Finding Jesus During Lent One StationAt A Time

Station 1 Jesus is condemned to death

Jesus is alone before the powers of this world.  He subjects himself completely to human justice.  Pilate finds himself before a mystery which he cannot understand.  The crowd chooses Barabbas and abandons Jesus.  Today each of us is an integral part of that crowd which cries out “Crucify him!”.  None of us are exempted.  The crowd and Pilate, in fact, are driven by a sentiment that unites all people: fear.  Fear of losing their security, their possessions, their life.  But Jesus shows us another way.Pray:

Lord Jesus, how similar we are to these people.How much fear there is in our life! We are afraid of those different from us.We are afraid of the future. And perhaps we are also afraid of God: and doubtfulness of

his mercy. Do not allow our fears to prevent us from hearing your gentle invitation: “Be not afraid.”

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Station 2 Jesus carries His cross

Jesus, as you accepted your cross, you knew you would carry it to your death on Calvary. You knew it wouldn't be easy, but you accepted it and carried it just the same. 

As a child, sometimes I don't like the problems that come my way. Sometimes I try to get others to take care of them or solve them for me. Sometimes I become upset and crabby when I'm asked to do even the smallest thing to help others. Pray:

The Word of God became man,and came to share with us the truth in its entirety, about God and about man.It is God who takes up the cross (cf. Jn 19:17)and sets out on the path of merciful self-giving, and may we recognize ourselves in the mysterious splendour of your face. 

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Station 3 Jesus falls for the first time

Jesus falls under the weight of the cross, but he is not crushed by it.  Behold, Christ is there; an outcast among outcasts, a failure among so many other failures, a fallen victim among so many shipwrecked souls.

Pray:We pray to you, Lord, for all those moments of suffering which seem to make no sense, Help us understand, Lord, how great is the freedom and interior strength in this unprecedented revelation of your divinity, so human as to fall under the cross of humanity’s sins, so merciful in divinity as to defeat the evil which was oppressing us. Amen

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Station 4 Jesus meets his Mother

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed”… And his mother kept all these things in her heart.

God wanted life to come into the world through the pangs of childbirth: by means of the suffering of a mother who brings life into the world.  All of us need a Mother, even God. “The Word became flesh” (Jn 1:14), in the womb of a Virgin.

Pray:

O Mary, faithful Virgin, look after all the orphans of our world, protect all women subject to exploitation and violence. Bring forth courageous women for the good

of the Church. Inspire every mother to teach her own children the tenderness of God’s love, and, in the hour of trial, to accompany them on their way with the silent strength of her faith. Amen

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Station 5 Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the

Cross

In the history of salvation an unknown man appears.  Simon of Cyrene, a worker who was returning from the fields, is forced to carry the cross.  It is in him that the grace of the love of Christ, which passes through the Cross, first begins to act.  And Simon, forced to carry this weight against his own will, becomes a disciple of the Lord.Pray:

Lord Jesus, we thank you for this gift which surpasses our every hope and which reveals your mercy to us.  Not only have you loved us by granting us salvation, but also by making us instruments of salvation.  While your cross gives meaning to every cross, to us is given the supreme grace in life. Amen

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Station 6 Veronica wipes the face of

Jesus

Amidst the confusion of the crowd following Jesus to Calvary, Veronica appears, a woman whose face and life is unknown.  And yet she is a courageous woman, ready to listen to the Spirit and to follow his inspirations.  She is able to recognize the glory of the Son of God in the marred face of Jesus, and to perceive his invitation to her: “All you who pass by, look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow” (Lam 1:12). Love, which this woman incarnates, leaves us speechless.  Love renders her strong enough to challenge the guards, to overcome the crowd, to draw close to the Lord and perform an act of compassion and faith: stopping the blood from his wounds, drying his tears of pain, contemplating his disfigured face, behind which hides the face of God.Pray:

“Your face, o Lord, do I seek” (Ps 27:8).  Help me to see your face in my brothers and sisters who walk the way of pain and

humiliation.Teach me to dry the tears and blood of those trodden down in every age. Help me to glimpse your face of infinite beauty behind every human face, even the most abandoned. Amen__________________________________________________________________

Station 7 Jesus falls for the second

time

This is the second time you have fallen on the road. As the cross grows heavier and heavier it becomes more difficult to get up. But you continue to struggle and try until you're up and walking again. You don't give up.

As a child, sometimes things get me down. Others seem to find things easier to do or to learn. Each time I fail, I find it harder to keep trying.Pray:

Make us aware of our sins, and give us the will, to get up again. Bestow upon your whole Church the awareness of suffering.  Offer especially to your ministers of Reconciliation the gift of tears for their own sins. How can they beseech your mercy for themselves and others if they do not first know how to mourn their own faults? Amen

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Station 8 Jesus meets the women of

Jerusalem

Jesus, as you carry your cross you see a group of women along the road. As you pass by you see they are sad. You stop to spend a moment with them, to offer them some encouragement. As a child, sometimes I think a lot about myself. I think about what I want and would like people to spend their lives pleasing me.

Do not weep for me, says the Nazarene, because I am doing my Father’s will.   Rather weep for yourselves and all those occasions that you fail to do God’s will.

Pray:

I pray and repent for myself and for others. There is no conversion without charity.  And charity is the way of the Church. Lord Jesus, may your grace

sustain our journey of conversion so that we can turn to you, in communion with our brothers and sisters. Amen

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Station 9 Jesus falls for the third time

Jesus, your journey has been long. You fall again, beneath your cross. You know your journey is coming to an end. You struggle and struggle. You get up and keep going.

As a child, sometimes I fail time and time again. I find it hard to get along with my sisters and brothers, sometimes I'm not honest, sometimes I'm lazy. I'm tempted to stop trying. It's just too hard sometimes.The person who falls, and who contemplates the God who has fallen, is the man or woman who finally can admit their own weakness and powerlessness without fear or despair, precisely because God has experienced the same through his Son.  It is out of mercy that God abases himself to this extent, to the point of lying prostrate in the dust of the street.  Pray:

I pray, God of mercy, for all who have fallen for whatever reason: personal sin,

marriages which have broken down, loneliness, loss of work, family difficulties, worry for the future.__________________________________________________________________

Station 10 Jesus is stripped of his

garments

 

Jesus, your journey has been long. You fall again, beneath your cross. You know your journey is coming to an end. You struggle and struggle. You get up and keep going.

As a child, sometimes I fail time and time again. I find it hard to get along with my sisters and brothers, sometimes I'm not honest, sometimes I'm lazy. I'm tempted to stop trying. It's just too hard sometimes.Pray:

We pray, Lord, for those who have been violated to the depths of their being.For those unable to appreciate the mystery of their own body, for those unable to accept beauty or who disfigure it, for those who do not respect the vulnerability and sanctity of the body that ages and dies. And that, one day, will rise again! Amen

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Station 11 Jesus is crucified

Jesus is on the cross, the “lovely and shining brightly tree”, “throne and altar” On either side of Jesus are two criminals, probably murderers. These two criminals speak to the heart of every person because they show two different ways of being on the cross: the first one curses God; the second recognizes God on the cross. The first criminal proposes a solution which is more comfortable for everyone.  He proposes a human salvation and he only looks downwards. Salvation for him is escaping from the cross and eliminating suffering.  It is the mentality of a throwaway culture.  He asks God to eliminate everything that is not useful and unworthy of being experienced.The second criminal, however, does not bargain.  He proposes a divine salvation, keeping his gaze turned entirely towards heaven.  For him, salvation means accepting the will of God even in the worst conditions.  It is the triumph of a culture of love and forgiveness.

Pray:May your forgiveness resound for me as the assurance of a love that saves me, that makes me new and allows me to remain with you forever.Then I shall be truly a wrongdoer who is graced,and each time you pardon me will be likea foretaste of Heaven, from this day onwards.__________________________________________________________________

Station 12 Jesus dies on the cross

Jesus dies on the cross.  Is it the death of God?  No, it is the most solemn celebration of

the witness of faith. You are stretched out on the cross you have carried so far. The soldiers take big nails and drive them into your hands and feet. You feel abandoned by the people you loved so much. People seem to have gone mad. You have done nothing but good, yet they drive nails through your hands and feet.

As a child, sometimes I hurt others. Sometimes I join with friends and decide not to like another. We gang up against another and cause them hurt and pain. Sometimes I say or do hurtful things to my brothers and sisters. I can wonder what they'd think about themselves if they believed everything I told them about themselves.

Pray:Lord teach me to recognize your love for me and others and to respect all of your creation.__________________________________________________________________

Station 13 Jesus is taken down from the

cross

Jesus, how brutally you were put to death. How gently your are taken from the cross. Your suffering and pain are ended, and you are put in the lap of your mother. The dirt and blood are wiped away. You are treated with love. 

As a child, sometimes I treat others better when they're sad or in pain. When somebody dies, I become very gentle and kind. I notice the good and kind things people say about those who have died. Pray:

Mary, as you embrace your lifeless son, repeats once more your fiat.  It is the tragedy and the trial of faith.  No creature has suffered like you Mary, the mother of all of us whom she engendered in faith at the foot of the Cross. It must have been so painful for you. Mary, teach me your ways to love. Amen

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Station 14 Jesus is laid in the tomb

Jesus, your body is prepared for burial. Joseph gave you his own tomb. He laid your body there and rolled a large stone in front of it, then went home. What a sad day it has been for so many people.

As a child, sometimes I try to keep everything for myself. I find it hard to share my things with my brothers or sisters and with my friends. Pray:O Christ Jesus!We are all journeying to our own death and our own tomb.Grant that we may unite ourselves spiritually before your tomb.May the power of Life manifested there, pierce our hearts.Let this Life become the light of our earthly pilgrimage. Amen. (Saint John Paul II)

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Prayer Pockets Good Deeds Pockets

2018 Lenten Calendar Pray Fast Give SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESD THURSDA FRIDAY SATURDA

AY Y YWhat will I do during Lent?

I can put money in the little church offering.

I can fast/Give up potato chips

I can…

I can pray for the sick

I can…

February

14I will…

I will get my homework done early

I will ask to go to soup supper and stations tonight.

†

I will say the be polite today

First Sunday of LentI will find something to give away.

How is my giving up doing today?

I will pray for ____today

I will find Jesus at Mass today.

I will help someone at school today.

I will say I’m sorry to God.

I will make a card for someone sick.

Second Sunday of LentI will ask to go/give to church today.

I will give up something today.

I will pray for _____today.

I will sing loud at mass today.

I will find something to give away today.

I will ask to go to soup supper and stations tonight.

†

I will clean my roomToday.

Third Sunday of Lent.I will ask to go to church today.

I will give up something today.

I will pray for ______Today.

I will participate at mass.

I will listen to God today.

I will remember how sorry I am for my actions today and ask God to forgive me.

I will do something for my parents today.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

I will ask to go to church.

I will put my clothes in the laundry today.

I will help clear the table tonight.

I will pray for ______Today at mass.

I will be a good listener today.

I will help my teacher today.

†

I will be helpful at home today.

Fifth Sunday of Lent

I will ask to go to church

I will thank God for loving me.

I will remember how much Jesus suffered on the cross today.

I will love Jesus at mass today.

Am I still sacrificing?

Am I still praying?

†

I will do what is asked of me today.

I will remember Jesus loves me and love him back today.

I will pray to do good.

I will remember Jesus sacrifice.

Holy ThursdayI will ask to go to the service at 7 tonight.

Good FridayI will ask to go to church today.

†

Holy SaturdayI will ask to have our food blessed at 12 today.

Easter Sunday

Sacrifice Beads

Finding Jesus

Pray

The Eucharist-sacraments

Church

IN other people

The Holy Bible

I Found Jesus 2018