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Treasures of the Church-
Devotions |
WAY OF THE
CROSS
Based on St. Faustina’s
Diary
Introductory Prayer:
Merciful Jesus, my Master, I desire
to follow you in fidelity and imitate you each day with more
perfection. For this reason I beg you, that through the meditation
of your Passion, I may receive the grace of understanding each day
with more perfection, the mysteries of the spiritual life. Mary,
Mother of Mercy, always faithful to Christ, guide me through the
steps of the sorrowful passion of your Son and grant me the
necessary graces so that this Way of the Cross may be fruitful in my
heart.
I STATION –
Jesus is Condemned to Death.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: Do not be surprised that you
are sometimes unjustly accused. I myself first drank this cup of
undeserved suffering for love of you. (289). When I was before
Herod, I obtained a grace for you, that you would be able to rise
above human scorn and follow faithfully in my footsteps.(1164).
Saint
Faustina: Jesus, we are sensitive to words and quickly want to
answer back, without taking any regard as to whether it’s God’s will
that
we should speak. A silent soul is strong: no
adversities will harm it if it perseveres in silence. The silent
soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God. (477).
Merciful Jesus, help me accept each human judgment, do not ever
allow me to judge you when judging my neighbor.
II STATION: Jesus takes up His Cross
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: Do not be afraid of suffering, I am
with you, (151 ). The more you will come to love suffering, the
purer your love for Me will be. (279).
Saint
Faustina: Oh Jesus, I thank you for the Little daily crosses,
for opposition to my endeavors, for the hardships of communal life,
for the misinterpretation of my intentions, for humiliations at the
hands of others, for the harsh way in which we are treated, for
false suspicions, for poor health and loss of strength, for
self-denial, for dying to myself, for lack of recognition in
everything, for the upsetting of all my plans. (343).
Merciful Jesus, teach me to appreciate the difficulties of life,
sickness, each suffering, and with love take up my daily cross.
III STATION:
Jesus falls for the first time.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: Involuntary offenses of souls do not
hinder My love for them or prevent Me from uniting Myself with them.
But voluntary offenses, obstruct my graces, and I cannot lavish My
gifts on such souls. (1641).
Saint
Faustina: Oh my Jesus, how prone I am to evil, and this forces
me to be constantly vigilant. But I do not lose heart. I trust God’s
grace, which abounds in the worst misery. (606).
Merciful Lord, keep me from any infidelity, even the smallest one,
but voluntary and consent.
IV STATION:
Jesus meets His Mother.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: Although all the work that come into
being by My will are exposed to great sufferings, consider whether
any of them has been subject to greater difficulties than that work
which is directly Mine – The work of Redemption. You should not
worry too much about adversities. (1643).
Saint
Faustina: I saw the Blessed Mother (…), she came close to me (…)
and said these words: Be courageous. Do not fear apparent obstacles,
but fix your gaze upon the Passion of My Son, and in this way you
will be victorious. (449).
Mary, Mother of Mercy, be always with me, especially in suffering,
in the same way that you were present in your Son’s way of the
Cross.
V STATION:
Simon Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: I permit these adversities in order
to increase his merit. I do not reward for good results but for the
patience and hardship undergone for My sake. (86).
Saint
Faustina: Oh, my Jesus, you do not give a reward for the
successful performance of a work, but for the good will and the
labor undertaken. Therefore, I am completely at peace, even if all
my undertakings and efforts should be thwarted or should come to
naught. If I do all that is in my power, the rest is not my
business. (952).
Jesus, that each thought, each word, each activity may be done only
for love of you. Purify my intentions.
VI STATION:
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: Know that whatever good you do for
any soul, I accept it as if you had done it to Me. (1768).
Saint
Faustina: I am learning how to be good from Jesus, from Him who
is goodness itself, so that I might be called a daughter of the
heavenly Father. (669). Great love can change small things into
great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions.
(303).
Lord Jesus. My Master, make my eyes, my hands, my mouth, my heart…
merciful. Transform me into your Mercy.
VII STATION: Jesus falls for the
second time.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: The cause of your falls is that you
rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me. (1488). You must
know that on your own, you can do nothing. (639). You are not even
capable of receiving my graces without my help. (738).
Saint
Faustina: Jesus, do not leave me alone (..). You know, Lord, how
weak I am. I am an abyss of wretchedness; I am nothingness itself;
so what will be so strange if You leave me alone and I fall (1489).
So You, Jesus, must stand by me constantly like a mother by a
helpless child – and even more so. (264).
May I lean on your grace, Lord, so that I may not fall continuously
on the same errors: and if I fall, help me rise and glorify your
Mercy.
VIII STATION: Jesus consoles the
women of Jerusalem.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: Oh, how pleasing to Me is a living
faith! (1420). I desire that you would all have more faith at the
present time (352).
Saint
Faustina: I fervently beg the Lord to strengthen my faith, so that
in my drab, everyday life I will not be guided by human depositions,
but by those of the spirit. Oh, how everything drags man towards the
earth! But lively faith maintains the soul in the highest regions
and assigns self-love it’s proper place, that is to say, the lowest
one. (210).
Merciful Lord, thank you for Holy Baptism and the grace of faith. I
call you again. Lord, I believe, increase my faith!
IX STATION: Jesus falls for the
third time.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: Know that the greatest obstacle to
holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. This will
deprive you of the ability to practice virtue ( ...). I am always
willing to forgive you. Every time you ask for it, you glorify my
Mercy (1488).
Saint
Faustina: Oh My Jesus, in spite of your graces. I see and feel
all my misery. I begin my day with a battle and end it with a
battle. As soon as I conquer one obstacle, ten more appear to take
its place. But I am not worried, because I know that this is the
time of struggle, not peace. (606
Merciful Lord,
I give you everything that is my exclusive property, that is, sin
and human frailty. I beg you, that my misery may be drown in your
unfathomable Mercy.
X STATION: Jesus is stripped of His
Garments.
Saint
Faustina: Jesus was suddenly standing before me , stripped of
His clothes, His body completely covered with wounds, His eyes
flooded with tears and blood, His face disfigured and covered with
spittle. The Lord then said to me: “The bride must resemble her
Betrothed.”
Saint
Faustina: I understood these words to the very depth. There’s no
room for doubt here. My likeness to Jesus must be through suffering
and humility(268).
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, transform my heart according to
your Heart.
XI STATION: Jesus is nailed to the
Cross.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: My pupil, have great love for those who
cause you suffering. Do good to those who hate you (1628).
Saint
Faustina: Oh my Jesus, you know what efforts are needed to live
sincerely and unaffectedly with those from whom our nature flees, or
with those who, deliberately or not, have made us suffer. Humanly
speaking, this is impossible at such times more than others, I try
to discover the Lord Jesus in such a person and for this same Jesus,
I do everything for such a people. (compare 766).
Oh purest Love, reign in all your plenitude in my heart and allow me
to love more than what human measure allows me to. (compare 328).
XII STATION: Jesus dies on the
Cross.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: All this is for the salvation of souls.
Reflect, my daughter, about what you do for their salvation (1184).
Saint
Faustina: Then I saw the Lord Jesus nailed to the cross. When He
had hung on it for a while, I saw a multitude of souls crucified
like Him. The second multitude were not nailed to their crosses, but
they were holding them firmly in their hands. The third were neither
nailed to their crosses nor holding them firmly in their hands, but
were dragging their crosses behind them and were discontent. Jesus
then said to me:
Jesus: Do you see these souls? Those who are like Me in the pain and
contempt they suffer will be like Me also in glory. And those who
resemble Me less in pain and contempt will also bear less
resemblance to Me in glory. (446).
Jesus, my Savior, hide me in the depths of Your Heart so that
nourished by your grace, I may be able to be like you in the love
for the cross and in the participation of Your glory.
XIII STATION: Jesus is laid in the
arms of His Mother.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: Most dear to me is the soul that strongly
believes in my goodness and has complete trust in me. I heap my
confidence upon it, and give it all it asks (453).
Saint
Faustina: I come to Your Mercy, compassionate God, only
You are goodness itself. Although my misery is great, and my
offences are many, I trust in Your mercy, because You are the God of
mercy; and from time immemorial, it has never been heard of, nor do
heaven or earth remember, that a soul trusting in Your mercy has
been disappointed (1730)
Jesus, multiply
in me each day the trust in Your Mercy, so that always and
everywhere I may be a witness of your goodness and infinite love.
XIV STATION: Jesus is laid in the
tomb.
Jesus
to Saint Faustina: You are not yet in your homeland; so go,
fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls;
fight as a king’s child would; and remember that the days of your
exile will pass quickly, and with them the possibility of earning
merits for heaven. I expect from you (…) a great number of souls who
will glorify my mercy for all eternity (1489).
Saint
Faustina: Every soul You have entrusted to me, Jesus, I will try
to aid with prayer and sacrifice, so that your grace can work in
them. Oh great Lover of souls, my Jesus, I thank you for this
immense confidence with which You have deigned to place souls in our
care. (245).
Merciful Lord, I beg you that not even one of the souls which you
have entrusted to me, may be lost.
PRAYER AFTER
THE WAY OF THE CROSS:
My Jesus, my
only hope, I am grateful for this great book you have opened before
the eyes of my soul. This great book is your Passion you have
confronted out of love for me. From this book I have learned how to
love God and souls. Inexhaustible treasures are stored in it (…) Oh
Jesus, how few souls understand you in your martyrdom of love (…).
Happy the soul that has understood the love from the Heart of Jesus
(304).
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