Here are the next three scriptures and prayers for the next three stations of the cross. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions…
Fourth Station: Jesus meets His Afflicted Mother
Lamentations 2:13
What can I say for you, to what compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For vast as the sea is your ruin; who can heal you?
John 19:25-27
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother=s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, our Teacher on the Way, your life on this earth was shaped by a mother who was utterly given over to the will of God in her life. Her prayer, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” reverberates throughout history as a picture of what it means to be totally given over to the will of God. I wonder what it was like to look into her eyes this day and see the pain that such willingness brought to her. Who could have imagined that it would all end so horribly? Was there any regret in her eyes? Lord Jesus Christ, our brother and our friend, your mother’s life teaches us that sometimes we must let go of that which we have birthed. We must allow it to be taken from us in order for it to be returned to us again. Sometimes it seems like this is the deepest pain of all. As we walk this way together, teach me how to bear this pain when it is time. Silence.
Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.
Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus Carry Cross
Psalm 141:2-52
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies. Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me.
Mark 15:20-22
After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull).
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, our Teacher on the Way, sometimes we need help. We need companions on the way to help us shoulder our burdens when they get too heavy. And yet, we are embarrassed to ask for help or unable to receive it when it is given. As we walk this path together, forgive me for my proud self-sufficiencies and for all the ways in which they wall me off from you and from others. Save me from the exhaustion that sets in when I am unable to receive the help I need. As we walk this way together, help me recognize the help that you send and to humbly receive it when it is given. Silence.
Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.
Sixth Station: Woman wipes face of Jesus
Sirach 6:14-17
Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter: whoever finds one has found a treasure. Faithful friends are beyond price; no amount can balance their worth. Faithful friends are life-saving medicine; and those who fear the Lord will find them. Those who fear the Lord direct their friendship aright, for as they are, so are their neighbors also.
Matthew 25:37-40
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Lord Jesus Christ, our Teacher on the Way, it is one thing to receive help because someone is pressed into duty; it is quite another to experience compassion freely given. I am taken with this woman whose compassion moved her to do the one small thing she could do for you. She could not save you from what was before you, but she could be kind to you along the way. She saw the blood and sweat pouring down your face and so she did something so simple. So needed. So true. She wiped your face. Would I have had the courage to step out of my safe place in the crowd and expose myself to danger in order to help a stranger? Would I have been able to calm my beating heart and queasy stomach long enough to reach out or would I have been paralyzed by fear? If I had been the one exhausted and bloodied on the road, would I have had the humility to receive the ministry of a stranger? As we walk this path together, help me to see the one small thing I can do for you and help me to do it before the moment passes. Silence.
Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.
***FYI, Sirach and also known as the Book of Ecclesiasticus or Ben Sira, is a work of ethical teachings, from approximately 200 to 175 BCE, written by the Jewish scribe Ben Sira of Jerusalem, on the inspiration of his father Joshua son of Sirach, sometimes called Jesus son of Sirach or Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira. While it’s not part of the actual canon we have as our Bible and is considered part of the Bible in the Catholic Church, it is still a great source of wisdom and encouragement.