Way of the Cross with
Pope Benedict XVI
Meditations and Prayers by Sr Maria Rita Piccione, O.S.A. President of the Our Lady of Good Counsel Federation of Augustinian Monasteries in Italy
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Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 First Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Second Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Third Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Fourth Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Fifth Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Sixth Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Seventh Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Eighth Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Ninth Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Tenth Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Eleventh Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Twelfth Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Thirteenth Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Fourteenth Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Final Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
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Introduction Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (1 P 2:21) Let us turn our inward gaze to Christ and implore him with hearts afire: “I beg you, Lord: Say to my soul: I am your salvation! Say it, that I may hear it!” (Saint Augustine, Confessions, 1, 5, 5 - all non-biblical citations, unless otherwise noted, are from Saint Augustine) Christ’s comforting voice blends with the delicate thread of our “yes”, and the Holy Spirit, the finger of God, weaves within us the solid web of a faith full of consolation and guidance. To follow, to believe and to pray: these are the simple and sure steps which guide our journey along the Way of the Cross, and gradually enable us to glimpse the path of Truth and Life. Opening Prayer V. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen. V. Let us pray. A moment of silence follows
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Meditation Lord Jesus, you invite us to follow you in this, your final hour. In you, each one of us is present and we, though many, are one in you. In your final hour is our life’s hour of testing, in all its harshness and brutality; it is the hour of the passion of your Church and of all humanity. It is the hour of darkness: when “the foundations of the earth tremble” (Is 24:18) and man, “a tiny part of your creation”, (Confessions, 1, 1, 1) groans and suffers with it; an hour when the various masks of falsehood mock the truth and the allure of success stifles the deep call to honesty; when utter lack of meaning and values brings good training to nought and the disordered heart disfigures the innocence of the small and weak; an hour when man strays from the way leading to the Father and no longer recognizes in you the bright face of his own humanity.
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This hour brings the temptation to flee, the sense of bewilderment and anguish, as the worm of doubt eats away at the mind and the curtain of darkness falls on the heart. And you, Lord, who read the open book of our frail hearts, ask us this evening, as once you asked the Twelve: “Do you also wish to leave me?” (Jn 6:67) No, Lord, we cannot and would not leave you, for you alone “have the words of eternal life”, (Jn 6:68) you alone are “the word of truth”(Cf. Ep 1:13) and your cross alone is the “key that opens to us the secrets of truth and life”. (Cf. Commentary on the Psalms, 45, 1) “We will follow you wherever you go!” (Cf. Mt 8:19) Following you is itself our act of worship, as from the horizon of the not yet a ray of joy caresses the already of our journey. R. Amen.
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First Station Jesus is condemned to death Jesus is silent; he guards the truth within himself V. (genuflecting) We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. R. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. From the Gospel according to John 18:37-40 Pilate said to Jesus, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again, and told them, “I find no crime in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. Meditation Pilate finds in Jesus no cause for condemnation, yet he does not find within himself the strength to oppose the sentence.
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His inner hearing is deaf to the word of Jesus; he fails to understand Jesus’ testimony to the truth. “To hear the truth is to obey it and believe in it” (Cf. Commentary on the Gospel of John, 115, 4). It is to live freely under its aegis and to entrust one’s heart to it. Pilate is not free: he is conditioned from without, yet the truth he has heard continues to echo within, knocking at his heart and troubling him. So he goes out to the Jews; “he went out again”, the text emphasizes, in an attempt, as it were, to flee from himself. And the voice coming to him from without prevails over the word within. Here is where the condemnation of Jesus, the condemnation of the truth, is decided. Jesus most humble, we too let ourselves be conditioned from without. We no longer know how to hear the quiet, exacting and liberating voice of our own conscience which lovingly invites us, appealing from within: “Do not go out, return to yourself: it is in the inner man that the truth dwells” (On True Religion, 39, 72).
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Come, Spirit of Truth, help us to encounter in the “inner man, hidden deep within our hearts� (Cf. Jerusalem Bible (Italian), note on 1 P 3:4) the Holy Face of the Son who renews us in the Divine Likeness! All: Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. At the Cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last.
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Way of Clavary In these Stations of the Cross, Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that to reflect on Christ’s suffering on the way of Calvary is to reflect on his love for us and his ultimate victory over death. The Holy Father’s words are accompanied by beautiful images of the stunning Spanish statues used during the celebration of the Via Crucis during the last World Youth Day in Madrid. The reflections at each Station were composed by the Sisters of the Cross (Hermanas de la Cruz) who have a special apostolate to the very poor.
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ISBN: 978 1 86082 782 2 CTS Code: D 749
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Christian Fasting Disciplining the body, awakening the spirit Fasting is an indispensable part of the Christian life, a purification of our habits of eating and drinking, which allows us to rein in our physical appetites. This informative new booklet explores the Catholic understanding of fasting using Scripture and the teachings of Christ and his Church. The true meaning and value of fasting aligned with almsgiving and prayer is beautifully explained - and complemented by quotations and a question-and-answer section. The Friday Penance, recently given new emphasis, is also discussed in relation to a rediscovering of our Catholic identity.
ISBN: 978 1 86082 772 3 CTS Code: SP34
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