1 Jesus is condemned to death

We adore you O Christ and we praise you

because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the World

Our Lord Jesus begins his journey to the Cross. Tonight we walk with him, through the streets of Jerusalem, through the sins and strengths of our own lives. We walk with him in his Passion; he walks with us through life.

Pilate judges unjustly, then washes his hands of the whole affair. May we learn never to judge others unkindly; may we always accept responsibility for what we do. May we learn to respect all human life, from the womb unto the Tomb.

I love you Jesus, my love above all things. I repent with my whole heart for ever having offended you. Never permit me to separate myself from you again. Grant that I may love you always, and then do with me what you will.

2 Jesus receives his Cross

We adore you....

Our Lord takes up his cross and has asked us to do the same, each and every day of our lives. Yet, so often, the daily crosses we bear, the lumber of our lives become stumbling blocks rather than stepping stones upon which to become closer to him.

I love you Jesus...

3 Jesus Falls

His first fall is the fall of the young adult. We're reminded of the falls which we are all so likely to make in our adolescence. We pray for our young people, that they will be safe from the temptations of drink and drugs and that - when they fall - as they will, they will see us - the Church - as people who want to help them stand on their own two feet again, full of youthful vigour and idealism.

4 Jesus meets his blessed Mother

We give thanks to God for our own parents, and we entrust them - dead or alive - to his care. The image of Jesus meeting his mother inspires us to pray for mums and dads who are worried sick about their children, especially parents who seek to protect their children from bombs and bullets and all kinds of injustice and abuse. And we pray for those who wait and weep for the children that are no more.

5 Simon helps Jesus

Simon helping Jesus reminds us to use our gifts of Humility and Charity; may we accept graciously the fact that we need other people in our lives; may we be there when other people need us. Both are equally difficult; both are quite essential.

6 Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Out of the laughing jeering crowd, one brave wee woman steps forward; she wipes the blood, sweat and tears from our Saviour's face. The mark of his face stays imprinted on her towel, leaving an image for all of time, to be copied throughout two thousand years of artistic impression. Here we see the face of Christ - but we also see him in the poor, the neglected, in beggars and refugees, in those who suffer or stand-up, or stand out in the crowd, like Veronica, for what is right.

7 Jesus falls for the second time

Our Lord grows weak. Even with Simon's help, he stumbles again and falls. Our own brokenness, despair, illness, depression are his. He is with us in ours. We pray for those who suffer because of mental illness and for their families who have to struggle on, uncomprehending. Our Lord is exhausted and lonely in his quiet suffering. But still he struggles on.

8 Jesus speaks to the women and children of Jerusalem

Blessed are those who mourn; our Lord shows us that in our weakness we are strong. We remember the martyrs of the Church who followed in our Lord's footsteps to their own Calvaries. The were human and they experienced the same weakness as we do. But God called them and made them strong. May their example challenge us towards lives full of faith. May we never be afraid of tears. In this Station, Jesus and the women and children show us how to weep.

9 Jesus falls for the third time

Utterly exhausted, he falls for the last time. We remember those who have fallen sick, never to recover; the elderly, the terminally ill. We pray for the grace of a happy death. May our whole lives be lived in preparation for it.

10 Jesus is Stripped of his Clothes

As we imagine the humiliation of our Lord being stripped of his clothes and of his dignity, we reflect on the masks we wear, the games we play, the pretence we put on and we turn to the one who knows us through and through, and we know that one day we'll stand before him, stripped of all our pretensions.

11 Jesus is nailed to the Cross

The nails are driven home; the agony, the searing pain of each blow. We pray for the people we have crucified by our criticism, by our comments.

12 He dies

Let us kneel and pray in silence.

Our Father....

13 Jesus is taken down from the Cross

Jesus, the wounded healer, the Suffering Servant, is taken down from the cross and laid in his tomb. His cold, dead body lies in darkness and those who loved him felt the darkness and the coldness too.

14 Jesus is laid in the Tomb

His body is the seed, lying in the earth, waiting for the new birth which is promised. As we remember our loved ones laid to rest, we join in the waiting for that day when every tear will be wiped away.

During these forty days of prayer, giving and fasting, we enter into the desert experience of our Lord Jesus Christ, we enter into his Passion.... if we have died with him, then we shall rise with him.

Our Father....Glory be....

We love you, Jesus, our love above all things. We repent with our whole hearts for having offended you. Help us never to separate ourselves from you again. Grant that we may love you always .... then your will be done.

May almighty God bless us and those who need our prayers this night. In the name of the Father ....