The Way of the Cross - Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church

The Way of the Cross“Reflections Inspired by the Diary of St. Faustina”

By OUR LADy OF THE CAPE DivinE mERCy CEnACLEBLESSED SACRAmEnT PARiSHOTTAwA, OnTARiO, CAnADA

INSIDE FRONT COVERDOES NOT PRINT

References and Contributions

This book was inspired by Anthony Brown, a parishioner of Blessed Sacrament Parish.

All Photos of the Stained Glass Windows and Stations of the Cross, as found at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Ottawa, Ontario, were taken by Konrad Huestis.Front Cover: The Crucifixion Window – produced in Munich, Germany by Franz Mayer and Company and installed in May 1953.Back Cover: The Resurrection Window Stations of the Cross: ‘Bas Relief’ made specifically for Blessed Sacrament Parish. The small, one-line prayers beneath each title of the Stations, are meant to serve as the conclusion of the meditation made at each Station. These prayers received approval of His Grace, Joseph Guillaume Forbes, Archbishop of Ottawa, 1928 – 1940.

Opening and Closing Prayers: Fr. Timothy P. V. NelliganQuote from St Francis of Assisi Starts each StationStation 1: Jennifer HuestisDiary: Divine Mercy in My Soul. Saint Faustina M. Kowalska. #289Cenacle Formation Manual # 1. Bryan & Susan Thatcher. Mercy, p.93Bible (New Revised Standard Version): Gospel of Luke 22: ...42Station 2: Mariette Ledo Diary #151 and #279Station 3: Henriette DeRoth Diary #1208Station 4: Marie Coombs Diary #449Station 5: Franklin Roy Diary #742Station 6: Carol Campbell Diary #372 and #373Station 7: Rosella Mac Neil Diary #593Station 8: Julia Moffat Diary #948Station 9: Norah Hoskinson Diary #1228, Bible (NRSV): Psalm 37:5 Station 10: Marie-Antoinette Spratt Diary #408 Station 11: Luisa Valbuena Diary #324Station 12: Jennifer Huestis Diary #324 and Diary #1032 Station 13: Carol Chamberlain Diary #1061 plus Catechism of the Catholic Church #2677Station 14: Franklin Roy Diary #1184 and #1190

Scriptural Quotations: New Revised Standard Version – Gospel of St. Luke.Editors: Marie Coombs, Franklin Roy and Fr. Timothy P. V. Nelligan

Imprimatur Father Timothy P. V. NelliganJanuary 2021Ottawa, Ontario CANADA

All Rights Reserved©

The Way of the Cross“Inspired by the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska”

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.Amen!

Opening PrayerHeavenly Father, help me as Your child to enter into this time of prayerful devotion. May I have true contrition in my heart, the conviction of faith to amend my life, the grace to reflect upon the unfathomable mercy of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who comes to us out of the Ocean of Mercy, and the courage He showed when He willingly entered into His Passion so as to overcome the weaknesses in my life. Strengthen me in the trials I face, O Lord, that I may know that Your Grace is sufficient enough for me. Amen.

Act of ContritionO my God I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

My Lord Jesus Christ, You have made this journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned You; but now I love You with my whole heart, and because I love You, I repent sincerely for having ever offended You. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey. You go to die for love of me; I wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.

Our Father; Hail Mary; Glory Be;

The First StationCHRIST IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH FOR US

“Jesus, I Thank You For Suffering For Me”

“Do not be surprised that you are sometimes unjustly accused. I Myself first drank this cup of undeserved suffering for love of you.” [Diary #289]

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.R/ Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

ReflectionJesus, because of FALSE accusations of blasphemy (that you claimed to be the Son of God, the Messiah) you were condemned to be crucified, an excruciatingly painful, humiliating, cursed death. You were condemned for TRUTH ....and Pilate washed his hands of your innocent blood. Why, Jesus? It is the Father’s Will that all be saved! And Who could be that Saviour? You, His Son, born of Mary, came to do the Father’s Will. In obedience You submitted to the penalty required for the sins of mankind, to “drink this cup of undeserved suffering” for love of us. For love of us, Jesus, You became The Divine Mercy, the act of love done for love itself.Oh, how You had already endured such spiritual, mental and emotional torment in the Garden of Gethsemane. You suffered as a man, abandoned, in that act of the will ...”not My will but Yours be done”. Your anguish was so intense Your sweat became drops of blood, the first drops of Your blood shed for us. Jesus, thankYou for suffering for me (and for the whole world). To comprehend the suffering You bore for our Salvation is impossible. Thank you, St. Faustina. By your obedience to the Father’s Will you became the Messenger of Mercy for our world. Through your own temporal and spiritual suffering Jesus’ call to His Mercy and the visions of His Passion, described in your Diary, I have come to understand more intimately, putting on the Cross of Christ. It is through sacrifice and suffering we fulfill our mission of bringing souls to Jesus. In describing your moments of mystical Union with Jesus we are inspired by, enlightened by and we desire that joy of Eternity with the Holy Trinity. By trusting the Father’s plan for our lives, we enter into the joy of suffering for Christ.

PrayerDear Jesus, this is the time of Mercy....have mercy on me, a sinner, immerse me in the ocean of Your Mercy. Please shower me with the grace to keep asking for your Mercy, the grace to be merciful always, and to Trust in You, completely!Amen.

The Second StationCHRIST RECEIVES HIS CROSS

“Jesus, I Accept My Cross As A Penance”

“My daughter do not be afraid of sufferings; I am with you.” [Diary #151]“The more you will come to love suffering…the purer your love for Me will be.”

[Diary #279]


ReflectionWhen I close my eyes and meditate on Your Passion, Lord Jesus, I can imagine how painful it must have been for You when You stood in front of Pilate, in front of all those people. You were mocked and laughed at and accused of crimes You had not committed…and You never said a word in Your own defence. You knew what was going on and You went through with it…and all this, for the love of me, for the love of all of us! No, I guess no matter how hard I try, I can’t really imagine or understand the magnitude of the love You have for each one of us.

You have shown me the way to You, but You never force me, You leave it all up to me. You show mercy to me time and time again, Lord, and You still don’t force me…You wait until I invite You in. You’ve shown me what I need to do – pick up my cross and walk with You. I don’t know how strong I am and how long I can last, Lord… My daily battles are constant reminders of how weak and imperfect I am, but I keep on going even when I feel lost and can’t feel Your presence. Is that what You’re asking me to do, Lord? I try to seek You in everything I do, but I often get carried away and fall right back into my old patterns. I am so often disappointed with myself time after time after time…and then, I catch a glimpse of You, I hear Your voice inside my heart, reminding me to stay focused on You, Jesus, and then I peacefully pray and am reminded to SURRENDER all my doubts and my fears to You Lord…and You are always there for me…and then I start over again.

PrayerThank you, Lord Jesus, for my daily crosses! Whenever I feel weak, I remind myself of what You said to St. Faustina “…Do not be afraid of suffering; I am with you.” [ibid]Amen.

The Third StationCHRIST FALLS FOR THE FIRST TIME

“Jesus, Forgive Me My Past Sins”

“May You be blessed, O God, for everything You send me. Nothingunder the sun happens without Your will. I cannot penetrate Your secrets

with regard to myself, but I press my lips to the chalice You offer me.” [Diary #1208]


ReflectionAs Jesus falls for the first time, bleeding and weak, yet forced to carry the heavy burden, I realize it is not the weight of the Cross but my sins which have made Him suffer so much pain.

Lord, teach me to suffer and to love while suffering. Your grace is sufficient to allow me to get up and walk further on the stony road of my life.

As I watch my husband suffer as he battles cancer for the past four years, I know he is on his journey home to the Father. Through good and bad days as I accompany my loved one, the gifts of daily life become more precious.

As we share our blessings of our fifty years of marriage, we praise and thank God for making choices that have brought us closer and closer to the boundless love of His Heart.

PrayerJesus, we trust in You! Amen.

The Fourth StationCHRIST MEETS HIS BLESSED MOTHER

“Mother Of Jesus, Pray For Us Sinners”

“I am Mother to you all, thanks to the unfathomable mercy of God…Be courageous. Do not fear apparent obstacles, but fix your gaze upon the Passion

of My Son, and in this way, you will be victorious.” [Diary #449]


ReflectionWhat an exchange of loving glances that must have been, as Jesus meets His Mother during the agony of carrying His Cross! His Mother Mary absorbing His pain while pouring out compassion and love as she suffers along with Him.

We must be mindful that Mary is our Mother too. As we carry our crosses throughout our lifetimes, we can pause on our journeys to find comfort in the loving embrace of our Heavenly Mother. She will guide us safely through the trials ahead.

PrayerDearest Mother Mary, thank you for being my Mother too. Please hold us in your loving embrace as we pour out our concerns to you.Guide us to meditate on the Sacred Passion of Your Son, Jesus, and to faithfully carry out the will of God which is Love and Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.Amen.

The Fifth StationSIMON HELPS CHRIST TO CARRY THE CROSS

“Jesus, I Will Help My Neighbour”

“I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbours always and everywhere. You must not shrink

from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first – by deed, the second – by word, the third – by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me…Yes, the first Sunday of Easter is the Feast

of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy…even the strongest faith is of no avail without works.” [Diary #742]


ReflectionThe meeting of Jesus and Simon of Cyrene on the path to Calvary pre-dates the Lord’s words to Saint Faustina by 1900 years. Still, Simon’s story helps us understand Jesus’ demand that we show mercy to our neighbours.Mercy? Scripture tells us that Roman soldiers ordered Simon to assume the burden of Jesus’ Cross. Was Simon acting out of fear rather than mercy?

No! The force of duty or circumstances need not exclude other, higher motives. Tradition suggests that Simon was a follower of Christ, and it is therefore reasonable to believe that Simon’s privilege of assisting Our Lord was rooted not only in obligation but in compassion and mercy. We might still wonder what Simon would have done if not at the point of a Roman sword but, in fairness, we should also acknowledge that the Father called Simon to play a truly agonizing part in the Plan of Redemption. Simon might well have hesitated to shoulder the Cross,knowing that his act of mercy in the moment would only prolong the Lord’s sufferings in His Crucifixion. The choice to show mercy may be a difficult one even as it fulfills God’s Will.

Scripture tells us only that Simon performed a deed of mercy: carrying Christ’s Cross. It is natural to believe that Simon also had words of comfort for Jesus and prayed for Him after they parted ways. Still, in that crucial moment on the path to Calvary, what was

most required of Simon’s mercy was action. Simon met the Lord where He was and enabled Him, in His frail humanity, to complete His Own supreme Act of Mercy.

In our daily lives we are less often led to demonstrations of mercy by commands than by the no-less-compelling misery and sin that surround us. It is our response that counts. As Simon met the Lord on the path to Calvary, we can meet people where they are with any one, or more, of three kinds of mercy. If taking action to “carry their cross” is not an option, our words of mercy can still help them. And our prayers that mercy be shown them will support them in ways we may never know.

PrayerLord, help us to recognize the great potential we have to exercise mercy towards our neighbours as we find them. Help us to take action for them where we can, to encourage and sustain them by our words, and to pray for them without ceasing.Amen.

The Sixth StationVERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF CHRIST

“Jesus, May I See Your Face Eternally”

“…love will give you strength…” [Diary #372]“I love all people because I see the image of God in them.” [Diary #373]


ReflectionMy Jesus, Veronica was a woman who loved You with the love with which I desire to love You. There she was in a crowd that hated You and only wanted pain and death for You. That crowd could have turned on her for being Your friend and yet she openly declared herself to be Your friend. Her love for You gave her courage to risk her own safety, to break free of the crowd and wipe your sweaty, blood-soaked face to comfort You in Your agony. She did not hide behind a self-protective love of herself. I can only imagine the gift You gave her in return. You must have gazed at her with a look that would have gone straight into her soul. At that moment there must have been a deep unity of being in an exchange of love that You had first given to her and now she was returning to You.

PrayerI pray to have the same courage as Veronica did; the courage that comes from receiving Your love and knowing Your image within myself. I pray to see Your image in other people and to love You in others even when it means I may be ridiculed and maybe even abandoned by people whose love and approval matter to me. I pray to have the strength to put the needs of others ahead of my own safety and security. Amen.

The Seventh StationCHRIST FALLS THE SECOND TIME

“Jesus, Forgive Me My Present Sins”

“O my Jesus, nothing is better for the soul than humiliations. In contempt is the secret of happiness…a continual act of humble prostration before the majesty

of God…As the soul continues to immerse itself more deeply into the abyss of its nothingness and need, God uses His omnipotence to exalt it.” [Diary #593]


ReflectionIt is hard to see someone fall, to fail at what he or she is doing. It is hard to see someone who is hurting, and Jesus is certainly hurting. It is hard even when it is a child, worse when a friend or a family member falls.

Falls are painful, whether they are physical or moral. But when it is Jesus, our God? How could this happen? Why did He let this happen? And how should we react? What should we learn from it?

We learn from St. Faustina that humiliation is good for us, good for our souls. God uses these acts to exalt them, He uses them for His purposes, which is ultimately for our good.

It requires us to cast aside our pride, to focus on God and our neighbours rather than ourselves. We must first see how big a problem our pride is, then we can work toeliminate it in our lives. In the process, we can begin to learn how misplaced our pride is and how often it covers up our insecurities. Regardless, it is still a negative factor in our lives and harmful for our salvation.

Look at what Jesus did for us. He certainly did not hang on to any pride, any self-concern. He was focused entirely on His goal: our Redemption. He was willing to do whatever it took to gain more for us. Through St. Faustina’s writings, we hear Jesus’ message for us. He is offering us such an easy path, so much easier than the one He took. If we learn how to take up our own small crosses, to focus on the important things in our life: the final destination for our souls, for us, our family and loved ones. He is desperate to give us His mercy. Let us do the only thing we can, while in this world: accept it. Ask for it. Beg Him for it. Let us pray for His mercy, for us and for everyone here on earth.

PrayerLord Jesus, You have done so much for us! Help us to always keep this in mind, to always remember how You took the hard path and are offering us the easier path: to follow Your example, to serve You by doing as You ask, to love You and all Your children. Amen.

The Eighth StationCHRIST WARNS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

“Jesus, Convert The Hardened Sinners”

“When I see Jesus tormented my heart is torn to pieces and I think: what will become of sinners if they do not take advantage of the Passion of Jesus: In His Passion, I see

a whole sea of mercy.” [Diary #948]


ReflectionCould you imagine being one of the spectators in the crowd at the Passion of our Lord?

Seeing how unbelievably cruel and sinful mankind is. Watching Jesus beaten, bleeding, humiliated, whipped, and exhausted, struggling under the weight of the cross. Imagine He sees you in the crowds crying and He stops to warn you. He tells all who are crying, not to cry for Him but to cry for themselves and the sons and daughters of Israel. Jesus’ mercy is evident; always thinking of others, even through His enormous suffering in His last hours.

Always encouraging, trying to make us understand, these women should save themselves and their children to grasp the gift of His Mercy. We need to confess our sins. Surrender ourselves and our children to our Lord. Praise Him, believe in His amazing gift of mercy.

He suffered and died for us. Let this realization strengthen our Faith. Even to the cross, Jesus’ sacrifice, His love and His continual mercy poured out for souls. He was still trying to convert you and convince you to turn away from sin and turn to our Father. He invites us to conversion by His love and His mercy. Why do so few of us reach out to grab it? We need to shout and make others realize His sacrifice was for all. Let this strengthen our faith, our love and our joy and let us pass this to our children and their children. So our Lord’s sacrifice and His death will not be in vain.

PrayerHelp us, Lord, to heed your warning and consider what is pleasing to our God and follow it. Forgive our sin and transgressions, Lord. Unite us with a blameless heart and a humble spirit. So, we can run to follow You. Let us and our children, and our children’s children take refuge in the Lord and surrender and be atoned by His precious gift of mercy. Amen.

The Ninth StationCHRIST FALLS THE THIRD TIME

“Jesus, Preserve Me From Future Falls”

“Today bring me the souls who have become lukewarm and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered

the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: “Father take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.”

For them, the last hope of salvation is to flee to My mercy.” [Diary #1228]


ReflectionO Jesus, I see You bowed to the earth enduring the pain and the extreme exhaustion. Grant that I never yield to despair but come to You for help in hardship and spiritual distress. As I look and feel your painful fall, Jesus, I tell myself how kind and divine You are. Jesus, You give me so much hope to be the person You need me to be. To be kind, to love my family and friends whom I share my life with.

Show them that You died for all of us. Help make our faith grow by knowing You, Jesus. It is a true joy to follow You!

PrayerO Jesus, please give us your love, strengthen us to follow you and listen for Your voice. Strengthen my will to live for You, Jesus. “Commit your way to the Lord; Trust in Him and He will act.” [Psalm 37:5]Amen.

The Tenth StationCHRIST IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS

“Jesus, Strip Me Of Worldliness”

“When I become immersed in the Lord’s Passion, I often see the Lord Jesus, during adoration, in this manner: after the scourging, the torturers took the Lord and

stripped Him of His own garment, which had already adhered to the wounds; as they took it off, His wounds reopened…” [Diary #408]


ReflectionHow many times we reopened the wounds of Our Lord in our daily lives by our behaviour and way of living? Do we always try to be charitable to our neighbour with our words and deeds?

To imitate Christ, we have to resemble Him in His suffering and humility!

Our Lord was humiliated in front of everyone when they stripped Him of His clothes and Scripture tells us, “that when the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His garments and made four parts, one for each soldier: also, His tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so, they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfil the Scripture, “They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”” [Jn 19:23-24]

According to St. Faustina’s understanding from Jesus, the bride must resemble her Betrothed.

PrayerLord, strip me from my ego.Lord, strip me from my gluttony and enable me to fast and pray.Amen.

The Eleventh StationCHRIST IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

“Jesus, Teach Me Patience”

“Pure love gives the soul strength at the very moment of dying. When I was dying on the cross, I was not thinking about Myself, but about poor sinners, and I prayed for

them to My Father. I want your last moments to be completely similar to Mine on the cross. There is but one price at which souls are brought, and that is suffering united

to My suffering on the cross. Pure love understands these words; carnal love will never understand them.” [Diary #324]


ReflectionJesus, I will unite my suffering with Yours. The Thursday evening before writing this reflection I started having pain on my shoulder. By 3:00 a.m. on Friday, the pain became excruciating; pain killers were not helping much. An image of Our Lord in agony being nailed to the cross came to me. My consolation was to unite myself to Him and share a little bit of His pain on the cross. I could not stop thinking about the excruciating pain He felt all along the Passion, but I especially meditated on the moment when He was nailed to the cross. He knew that the power of endurance would come from the love He had (has) for us. Love transcends pain. Being nailed to the cross meant no possibility of escaping from this fate.

I offered my pain for a person in need; that would take the focus from myself. But I did not have the power todo so by myself, I asked for help. Our Lord’s compassion was what gave me the strength. The magnitude of the pain did not change but uniting myself to Our Lord in such a moment made it bearable and even comforting. On Saturday morning I understood why I went through this experience. As strange as it may sound, I am most grateful for it.

PrayerDear Lord, let us discover the power of uniting ourselves to You in suffering, let us discover the meaning of pure love.Amen.

The Twelfth StationCHRIST DIES TO SAVE MANKIND

“Jesus, I Love You”

“... When I was dying on the Cross, I was not thinking about Myself, but about poor sinners and I prayed for them to My Father.” [Diary #324]

“... I thirst for the salvation of souls.” [Diary #1032]


ReflectionO my Jesus, you are hanging on the Cross, suffering so immeasurably that no human will ever be able to comprehend Your pain, physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Yet, You continue to work acts of Love and Mercy to complete the Father’s Plan for our Salvation. You asked Your Father to forgive us, whose sins nailed You to the Cross.

In Your Divinity You pardoned the Good Thief, mercifully granting him entry into Paradise. While Your Beloved Mother stood at the foot of the Cross, spiritually suffering Your Agony, You gave her to us as our Mother, in Faith, to take us under her mantle and lead us to You, Jesus, Our Saviour.

In the utmost human anguish, You experienced the feeling of total abandonment by Your Father and when You cried out “I thirst”, You were thirsting for the Salvation of souls. You told St. Faustina that You wouldsuffer this thirst until the end of time. When Your human body could support or sustain You no longer, and You had paid the price for our sins, You expired, dear Jesus.

When the centurion pierced Your side, into Your Heart, the fountain of unfathomable mercy opened up for souls. Jesus, You have saved mankind. Jesus I love you, but so imperfectly...the daily struggle against self-love can only be battled with Your Divine Mercy, which You thirst to pour out on me, and the whole world.

In the Divine Mercy Image Your gaze is that of Your gaze from the Cross. It is sad, with concern for our souls. You say.....ask Me for Mercy, Forgiveness, Grace and Love! Be merciful to others and Trust completely in Me!....as St. Faustina did through her life of suffering and joy. Pray and meditate on My Passion as you take up your cross and follow Me. Do not let this invitation to Eternal Life, the Way back to the Father, slip away by sloth or lukewarmness. Be vigilant and be joyful!

PrayerPour forth I beg You, dear Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, by the intercession of our Mother Mary, given to us by You in Your dying agony, Your Grace into our hearts and souls to pursue what You died for...Eternal Life in heaven with You, Our Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Thirteenth StationCHRIST’S BODY IS TAKEN FROM THE CROSS

“Body Of Jesus Be My Daily Food”

“Do not cry; I am not suffering any more. And for the faithfulness with which you accompanied Me in My sufferings and death, your own death will be a solemn one,

and I will accompany you in that last hour.” [Diary #1061]


ReflectionWhat does it mean to faithfully accompany Jesus in His sufferings? When Jesus was taken down off the cross and tenderly laid in His mother’s arms – the same arms that first embraced Him at His birth and last embraced Him after His death - her faithfulness never wavered. Her devotion to Him was steadfast. She accompanied Jesus through His suffering and death, never abandoning Him.

How often do we outstretch our arms for others? How often do we share Jesus’ debt by making small sacrifices every day? Do we take the easy way out by travelling along the wide path? Or do we stay and perform our duty-of-the-moment, opting to travel the narrow and more arduous path?

Do we make time for Him in our busy lives; time to contemplate His sufferings and Passion?

Do we stay until the Mass has ended, or do we leave and hurry back to the busyness of our lives? At times in our daily lives, we leave while You, Lord, are hanging on the Cross; we are not there when You are taken down. Oftentimes our busyness precludes us from “loving others”- and, in turn, loving You - as You have asked us to do.

Help us, Lord, to follow the example set by our Blessed Mother, to remain faithful to You and accompany You in Your suffering, despite all the hardships we may witness or endure. Help remind us that You never leave us to ourselves, instead You walk with us in the difficult times, and carry us in Your loving arms along the narrow path and may “we give ourselves over to [Mother Mary] now, in the Today of our lives. Our trust broadens further, already at the present moment, to surrender “the hour of our death” wholly to her care. May she be there as she was at her Son’s death on the cross. May she welcome us as our mother at the hour of our passing to lead us to her Son, Jesus, in paradise.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2677

PrayerMy dearest Lord Jesus, never permit me to be separated from You. May I follow You faithfully all the days of my life, always striving to stand at the foot of Your Cross, waiting with arms outstretched. Give me the grace to be able to accompany You in Your sufferings - to always be Your companion on life’s paths and forever in eternity.Amen.

The Fourteenth StationCHRIST IS LAID IN THE TOMB

“Jesus, Grant Me Perseverance”

“…And when it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds, and you will rise above human scorn and judgment.” [Diary #1184]

“From all My Wounds, like from streams, mercy flows for souls, but the wound in My Heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain spring all graces

for souls. The flames of compassion burn Me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world about My mercy.” [Diary #1190]


ReflectionJoseph of Arimathea, a secret follower of Christ, obtained Pontius Pilate’s permission to take charge of the Lord’s Body after His Crucifixion. Helped by Nicodemus, he wrapped the Body in linen cloths containing spices. He then placed the Body in a cave and rolled a stone across its entrance. Tradition tells us that Joseph, an elderly man, used his own tomb for this purpose. Joseph and Nicodemus are the last people on earth to see the Lord in His purely human form – what a dreadful sight this brutalized Body must have been, wounded in so many places. Looking upon this devastation, they must have been tempted to see it as the end of their hopes. Indeed, even the Apostles were so stupefied by the Crucifixion that they needed the Lord Himself to piece together the Divine Plan of Redemption for them on the road to Emmaus. The placing of the Lord’s broken Body in the Tomb speaks to the need to persevere in faith in difficult times. TheCrucifixion itself gives the supreme example. Mortally wounded on the Cross and bearing the sins of humanity, Christ moves beyond a sense of His abandonment to reconciliation with the Father to Whom He ultimately commends His Spirit. As the Lord Himself persevered on the Cross, Joseph of Arimathea and the Apostles had to persevere, in faith, beyond their experience of the Broken Lord into the Resurrection. So must we.

In doing so, however, we are apt to turn away from His Wounds. Unlike Joseph of Arimathea as he was laying the Body of Christ in the tomb, we know that the healing of the Resurrection will follow. Why dwell, then, on the carnage that preceded it? However, the Lord continues to bring us back to what He suffered on the Cross.

In particular, centuries after Joseph of Arimathea tended to His Body, the Lord spoke to Saint Faustina about the eternal importance of His sufferings. He tells her that His Wounds are not only a source of strength to the faithful in their own sufferings but, remarkably, the very channels of His Mercy for us. This is a blessed perspective not granted to Joseph of Arimathea. His experience told him of the horror of the Lord’s Wounds; the Divine Mercy devotion tells us of their power.

PrayerLord, as we persevere in faith, let us have recourse to Your Wounds as the source of the Mercy that You long to shower upon us! Amen.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, came into the world to bring us salvation. May I, having reflected on these Stations of the Cross, see the ongoing gift of redemption that Jesus embraced when He entered into His Passion. May I accept, with grace and courage, the suffering and trials You may permit in my life for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls. I ask this through the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Amen.

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The Way of the Cross - Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church