If you are unable to visit your local church you may find comfort from this "virtual walk" of the Way of the Cross with these depictions and narrative of Jesus' journey during those last moments. Click on each image and there is a short passage describing the scene with a short reading and prayer.

Preparatory Prayer

O Jesus, our adorable Saviour, we now contemplate Your sacred passion. Help us to understand that the sufferings of our life are the continuation of Your passion. We ask for strength of our souls to go through our passion, in the spirit with which You went through Yours. Amen

Pilate places his hand in a bowl of water, seeking to wash his hands of guilt in condemning Jesus to death. The servant holds a towel over his arm for Pilate to dry his hands on.  Jesus has already been mocked by soldiers in an out-building of the palace, where they placed a purple cape on his shoulders and platted a crown of thorns to place on his head.

Reading: Leaving the house of Caiaphas, where he had been blasphemed, and the house of Herod, where he had been mocked, Jesus is dragged before Pilate, his back torn with scourges, his head crowned with thorns; and he, who on the last day will judge the living and the dead, is himself condemned to a disgraceful death.

Let us pray

It was for us that You did suffer, O Blessed Jesus. It was for our sins that You were condemned to die. Oh, grant that we may detest our sins from the bottom of our hearts, and obtain your mercy and pardon by repentance.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Jesus feels utterly alone and understands the enormity of actually handling the cross, the instrument of torture on which he is to face an agonizing death. People are around him but for a moment he hardly notices them. He is deeply in prayer as the soldiers begin to move him on to the place of execution.

Reading: A heavy cross is laid upon the bruised shoulders of Jesus. He receives it with meekness and with a sense of commitment, for it is the instrument with which he is to redeem the world and to accomplish the mission for which his heavenly Father has sent him.

Let us pray

O Jesus, grant us, by virtue of your cross, to embrace with meekness and cheerful submission the difficulties of our life, and to be ever ready to take up our cross and follow You.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Jesus is weak from lack of sleep and from the cruel treatment inflicted upon him by the soldiers. He stumbles to the ground and some of the faithful women followers of Jesus watch helplessly, with pain in their hearts. One soldier whips him with a knotted thong whip, which makes small and painful gashes in his body, forcing him to struggle to his feet.

Reading: Bowed down under the weight of the cross, Jesus slowly sets forth on the way to Calvary, amidst the mockeries and insults of the crowd. His agony in the garden has exhausted his body. He is lacerated with blows and wounds; his strength fails Him. He falls to the ground under his cross.

Let us pray

O Jesus, who for our sins did bear the heavy burden of the cross and did fall under its weight, may the thoughts of your suffering make us watchful over ourselves and save us from any grievous fall into sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

The triumphant entry into Jerusalem had taken place less than a week previously.  At the same time Simon of Cyrene has noticed that Jesus desperately needs help to carry the cross.

Reading: Still burdened with his cross, and wounded yet more by his fall, Jesus proceeds on His way. He is met by his loving mother. What a meeting must have that been! What a sword of anguish must have pierced the mother’s heart! What must have been the compassion of that Son for his holy mother!

Let us pray

O Jesus, by the compassion which You did feel for Your Mother, have compassion on us, and give us a share in her intercession. O Mary, most afflicted mother, intercede for us that, through the sufferings of your Son, we may be delivered from eternal death.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

More crowds begin to gather along the way of the cross and now with the extra help from Simon to carry the cross, the soldiers move more forcibly towards Golgotha and place of execution.

Reading: As the strength of Jesus fails, and he is unable to proceed, the executioners seize and compel Simon of Cyrene to carry His cross. The grace of that cross changes the Cyrenean’s heart and from the compulsory task, it becomes a privilege and joy.

Let us pray

O Lord Jesus, may it be our privilege to bear our cross. May we glory in nothing else; by the cross, may the world be crucified unto us, and we unto the world. May we never shrink from suffering but rather rejoice if we should be counted worthy to suffer for your name’s sake

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

A woman ignores the soldiers’ curses and steps forward to try, in some small way, relieve Christ’s suffering. Using a white veil, which is slightly perfumed, she wipes the sweat and blood from his face. For her demonstration of love, Jesus blesses her sacrifice by leaving upon the veil a perfect image of his divine face, which glows with his reassuring presence whenever she looks upon it.

Reading: As Jesus proceeds along the way covered with the sweat of blood, a woman, moved with compassion, makes her way through the crowd, and wipes his face with a handkerchief. As a reward for her piety, the impression of His sacred countenance is miraculously imprinted upon the handkerchief.

Let us pray

O Jesus, may the contemplation of your sufferings move us with deep compassion. Make us hate our sins and kindle in our hearts, more fervent love for You. May your image be graven on our minds until we are transformed into Your likeness.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Simon of Cyrene tries to take some of the weight of the cross from the shoulders of Jesus, as in exhaustion Jesus stumbles again. Once again the soldiers hurry him to his feet, the menace of the military force seeming to surround him on all sides.

Reading: The pain of his wounds; and the loss of blood increasing at every step of his way, weakens him; and Jesus falls to the ground for the second time.

Let us pray

O Jesus, who did fall a second time beneath the load of our sins and of your suffering for our sins, how often have we grieved you by our repeated falls into sin! Oh, may we rather die than ever offend You!

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

His own disciples are afraid and keep their distance from the soldiers, but little groups of saddened and faithful women watch the sad spectacle. Jesus is moved by their loving concern and shows them that the critical hour is approaching not only now, but also in the near future, when judgement and condemnation will fall upon the godless. 

Reading: At the sight of the sufferings of  Jesus, some holy women in the crowd were so touched with sympathy that they openly bewailed and lamented for Him. Jesus, knowing the things that would befall Jerusalem because of its rejection of him, turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep for yourselves and for your children”.

Let us pray

O Jesus, we mourn and will always mourn for you and for ourselves, for your sufferings and for our sins which caused them. Oh, teach us to mourn, so that we may repent and be saved from the dreadful end to those who reject or neglect you, their God and their all.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Hardly able to stand anymore, Jesus stumbles and falls. One soldier shouts at him, while another whips him across the shoulders until he staggers to his feet.

Reading: Jesus has almost arrived at the summit of Calvary, but before he reaches the spot where he is to be crucified, his strength again fails Him, and he falls the third time.

Let us pray

O Jesus, we entreat you by the merit of this your third and most painful fall, to pardon our frequent relapses and our long continuance in sin. May the thought of Your sufferings make us hate our sins more and more.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Arriving now at the place of torture and execution, even the soldiers feel a little sick inside. They have seen many executions, but still are shocked at the excruciating pain their prisoners are about to suffer. One soldier holds out a rough mug of cheap liquid, which is supposed to dull the pain, while another soldier using bullying language, tries to console Jesus. The robes he was wearing are removed, leaving a modest strip of cloth around his loins. 

Reading: Jesus at last arrives at Golgotha and they prepare to crucify Him. They strip Him of His garments and mock Him.

Let us pray

O Jesus, strip us of all false esteem, conceit and pride and make us humble like you in this life, so that we share your glory with you in the life to come.

Have mercy on us, O Lord. 

The soldier guarding Christ the captive no longer holds his spear or sword aggressively but stands with his hands behind his back. He looks with pity at the terrible sight and views man’s barbarity, inflicted by one man on another. He senses that this man, Jesus is innocent and yet as a soldier he has to attend, watch and wait.

Reading: The cross is laid upon the ground and Jesus is stretched upon His bed of death. With divine dignity and forgiveness, he lets himself be nailed to the cross. The blows are struck! The blood gushes forth!

Let us pray

O Jesus, nailed to the cross, fasten our hearts to the cross, so that we may be united with you until we yield up our souls to you.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Reading: For three hours, Jesus has hung upon His pierced hands. His blood has run in streams down his body, and onto the ground. In the midst of excruciating suffering, he has pardoned his murderers, given heaven to the good thief, and committed his blessed mother to his beloved disciple’s care. His mission of love has been accomplished. He bows his head and gives up his Spirit to God.

Let us pray

O Jesus, we devoutly embrace your saving cross, on which you died so that we may have eternal life. We hail your cross, and lovingly accept our own.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Believers and faithful followers help to retrieve the body of Jesus. With gentleness and care the nails are withdrawn from his hands and feet. Simple sheets help to lower his form to the ground and seem to reflect his outpouring of life and love.

Reading: The multitudes have left the hill of Calvary. There is no one except the beloved disciple of Jesus and the holy women with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take down the body of Jesus from the cross and place him in the arms of his afflicted mother.

Let us pray

O Mary, mother of Jesus, your grief was so great, being a helpless witness to the savage way your Son was put to death. By his death and resurrection, we have become your children in Jesus. Help us by your intercession to be like your son Jesus.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

The final station of the cross lets us into the secret and holiest places of the way of the cross. Only the holy women and devout men obtain access at this moment.

Reading: The disciples take the body of her dear beloved Son Jesus from his mother and place it in the tomb. The tomb is closed and in it the lifeless body remains until the hour of its glorious resurrection.

Let us pray

Lord, Your suffering is over. You have triumphed, though in the eyes of men, you may seem to have failed. Sin, death and hell have been conquered. The world is Yours, I am Yours. Be the King of my heart. I surrender myself to your Holy Will. May Your kingdom come.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

The Resurrection of Jesus

Reading: When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices that they might go and anoint Jesus. They were early on the first day of the week, when the sun had just risen, when they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll the stone back from the entrance of the tomb for us?”, for it is very large. But looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled back, and upon entering the tomb they were amazed to see a young man sitting on the right side and clothed in a white robe. He said to them “Do not be terrified. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.”

Lord Jesus - Help us walk in your steps

Let us pray

Heavenly Father, we have contemplated your Son, Jesus, on his Way of the Cross, in his Spirit which you have gifted to us. We accept our way of the cross. We know it will lead us to, where it led him to, our resurrection with him. We thank You for the joy of this vision of faith.