It is pleasant to spend time with him,
to lie close to his breast
like the beloved disciple
and to feel the infinite love
present in his heart.
— St. John Paul II
†
OPENING PRAYER
Lord Jesus,
who bestowed upon the beloved disciple John
the gift of intimate love,
drawing him near to your Heart
and seeking his compassion in your own suffering,
grant us also, loved by you in the same way,
to abide always in this love, your intimate friends,
making you our one true Beloved,
and, in you, finding ourselves one with the Father.
You live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
FIRST STATION.
JESUS GIVES HIMSELF AT THE LAST SUPPER
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Mt 26:26-29)
Loving Lord, you are my God and my Life. And yet in awe I have also heard you call me “friend,” and my heart surges back in response: Yes, Jesus, you are my Friend, and the Beloved of my heart. I feel pulsating here, as I lean against your tender breast, a heart so filled with love that it is bursting at the seams. This heart yearns to pour itself out, to flood the entire world with Joy. For it is the Father’s heart beating in you, one with your own in the Spirit whom you share. I receive this gift, this outpouring, in your sacred flesh which I touch, and in this bread and wine, your Body and Blood, made a gift for all. In such Love, in such gift, I will always be secure.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, who in loving us to the end
have shown forth the immense love
of our heavenly Father,
and have poured into our hearts the Spirit of Love
in whom you are one with him eternally,
may the entire mystery of the Most Holy Trinity,
given entirely to us and alive in our hearts,
enfold us ever more fully and carry us forward
into the perfection of communion with you.
Who live and reign forever and ever.
SECOND STATION.
JESUS FORETELLS HIS BETRAYAL
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. And he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus; so Simon Peter beckoned to him and said, “Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.” So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. (Jn 13:1, 21-26)
As I repose here against your heart, Lord, I feel your sorrow even as you speak. Who am I to have been granted access into such intimacy, such closeness to your heart in its joy and its pain? And yet it is not my worthiness that has led me here, but your merciful love and tender kindness, with which you looked on me with delight and chose me as your own. So let me now remain in this love that has touched and chosen me, and hear your words even as you speak. You have pierced the depths of my heart with your gaze and your touch; may I too feel the reverberations of your own, which you have opened up to me, wanting me—what marvel!—to remain by your side.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, receiving your heart
which has so lovingly been unveiled before us,
may we surrender in return
into your welcoming embrace,
feeling with you what you feel,
in both joy and sorrow,
so that the light of redeeming love may penetrate all,
bringing through compassion healing and new life,
and unending peace and gladness.
Who live and reign forever and ever.
THIRD STATION.
JESUS PRAYS IN THE GARDEN
OF GETHSEMANE
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
Jesus said aloud, “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him. Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” (Jn 12:23-28)
Or as an alternative:
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Mt 26:36-39)
My Jesus, I have rested against your breast at your final supper, experiencing the depths of your love and tenderness, flowing from the Father. And now you grant me to witness the sorrow in your heart as you walk this mysterious path of suffering. And yet in your sorrow, there is trust; in your suffering, there is peace and joy, born of your certainty in being the Beloved of the Father. You have taught me that I am beloved too. And so may this same trust, this same peace and joy, be born also in me.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
O God, who show your love in all things,
making the slightest joys and sorrows
an expression of your gift,
so that you might touch the hearts of your children
and draw them to yourself,
grant that our hearts may always be sensitive
to your slightest touch, to the breath of the Spirit,
and ever burn with your peace.
Through Christ our Lord.
FOURTH STATION.
JESUS IS BETRAYED BY JUDAS, AND ARRESTED
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, procuring a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to befall him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When he said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he; so, if you seek me, let these men go.” (Jn 18:1-8)
I see the source of your sorrow, Jesus, if only a bit! You are betrayed, as you foretold, by one you called friend. Betrayed by a kiss. This is tenderness turned to cruelty. And yet even here I see the peace radiating from your face, and the abiding serenity. I fear turning against you, too, and betraying you who have so loved me. Hold me fast, in your love, that I may hold fast to you. For only in being loved by you can I have any hope to love, and only in the security of belovedness can I become a lover in return.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
O God, who never cease to pour out
the abundance of your life and love
even into the darkness of our death,
grant to us the purity of faith that accepts such a gift
and trustingly surrenders to its mystery,
knowing that nothing will ever be able
to separate us from you.
Through Christ our Lord.
FIFTH STATION.
JESUS IS TRIED BY THE SANHEDRIN
AND DENIED BY PETER
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. As this disciple was known to the high priest, he entered the court of the high priest along with Jesus, while Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door, and brought Peter in. The maid who kept the door said to Peter, “Are not you also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves; Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together; I have said nothing secretly.” (Jn 18:15-20)
You stand before your judges and your accusers, Jesus, and you speak the truth with all confidence and simplicity, certain that you speak not in your own name alone but in that of the Father who sent you. And yet you are mocked and slapped in response, called a blasphemer and a liar. And all the while Peter, whom I have let into the courtyard to be near to you, has been overcome by his fear and denies you three times, his “I am not” contrasting so vividly with you everlasting “I am.” Dear Jesus, who have loved us so deeply, we falter and we fail in our weakness. Grant us mercy that we may turn back to you, and with you abide. May your enduring confidence in the Father become our own, that we may not depart from you again, but remain in compassionate love with that Heart which has come so near to us first in a compassion far deeper, begetting love for love, and the true fruit of love: intimacy.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
Loving and compassionate Father,
who are clement and merciful with human failing,
and bear us up in your embrace even when we falter,
grant us to rely, not upon our own frailty,
but solely and completely upon your sustaining love,
so that, held by you and carried by you always,
we may be faithful to you to the end,
and may sing the praise of your ineffable beauty
which was made manifest
at the very heart of our littleness.
Through Christ our Lord.
SIXTH STATION.
JESUS IS TRIED BY PILATE
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world.” Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “It is as you say. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” And he said further, “Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above.” (Jn 18:33-38a, 19:10-11)
Mighty king, God of Love! You stand before earthly authorities and are condemned out of expediency, and justice is betrayed. The one who before men appears to have power is shown to be weak, a slave to his own fear, unable to see and to embrace the truth that alone sets man free. But you, even bruised as you are, even rejected and abandoned, shine with the power that is true glory: the glory of God that is nothing but Love, the everlasting love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is this that you have become incarnate in our world to reveal, and to open up to us as our own—your true reign in us and in the entire cosmos—our true joy in this life and our everlasting consummation in the life to come.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, God of all goodness,
who give us Christ, your beloved Son,
as the Bridegroom of humanity and of every heart,
we humbly ask you to realize this gift fully within us,
that we may repose lovingly against your Son’s breast
and herald his coming to our brethren,
thus finding our joy complete.
Through Christ our Lord.
SEVENTH STATION.
JESUS IS SCOURGED
AND CROWNED WITH THORNS
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; they came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again, and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no crime in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” (Jn 19:1-5)
Suffering Christ! In your torn and bleeding body, in your head crowned with thorns and your face covered in bruises and blood, we behold the face of our humanity. “Behold the man!” And yet in this same face, in this same figure, we behold the face and the heart of God himself. As you said, “He who sees me sees the Father.” Yes, even here. I look upon you now with compassion as you stand before those who have tortured you and who, as you said, will soon condemn you. And yet as I look I realize that the compassion I behold is not mine for you, but yours for me. You have become the incarnate Compassion of God, wedding yourself to us in the depths of our suffering and sin, so that, through the undying light of the Trinity’s intimacy that is stronger even than death, you may open up for us access into the everlasting life of God once again.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
O God, who gather together what has been scattered
and bind up what has been broken,
bind up our wounded hearts, so that,
conformed to the Heart of Jesus, your Son,
and to your own most compassionate Heart,
we may in turn offer to our brethren our own hearts
in loving acceptance and tender compassion,
and so help them to experience your love for them.
Through Christ our Lord.
EIGHTH STATION.
JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH
AND CARRIES HIS CROSS
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. (Jn 19:13-17)
The definitive judgment is finally pronounced. But how much wickedness, blindness, and folly have preceded it! The words pierce my ears and my heart, just as does the vision of your scarred countenance. We reject the King of Glory, the God of Love, because it is easier to have things under our control, to have a God at a distance, a God who is only rules and observance, only righteousness. But the covenant goes so much deeper! You are a burning Furnace of Love, an immense Ocean of Mercy, a Lover, a Bridegroom, who seeks us out even where we are so far from you, to take us on your shoulders and to carry us home! I see this now in your presence at the heart of our weakness, bearing the burden of our shame and our sin as your own, so that in it you may make us your own, the beloved and cherished of your heart, and welcome us thus back into the bosom of the Father upon which you forever rest. Yes, even here, when the rough wood of the cross weighs upon your raw flesh, it is truly we whom you carry, for you are crossing over the distance between the Joy of God and the sorrow of a fallen world, so that, in your atoning love, they may be reconciled once again in the sweet kiss of redemption.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
God of tender kindness and never-failing mercy,
draw our aching world close to your Heart anew,
that bathed in the surging torrents of your love,
we may all rejoice,
made one in the intimacy of your embrace,
in the breathtaking beauty of such communion
for which we have been created and redeemed.
Through Christ our Lord.
NINTH STATION.
SIMON OF CYRENE HELPS
JESUS CARRY HIS CROSS
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
As they led him out to crucify him, they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. (Mk 15:20b-21)
As you, Jesus, falter under the weight of the cross—the pain which you bear with us and for us—the soldiers force a complete stranger to assist you. A man named Simon bears the load with you, shouldering with you some small part of the burden that, out of love, you have taken from us. What a marvel, that we may participate, through compassion, in your own compassion with us! You draw us so close to your redeeming love that it spreads out in us and through us to take up the burdens of our brothers and sisters, bearing them tenderly in our own flesh as if it were your own (and so it is!), that grace may flow more deeply and more widely in the hearts and the lives of all. I am so humble and so weak, so inconstant and so small, and yet, loving Jesus, let me too, so deeply loved by you, become an incarnation of your love, a transparent reflection of your light, for the salvation of all.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
Awaken in us, loving Father,
a deep spirit of faith and trust,
that, surrendering ourselves unreservedly to you,
we may resonate with tender compassion
with the slightest sufferings of our brothers and sisters,
and may let the tears of sweet intercession
flow forth from our eyes, in Christ and joined to him,
to wash clean the world marred by sin,
unveiling anew its radiant beauty,
restored and transfigured by your goodness and love.
Through Christ our Lord.
TENTH STATION.
JESUS IS CRUCIFIED
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. The chief priests of the Jews then said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” (Jn 19:18-22)
You are nailed to the cross before my very eyes, and raised aloft for all to see: the true Fruit of the Tree of Life given in such a mysterious, paradoxical way! And even here, you are proclaimed the King of Love in the many languages of humanity. The effects of the fall taking place at the foot of another tree, so many ages ago, now find their remedy, and life is given in place of death, reconciliation in place of estrangement, and intimacy enduring, sure and certain, in place of fear. Yes, my God, my Life, my All, in this place of greatest loss, in which all abandon you but a few friends—in which the veil is stretched and torn between this life and the next—you reveal among us an intimacy deeper than we could have ever imagined: the eternal communion between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Such intimacy plants itself at the heart of our world here and now, in your Crucified Body, and offers itself to us as our enduring life and certain joy.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
Merciful Father,
who sent your beloved Son into our world,
created as a garden of paradise but become,
through sin, a place of exile and sorrow,
renew the redemptive power of love within us again,
that our inmost being may blossom in love
and be the garden-sanctuary of intimacy
that you desire it to be,
so that you may live in us and us in you,
in the sweetest embrace and kiss of enduring love.
Through Christ our Lord.
ELEVENTH STATION.
THE GARMENTS OF JESUS ARE DIVIDED
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
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 fulfill the scripture, “They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” (Jn 19:23-24)
They have stripped you naked, God of Love, and exposed your heart and flesh. You are laid bare for all to see, and in this bareness, given. Let me receive what is given, a reciprocal love born in my heart by the love that I have first received! I love you, infinitely lovable God, and even in the scandal of this desecration I look to see your love present and at work. See! They take your garments to divide among themselves, just as sinful humanity shall seek to do throughout time to the seamless fabric of the unity of your holy Church. And yet look: they do not tear it, for the unity of truth is indivisible, and the intimacy born of faith, of the love of the Trinity, is only one. May we always reverence and esteem this unity, this unity of the Body of Christ, so precious: naked and exposed on the hill of Calvary, given to us in mystery in bread and wine, the Paschal Mystery of death and life, and drawing us all into unity in the Body of the Church.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
Merciful Father,
when your beloved Son was raised up on the Cross,
he unveiled before us, in his own Body given in love,
the inner mystery of the blessed and sanctifying Trinity,
and drew us, by the magnetism of the same love,
into the shelter of your own compassionate embrace,
reconciling all that sin had torn asunder
in the atoning embrace of world-cradling love.
May we behold such a ravishing love,
and by this love be ever more totally drawn
into the innermost depths
of your own life of intimacy and joy.
Through Christ our Lord.
TWELFTH STATION.
JESUS SPEAKS TO HIS MOTHER
AND HIS BELOVED DISCIPLE
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
Standing by 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 near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (Jn 19:25b-29)
You address me now, my loving Lord, and your mother who stands here at my side. Or rather, it is we who stand together close to you, drawn by the magnetism of your love, as you yourself said: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to myself.” We are the first-fruits of this gathering, the seed of this unity, born of the birth-giving of your Passion: mother and son of the new creation, begotten of your love from God. Jesus! I tremble to hear your voice, so frail yet so strong, so distant yet so close, so tender and overflowing with such love even as from us you depart: “Woman, behold you son,” you say to her. And, to me: “Behold, you mother.” I shall receive her and cherish her as my own, in your place, as she in turn, who knows you deepest and loves you best, shall surely care for me in turn. Present in this intimacy of man and woman at the foot of the tree, born of God’s Love, is the mystery of the bridal Church, the Church as Mother and as Body of Christ, which shall touch so many throughout time. Let us always live this mystery given to us by you, this intimacy of love that is the heart of the Church and of human life itself, as it implants itself in all of history, in every life, making all things new.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
Draw us deeply and sweetly, dear Jesus,
to the foot of your Cross,
that standing here with Mary and John,
we may receive the outpouring of your immense love,
and may be ravished by the flame of eternal beauty
which touches us so deeply here,
and which pours forth also,
as a light of healing compassion,
for the sake of the entire world.
Who live and reign forever and ever.
THIRTEENTH STATION.
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the scripture), “I thirst.” A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished;” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, “Not a bone of him shall be broken.” And again another scripture says, “They shall look on him whom they have pierced.” (Jn 19:28-37)
This is my testimony, and I stand by it forever. Jesus the Christ, the One who came among us, is the Beloved Son of the Father. And he has given himself to the uttermost end, through all the darkness, shame, and loss of our sin, and through the very portal of death, out of the abundance of his love for us, a love he shares as one with the Father and the Spirit. And in this gift he has become the Wellspring of the rivers of life that gladden the city of God, that pour out from his opened side, from his vulnerable Heart, to irrigate and renew the entire creation. I open myself anew, now, to this awesome gift, this beautiful Love! I welcome the wellspring of the Trinity’s life that seeks to pour into me and to pour through me—yes, to pour into all of God’s children. This is the truth that I proclaim to all, which I have seen with my eyes and touched with my very hands: the love of God incarnate in Jesus Christ, granting us access into the very communion that is his with the Father and the Holy Spirit at the heart of the eternal Trinity. Yes, and in this love, our joy is truly made complete.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
From your wounded and open Heart, loving Jesus,
you gave birth to the wondrous mystery
of the entire Church,
and in the same moment consummated with her
the most sacred Marriage.
May we experience ourselves caught up
joyfully into this mystery,
finding in nuptial intimacy with you
the fullness of happiness,
and perfect security in the love
that is stronger than death.
Who live and reign forever and ever.
FOURTEENTH STATION.
JESUS IS BURIED, AWAITING RESURRECTION
V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
REFLECTION
After this Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ weight. They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. (Jn 19:38-21)
The seed has truly fallen into the earth now, in order to bear much fruit. We who remain, who have witnessed your suffering and death—your immeasurable love and compassion—we lament and we mourn. We grieve our loss and the pain we have witnessed. And yet in this pain and in this loss, we read the mysterious hand of providence, the secret of love by which sin is transformed by grace into reconciliation, and death is conquered and replaced by life, and the tomb itself becomes but a womb for the birth of new intimacy stronger than all evil or separation, to be ours forever by your gift. And so may it be, glorious and loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May it be, now in the journey of this life, truly present and making all things new, until it finds its consummation in the renewal of creation at the end of time, where you shall be All in all, forever without end.
†
V. Most loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
R. May you abide in us, and us in you.
PRAYER
Awakened at the foot of the Cross of Christ,
merciful and loving Father,
and lifted up into the very dance of the Trinity’s love,
grant us to be awakened ever more deeply each day
unto the final awakening at the end of our life
and the consummation at the end of time,
in which the garden of intimacy lost in the beginning
will be restored, and indeed infinitely surpassed,
in our participation in the innermost depths
of your own divine life.
Who live and reign forever and ever.
†
Our Father…
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Most loving Father, infinite kindness,
ineffable compassion and abiding goodness,
may your love flow freely within us
who have meditated
upon the loving Passion of your Son,
so that we may experience to the full
the sweet fruits of intimacy and new life
that his loving gift of self has opened in our world.
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Or, as an alternative:
Grant us always to recognize,
in mind and heart, in every moment of life,
the true preciousness of Christ, Crucified and Risen,
and may we never stumble
upon the scandal of the Cross,
which is nothing but the enduring beauty
of vulnerability oriented towards intimacy,
and the life-giving joy of true and enduring embrace,
in which suffering itself is absorbed, transfigured,
in the Love that is stronger than death,
and all wounds, irradiated by light,
become pure expressions
of the openness of abiding love.
Through Christ our Lord.