The Stations of the Cross by Alphonsus Liguori

Stations of the Cross:

My Lord Jesus Christ, you have made this journey to die for me with unspeakable love, and I have so many times ungratefully abandoned you.
But now I love you with all my heart, and because I love you, I am sincerely sorry for ever having offended you.

Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany you on this journey.
You go to die for love of me-I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of you.

My Jesus, I will live and die always united to you.

First Station: Pilate Condemns Jesus to Die

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Consider how Jesus Christ, after being scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the cross.

Key reflection:
It was not Pilate-but my sins-that condemned you.

Prayer:
My adorable Jesus, I beseech you by the merits of this sorrowful journey to assist my soul on its journey to eternity.
I love you more than myself. I repent of ever having offended you.
Grant that I may love you always-and then do with me as you will.

Second Station: Jesus Accepts His Cross

We adore you, O Christ…

Consider Jesus walking with the cross, thinking of us and offering His suffering for us.

Key reflection:
Embrace your crosses with peace and resignation.

Prayer:
My beloved Jesus, I embrace all the sufferings you have destined for me.
Help me carry my cross with your strength.
Never let me be separated from you again.

Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time

We adore you, O Christ…

Jesus, weakened from suffering, falls under the weight of the cross.

Key reflection:
It is the weight of my sins that caused your fall.

Prayer:
By the merits of this fall, save me from falling into mortal sin.
Grant that I may never offend you again.

Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother

We adore you, O Christ…

Jesus meets His sorrowful Mother. Their shared suffering pierces their hearts.

Key reflection:
True love shares in suffering.

Prayer:
Grant me devotion to your Holy Mother.
May I always remember your Passion with love and sorrow.

Fifth Station: Simon Helps Carry the Cross

We adore you, O Christ…

Simon is forced to help Jesus carry the cross.

Key reflection:
Accept your cross willingly-not reluctantly.

Prayer:
I accept the cross destined for me and unite it to yours.
Help me to carry it faithfully until death.

Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

We adore you, O Christ…

Veronica wipes the face of Jesus, and His image is left on her veil.

Key reflection:
Sin disfigures the soul, but Christ restores it.

Prayer:
My soul was once beautiful through your grace-restore it again.
Cleanse me by your Passion.

Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time

We adore you, O Christ…

Jesus falls again, renewing His suffering.

Key reflection:
Falling is human, but perseverance is grace.

Prayer:
Grant me the strength to persevere in your love until death.
In every temptation, may I turn to you.

Eighth Station: Jesus Speaks to the Women

We adore you, O Christ…

Jesus tells the weeping women to weep for themselves and their children.

Key reflection:
True sorrow is for sin, not just suffering.

Prayer:
I weep for my sins because they offend you, whom I love.
Let love, not fear, guide my repentance.

Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time

We adore you, O Christ…

Jesus falls a third time, completely exhausted.

Key reflection:
Even in weakness, Christ continues forward.

Prayer:
Give me strength to overcome my passions and remain faithful to you.

Tenth Station: Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments

We adore you, O Christ…

Jesus is stripped, and His wounds are reopened.

Key reflection:
Detach from worldly attachments.

Prayer:
Help me strip away all attachment to earthly things and love only you.

Eleventh Station: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross

We adore you, O Christ…

Jesus is nailed to the cross and offers His life.

Key reflection:
Love is sacrifice.

Prayer:
Nail my heart to your cross, that I may never leave you.

Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross

We adore you, O Christ…

After three hours of agony, Jesus dies.

Key reflection:
His death is my hope.

Prayer:
By your death, grant me the grace to die in your love and surrender my soul to you.

Thirteenth Station: Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

We adore you, O Christ…

Jesus is placed in the arms of His sorrowful Mother.

Key reflection:
Remain close to Mary in suffering.

Prayer:
O Mother of Sorrows, pray for me.
Let me love your Son above all things.

Fourteenth Station: Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb

We adore you, O Christ…

Jesus is laid in the tomb.

Key reflection:
Death is not the end, resurrection is the promise.

Prayer:
By your resurrection, raise me to eternal life with you.

Final Prayer to Jesus Crucified

My good and dear Jesus, I kneel before you, asking you most earnestly to engrave upon my heart a deep and lively faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm resolve to make amends.

As I reflect upon your five wounds and dwell upon them with deep compassion and grief, I recall the words of the prophet David:

“They have pierced my hands and my feet; they have numbered all my bones.”