayers
I
Jesus is Condemned to Death
Meditation
Recall how Jesus was scourged and crowned with thorns, and how He was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, it was not Pilate; but my own sin that condemned You to death. I pray the same Grace that assisted You through Your sufferings on the way to Calvary will aid my soul on its journey to eternity.
II
Jesus Accepts His Cross
Meditation
Recall how the heavy cross was laid upon Jesus’ battered shoulders. He received it meekly, even joyously, because that cross was God’s plan to redeem the world.
Prayer
Jesus, by the power of Your Cross, grant me the Grace to always be ready to take up my cross and follow you.
III
Jesus Falls for the First Time
Meditation
Laboring under the weight of the cross, Jesus begins His journey to Calvary. His agony in the garden had exhausted His body; He is in anguish from the brutal beatings; His strength fails Him, and he falls under the gruesome weight of the Cross.
Prayer
It was for my sins, Jesus, that You carried the heavy burden of Your Cross and fell under its weight. By my remembrance of these sufferings make me careful, lest I fall into mortal sin.
IV
Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother
Meditation
Recall the meeting between Son and Mother on the way to Calvary. How oppressive that experience must have been for them! What a sword of anguish must have pierced Mary’s maternal heart!
Prayer
Jesus, by the compassion which You felt for Your Mother, have compassion on me, and allow me the benefit of her intercession. May Mary and all the saints intercede for me that I may learn humility by Christ’s suffering, and be saved from the wrath to come.
V
Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
Meditation
Recall how Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service when Jesus’ strength was exhausted, and he was forced to help Jesus carry His Cross.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, let me also bear Your Cross; let me glory in nothing else. Let the temptations of this world be crucified to me, and I to them. Let me not shrink from the cross; let me rather rejoice to be counted worthy of suffering its shame for Your name’s sake.
VI
Veronica Offers Her Veil to Jesus
Meditation
Recall (according to Christian tradition) how Veronica (a woman from Jerusalem) upon seeing Jesus so battered and bloody, offered Him her veil. Jesus took the veil, wiped His face, and left imprinted on the cloth the Image of His Divine Countenance.
Prayer
Jesus may the remembrance of Your suffering move me to hatred of my sins and may it stir in me a more fervent love for You. Let the Image of Your Countenance be impressed upon my mind, until I am made over in Your likeness.
VII
Jesus Falls for the Second Time
Meditation
Recall how Jesus, bearing the Cross, and the weight of our sin, collapsed for a second time.
Prayer
Jesus, lying under the burden of my sins, how often have I offended You in the past? Make my spirit tender to Your Will so I might give you no offense in the future.
VIII
Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem
Meditation
Upon seeing women shedding many tears, Jesus said, “Do not weep for me; but weep for your children.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I grieve for Your sufferings. It was, indeed, my sin which caused it. Help me embrace Your merciful sacrifice so I may escape the awful judgment that awaits those who reject or neglect You in this life.
IX
Jesus Falls for the Third Time
Meditation
Jesus arrived exhausted at the foot of Calvary and fell once more. His brutal executioners were merciless as they drove Him to His impending death.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I pray that You will forgive my frequent falls into sin and my slowness to rise and return to You. Let the memory of Your suffering cause me to hate my sin and encourage me to fall upon Your great Mercy.
X
Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
Meditation
Remember, at the place of His Crucifixion, how Jesus was shamefully stripped bare before the scoffing crowd.
Prayer
Blessed Jesus, may I be painfully aware of my own nakedness and sin as I seek Your clothes of Righteousness and the covering of Your Love.
XI
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
Meditation
Recall how Jesus lies down upon His Cross, and how He extends His arms to offer up the sacrifice of His life for our Salvation. The soldiers nail Him, hands, and feet to His gibbet. And then they raise it, leaving Him to die in terrible anguish.
Prayer
My crucified Jesus, bind my heart to Your cross, and let it remain there always, never again to forsake You, or Your tender Mercies.
XII
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Meditation
Remember how Jesus agonized for three hours, dying upon the Cross. Then, overcome at last, His body sagged, His head fell forward, and He released His Spirit.
Prayer
Blessed Jesus, I honor that Holy Cross upon which You loved me even unto Death. In Your Death is all my hope! I pledge my life to You and seek to serve You in this world and in Your Holy Kingdom.
XIII
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
Meditation
Ponder how two of His disciples, Joseph, and Nicodemus, took Jesus’ body down from His cross, and how they laid Him in the arms of His stricken Mother. She received Him with tenderness, pressing Him close to Her wounded heart.
Prayer
Mother of Sorrows, for the love of Your Son, pray to God on my behalf. And You, dear Jesus, who died for me, let me love and desire You above all else.
XIV
Jesus is Laid in the Sepulcher
Meditation
The Body of Her beloved Son is taken and laid in a tomb. It is closed, and the lifeless Body remains until the hour of its glorious Resurrection.
Prayer
Jesus, You were buried in a tomb, but on the third day You rose in Glorious Life! By Your Resurrection, call me to rise in Glory on the last day, to forever be united with You. Brothers and Sisters: If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of Almighty God: mind His Commandments and the work of His Kingdom. When He returns in Glory, you shall ever be with Him.
Gods By Grace 
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