Around the walls of most Catholic Churches are 14, or sometimes 15, Stations each representing a stage of the journey Jesus made to Calvary carrying his cross, starting with his condemnation by Pilate and concluding at the 14th Station with his burial. In recent times, a 15th Station has been added, representing the Resurrection of Christ. Some of the events are described in the Bible Passion narratives, others are part of a long Christian tradition. At each Station we pause to think and pray about the sufferings of Jesus and our response to his command to "take up your cross and follow me".

Catherine McAuley had a deep devotion to the Passion of Christ which she found led her to "the humbled, abandoned, agonising Christ" and Mercy Associates are encouraged to follow her example. The Way of the Cross can be prayed at any time,and in any way, but it is particularly appropriate during Lent and Holy Week.

The pictures are photographs of the new sculptured Stations of the Cross erected near the Grotto in Lourdes a short time ago
If you do not wish to complete the 15 Stations all at once, an exit is provided after each one.

"If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world--therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'Servants are not greater than their master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

There is no blessing for those who drag their cross after them, who almost push it from them

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha".

What is your cross? When called upon to do what is opposed to your judgement. Behold your cross!"

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh". ".

"The humbled, abandoned. agonising Christ: this is my Christ. Him I will have and hold; outside of Him, NOTHING!"

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Whenever anything occurs that is painful to your self esteem - behold your Cross, cling to it; see your Saviour nailed to his

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus".

"Far better and more profitable for you to receive with all your heart,
the cross which God will send you, in any shape or form he pleases"

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called-- that you might inherit a blessing. For "Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

"If you really love God, you will thus prove your love - for the proof of love is deed - love of God, love of neighbour -
are as cause and effect"

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.

We must endeavour to keep ourselves in God's presence, united to him by faith, knowing that he hears and sees us everywhere

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

"If the love of God really reigns in your heart, it will quickly show itself in the exterior. You will have a tender esteem for your sisters and others"

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own".

"What a consolation to serve Christ himself in the person of the poor and to walk in same path he trod".

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him".

"My earthly joys are cut down thank God, but the joys of my state are many and I feel the most lively gratitude".

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

"When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

"He has written us on his hands, shall not we then write his wounds in our minds and our hearts".

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

"Without the Cross the real crown cannot come, any alteration He wishes will be our joy and delight - His Holy Will be done in all things".

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. .... After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body.

"Bless the love of the Fatherly hand which has hurt you. He will soon come with both hands filled with favours and blessings.

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

"Each day is a step we take towards Eternity and we shall continue thus to step from day to day until we take the last step, which will bring us into the presence of God"

We adore you O Christ and we praise you
because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you."

"The impression made on our minds by meditation on Christ's humiliations, meekness and unwearied perseverance, will help us on every difficult occasion and will endeavour to make Him the only return He demands of us - by giving Him our whole heart - fashioned on His own model - pure, meek, merciful and humble. All will then be easy and sweet - no agitation - no particular desire, except to please and glorify God.

Pray for your portion of Easter Grace, before the extra Tresury is closed. Pray fervently and constantly - do not give up until All is given you. May God preserve and bless you"