Stations of the Cross - Station 3

Jesus falls the first time

Read the Scripture

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.

Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

from the book of the Prophet Isaiah 53.4-6

Surely he has borne our infirmities

   and carried our diseases;

yet we accounted him stricken,

   struck down by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

   crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

   and by his bruises we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

   we have all turned to our own way,

and the Lord has laid on him

   the iniquity of us all.

Thanks be to God.

Meditate on the Scripture

We are called to contemplate Jesus the victim of our sin, a real figure and a tangible sign of every man and woman mistreated and disfigured for the sins of others. Assuming the condition of the defenseless prophet, Christ wants to force us to open our eyes to the blinding reality of misery. If our conversion – the opening of our eyes – is genuine, and it is the fruit of the love and the forgiveness of the Crucified One, it will also provoke a social transformation in the world and the people around us. 

Pray to the Lord

We raise our prayer to the Saviour, who came not to be served but to serve, and lay down His life as a ransom for many.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy … [Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. …]

Lord Jesus, servant of God, hope of peoples and light of nations: Lord, have mercy. … [Kyrie eleison. …]

Lord Jesus, who have borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: Lord, have mercy. … [Kyrie eleison. …]

Lord Jesus, who speak to our fears and calm our anxieties: Lord, have mercy. … [Kyrie eleison. …]

Contemplate …

This is the time when Christ visits the soul.

Store up the Lord’s word to you

Holy Father, who keep Your promises over the centuries, raise up wounded humanity, oppressed by so many evils, and open our hearts to hope; through Christ our Lord.

O holy Mary pray for us:  that the wounds your Son endured, which pierced your soul also,

may be imprinted in our hearts, and revealed in lives of mercy and peace.

2021 Stations of the Cross - Station 3