Via Crocis al Colloseo 2002

8/14/2019 Via Crocis al Colloseo 2002

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OFFICE FOR THE LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONSOF THE SUPREME PONTIFF

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

AT THE COLOSSEUM

IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS HOLINESS

POPE JOHN PAUL II

GOOD FRIDAY 2002

TEXTS OF THE MEDITATIONS WRITTEN BY:

John M. Thavis (United States)Alexej Bukalov (Russian Federation)

Henri Tincq (France)Greg Burke (United States)

Angel Gmez Fuentes (Spain)Erich Kusch (Germany)

Hiroshi Miyahira (Japon)Jacek Moskwa (Poland)

Marina Ricci (Italy)Aura Miguel (Portugal)Luigi Accattoli (Italy)

Sophie de Ravinel (France)Valentina Alazraki (Mexico)

Marie Czernin (Germany)

INTRODUCTION

Each year the Christian community of Rome, together with great numbers of pilgrims from aroundthe world, gathers with the Successor of Peter at the Colosseum on the evening of Good Friday, theliturgical memorial of the Lord's Passion, for the traditional devotion of the Stations of the Cross.

Millions of the faithful take part through television in this moment of contemplation and prayer. TheCity and the World are in a sense united around the mystery of the passion and death of the Lord,the re-enactment of which is marked by readings from the Bible, prayers, meditations and songs.The way of the cross winds from inside the Colosseum to the slopes of the Palatine.


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The 14 stations, as on other occasions in recent years, follow a strictly biblical outline, based ontexts drawn mainly from the Gospel of St Mark.

Each year the Holy Father invites people of various nationalities and different Churches or EcclesialCommunities to compose the meditations of the Way of the Cross. This year's meditations are novel

in that they have been composed by a variety of authors: 14 journalists and communicators, lay menand women from different countries, all of whom are accredited to the Press Office of the Holy Seeand represent well-known press and television networks. While they are in touch with everydaynews events, they are also sensitive to the world of the spirit; trained in the clear and conciselanguage of the media, they are used to reporting the news of the day. They have found ways to linkthe mystery of Jesus of Nazareth to contemporary historical events: the people, situations and placesof our world are themselves a daily Via Crucis where Christ continues to live and to suffer in vastnumbers of our brothers and sisters - in the powerless and the poor, in the outcast and the sick, in

prisoners and victims of persecution, in the homeless and in those without a country. In many of thestations, the meditation links the history of Jesus of Nazareth with the story of those men andwomen of our own time who are victims of violence, war, persecution and terrorism.

Women journalists have been assigned the meditations on those stations in which women - Mary,the Mother of Jesus, the women disciples who followed the Master to Calvary, the daughters ofJerusalem - are the principal actors and witnesses of various episodes of the Lord's Passion.

In our own day too - and the authors of the 2002 Way of the Cross have stated it well - the face ofGod shines forth in the face of Christ. In Christ's Passion we read the sufferings of mankind. In the

pain-filled faces of the men and women of our time we have a glimpse of the face of Christ,accused, reviled, crucified. Yet his Easter victory, his triumph over evil and death, offers hope to allhumanity, the promise and pledge of new life.

OPENING PRAYER

The Holy Father:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

R.Amen.

Dear Brothers and Sisters: the shadows of evening have fallen, the evening of Good Friday, 2002.Once more the Church of Rome prepares to relive, listening to the Word, the final passage of thelife of Christ: from the Garden of Olives to the tomb hewn in the Garden.

***

Via Crucis

The path of suffering, which Christ treads in obedience to the saving plan of the Father. His pathand ours: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and followme" (Mt 16,24).

Via Crucis


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The event which reveals the love of the Trinity: of the Father, who "so loved the world that he gavehis only Son" (Jn 3,16); of the Son, who so loved his friends that he laid down his life for them (cf.Jn 15,13); of the Spirit of peace, mercy and consolation.

Via Crucis

The school of life according to the Gospel, where the disciple, gazing upon the Crucified One,learns how to love God above all things and spend his life for his brothers and sisters; $\howforgiveness can triumph over injury and evil be requited with good; how the heart can open to afriend and the pain of the afflicted find relief.

Via Crucis

An appeal for reconciliation and peace, so that in Asia, Africa and the Middle East today's bitterconflicts may cease, bloodshed may come to an end, so that, by the power of the Spirit, all hardnessof heart may be shattered and "enemies begin to speak to one another, those who were estranged

join hands in friendship, and nations seek the ways of peace together" (Roman Liturgy).

***

The Holy Father:

Peace to those nearby and those far away! Peace to you, Jerusalem, City beloved of the Lord! Peaceto you, Rome, City of many martyrs, wellspring of Christian civilization!

Let us pray.

A brief moment of silence follows.

Holy and merciful Father, grant that we may walk with faith and love along the way of the Cross.As we share in Christ's passion, may we come at last with him to the glory of your Kingdom.

Through Christ our Lord.

R.Amen.

FIRST STATION

Jesus is in Agony in the Garden of Olives

V.Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

R.Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

From the Gospel according to Mk14,32-36

And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane; and he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.

And he said to them: "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch". And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that,


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if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said: "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will,

but what you will".

MEDITATION

The garden full of olive trees offers no comfort this night. It is sad to see that face pressed against

the earth, it hurts to see the anguish that weighs upon his heart. The friends he chose for companyare asleep, the same ones who promised: We shall always be with you, Jesus. Their promises areasleep too. A little while ago, Peter was boasting: Even if everyone runs away, I shall remain. Butnow he cannot even keep his eyes open. These last few steps Jesus had to walk alone. The long pathof miracles and words, the path so full of people, has led him here: to a stony patch of ground and asolitude so immense that it terrifies. Face to the ground: nothing majestic about this scene, exceptthe simplicity of a man who confesses: My soul is full of sorrow. The one who calmed the waterscannot give himself peace. The storm is the anguish that shakes him to the core, as it shakesmillions of men and women, yesterday, today and tomorrow. The struggle can last a long time, andin this garden it ends only when the Son says to the Father: "Your will be done". A prayer that

brings profound peace.

PRAYER

Jesus, you came to Gethsemane full of anguishand left with a heart resolute and at peace.Comfort those who cry out in fearor are troubled by doubt.

You experienced our weakness,grant strength and hope

to all the dispirited of the earth.You walk every daywith those weighed down by life's burdens,walk beside each one of us, step by step.To you, Jesus,who fell to the ground, your face bathed in blood,

be honour and glorywith the Father and the Holy Spirit,world without end.

R.Amen.

All:

Pater noster, qui es in clis:sanctificetur nomen tuum;adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;

sed libera nos a malo.


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Stabat mater dolorosa

iuxta crucem lacrimosa,

dum pendebat Filius.

SECOND STATION

Jesus is Betrayed by Judas and Arrested



From the Gospel according to Mk. 14,43.45-46And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the

scribes and the elders. And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said: "Master!" And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him.

MEDITATION

As soon as the Disciple traitor fell from the tree,

the devil rushed to draw up to his face ...with a kiss that burned right through the lips

that in the night of the betrayal had kissed Christ.

(Alexandr Puskin, Russian poet - 1836)

On that tragic, dark night in Gethsemane, "the night when he was betrayed" (1 Cor 11,23), the Sonof God, by his words and actions, awakens in us different and even conflicting emotions: we sensethe richness of his spiritual dialogue with the disciples and we experience the joy of the meal takentogether; we contemplate the heights of pure intentions and shudder at the cowardice of betrayal.Jesus, wise and all-seeing, obedient to the Father's plan of salvation, goes to his death for theliberation of the human race. The disciple turned traitor is left with nothing but universal, agelessscorn: the "curse of Judas", the dark abyss. From the death of Christ new life flowers, memory and

message of an undying hope: universal salvation.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus,in our divisions, the bitter fruit of sin,show us the way to unity,the way that leads to the inexpressible richnessof the Gospel and of Redemption.The time determined by the Father must come,when we shall see the love which forgivesand unites.You, wise Master of life,kind and patient


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in the face of betrayal by your discipleand the insolence of rulers,grant to us, in these days of unheard-of violenceand brutal conflict between men,a ray of your calm and your serenity.

Let us know peace and forgiveness,for there can be no peace without forgiveness,nor forgiveness without compassion.To you, Jesus,who turn your meek faceto the friend who betrays you,

be honour and glorywith the Father and the Holy Spirit,today and in that day which will never end.

R.Amen.

All:

Pater noster, qui es in clis:sanctificetur nomen tuum;adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;sed libera nos a malo.

Cuius animam gementem,

contristatam et dolentem

pertransivit gladius.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,

All his bitter anguish bearing,

Now at length the sword had passed.

THIRD STATION

Jesus is Condemned by the Sanhedrin



From the Gospel according to Mk14,55.60-62.64Now the chief priests and the whole council sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. And the high priest stood up in the

midst, and asked Jesus: "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said: "I am". And they all condemned him as deserving death.


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MEDITATION

The judicial apparatus has now been set in motion. The apparatus that condemns without proofs,accuses without grounds, judges without appeal, and crushes the innocent. Summary justice, theswift justice of modern dictatorships and times of war. The justice sometimes given - blasphemy of

blasphemies - in the name of the God who forgives and absolves. Jesus in the dock. Like all thevictims of caprice, presumed guilty of crimes of conscience. They resist, they refuse to bow beneaththe yoke of the system, power which crushes, destroying personhood and identity. Identity check:"Who are you". On arrival, every prisoner receives a number. At all times he has to show his tag,hand over his identity card. In the hour of caprice, the Church's duty and her boast is to tell him thathe is not a number, and that every man has a right to be called by name. "Are you the Christ, theSon of the Blessed?" (Mk 14,61). The response is full of light: "I am!"(Mk 14,62). To proclaimone's own identity and one's faith are acts sometimes punishable by death. How many people areseeking God? How many are seeking him behind bars? How many seek him within the prison oftheir life, their sufferings? How many seek him amid mockery and torture? Men and women in

prisons everywhere, hunted down, marked, scarred, lacking answers to the essential questions:

about the meaning of life and about evil, about repentance, forgiveness and salvation, about themystery of the Cross and of Redemption. A people of flesh and blood. A land of encounters, faces,voices and cries. A land of the Gospel.

PRAYER

Jesus, you need but say "I am",and we will race to your side.In the prisons men and women implore you.They keep watch and pray in the night.They teach us about the air which they breathe,the evil which weighs them down,the freedom they seek.Hear their prayer.If they feel unforgiven, unloved by you and by us,if their hope is denied,then they are doubly condemned,relegated to death row.Give them what you have given us:faith in you and in your presence,love of life, hope for a new world.

To us and to them grant the means to seek you,to accept the time of waiting, and to find you.To you, Jesus,Good Shepherd and Lord of our lives,Friend with a merciful face,

be pure and grateful praisewith the Father and the Holy Spirit,world without end.

R.Amen.

All:


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Pater noster, qui es in clis:sanctificetur nomen tuum;adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;

et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;sed libera nos a malo.

O quam tristis et afflicta

fuit illa benedicta

mater Unigeniti!

Oh, how sad and sore distressed

Was that mother highly blessed

Of the sole-begotten one!

FOURTH STATION

Peter Denies Jesus


R.Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

From the Gospel according to Mk14,72And immediately the cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him: "Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three

times". And he broke down and wept.

MEDITATION

The cock crows for a second time, and Peter's tears fall to the ground. What has happened toCephas, the Rock? He has denied his Redeemer, not once, not twice, but three times. Just as hisfaith wavered when he tried to walk on water, once again Peter reveals his weakness. He had

brashly promised that he would rather die than deny his Master. But in the end, a young servant girlsuffices to make him ashamed of his friendship with Jesus. As soon as Jesus glances at Peter theApostle recognizes his grievous error. Humbled, he cries and asks God for forgiveness. The lessonof Peter is a powerful one: that even those closest to Jesus will offend him through sin. The soundof the cock's crow will never be the same for the Prince of the Apostles: it will remind him for everof his fear and frailty.

PRAYER

Lord, give us a humble and contrite heart.May we also learn to shed tears for our sins,

and return to your loving embraceevery time we have turned our backs on you.Let us, like Peter, learn from our faults.


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May we never take our faith for granted,nor presume to be better than the others.Help us to know ourselves as we really are,weak, sinful, and in constant needof your forgiveness.

To you, Jesus,who gaze serenely upon your friend,to you be praise and glorywith the Father and the Spiritfor ages unending.

R.Amen.

All:

Pater noster, qui es in clis:

sanctificetur nomen tuum;adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;sed libera nos a malo.

Qu mrebat et dolebat

pia mater, cum videbat

Nati pnas incliti.

Christ above in torment hangs;

She beneath beholds the pangs

Of her dying glorious Son.

FIFTH STATION

Jesus is Judged by Pilate

V.Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.


From the Gospel according to Mk15,14-15And Pilate said to them: "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more: "Crucify him". So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for

them Barabbas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

MEDITATION

"Let him be crucified" (Mt27,22).


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The cry rings out whenever a human being is maltreated. Every day each one of us becomes ajudge. We think we have the right to judge and condemn what others do, but we refuse to be blamedor judged by others. We always find a justification for our faults and mistakes. Jesus remains silent

before the hypocrisy and arrogance of power, before the indifference of those who avoid their ownresponsibilities. He thus confirms the teaching he gave to his disciples: "Judge not, and you will not

be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned" (Lk6,37). Jesus has his hands tied, but heis free. In accepting the mystery of the Cross, he shows us true love, true justice.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus,free us from hypocrisy and indifference,from the temptation to wash our handsin the face of injustice.Grant us the humility we needto recognize our mistakes.

Teach us to reject all compromisewith injustice and deceit.Help us to be silent withinthat we may hear the cry of thosewho are suffering.Enlighten those who always tryto justify the wrong that they have done.You, O Lord, poured out your bloodas the price of our freedom:give each of us your voicethat we may lift it upin defence of the oppressed,of all who suffer in silence,so that peace, justice and forgivenessmay become a reality in the world.You, Jesus, were condemned though innocent:to you be pure and thankful praise,with the Father and the Spiritin this age and for all eternity.

R.Amen.

All:

Pater noster, qui es in clis:sanctificetur nomen tuum;adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;



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Quis est homo qui non fleret,

matrem Christi si videret

in tanto supplicio?

Is there one who would not weep,

Whelmed in miseries so deep

Christ's dear mother to behold?

SIXTH STATION

Jesus is Scourged and Crowned with Thorns


R.Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

From the Gospel according to Mk15,17-19The soldiers clothed him in a purple cloak, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him. And they began to salute him:

"Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him.

MEDITATION

O Christ, you are the true King, yet men mocked you and gave you a crown not to adore but toderide you. We suffer with you because people are blind and deaf to your message of salvation.

Your Kingdom is not of this world, but we humans look for honour, power, success, wealth: a worldwithout suffering. Yet we inflict pain upon others, even the unborn, even animals. By your sacrificeyou taught us to break the cycle of violence. True man, you bore unspeakable pain; contemplatingyour face, we find strength to bear our sorrows, in the hope of finding welcome in your Kingdom,the true and only Kingdom.

PRAYER

O Jesus, our King,forgive us our duplicity:we weep for your suffering,

yet we strike othersto assert our own selfishness.When we go astray, be our sure guide,in our time of trial,

be strength in our weakness,give us, inconsistent as we are,

perseverance in following you.Grant that human violence may be overcome

by your gentleness,and that incomprehensible suffering,accepted in faith,

may be an instrument of peace and salvation.You, Jesus, are the King crowned with thorns,the King with the mild and peaceful face:


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to you be honour and glory,with the Father and the Holy Spiritin time that passesand on the day that never ends.

R.Amen.

All:

Pater noster, qui es in clis:sanctificetur nomen tuum;adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;

et ne nos inducas in tentationem;sed libera nos a malo.

Quis non posset contristari,

piam matrem contemplari

dolentem cum Filio?

Can the human heart refrain

From partaking of her pain,

In that mother's pain untold?

SEVENTH STATION

Jesus Carries the Cross



From the Gospel according to Mk15,20And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

MEDITATION

Jesus has taken upon himself the cross destined for each one of us. To our eyes, it seems the symbolof paradox and contradiction. Even though he possessed the glory and the power given him by theFather, Jesus accepted a horrific death, inglorious, even shameful. He knew that the cross was theonly way to penetrate the hidden depths of man; a violent death, the one means of entering gentlyinto our hearts. It is hard to bear this paradoxical cross in the globalized world of today, dominated

by economic, political and military power. The powerful of this world join forces to wreakvengeance, to strike poor and wearied peoples. Even terrorism is justified in the name of "justice"and "defence" of the poor.


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A violent message, sent by the powerful: it breaks violently upon our hearts, turning them to stone.For this great part of humanity that suffers, for the victims of violence and injustice, for these tooJesus carries the cross.

PRAYER

Grant us, O Lord, the strength and courageto share your cross and your sufferingsin our daily life and work.Give us a spirit of service and sacrifice,that we may not seek power and glory,

but strive to be an instrument of solidarityand peacefor those crushed by the violence and injusticeof the powerful of this world.With wonder and gratitude,

we greet you, Jesus,as you bear the cross,your face marked by fatigue:all thanks to you with the Father and the Spiritfor ever and ever.

R.Amen.

All:


Pro peccatis su gentis

vidit Iesum in tormentis

et flagellis subditum.

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,

She beheld her tender Child

All with bloody scourges rent.

EIGHTH STATION

Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus to Carry the Cross



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From the Gospel according to Mk15,21They compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.

MEDITATION

A man from the countryside came to Jerusalem on business. A strange procession blocked his way.In a narrow and crowded street soldiers, weeping women, a few fanatics with eyes full of hate and aman condemned, with no more strength to bear the wood of shame upon his shoulders. The soldierslook for someone to bear this weight for him. This is not out of any sense of pity: they must keep tothe scheduled time of execution. They choose the first person they happen upon, because he seemsfit enough. A man from the countryside came to Jerusalem on business. There he truly earnedsomething: five minutes in the history of salvation, a mention in the Gospel. At no cost to himself,he learned the weight of the cross. The mystery is revealed. The cross is too heavy for God mademan. Jesus needs a hand. People need solidarity. We have been told: "Bear one another's burdens"(Gal6,2). Solidarity.

PRAYER

Lord, you said:"If any man would come after me,let him deny himselfand take up his cross

and follow me" (Mk 8,34).How can I do that?Teach me how,and by your graceovercome in methe fear of others' hate,the fear of suffering,the fear of a lonely death,the fear of fear.Lord, have mercy on my weakness.To you, Jesus,

crushed by fatigue,your face marked by exhaustion,to you our love, full of solidarity and thanksgiving,with the Father and the Spirit,with whom you are perfectly one,in time that passes and in unchanging eternity.

R.Amen.

All:

Pater noster, qui es in clis:sanctificetur nomen tuum;adveniat regnum tuum;


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fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;


Tui Nati vulnerati,

tam dignati pro me pati

pnas mecum divide.

For the sins of his own nation,

Saw him hang in desolation,

Till his spirit forth he sent.

NINTH STATION

Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem



From the Gospel according to Lk23,27-28.31And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said: "Daughters of

Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is

dry?".

MEDITATION

Cries of mourning accompany the journey of the One condemned to death. Along the road thatleads to Calvary the women weep and beat their breasts. They do not know that in exchange fortheir tears they will receive a fearful prophecy of what is yet to come. Do not cry over me. Saveyour lament for the days and years to come, for if they treat the Innocent One in this way, what willthey do to you and your children? Jesus knows the answer to the question that he puts to the women

of Jerusalem. Carrying his Cross, he staggers under the weight of human sin and pain, the sin andpain of those he loved as a brother. He knows already how far into history extends the sorrowfulway that leads to the "Calvaries" of the world.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ,you know the depths of our heart,the capacity for good and evilthat is in every person: teach us to forgiveand to ask forgiveness,

to have mercy on ourselves and on others.Remember Jerusalem, blessed by your love,ravaged by human hatred.


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Grant to the men and womenof that Holy Land peace and resurrection.On your face, Jesus,there shines the light of the Fatherand the tenderness of the Mother;

to you be praise and glorywith the eternal Light and the eternal Love,in this time of expectationand in the eternal fulfilment.

R.Amen.

All:

Pater noster, qui es in clis:sanctificetur nomen tuum;

adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;sed libera nos a malo.

Eia, mater, fons amoris,

me sentire vim doloris

fac, ut tecum lugeam.

O you Mother, fount of love!Touch my spirit from above,

make my heart with yours accord.

TENTH STATION

Jesus Is Crucified



From the Gospel according to Mk15,24And they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.

MEDITATION

Jesus is crucified. His hands and feet pierced by merciless nails. Stripped of his garments, he is nowcovered with the sins of the world. Out of love he allows himself to be crucified; in love humansuffering acquires saving power. Sustained by this certitude, generations of men and women, young


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and old, follow the Crucified One in this radical experience of love. The Saviour's wounds bleedstill today, aggravated by the nails of injustice, of lies and hatred, of abuse, sacrilege andindifference. On the palms of his hands pierced by the nails are written the names of those who withhim continue to be crucified.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus,nailed to the wood for love for us,give us your freedom.Teach us to overcome the fear of sufferingwith the strength that flows from your Cross.Place us deep within this mystery of lovethat transforms into moments of grace

even the humble events of every day.Jesus, raised upon the Cross,draw to yourself all those who seek your face;help all who share in your sufferingsto discover the meaningof their mysterious callingto share your passion and the agony of the world.You, Jesus, are the Crucified Onewhose face radiates mercy;as we remember,to you goes our grateful adorationwith the Father and the Holy Spirit,today and for ages unending.

R.Amen.

All:

Pater noster, qui es in clis:sanctificetur nomen tuum;adveniat regnum tuum;

fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;sed libera nos a malo.

Fac ut ardeat cor meum

in amando Christum Deum,

ut sibi complaceam.

Make me feel as you have felt;

make my soul to glow and melt

with the love of Christ our Lord.


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ELEVENTH STATION

Jesus Promises the Kingdom to the Good Thief

V.Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.


From the Gospel according to Lk23,39-43One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying: "Are you not the Christ? 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 justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this

man has done nothing wrong". And he said: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom". And he said to him: "Truly, I say to you, today you

will be with me in Paradise".

MEDITATION

"Today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk23,43): this is the most consoling word that Jesusspeaks in the Gospel. Still more encouraging is the fact that he says it to a criminal. The good thiefhad certainly committed murder, perhaps more than once, and knew nothing of Jesus, except whathe had heard the crowd shouting. But now he hears the words of forgiveness that the Nazarenespeaks to those who are crucifying him and he understands, as in a flash, of which Kingdom this"prophet" has spoken. He immediately defends him from the sneers of the other criminal andimmediately pleads for salvation. A sense of solidarity and a cry for help are enough to save him.That thief represents us all. His brief adventure teaches us that the Kingdom preached by Jesus isnot hard to reach for those who call on him.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus,you promised paradiseto the criminal who spoke to you from the crossnext to yours: remember us too,now that you are in your Kingdom.Grant that your consoling promiseof eternal life and eternal lovemay reach every woman and every manwho faces the moment of death.To you, Jesus,the Condemned One with the welcoming face,to you be everlasting praise and thanksgiving,with the Father and the Holy Spirit,today and for ages unending.

R.Amen.

All:



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adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;

et ne nos inducas in tentationem;sed libera nos a malo.

Sancta mater, istud agas,

Crucifixi fige plagas

cordi meo valide.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,

in my heart each wound renew

of my Saviour crucified.

TWELFTH STATION

Jesus on the Cross, his Mother and his Disciple



From the Gospel according to Jn 19,26-27When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother: "Woman, behold, your son!".

Then he said to the disciple: "Behold, your mother!". And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

MEDITATION

Mary, you are standing at the foot of the Cross; the youngest disciple is standing next to you. Amidthe noise of the soldiers and the crowd, the two of you lift your eyes, silently, to Christ. Mary, didyou raise your hands to collect the blood running down the wood, the sap of the tree of life? Didyour tears water the earth, where too many mothers lay their children to rest? From the beginningyou pondered in your heart, in silence and abandonment, in peace and trust, what you saw and

heard. Now you offer your Son to the world, and you receive the Disciple whom he loved. Fromthat moment, John takes you into the home of his heart and his life, and the power of Love expandswithin him. He is now, in the Church, the witness to the light and through his Gospel he reveals theSaviour's Love.

PRAYER

Jesus, from the Crossyou looked upon Mary and your Disciple:grant us, in the midst of our sufferings,the courage and the joy to welcome you

and to follow you with complete trust.Christ, the source of life,of every grace and beauty,


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grant that we may contemplate your smiling face,the face of him who saves the world and leads itto the Father.Lord, our praise rises to you,guided by the Church and by your Mother:

grant that we may see in the folly of the Crossthe promise of our resurrection.Your face, Jesus,shines brightly in the hour of darkness,as the face of Master, Son and Friend:to you go our love and gratitude,with the Father and the Holy Spirit,in the fleetingness of timeand in unchanging eternity.

R.Amen.

All:


Vidit suum dulcem Natum

morientem desolatum,

cum emisit spiritum.

She looked upon her sweet Son,

saw him hang in desolation,

till his spirit forth he sent.

THIRTEENTH STATION

Jesus Dies on the Cross



From the Gospel according to Mk15,34.36-37And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice: Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which means: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' And one

ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying: "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down".

And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last.


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MEDITATION

Never more than in the hour of his death, the most important hour in human history, has Jesus beencloser to us. In the final moment, just like us, Jesus is powerless, overcome by anguish. We die allalone. The nails pierce his flesh, but even more his spirit. Could it be that the Father has abandoned

him? He is in pain for the sorrow of his Mother, chosen to give life to a Son that she has to watch ashe dies. Still, in love and in obedience, Jesus accepts the Father's designs. He knows that withoutthe gift of his life our death would be without hope; the darkness of despair would not become light;suffering would not be changed into consolation, into hope of eternity.

PRAYER

Thank you, Jesus,for having conquered our death by your death:grant that the crosses of all those who, like you,die at the hands of others,

will be turned into trees of life.Thank you, Jesus,for having made the cross,that place of suffering and death,the sign of our reconciliation with the Father;grant that your sacrificewill dry all the tears that are in the world,especially the tears of those who, like your Mother,

bears the cross of the death of someone innocent.To you, Jesus,your head lying on the wood and no sign of lifeon your face, be adoring and grateful praise,on the day that sets,and on the day of inextinguishable light.

R.Amen.

All:


adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;sed libera nos a malo.

Fac me vere tecum flere,

Crucifixo condolere,

donec ego vixero.

Let me mingle tears with you,

mourning him who mourned for me,

all the days that I may live.


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FOURTEENTH STATION

Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb



From the Gospel according to Mk15,46Joseph of Arimathea bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb

which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

MEDITATION

After the terrible thunder at the moment of death, the great silence. His night-time disciples, whoout of fear followed him in secret, are no longer afraid. In the light of day they ask Pilate for the

body of Jesus for the burial. The Virgin of the great silence whose womb bore the blessed Fruit - theOne that the universe could not contain - receives once more in her lap the body of Jesus takendown from the Cross: in adoration she contemplates him, in her immense sorrow she venerateshim. The King sleeps, but his Bride watches: it is the day of God's rest. Together with the King,creation too sleeps in anticipation of its reawakening. The Son of God descends to the dead in orderto rescue those detained by death. His light overthrows the darkness of Hades. The earth shakes and

the tombs open. Jesus comes to free the just and restore them to the light of the resurrection. He hasbeen swallowed up by the darkness of death, but only to be brought back to the fulness of light andlife: as the whale keeps Jonah in its belly, only to give him back after three days, so the earth willopen its jaws to release the radiant body of the One who lives.

PRAYER

Jesus, you have become the least among men,you let yourself fall ontothe earth like a grain of wheat.

Now, from this seed there sprouts

the tree of Life that embraces the universe.Just as the pious women went early to the tombwith spices and ointments,Lord, grant that we will come to youwith the scents and aromas of our poor love.Jesus, in our churches you are waiting:you wait in expectation for someonewho will be small and humble like youin the Eucharist,adore you and bear witness to you before the people,recognize you in the poor and suffering.Grant that each one of us will adore youand be your witness in the Eucharistic tabernacleand in the sacrament


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of the hungry, the thirsty, the sick.To you, Jesus,whose face is peaceful in the solemn rigidity ofdeath, our love and our adorationat this evening hour and on the day

which knows no end.

R.Amen.

All:

Pater noster, qui es in clis:sanctificetur nomen tuum;adveniat regnum tuum;fiat voluntas tua, sicut in clo, et in terra.Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;

et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;et ne nos inducas in tentationem;sed libera nos a malo.

Quando corpus morietur,

fac ut anim donetur

paradisi gloria. Amen.

While my body here decays,

may my soul your goodness praise,

safe in paradise with you. Amen .

The Holy Father addresses those present.

At the conclusion of his Address His Holiness imparts his Apostolic Blessing.

V. The Lord be with you.

R. And also with you.

V. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

R. Both now and for ever.

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.

R. Who made heaven and earth.

V. May Almighty God bless you,the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

R. Amen.


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Via Crocis al Colloseo 2002

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