OrateRosarium

Stations of the Cross

Via Crucis

Walk with Jesus from Pilate’s court to the tomb, one station at a time. Each station has a painting, the traditional versicle and response, a short meditation and prayer by St. Alphonsus Liguori, and a verse of the Stabat Mater.

The Church traditionally prays the Stations on the Fridays of Lent and on Good Friday. But you don’t have to wait for Lent. Pray them any time you want to walk more closely with Jesus in His Passion: on a hard day, before Confession, or whenever His suffering is on your heart. Take your time at each station. Even a few quiet minutes with Him is worth it.

Opening Prayer

Make an Act of Contrition, then say:

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

Dear Jesus, Thou dost go to die
For very love of me:
Ah! let me bear Thee company;
I wish to die with Thee.

Jesus, crowned with thorns and bound, stands before Pilate, who washes his hands, as a Roman soldier looks on.

First Station

I. Jesus is condemned to death

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.

Prayer

My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins that condemned Thee to die. I beseech Thee, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in her journey towards eternity. I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I repent with my whole heart for having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 1

Stabat Mater dolorosa

iuxta crucem lacrimosa,

dum pendebat Filius.

At the Cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

Next: Station II · Back to top

Jesus takes up His heavy wooden cross on His shoulder, its foot dragging on the ground, as two Roman soldiers stand beside Him.

Second Station

II. Jesus takes up His Cross

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on His shoulders, thought of us, and for us offered to His Father the death He was about to undergo.

Prayer

My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations Thou hast destined for me until death. I beseech Thee, by the merits of the pain Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation. I love Thee, Jesus my love; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 2

Cuius animam gementem,

contristatam et dolentem

pertransivit gladius.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword has pass'd.

Next: Station III · Back to top

Jesus collapses for the first time outside Jerusalem's walls, one hand braced on the ground and the other gripping the heavy cross that presses down across His back, as a Roman soldier holds a rope.

Third Station

III. Jesus falls the first time

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider this first fall of Jesus under His Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that He could scarcely walk, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.

Prayer

My Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but of my sins, which have made Thee suffer so much pain. Ah! by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin. I love Thee, O my Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always; and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 3

O quam tristis et afflicta

fuit illa benedicta

Mater Unigeniti!

Oh, how sad and sore distress'd
Was that Mother highly blest
Of the sole-begotten One!

Next: Station IV · Back to top

Jesus, carrying His heavy cross on His shoulder, meets His sorrowful Mother, Mary, in a blue mantle outside the walls of Jerusalem.

Fourth Station

IV. Jesus meets His Mother

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this journey. Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.

Prayer

My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow Thou didst experience in this meeting, grant me the grace of a truly devoted love for Thy most holy Mother. And thou, my Queen, who wast overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by thy intercession a continual and tender remembrance of the Passion of thy Son. I love Thee, Jesus my love; 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 4

Quae maerebat et dolebat,

pia Mater, dum videbat

Nati poenas inclyti.

Christ above in torment hangs;
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying glorious Son.

Next: Station V · Back to top

Simon of Cyrene lifts the foot of the heavy cross to help Jesus carry it as a Roman soldier looks on.

Fifth Station

V. Simon helps Jesus carry the Cross

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider how His executioners, seeing that at each step Jesus from weakness was on the point of expiring, and fearing that He would die on the way, when they wished Him to die the ignominious death of the Cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian to carry the Cross behind our Lord.

Prayer

My most beloved Jesus, I will not refuse the Cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it; I embrace it. I accept in particular the death Thou hast destined for me, with all the pains that may accompany it; I unite it to Thy death, I offer it to Thee. Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of Thee, and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. I love Thee, Jesus my love; I repent of 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 5

Quis est homo qui non fleret,

Matrem Christi si videret

in tanto supplicio?

Is there one who would not weep,
Whelm'd in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?

Next: Station VI · Back to top

Veronica kneels holding up her linen veil, which bears a faint sepia imprint of the Holy Face like the Shroud of Turin, as Jesus carries His heavy cross and a Roman soldier looks on.

Sixth Station

VI. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider how the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel, with which He wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His holy countenance.

Prayer

My most beloved Jesus, Thy face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfigured it. Alas! my soul also was once beautiful, when it received Thy grace in Baptism; but I have disfigured it since by my sins; Thou alone, my Redeemer, canst restore it to its former beauty. Do this by Thy Passion, O Jesus. I repent of 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 6

Quis non posset contristari,

Christi Matrem contemplari

dolentem cum Filio?

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother's pain untold?

Next: Station VII · Back to top

Jesus falls a second time at the gate of Jerusalem, driven onto His hands and knees by the heavy cross across His back, as Simon of Cyrene strains to lift its weight.

Seventh Station

VII. Jesus falls the second time

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross, a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.

Prayer

My most gentle Jesus, how many times Thou hast pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend Thee! Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary help to persevere in Thy grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to Thee. I love Thee, Jesus my love; I repent of 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 7

Pro peccatis suae gentis

vidit Iesum in tormentis,

et flagellis subditum.

Bruis'd, derided, curs'd, defil'd,
She beheld her tender Child
All with bloody scourges rent.

Next: Station VIII · Back to top

Jesus, carrying His heavy cross on His shoulder, speaks to the weeping women of Jerusalem, one holding a young child.

Eighth Station

VIII. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider how those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in such a pitiable state, streaming with blood, as He walked along. But Jesus said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:28).

Prayer

My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offences I have committed against Thee, because of the pains they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure they have caused Thee, who hast loved me so much. It is Thy love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love Thee more than myself; I repent of 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 8

Vidit suum dulcem Natum

moriendo desolatum,

dum emisit spiritum.

For the sins of His own nation,
Saw Him hang in desolation,
Till His Spirit forth He sent.

Next: Station IX · Back to top

Jesus falls a third time on Calvary, crushed almost flat against the rocky ground by the heavy cross across His shoulders, as a Roman soldier stands over Him with a rope.

Ninth Station

IX. Jesus falls the third time

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of His executioners was excessive, who tried to hasten His steps when He had scarcely strength to move.

Prayer

Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness Thou didst suffer in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect, and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise Thy friendship. I love Thee, Jesus my love, with my whole heart; I repent of 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 9

Eia, Mater, fons amoris,

me sentire vim doloris

fac, ut tecum lugeam.

O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with thine accord.

Next: Station X · Back to top

A Roman soldier strips Jesus of His crimson robe as a kneeling man casts dice; His full-size cross lies on the ground before them.

Tenth Station

X. Jesus is stripped of His garments

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments adhered to His torn flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin came with them. Compassionate your Saviour thus cruelly treated, and say to Him:

Prayer

My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment Thou hast felt, help me to strip myself of all affection to things of earth, in order that I may place all my love in Thee, who art so worthy of my love. I love Thee, O Jesus, with my whole heart; I repent of 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 10

Fac, ut ardeat cor meum

in amando Christum Deum,

ut sibi complaceam.

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ my Lord.

Next: Station XI · Back to top

A Roman soldier nails Jesus to the large cross laid on the ground as His Mother, Mary, watches in prayer.

Eleventh Station

XI. Jesus is nailed to the Cross

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider how Jesus, after being thrown on the Cross, extended His hands, and offered to His Eternal Father the sacrifice of His death for our salvation. These barbarians fastened Him with nails, and then, raising the Cross, allowed Him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet.

Prayer

My Jesus, loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Thy feet, that it may ever remain there, to love Thee, and never quit Thee again. I love Thee more than myself; I repent of 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 11

Sancta Mater, istud agas,

crucifixi fige plagas

cordi meo valide.

Holy Mother! pierce me through;
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

Next: Station XII · Back to top

Jesus dies on the cross; Mary and St. John stand below and St. Mary Magdalene kneels at His feet.

Twelfth Station

XII. Jesus dies on the Cross

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider how thy Jesus, after three hours' agony on the Cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies.

Prayer

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 for Thee. I commit my soul into Thy hands. I love Thee with my whole heart; 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 12

Tui Nati vulnerati,

tam dignati pro me pati,

poenas mecum divide.

Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.

Next: Station XIII · Back to top

Mary holds the body of Jesus on her lap beneath the empty cross, with St. John and St. Mary Magdalene.

Thirteenth Station

XIII. Jesus is taken down from the Cross

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider how, after the death of our Lord, 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.

Prayer

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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 13

Fac me tecum pie flere,

crucifixo condolere,

donec ego vixero.

Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him who mourn'd for me,
All the days that I may live.

Next: Station XIV · Back to top

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus lay Jesus, wrapped in a linen shroud, in the tomb as Mary and St. John grieve.

Fourteenth Station

XIV. Jesus is laid in the tomb

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Meditation

Consider how 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.

Prayer

Oh, 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 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.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Stabat Mater, verse 14

Iuxta crucem tecum stare,

et me tibi sociare

in planctu desidero.

By the Cross with thee to stay;
There with thee to weep and pray;
Is all I ask of thee to give.

Closing prayers · Back to top

Closing Prayers

Close the Stabat Mater with its last six verses:

Verse 15

Virgo virginum praeclara,

mihi iam non sis amara:

fac me tecum plangere.

Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share thy grief divine.

Verse 16

Fac, ut portem Christi mortem,

passionis fac consortem,

et plagas recolere.

Let me, to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of thine.

Verse 17

Fac me plagis vulnerari,

fac me cruce inebriari,

et cruore Filii.

Wounded with His every wound,
Steep my soul till it hath swoon'd
In His very Blood away.

Verse 18

Flammis ne urar succensus,

per te, Virgo, sim defensus

in die iudicii.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In His awful Judgment day.

Verse 19

Christe, cum sit hinc exire,

da per Matrem me venire

ad palmam victoriae.

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
Be Thy Mother my defence,
Be Thy Cross my victory.

Verse 20

Quando corpus morietur,

fac, ut animae donetur

paradisi gloria. Amen.

While my body here decays,
May my soul Thy goodness praise,
Safe in Paradise with Thee. Amen.

Then pray the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be for the intentions of the Holy Father.

St. Alphonsus Liguori, pray for us.

The faithful who devoutly make the Way of the Cross can gain a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions: Confession, Holy Communion, prayer for the Pope’s intentions, and freedom from attachment to sin. (Enchiridion of Indulgences, grant 13)

Meditations and prayers: St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Way of the Cross (18th century). Stabat Mater: 13th-century hymn; English by Edward Caswall, Lyra Catholica (1849). Scripture: Revised Standard Version. See also the Catholic calendar and Additional Prayers.