Or the Way of the Cross.

Preparatory Prayer.

    The priest and acolytes, kneeling before the altar, pray as follows: O Jesus, our adorable Saviour, behold us prostrate at Thy feet, imploring Thy mercy for ourselves, and for the souls of all the faithful departed. Vouchsafe to apply to us the infinite merits of Thy passion, on which we are now about to meditate. Grant that while we trace this path of sighs and tears our hearts may be so touched with contrition and repentance that we may be ready to embrace with joy all the crosses and sufferings and humiliations of this our life and pilgrimage.

    V. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord.

    R. And my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.

    V. O God, come to my assistance.

    R. O Lord, make haste to help me.

    V. Glory be, etc.

    R. As it was, etc.

Then moving in procession to the first station, the following versicle and response are said or sung:

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

First Station. Jesus Christ Condemned to Death.

    The Priest reads: Leaving the house of Caiphas, 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.

Prayer.

    It was for us that Thou didst suffer, O blessed Jesus; it was for our sins Thou wast condemned to die. Oh, grant that we may detest them from the bottom of our hearts, and by this repentance obtain Thy mercy and pardon.

An Act of Contrition.

    O God, we love Thee with our whole hearts and above all things, and we are heartily sorry that we have offended Thee. May we never offend Thee any more. Oh, may we love Thee without ceasing, and make it our delight to do in all things Thy most holy will.

    Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father, etc.

    V. Lord, have mercy upon us.

    R. Have mercy upon us.

    V. May the souls of the faithful, etc.

    R. Amen.

    This Act of Contrition and the Our Father, etc., are to be repeated after each station.

While passing from one station to another a verse of the STABAT MATER is sung or said.

    At the cross her station keeping,
    Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
        Close to Jesus to the last.

    If many persons perform the VIA CRUCIS, the priest, or a part of the people, may sing the verses in order, and the rest of the people repeat after each verse:

    Holy Mother! pierce me through;
    In my heart each wound renew
        Of my Saviour crucified.

Second Station. Jesus Is Made to Bear the Cross.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    A heavy cross is laid upon the bruised shoulders of Jesus. He receives it with meekness, nay, with a secret joy, for it is the instrument with which He is to redeem the world.

Prayer.

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

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
    All His bitter anguish bearing,
        Now at length the sword had passed.
    Holy Mother, etc.

Third Station. Jesus Falls the First Time Under the Weight of the Cross.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest. 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 sore with blows and wounds; His strength fails Him; He falls to the ground under the cross.

Prayer.

    O Jesus, Who for our sins didst bear the heavy burden of the cross, and didst fall under its weight, may the thoughts of Thy sufferings make us watchful over ourselves, and save us from any grievous fall into sin.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Oh, how sad and sore distressed
    Was that Mother highly blest
        Of the sole-begotten One!
    Holy Mother, etc.

Fourth Station. Jesus Is Met by His Blessed Mother.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    Still burdened with His cross, and wounded yet more by His fall, Jesus proceeds on His way. He is met by His Mother. What a meeting must that have been! What a sword of anguish must have pierced that Mother's bosom! What must have been the compassion of that Son for His holy Mother!

Prayer.

    O Jesus, by the compassion which Thou didst feel for Thy 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 thy Son we may be delivered from the wrath to come.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Christ above in torments hangs;
    She beneath beholds the pangs
        Of her dying glorious Son.
    Holy Mother, etc.

Fifth Station. The Cross Is Laid Upon Simon of Cyrene.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest. As the strength of Jesus fails, and He is unable to proceed, the executioners seize and compel Simon of Cyrene to carry His 592

    cross. The virtue of that cross changed his heart, and from a compulsory task it became a privilege and a joy.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus, may it be our privilege also to bear Thy cross; may we glory in nothing else; by it may the world be crucified unto us, and we unto the world; may we never shrink FIFTH STATION.—SIMON OF CYRENE HELPS SIXTH STATION.—VERONICA WIPES THE FACE JESUS TO CARRY THE CROSS. OF JESUS.

    from sufferings, but rather rejoice if we may be counted worthy to suffer for Thy name's sake.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Is there one who would not weep
    Whelmed in miseries so deep
        Christ's dear Mother to behold?
    Holy Mother, etc.

Sixth Station. The Face of Jesus Is Wiped by Veronica.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

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

Prayer.

    O Jesus, may the contemplation of Thy sufferings move us with the deepest compassion, make us to hate our sins, and kindle in our hearts more fervent love to Thee. May Thy image be graven on our minds until we are transformed into Thy likeness.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Can the human heart refrain
    From partaking in her pain,
        In that Mother's pain untold?
    Holy Mother, etc.

Seventh Station. Jesus Falls the Second Time Under the Cross.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    The pain of His wound, and the loss of blood, increasing at every step of His way, again His strength fails Him, and Jesus falls to the ground a second time.

Prayer.

    O Jesus, falling again under the burden of our sins, and of Thy sufferings for our sins, how often have we grieved Thee by our repeated falls into sin! Oh, may we rather die than ever offend Thee again!

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
    She beheld her tender Child
        All with bloody scourges rent.
    Holy Mother, etc.

Eighth Station. The Women of Jerusalem Mourn for Our Lord.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    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 Him. Jesus, knowing the things that were to come to pass upon Jerusalem because of their rejection of Him, turned to them and said, " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children."

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus, we mourn, and will mourn, both for Thee and for ourselves, for Thy sufferings and for our sins which caused them. Oh, teach us so to mourn that we may be comforted, and escape those dreadful judgments prepared for all who reject or neglect Thee in this life.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    For the sins of His own nation
    She saw Him hang in desolation
        Till His spirit forth He sent.
    Holy Mother, etc.

Ninth Station. Jesus Falls the Third Time Under the Cross.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    Jesus had now arrived almost at the summit of Calvary; but before He reached the spot where He was to be crucified His strength again fails Him, and He falls the third time, to'be again dragged up, and goaded onward by the brutal soldiery.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus, we entreat Thee, by the merits of this Thy third most painful fall, to pardon our frequent relapses and our long continuance in sin; and may the thought of these Thy sufferings make us to hate our sins more and more.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    O thou Mother, fount of love!
    Touch my spirit from above,
        Make my heart with thine accord.
    Holy Mother, etc.

Tenth Station. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    Arrived at last at the place of sacrifice, they prepare to crucify Him. His garments are torn from His bleeding body, and He, the Holy of holies, stands exposed to the vulgar gaze of the rude and scoffing multitude.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus, Thou didst endure this shame for our most shameful deeds. Strip us, we beseech Thee, of all false shame, conceit, and pride and make us so to humble ourselves voluntarily in this life that we may escape everlasting ignominy in the world to come.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Make me feel as thou hast felt;
    Make my soul to glow and melt
        With the love of Christ my Lord.
    Holy Mother, etc.

Eleventh Station. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    The cross is laid upon the ground, and Jesus is stretched upon His bed of death. At one and the same time He offers His bruised limbs to His heavenly Father in behalf of sinful man, and to His fierce executioners to be nailed by them to the disgraceful wood. The blows are struck! the blood gushes forth!

Prayer.

    O Jesus, nailed to the cross, fasten our hearts there also, that they may be united to Thee until death shall strike us with its fatal blow, and with our last breath we shall have yielded up our souls to Thee.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Holy Mother, pierce me through,
    In my heart each wound renew
        Of my Saviour crucified.
    Holy Mother, etc.

Twelfth Station. Jesus Dies Upon the Cross.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    For three hours has Jesus hung upon His transfixed hands; His blood has run in streams down His body, and bedewed the ground; and, in the midst of excruciating sufferings, He has pardoned His murderers, promised the bliss of paradise to the good thief, and committed His blessed Mother and beloved disciple to each other's care. All is now consummated; and, meekly bowing down His head, He gives up the ghost.

Prayer.

    O Jesus, we devoutly embrace that honored cross whereon Thou didst love us even unto death. In that death we place all our confidence. Henceforth let us live only for Thee; and in dying for Thee let us die loving Thee, and in Thy sacred arms.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Let me share with thee His pain,
    Who for all my sins was slain,
        Who for me in torments died.
    Holy Mother, etc.

Thirteenth Station. Jesus Is Laid in the Arms of His Blessed Mother.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    The multitude have left the heights of Calvary, and none remain save the beloved disciple and the holy women, who, at the foot of the cross, are striving to stem the grief of Christ's inconsolable Mother. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take down the body of her divine Son from the cross, and deposit it in her arms.

Prayer.

    O thou, whose grief was boundless as an ocean that hath no limits, Mary, Mother of God, give us a share in thy most holy sorrow in the sufferings of thy Son, and have compassion on our infirmities. Accept us as thy children with the beloved disciple. Show thyself a mother unto us; and may He through thee receive our prayer Who for us vouchsafed to be thy Son.

    Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    Let me mingle tears with thee,
    Mourning Him Who mourned for me,
        All the days that I may live.
    Holy Mother, etc.

Fourteenth Station. Jesus Is Laid in the Sepulchre.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    Priest.

    The body of her dearly beloved Son is taken from His Mother, and laid by the disciples in the tomb. The tomb is closed, and there the lifeless body remains until the hour of its glorious resurrection.

Prayer.

    We, too, O God, will descend into the grave whenever it shall please Thee, as it shall please Thee, and wheresoever it shall please Thee. Let Thy just decrees be fulfilled, let our sinful bodies return to their parent dust, but do Thou, in Thy great mercy, receive our immortal souls, and when our bodies have risen again place them likewise in Thy kingdom, that we may love and bless Thee forever and ever. Amen. Act of Contrition, etc., as before.

    By the cross with thee to stay,
    There with thee to weep and pray,
        Is all I ask of thee to give.
    Holy Mother, etc.

The Benediction is then given, after which the following antiphon and prayer are sung:

    Ant. Christ was made for us obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Let us Pray.

    Look down, O Lord, we beseech Thee, upon this Thy family, for which Our Lord Jesus Christ did not refuse to be delivered into the hands of wicked men, and to endure the torment of the cross. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, forever and ever. R. Amen.

When the Benediction is given with the Cross of the Passion, the following order is to be observed.

    Cantor. Grant us, O Lord, a blessing.

    Priest. May Our Lord Jesus Christ bless us, Who for us was scourged, loaded with His cross, and crucified. R. Amen.

Another Form of Prayers for the Stations.

(FOR PRIVATE USE.)

Preparatory Prayer.

    Receive, O holy Trinity, this my dutiful service, which I offer unto Thee in union with the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin, and all the saints, to the glory of Thy divine majesty, in satisfaction for my sins, in remembrance of our redemption, and to obtain for the departed rest, for the living grace, and for all everlasting glory. To Thee be praise, and honor, and glory, O blessed Trinity, forever and ever. Amen.

First Station. Christ Is Condemned to Death.

    He willingly submitted to that unjust judgment, that He might deliver thee from the sentence of everlasting damnation.

    Ant. The wicked have said, reasoning with themselves, but not right: Let us lie in wait for the just, for He is contrary to our doing: He boasteth that He hath the knowledge of God, and calleth God His Father. Let us see if His words be true. If He be indeed the Son of God, He will deliver Him out of our hands. Let us condemn Him to a most shameful death.

    Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. God spared not His own Son.

    R. But delivered Him up for us all.

    V. He was offered up, because He Himself desired it.

    R. And He opened not His mouth.

    V. Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, Who out of the bosom of the Father didst descend from heaven to earth, and didst shed Thy most precious blood for the remission of our sins, we humbly beseech Thee that in the day of judgment we may be found worthy to stand at Thy right hand, and to hear Thee say unto us, " Come, ye blessed," etc. Who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Second Station. The Cross Is Laid Upon Christ.

    "The wicked have wrought upon my back" (Ps. cxxviii.). Hail, our King! Thou only hadst pity on our sins, and wast led, in obedience to Thy Father, to be crucified, and as a gentle lamb to the slaughter. To Thee be glory, hosanna; to Thee be triumph and victory; to Thee the crown of highest praise and honor.

    Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him.

    R. And by His bruises we are healed.

    V. The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

    R. For the wickedness of His people hath He struck Him.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Third Station. Christ Falls the First Time Under the Cross.

    How great must be the weight of our sins, under which He fell, Who bears all things by the word of His power!

    Ant. Our Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself unto death, even the death of the cross; for which cause God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a name which is above all names.

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. Surely He hath borne our infirmities.

    R. And carried our sorrows.

    V. He was branded for our iniquities.

    R. He was bruised for our sins.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Fourth Station. Christ Is Met on His Way by His Blessed Mother and St. John.

    Oh, how sharp a sword of grief must have pierced the heart of His Mother and of His loving disciple when they met Jesus thus! Dost thou, too, share with them their sorrow and grief?

    Ant. Oh, all ye that pass by, attend and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow: therefore do I weep, and my eyes run down with water, because the Comforter, the relief of my soul, is far from me. My eyes have failed for weeping, my bowels are troubled, my heart is turned within me, for the desolation of my Son, because the enemy hath prevailed.

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. Great as the sea is thy grief.

    R. Who shall heal thee.

    V. A sword of grief hath pierced thine own soul.

    R. That out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Fifth Station. The Cross Is Laid Upon Simon of Cyrene.

    This man was compelled to carry the cross after Jesus. How great an honor to have carried it willingly! Art thou ready to bear the cross of Christ?

    Ant. It behooveth us to glory in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. in Whom is our salvation, Who is our life and resurrection, and through Whom we are saved and delivered.

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

    R. By Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

    V. O faithful cross, thou peerless tree!

    R. No forest yields the like of thee, leaf, flower, or bud.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Sixth Station. Christ Is Met by Veronica.

    How excellent a mirror did Veronica obtain in the image of

    the face of Christ! Do thou ever contemplate thyself in that mirror.

    Ant. Behold, we have seen Him without beauty or comeliness, despised and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity, and His look was as it were hidden and despised; whereupon we esteemed Him not. His appearance is without honor among the living, and His beauty among the sons of men; yet He is beautiful above all the children of men, by Whose bruises we are healed.

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. O Lord God of hosts, correct us.

    R. Show us Thy face, and we shall be saved.

    V. Turn not away Thy face from us.

    R. Neither leave Thy servants in displeasure.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Seventh Station. Christ Falls Down at the Gate of Judgment.

    How wilt thou be able to stand before Him in the day of judgment?

    Ant. They delivered Me into the hands of the ungodly, and thrust Me among the wicked, and did not spare My soul. The strong men gathered themselves against Me. and stood over Me like giants, gazing upon Me with fierce looks; and, beating Me with cruel stripes, they mocked Me.

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. But I am a worm, and no man.

    R. The scorn of men and the outcast of the people.

    V. All they that see Me laugh at Me.

    R. They spoke against Me with their lips, and wagged their heads.

    V. Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Eighth Station. Women Lament Over Christ.

    Where are the tears with which thou dost bewail thy sins rather than the loss of any earthly good?

    Ant. Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For, behold, the days shall come in which they say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the paps that have not given suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall upon us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done in the dry?

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. The breath of our nostrils, Christ the Lord.

    R. Is taken in our sins.

    V. The crown of our head hath fallen.

    R. Woe unto us, for we have sinned.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Ninth Station. Christ Falls for the Last Time at Mount Calvary.

    Oh, how often is Christ pressed down by the weight of our sins!

    Ant. O My people, what have I done to thee, or wherein have I molested thee? Answer thou Me. I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and thou hast prepared for Me a cross; I led thee through the wilderness forty years, and fed thee with manna, and thou hast beaten Me with buffets and scourges; I gave thee a royal sceptre, and thou hast given My head a crown of thorns. What could I have done more for thee that I have not done?

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. He is led like a sheep to the slaughter.

    R. And, as a lamb before His shearers, He is dumb.

    V. He delivered His soul unto death.

    R. That He might give life unto His people.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Tenth Station. Christ Is Stripped of His Garments, and Is Given Vinegar and Gall to Drink.

    Art thou unkind and inconsiderate to the poor? What thou dost to them thou dost to Christ.

    Ant. O My people, what have I done to thee, or wherein have I molested thee? Answer thou Me. I brought thee out from the house of bondage to the promised land; and when I came to thee from the bosom of My Father thou didst lead Me to the death of the cross. I planted thee My choicest vine, and thou wast made unto Me exceeding bitter; I gave thee to drink out of the rock the water of salvation, and thou madest Me to drink vinegar and gall. What could I have done more for thee that I have not done?

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. My strength hath dried up like a potsherd.

    R. And my tongue hath cleaved to My jaws.

    V. They gave Me gall to eat.

    R. And when I was thirsty they gave Me vinegar to drink. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Eleventh Station. Christ Is Fastened to the Cross with Dreadful Nails.

    How strong are the bands of love with which Jesus hath bound Himself unto thee! How dost thou bind thyself in return unto Him?

    Ant. O My people, what have I done unto thee? I exalted thee with great power, and thou didst hang Me on the gibbet of the cross; I made thee higher than all nations, and thou hast loaded Me with reproaches and curses; I opened before thee the Red Sea, and thou hast opened My side with a spear. What could I have done more for thee that I have not done?

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. What are these wounds in the middle of Thy hands?

    R. With them was I wounded in the house of those that loved Me.

    V. They have pierced My hands and My feet.

    R. And have numbered all My bones.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Twelfth Station. Christ Dies Upon the Cross.

    Consider what Jesus said and did when He was dying. Oh, that thou too mayst die like Him!

    Ant. Behold how the just man dieth, and no man layeth it to heart; and the righteous are taken away, and no one con-sidereth. The just man is taken away from before the face of evil, and the memory of him shall be in peace.

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. Christ became obedient unto death for us.

    R. Even the death of the cross.

    V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.

    R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Thirteenth Station. The Body of Christ Is Taken Down from the Cross, and Laid Upon the Knees of His Mother.

    Consider the vehement anguish of Mary's soul when she received in her arms the dead body of her Son taken down from the cross, and laid Him on her knees. Love caused her so great grief, and made her truly a martyr. What love and sympathy dost thou feel for thy Saviour?

    Ant. To what shall I compare thee, or to whom shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equal thee, O virgin daughter of Sion? Great as the sea is thy desolation. O mother of mercy, make me to share with thee the death of Christ; make me a partaker of His passion.

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. Through thee, O Virgin Mary, may we obtain salvation.

    R. From the wounds of Christ.

    V. O holy Jesus, grant me to obtain, through Thy Mother,

    R. The crown of victory.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Fourteenth Station. The Body of Jesus Is Buried.

    Consider, O my soul, how the body of Jesus was wrapped in spices, and laid in a new tomb. With what honor dost thou receive Jesus thy Redeemer daily, either sacramentally or spiritually? Art thou always endeavoring to be, as it were, a new tomb for the reception of Jesus, bright with the beautiful ornaments of virtue?

    Ant. I am counted among them that go down to the pit; I am become as a man without help, free among the dead. O good Jesus, I come here with the women to Thy tomb, sorrowing and lamenting that hitherto I have shown myself so unworthy: confirm and establish the kingdom of Thy grace in my heart.

    Lord, have mercy, etc.

    Our Father. Hail Mary.

    V. My flesh shall rest in hope.

    R. Thou wilt not give Thy holy one to see corruption.

    V. Arise, O Lord, and help me.

    R. And deliver me from my sins.

    V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

    R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Prayer.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Commendation.

    Look down, O Lord, we beseech Thee, upon this Thy family, for which Our Lord Jesus Christ did not refuse to be delivered into the hands of wicked men, and to endure the torment of the cross. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer on the Holy Winding-Sheet of Christ's Body.

    O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst leave the marks of Thy passion on the holy winding-sheet in which Thy most sacred body was wrapped by Joseph when taken down from the cross, mercifully grant that through Thy death and burial we may be brought to the glory of the resurrection. Who livest and reignest, etc.