Prayer Before the Stations
To be said silently by all participants
O
My God, I am heartily sorry for havingoffended you, and I detest all my sins,because I dread the loss of heaven and thepains of hell, but most of all because theyoffend you, my God, who are all good anddeserving of all my love. I firmly resolve,with the help of your grace, to confess mysins, to repent of them and to amend my life.My Lord Jesus Christ, with a contriteheart and a penitential spirit, I purpose nowto make the Way of the Cross incommemoration of your most bitter Passion,and of your sorrowful death on Calvary. Iadore you and bless you, O God of infinitemercy. With all my heart I thank you,divine Savior, for the unutterable love whichcauses you to endure for me the cruel deathof the Cross.
Amen.
After a period of silence,the Officiant begins
V. We will glory in the cross of our LordJesus Christ:
R. In whom is our salvation, our life andresurrection.
Let us pray.
(Silence)
O God who, by the Passion of your SonJesus Christ, our Lord, has loosened thebonds of death, that heritage of the first sinto which all men of later times did succeed:make us so conformed to Him that, as webear the likeness of earthly nature, so wemay by sanctification bear the likeness of heavenly grace. Through Jesus Christ ourLord.
Amen.
The First Station
Jesus is Condemned to Death
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
For by your holy cross you haveredeemed the world.
Pilate said to them, “Which of the two doyou want me to release for you?” And theysaid, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Thenwhat shall I do with Jesus who is calledChrist?” They all said, “Let him becrucified.” And he said, “Why, what evilhas he done?” But they shouted all themore, “Let him be crucified.” Then Pilatereleased for them Barabbas, and havingscourged Jesus, delivered him to becrucified. (Matthew 27:22-23, 26)Let us pray
(Silence)
O Jesus, it was not so much Pilate as oursins that condemned you to die on the Cross.Grant, by your grace, that we may hate oursins from the bottom of our hearts and bytrue repentance obtain your mercy andpardon.
Amen.
O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy upon us.