# Key Of Heaven/Holy Way of the Cross

Holy Way of the Cross.
PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS COMPOSED BY ST. AliPHONSTJS LIGUORI, A. D. 1787.
Let each one make an Act of Contrition, and form the intention for the application of the Indulgence to be gained.
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 having ever 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.
1. At the Cross her station keeping. Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.
FIRST 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.
Consider how Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.
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 love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart 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, etc.
2. Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Lo! the piercing sword had passed!
SECOND STATION.
JESUS IS MADE TO BEAR HIS CROSS.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
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.
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, etc.
3. O, how sad, and sore distressed,
Now was she, that Mother Blessed
Of the sole begotten One.
THIRD STATION.
JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME UNDER HIS CROSS.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
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.
MY Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but of my sins, which has made Thee suffer so much pain. Ah! by the merits of this great 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 offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be, etc.
4. Woe-begone, with heart's prostration,
Mother meek, the bitter Passion
Saw she of her glorious Son.
FOURTH STATION.
JESUS MEETS HIS AFFLICTED MOTHER.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
Consider the meeting of the Son and the Mother, which took place on this ​journey. Jesus and Mary kissed each other, and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.
MY most loving Jesus, by the sorrow that 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 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, etc.
5. Who could mark, from tears refraining,
​Christ's dear Mother uncomplaining,
In so great a sorrow bowed?
FIFTH STATION.
THE CYRENIAN HELPS JESUS TO CARRY HIS CROSS.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
Consider how the Jews, 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.
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 which 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, etc.
6. Who, unmoved, behold her languish,
Underneath His cross of anguish,
'Mid the fierce, unpitying crowd?
SIXTH STATION.
VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
​R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
Consider how the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His face bathed in meat and blood, presented Him with a towel, with which He wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His holy countenance.
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, etc.
7. For His people's sins rejected, She, her Jesus, unprotected,
Saw with thorns, with scourges rent.
SEVENTH STATION.
JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Gross — a fail which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.
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 helps 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, 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, etc.
8. Saw her Son, from judgment taken,
Her belov'd in death forsaken,
Till His Spirit forth He sent.
EIGHTH STATION.
JESUS SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
​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: Weep not for Me, but for your children.
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, etc.
​9. Fount of love and holy sorrow,
Mother, may my spirit borrow,
Somewhat of thy woe profound.
NINTH STATION.
JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
Consider the third fall of Jesus. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of His executioners excessive, who tried to hasten His steps when He had scarcely strength to move.
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, etc.
10. Unto Christ, with pure emotion,
Raise my contrite heart's devotion,
Love to read in every wound.
TENTH STATION.
JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
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:
​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, etc.
11. Those five wounds on Jesus smitten,
Mother! in my heart be written,
Deep as in thine own they be.
ELEVENTH STATION.
JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
​R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
Consider how Jesus, after being thrown on the Cross, extended His hands, and offered to His Eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our salvation. These barbarians fastened Him with nails, and then, raising the Cross, allowed Him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet
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, etc.
12. Thou, my Saviour's Cross who bearest,
​Thou, thy Son's rebuke who sharest,
Let me share them both with thee!
TWELFTH STATION.
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
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.
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 to 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, etc.
13. In the Passion of my Maker,
Be my sinful soul partaker,
Weep till death, and keep with thee.
THIRTEENTH STATION.
JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
Consider how, after the death of our Lord, two of His disciples, Joseph ​and Nicodemus, took Him down from the Gross, and placed Him in the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received Him with unutterable tenderness, and pressed Him to her bosom.
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, etc.
14. Mine with thee be that sad station,
There to watch the great salvation
​Wrought upon th' atoning Tree.
FOURTEENTH STATION.
JESUS IS PLACED IN THE SEPULCHRE.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, etc.
R. Because by Thy holy Cross, etc.
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.
AH, 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, etc.
15. Virgin, thou of virgins fairest,
May the bitter woe thou sharest
Make on me impression deep.
16. Thus Christ's dying may I carry,
With Him in His Passion tarry,
And His Wounds in memory keep.
17. May His Wounds transfix me wholly,
May His Cross and Life Blood holy
Ebriate my heart and mind;
​18. Thus inflamed with pure affection,
In the Virgin's Son protection
May I at the judgment find.
19 When in death my limbs are failing,
Let Thy Mother's prayer prevailing
Lift me, Jesus! to Thy throne;
20. To my parting soul be given
Entrance through the gate of Heaven,
There confess me for Thine own. Amen.
After this, say the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory be to the Father five times, in honor of the Passion of Jesus Christ, to gain the other indulgences granted to those who recite them.
A VISIT TO OUR LADY OF SORROWS.
To be made before her Altar or Image, immediately after performing the Stations, or at any other time.
O MOST holy Mother, Queen of Sorrows, who didst follow thy beloved Son through all the Way of the Cross, and whose heart was pierced with a fresh sword of grief at all the Stations of that most sorrowful journey; obtain for us, we beseech thee, O most loving Mother, a perpetual remembrance of our Blessed Saviour's Cross and Death, and a true and tender devotion to all the mysteries of His most holy Passion; obtain for us the grace to hate sin, even as He hated it in the agony in the garden; to endure wrong and insult with all patience, as He endured them in the judgment-hall; to be ​meek and humble in all our trials, as He was before His judges; to love our enemies even as He loved His murderers, and prayed for them upon the Cross; and to glorify God and do good to our neighbors, even as He did in every mystery of His sufferings. O Queen of Martyrs, who, by the dolors of thy immaculate heart on Calvary, didst merit to share the Passion of our most dear Redeemer, obtain for us some portion of thy compassion, that, for the love of Jesus crucified, we may be crucified to the world in this life; and in the life to come may, by His infinite merits and thy powerful intercession, reign with Him in glory everlasting. Amen.