The Way of the Cross

I Pilate condemns Jesus to die. Jesus is sentenced to death. Although entirely innocent, He remains silent and does not defend Himself. A Christ-like silence in certain circumstances is a great spiritual power. There are many situations in our lives where we should carry on in silence out of love.

Prayer for the First Station

The sacrifice of the Egyptian Coptic martyrs reminds us that following Christ implies total self-giving, even unto death, and challenges us to live our faith with firmness and love. Lord Jesus, You, who were unjustly condemned, accompany and strengthen those who suffer persecution or discrimination for Your name today. May the witness of these martyrs inspire us to live our faith in fidelity and to fearlessly proclaim Your name throughout the world.

Prayer by Maria Lozano, ACN, who visited the families of the Egyptian martyrs

This stunning piece by Tony Rezk depicts the 21 Coptic New Martyrs of Libya in the Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Every year, they will be commemorated on the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple. Because all 21 refused to renounce their Faith in Jesus, they lost their lives to terrorists.

II Jesus accepts His Cross.

God never wanted us to suffer! Nor did He want the cause of suffering – sin. But God took our suffering upon Himself. To forgive sins, He carried our Cross and gave His life for us. Through His love, He made the Cross sacred and precious. If we carry the Cross with Jesus, it will become a blessing

Prayer for the Second Station

God of love, we come to You with a heavy heart, bearing witness to the suffering and violence that continue to ravage the people of Gaza, and so many other parts of the world. We pray for the end of the bloodshed, destruction, and the cycle of vengeance. Lord, we ask that Your Spirit of peace may come upon these lands torn apart by violence. May it soften hardened hearts, open closed minds, and guide all men along the path of justice, equality, and mutual understanding. We ask You this with a humble and contrite heart, because we are all in need of Your healing grace. Amen.

Prayer by Sister Nabila Saleh of the Holy Rosary, who served as a missionary in Gaza

A refugee child praying in the Holy Family Church in Gaza. ACN donors supported faithful as they took refuge in this church from the dreadful effects of war. Credit © Holy Family Church

III Jesus falls for the first time.

God always gives us another chance. We can begin again at any moment on any day. Although He sees our faults, He only looks at the good in us because He is our Father. We can get up again from our falls through sincere contrition.

Prayer for the Third Station

Lord Jesus Christ, we look to You as You collapse in great pain under the weight of the Cross and, rising again, walking on. At this station, we pray for our brothers and sisters in Turkey and other places in the world where the Gospel was once powerfully proclaimed, but today, only a minority is present, with a weak voice. We ask You to strengthen these small Christian communities and to give them courage and hope so that they do not give up. Amen.

Prayer by Father Anton Lasser CP, Ecclesiastical Assistant, ACN International

The Virgin and Child mosaic in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, dating to 867 AD, it is the oldest surviving mosaic in the Church.

IV Jesus meets His mother.

Jesus and Mary were united by one profound, single love, and therefore, one single suffering for one single goal. In pain and love, Our Lady bore us new life under the Cross. “Behold your mother!” With these words from the Cross, Our Lord gave us Mary as our Mother.

Prayer for the Fourth Station

Thank You, Lord Jesus, who, in Your infinite love, chose to die for us all! We give You thanks, also, for the countless martyrs who sacrificed themselves to save others. Mary, Mother of Jesus, accompany your persecuted and suffering children, as you accompanied Jesus at the foot of the Cross. We entrust unto you, also, all the suffering and the tears of all the mothers on the earth. Amen.

Prayer by Sister Ida Porrido, Missionary of the Daughters of St. Paul in Pakistan

The Daughters of St. Paul visiting victims in Jaranwala, where mobs have burned churches and homes, and a mass exodus has occurred.

Simon had to be forced to carry the Cross. Only later did he understand that he was able to participate in the act of redemption and that souls are saved through sacrifices out of love. Lord, help me to accept my Crosses and carry them out of love for You. V Simon helps carry the Cross.

Prayer for the Fifth Station

Heavenly Father, we lift in prayer the martyrs of our day – those who endure the trials of persecution and violence. Grant them strength in their suffering and peace in their hearts. Let the despair they face ignite a flame of hope within us, drawing us toward action and compassion. Help us to bear their burdens, as Simon of Cyrene did. May we be witnesses of hope in a fractured world. Amen.

Prayer by Father Maurice Kwairanga, Director of Justice, Development, and Peace Commission, Yola

The Stations of the Cross at the Holy Mountain of the Cross Pilgrimage Center in the Diocese of Maiduguri with Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme. In Nigeria, Christians have been victims of vicious attacks and have seen their churches destroyed.

VI Veronica wipes Jesus’s face.

Veronica had the courage to help Jesus on the Way of the Cross, and to comfort Him; this gesture could have cost her her life. Through service, we can also help ease the pain of Jesus and see His face in our neighbor.

Prayer for the Sixth Station

Let us take a moment to reflect on the extraordinary strength of these women, our sisters, who, even with their own suffering, find the strength to hold out their hands and console others. Dear Lord, we pray for our suffering sisters who know Your love and consolation. May their example inspire us to stretch out our hand to those who are in pain, and to wipe their tears. Amen.

Prayer by Sister Christine Joseph, religious sister in India

Tribal Catholic villagers celebrate the inauguration of a new school building with a Holy Mass. These villagers have suffered severe Hindu violence.

VII Jesus falls a second time.

The Cross mercilessly drives Jesus to the ground so that we might learn humility and to never be discouraged. We must learn to live not from our own strength but in perfect trust in God’s mercy.

Prayer for the Seventh Station

Lord Jesus, You who rose after falling, give us the strength to remain firm in our own trials. Grant the Congolese people the grace of resilience, an unshakeable faith despite the difficulties, and the courage to forgive. Lift up, console, and sustain those who have fallen. Grant eternal life to the victims. May Your peace reign in this suffering country, and may Your healing touch each heart. Amen.

Prayer by Father Olivier Ndondo, Provincial of the Fathers of the Holy Sacrament, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Altar servers during the Holy Mass. Holy Mass here is said by Father Floribert Bashimbe. Sud-Kivu, Diocese of Bukavu.

VIII Jesus speaks to the women.

Despite His own Cross, Jesus sees the suffering women and comforts them. We can see the needs of others only when we pray with the heart. In prayer, we recognize how we can console one another and ease the suffering in the world.

Prayer for the Eighth Station

Lord, may we not be indifferent to the suffering of those who have lost their loved ones to violence, to those who seek answers, to those who have not managed to attract attention. Give us the courage to walk with them, to sustain their struggle, and to continue to work tirelessly for peace. Amen.

Prayer by the team from the National Commission for Justice and Peace, Mexico

Fr. Misael Varona carrying one of the crosses during a Passion procession, Ciudad Altamirano, Mexico. Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for priests and religious to serve in.

IX Jesus falls for the third time.

Jesus lived entirely from the Father. He told us that we can do nothing without Him. Everything good comes from God. God will be glorified most if we trust Him as His children and seek His will in all things.

Prayer for the Ninth Station

Lord, for the third time, You fell under the weight of the Cross. Truly, it is heavy. But Your love for God and Your fidelity to Your mission are the two arms that will pull You back up on Your feet. You understand those who have collapsed, fed up, under a life marred by terrorist violence, and You understand those who linger in doubt because the footprints of Your presence have been erased by the evil of man. Grant us the grace of forgiveness, the strength and the resilience of the virtue of hope, because with You, nobody can be confounded.

Prayer by Bishop Guy Sanon of Nouna

Pilgrims praying at the Shrine of Our Lady of Yagma (Sanctuary of Notre Dame de Yagma) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso is the most dangerous country on Earth for the Church and her faithful.

Jesus sacrificed everything He was and everything He had. He emptied Himself and became like a slave, so that we may be freed of our selfishness. True purity of heart is to imitate Jesus and do everything out of love for God. X Jesus is stripped of His garments.

Prayer for the Tenth Station

God, Father of Mercy, through the incarnation of Your Son, You made common cause with the millions who are expelled from their homes, stripped of their jobs and dreams, victims of violence and wars. Though to the world, these people do not seem to matter, before You, they have infinite dignity. Help us to not be indifferent nor passive before the forces that strip mankind of its dignity. Illuminate us to find a way to break these forces and build new ones that restore the dignity of each person, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer by Father Jorge Naranjo, Comboni Missionary Priest in Sudan

The palliative care team visits people with chronic and terminal illnesses and trains volunteers in the community. Credit © Comboni College of Science

XI Jesus is nailed to the Cross.

Jesus is God and man. He shows us how God loves and how man should love. True love is vulnerable. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for his friends. Lord, help me to love without fear of my vulnerability.

Prayer for the Eleventh Station

Christ, Our Savior, support our brothers and sisters in Myanmar, who suffer along with the entire population. Be their bread in hunger, their refuge in flight, their peace in the midst of violence. And give us the courage to accompany them, not to forget them, and to be hope with them. Amen.

Prayer by the faithful in Myanmar

Celebration of Mass for the Sacred Heart Feast Day in Our Lady of Fatima Church, the Yangon Diocese, Myanmar. ACN holds a 24-hour prayer vigil for the faithful in Myanmar each year.

XII Jesus dies upon the Cross.

We were redeemed not by Jesus’s passion, but by the power of His love. Suffering, which in and of itself is useless, receives a redemptive power through love. It is this suffering carried out of love that brings about real conversions.

Prayer for the Twelfth Station

God, Our Father, Lord of all life, on this day of the holiest of loves, You allow us to contemplate the death of Your Beloved Son, and You invite us to discover the power of hope in the wounds of all who are crucified, lift up our downtrodden hearts, renew our presence among the neediest, with faith and hope, and give us the certainty of that faith which triumphs over the world.

In the name of Jesus, our Lord, who is God with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer by Father Eduardo A. Roca Oliver, Missionary Priest in Mozambique

Youth praying during the adoration in Maputo, Mozambique.

The Sorrowful Mother receives the martyred body of her son. Through her, the Mediatrix of all grace, the lost paradise is opened. The victory over evil is in her hands. XIII Jesus is taken from the Cross.

Prayer for the Thirteenth Station

Mary, mother and teacher even in sorrow, teach us to imitate Jesus and to persevere faithfully in His love through the vicissitudes, difficult trials, and terrible contradictions of life, so that we may inherit the kingdom promised to those who give themselves entirely to the sacred, great, and eternal cause of Christ. O Mary! Pray for us and spread Your mantle of grace over our wounds and infirmities, enabling us to contemplate, in the hope that does not disappoint, the dawn of Christ’s resurrection in our human history. Amen!

Prayer by Bishop Pierre-André Dumas, Diocese of Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne in Haiti

Young people participating in the National Youth Congress in Fort Liberte, Haiti.

XIV Jesus is laid in the tomb.

When the seed falls into the ground, it produces much fruit. Through the Cross, death is transformed into life. Through forgiveness, hatred is transformed. Through hope, despair is transformed. The dark, cold grave becomes the place of resurrection and light. Lord, by Your Cross and resurrection, You have set us free. You are the Savior of the world.

Prayer for the Fourteenth Station

By your side, Mary, are many families that feel the bite of despair at the suffering and death of their loved ones. Your maternal consolation and loving support in the most difficult of times give us the strength to carry on and adopt your prayer for the conversion of hearts. Jesus, heal our world, fill it with love, peace, and respect in the hearts of men. May the experience of “lying in rest” in our world be transformed into the resurrection of each fallen human life. Amen.

Prayer by Bishop Maksym Ryabukha, S.D.B., Archiepiscopal Exarch of Donetsk

A priest kneeling before a broken crucifix in eastern Ukraine. War has been raging in Ukraine and devastating its faithful for four years.

What glory was revealed by Your empty tomb!

You have risen and have conquered death and sin. You have risen so that all believers may have eternal life. Because of You, I live every day with enduring hope and peace. I live with a renewed sense of being, knowing You will always be by my side. I live with a love of Faith that I share freely with others, for You so lovingly died so I can live.

In Your name, I pray. Amen.

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