ST. FAUSTINA'S WAY OF THE CROSS

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ST. FAUSTINA'S WAY OF THE CROSS

INTRODUCTORY PRAYER: Merciful Lord, my Master, I want to follow You faithfully. I want to imitate You in my life in an ever more perfect way. That is why I ask that by meditating on Your Passion, You would grant me the grace of a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the spiritual life. Mary, Mother of Mercy, always faithful to Christ, lead me in the footsteps of the sorrowful Passion of your Son and ask for me the necessary graces for a fruitful making of this Way of the Cross.

Stabat Mater
At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

I STATION: JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward (Matthew 26:59-60).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: Do not be surprised that you are sometimes unjustly accused. I myself first drank this cup of undeserved suffering for love of you (289). When I was before Herod, I obtained a grace for you, that you would be able to rise above human scorn and follow faithfully in my footsteps (1164).

Saint Faustina: Jesus, we are sensitive to words and quickly want to answer back, without taking any regard as to whether it's God's will that we should speak. A silent soul is strong: no adversities will harm it if it perseveres in silence. The silent soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God (477).

Merciful Jesus, help me accept each human judgment, do not ever allow me to judge you when judging my neighbor. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

Stabat Mater
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword has passed.

II STATION: JESUS TAKES UP HIS CROSS

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on His head, and clothed Him in a purple cloak, and they came to Him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And Pilate said to them, “Behold, the man!” When the chief priests and the guards saw Him they cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” (John 19:1-6).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: Do not be afraid of suffering, I am with you (151 ). The more you will come to love suffering, the purer your love for Me will be (279).

Saint Faustina: Oh Jesus, I thank you for the Little daily crosses, for opposition to my endeavors, for the hardships of communal life, for the misinterpretation of my intentions, for humiliations at the hands of others, for the harsh way in which we are treated, for false suspicions, for poor health and loss of strength, for self-denial, for dying to myself, for lack of recognition in everything, for the upsetting of all my plans (343).

Merciful Jesus, teach me to appreciate the difficulties of life, sickness, each suffering, and with love take up my daily cross. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

Stabat Mater
O, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole-begotten One!

III STATION: JESUS FALLS FOR THE FIRST TIME

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the Lord laid upon Him the guilt of us all (Isaiah 53:6,12).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: Involuntary offenses of souls do not hinder My love for them or prevent Me from uniting Myself with them. But voluntary offenses, obstruct my graces, and I cannot lavish My gifts on such souls (1641).

Saint Faustina: Oh my Jesus, how prone I am to evil, and this forces me to be constantly vigilant. But I do not lose heart. I trust God's grace, which abounds in the worst misery (606).

Merciful Lord, keep me from any infidelity, even the smallest one, but voluntary and consent. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

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

IV STATION: JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And you yourself a sword will pierce (Luke 2:34-35).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: Although all the work that come into being by My will are exposed to great sufferings, consider whether any of them has been subject to greater difficulties than that work which is directly Mine – The work of Redemption. You should not worry too much about adversities (1643).

Saint Faustina: I saw the Blessed Mother (…), she came close to me (…) and said these words: 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 (449).

Mary, Mother of Mercy, be always with me, especially in suffering, in the same way that you were present in your Son's way of the Cross. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

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

V STATION: SIMON CYRENE HELPS JESUS CARRY THE CROSS

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

As they led Him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus (Luke 23:26).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: I permit these adversities in order to increase his merit. I do not reward for good results but for the patience and hardship undergone for My sake (86).

Saint Faustina: Oh, my Jesus, you do not give a reward for the successful performance of a work, but for the good will and the labor undertaken. Therefore, I am completely at peace, even if all my undertakings and efforts should be thwarted or should come to naught. If I do all that is in my power, the rest is not my business (952).

Jesus, that each thought, each word, each activity may be done only for love of you. Purify my intentions. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

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

VI STATION: VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; There was in Him no stately bearing to make us look at Him, no appearance that would attract us to Him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity. One of those from whom men hide their faces spurned, and we held Him in no esteem (Isaiah 53:2-3).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: Know that whatever good you do for any soul, I accept it as if you had done it to Me (1768).

Saint Faustina: I am learning how to be good from Jesus, from Him who is goodness itself, so that I might be called a daughter of the heavenly Father. (669). Great love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions (303).

Lord Jesus. My Master, make my eyes, my hands, my mouth, my heart… merciful. Transform me into your Mercy. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

Stabat Mater
Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

VII STATION: JESUS FALLS FOR THE SECOND TIME

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

Yet it was our infirmities that He bore, our sufferings that He endured, while we thought of Him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: The cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me (1488). You must know that on your own, you can do nothing (639). You are not even capable of receiving my graces without my help (738).

Saint Faustina: Jesus, do not leave me alone (..). You know, Lord, how weak I am. I am an abyss of wretchedness; I am nothingness itself; so what will be so strange if You leave me alone and I fall (1489). So You, Jesus, must stand by me constantly like a mother by a helpless child – and even more so (264).

May I lean on your grace, Lord, so that I may not fall continuously on the same errors: and if I fall, help me rise and glorify your Mercy. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

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

VIII STATION: JESUS CONSOLES THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented Him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children (Luke 23:27-28).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: Oh, how pleasing to Me is a living faith! (1420). I desire that you would all have more faith at the present time (352).

Saint Faustina: I fervently beg the Lord to strengthen my faith, so that in my drab, everyday life I will not be guided by human depositions, but by those of the spirit. Oh, how everything drags man towards the earth! But lively faith maintains the soul in the highest regions and assigns self-love it's proper place, that is to say, the lowest one (210).

Merciful Lord, thank you for Holy Baptism and the grace of faith. I call you again. Lord, I believe, increase my faith! You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

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

IX STATION: JESUS FALLS FOR THE THIRD TIME

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

Though He was harshly treated, He submitted and opened not His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, He was silent and opened not His mouth. Oppressed and condemned, though He had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. But the Lord was pleased to crush Him in infirmity. Because of His affliction He shall see the light in fullness of days (Isaiah 53:7-10).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: Know that the greatest obstacle to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. This will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue ( ...). I am always willing to forgive you. Every time you ask for it, you glorify my Mercy (1488).

Saint Faustina: Oh My Jesus, in spite of your graces. I see and feel all my misery. I begin my day with a battle and end it with a battle. As soon as I conquer one obstacle, ten more appear to take its place. But I am not worried, because I know that this is the time of struggle, not peace (606).

Merciful Lord, I give you everything that is my exclusive property, that is, sin and human frailty. I beg you, that my misery may be drown in your unfathomable Mercy. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

Stabat Mater
Wounded with His ev'ry wound
Steep my soul till it hath swooned
In His very Blood away.

X STATION: JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took His tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, “Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,” in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled (John 19:23-24).

Saint Faustina: Jesus was suddenly standing before me , stripped of His clothes, His body completely covered with wounds, His eyes flooded with tears and blood, His face disfigured and covered with spittle. The Lord then said to me: “The bride must resemble her Betrothed.”

Saint Faustina: I understood these words to the very depth. There's no room for doubt here. My likeness to Jesus must be through suffering and humility (268).

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, transform my heart according to your Heart. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

Stabat Mater
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child
All with bloody scourges rent.

XI STATION: JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

Those passing by reviled Him, shaking their heads and saying, “You would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself, if You are the Son of God, [and] come down from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked Him and said, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if he wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God'” (Matthew 27:39-43).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: My pupil, have great love for those who cause you suffering. Do good to those who hate you (1628).

Saint Faustina: Oh my Jesus, you know what efforts are needed to live sincerely and unaffectedly with those from whom our nature flees, or with those who, deliberately or not, have made us suffer. Humanly speaking, this is impossible at such times more than others, I try to discover the Lord Jesus in such a person and for this same Jesus, I do everything for such a people (766).

Oh purest Love, reign in all your plenitude in my heart and allow me to love more than what human measure allows me to (328). You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

Stabat Mater
Holy Mother, pierce me through!
In my heart, each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

XII STATION: JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into His side, and immediately blood and water flowed out (John 19:33-40).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: All this is for the salvation of souls. Reflect, my daughter, about what you do for their salvation (1184).

Saint Faustina: Then I saw the Lord Jesus nailed to the cross. When He had hung on it for a while, I saw a multitude of souls crucified like Him. The second multitude were not nailed to their crosses, but they were holding them firmly in their hands. The third were neither nailed to their crosses nor holding them firmly in their hands, but were dragging their crosses behind them and were discontent. Jesus then said to me: Jesus: Do you see these souls? Those who are like Me in the pain and contempt they suffer will be like Me also in glory. And those who resemble Me less in pain and contempt will also bear less resemblance to Me in glory (446).

Jesus, my Savior, hide me in the depths of Your Heart so that nourished by your grace, I may be able to be like you in the love for the cross and in the participation of Your glory. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

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

XIII STATION: JESUS IS LAID IN THE ARMS OF HIS MOTHER

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, “This man was innocent beyond doubt.” When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all His acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, and saw these events (Luke 23:47-49).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: Most dear to me is the soul that strongly believes in my goodness and has complete trust in me. I heap my confidence upon it, and give it all it asks (453).

Saint Faustina: I come to Your Mercy, compassionate God, only You are goodness itself. Although my misery is great, and my offences are many, I trust in Your mercy, because You are the God of mercy; and from time immemorial, it has never been heard of, nor do heaven or earth remember, that a soul trusting in Your mercy has been disappointed (1730).

Jesus, multiply in me each day the trust in Your Mercy, so that always and everywhere I may be a witness of your goodness and infinite love. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

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

XIV STATION: JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB

V: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.
R: Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

They took the body of Jesus and bound It with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where He had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by (John 19:38-42).

Jesus to Saint Faustina: You are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls; fight as a king's child would; and remember that the days of your exile will pass quickly, and with them the possibility of earning merits for heaven. I expect from you (…) a great number of souls who will glorify my mercy for all eternity (1489).

Saint Faustina: Every soul You have entrusted to me, Jesus, I will try to aid with prayer and sacrifice, so that your grace can work in them. Oh great Lover of souls, my Jesus, I thank you for this immense confidence with which You have deigned to place souls in our care (245).

Merciful Lord, I beg you that not even one of the souls which you have entrusted to me, may be lost. You, who suffered wounds for us, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us.

Stabat Mater
Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
Be Thy Mother my defense,
Be Thy Cross my victory.

PRAYER AFTER THE WAY OF THE CROSS: My Jesus, my only hope, I am grateful for this great book you have opened before the eyes of my soul. This great book is your Passion you have confronted out of love for me. From this book I have learned how to love God and souls. Inexhaustible treasures are stored in it (…) Oh Jesus, how few souls understand you in your martyrdom of love (…). Happy the soul that has understood the love from the Heart of Jesus (304).

For the intentions of the Holy Father

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be..

PRAYER IN HONOR OF THE HOLY CROSS: God our Father, in obedience to You Your only Son accepted death on the cross for the salvation of mankind. We acknowledge the mystery of the cross on earth. May we receive the gift of redemption in heaven. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayers For Various Needs
WAY OF THE CROSS
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