This post contains the final three, Twelth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Stations of The Cross from my personal prayer book, “Blessed Be God.” I hope these meditations have provided you with a way for thoughtful reflection and prayer during Lent.
“When noon came, darkness fell on the whole countryside and lasted until midafternoon. At that time Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Mark 16:33-34
Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross.
Pray: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that thy Jesus, after three hours’ agony on the cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandoned Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies.
O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the cross on which Thou didst die for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death; but Thy death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Thy death, give me grace to die, embracing Thy feet and burning with love of Thee. I commit my soul into Thy hands. I love Thee with my whole heart; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Permit not that I ever offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
“Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken, and, as another scripture says, ‘They will look on the one they have pierced.” John 19:31-37
Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross.
Pray: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that, our Lord having expired, two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took Him down from the cross, and placed Him in the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received Him with unutterable tenderness, and pressed Him to her bosom.
O Mother of Sorrow, for the love of this Son, accept me for thy servant and pray to Him for me. And Thou, my Redeemer, since Thou hast died for me, permit me to love Thee; for I wish but Thee, and nothing more. I love Thee, my Jesus, and I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
“As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.” Matthew 27:57-61
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Sepulchre.
Pray: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Consider that the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by His holy Mother, who arranged it in the sepulchre with her own hands. They then closed the tomb and all withdrew.
Ah, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses Thee. But Thou didst rise again the third day. I beseech Thee, by Thy resurrection, make me rise glorious with Thee at the last day, to be always united with Thee in heaven, to praise Thee and love Thee forever. I love Thee, and repent of ever having offended Thee. Permit not that I ever offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee; and then do with me what Thou wilt.
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