Yesterday, just like all the traditions my bestfriend and I usually spent, we have again shared and experience how Jesus once suffered just to wash away our sins.
We have decided to go to Via Dolorosa (White Cross) at Pinagmisahan St. Antipolo City. Though we waited for almost an hour just to proceed to the main gate due to vast number of people there, still we waited patiently, because this is just one way of returning God’s goodness to us.
People gathered in the main entrance of the White Cross.
Below is a rhythmic poetry of the stations of the cross I have searched in the internet. This is just a simple guide and reminder of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection we need to reflect on.
The Stations of the Cross
By James J. Metcalfe
The First Station
(Jesus is condemned to death)
Lord Jesus Christ, You died for me,
You gave Your every breath,
It was not Pilate — it was I, who sentenced You to death.
My sins condemned You to the cross, as surely on that day,
As if I had pronounced myself, that You be put away.
Dear Jesus, please forgive me all, the sins that stain my soul,
Condemn me not as I condemned, but make me clean and whole.
Allow me now to follow You, along Your journey sad,
And to repent the wayward life, and pleasures I have had.
Let me take up the cross with You, in deep sincerity,
And let me walk beside You on, the road to Calvary.
The Second Station
(Jesus takes up his cross)
Lord Jesus Christ, for love of me,
You bore Your Heavy cross,
That I might follow and avoid, my soul’s eternal loss.
For love of me You carried it, in sweat and blood and tears,
To bring me hope and confidence, and courage through the years.
So let me be with You today, and give me strength to bear,
The crosses and the sufferings, that are my daily share.
The cross of pain or poverty, of sickness or distress,
Of enemies who injure me, without the least redress.
Dear Jesus, give me patience and, the perseverance true,
To carry every cross in life, and humbly follow You.
The Third Station
(Jesus falls the first time)
Lord Jesus Christ, when first you fell
Your cross was not the weight,
But you were burdened with the sins
I need to expiate.
It was my selfishness, my greed
That made you stumble there,
It was my bitterness, my hate
And sometimes my despair.
And there were countless other faults
That made you fall that day,
As wearily you plodded on
Along your tearful way.
Dear Jesus, I am sorry for
The wrongs that I have done,
And for the evils of this life
I should have tried to shun.
Please, give me greater courage and
The grace I need to win,
And never let me fall into
The state of mortal sin.
The Fourth Station
(Jesus meets his Mother)
Lord Jesus Christ, how sorrowful
That picture must have been,
When You and Mother Mary met
Upon that path of sin.
The road where all the rabble cried
And sneered and jeered at You,
And all my shameful thoughts and words
And deeds were present too.
How deep became her anguish when
You had to be apart!
How many swords of sorrow pierced
Your Mother’s loving heart!
Dear Jesus, at Your Mother’s side
Along Your weary way,
I bend my knee, I bow my head
And I sincerely pray.
That by her intercession and
Your everlasting grace,
In your eternal kingdom
I shall have some humble place.
The Fifth Station
(Simon helps Jesus carry His cross)
Lord Jesus Christ, I only wish
Like Simon of Cyrene,
I could have trudged along with You
And share that tragic scene.
I wish I could have helped You then
To bear Your burden great,
And all the sorrow over sin
That added to the weight.
But now, dear Jesus, I will bear
Each cross that comes to me,
And I will carry it for You
Alone and willingly.
I will not murmur in my heart
And I will not complain,
However dark the day and night
However long the rain.
I will be faithful unto You
In every storm and strife,
With everlasting gratitude
To You Who gave Your life.
The Sixth Station
(Veronica wipes the face of Jesus)
Lord Jesus Christ, You suffered so
And all for love of me,
When You could barely lift and move
Your cross to Calvary.
And there Veronica approached
To wipe Your bleeding face,
And on her cloth Your features left
Their everlasting trace.
Dear Jesus, as Your enemies
Impaired Your beauty then,
So have I marred and scarred my soul
Yes, time and time again.
And now I beg You for Your grace
And Your forgiveness too,
And pray that You will help me be
More worthy unto You.
For only You can give me back
The beauty of my soul,
And only You can help me gain
My everlasting goal.
The Seventh Station
(Jesus falls the second time)
- (Jesus falls the second time)
Lord Jesus Christ, once more You fell
Along Your weary way,
And once again it was my sins
That made You fall that day.
I told You I repented and
I promised with my heart,
That I would never sin again
And we would never part.
And then I failed You and I broke
The promise I had made,
And cruelly I hurt You in
The moment that I strayed.
Dear Jesus please forgive me as
I promise You once more,
That I will strive to merit all
The blessings I implore.
I know my many weaknesses
I realize I am frail,
But in Your mercy and Your love
I feel I cannot fail.
The Eighth Station
Lord Jesus Christ, You saw their tears
And You admonished them,
“Weep not for Me but for yourselves
And young Jerusalem.
Weep not for me but for the world
And for your children too,
And all the sins and wrongs that are
A burden unto you.”
I weep, dear Jesus, for my sins
For every thoughtless deed,
And every time I did not help
A soul in dire need.
I weep for my transgressions and
I beg You to forgive,
And ask that You will teach my heart
The perfect way to live.
I thank You for Your sufferings
And every loving tear,
And I will praise and honor You
As long as I am here.
The Ninth Station
(Jesus falls the third time)
Lord Jesus Christ, I failed You once
And then I failed You twice,
And now You have to fall again
To pay that awful price.
The price of every faithful vow
That I declared to You,
Each promise on my bended knee
That I have failed to do.
I know that what there is to say
Except that I regret,
And hope that You are willing to
Forgive and to forget.
I think of You beneath Your cross
And once again I pray,
That I may share the agony
You suffered on that day.
I want to kneel at Calvary
And soulfully entreat,
I want to drink Your tears and kiss
The dust beneath Your feet.
The Tenth Station
(Jesus is stripped of His garments)
Lord Jesus Christ, as You were stripped
Of all the clothes You wore,
So may my heart and soul be freed
Of sin forevermore.
And as Your bloody garments stuck
And tore Your flesh away,
So let me suffer for Your sake
And make amends today.
By that humiliation when
Your body was made bare,
I beg of You, dear Jesus, that
You listen to my prayer.
I pray for perfect chastity
In thought and word and deed,
And all the other virtues that
In every way I need.
I want to strip myself of all
The sins that burden me,
And follow in Your footsteps to
Your great eternity.
The Eleventh Station
(Jesus is nailed to the cross)
Lord Jesus Christ, with all their might
They drove those nails through You,
As cruelly and horribly
As only demons do.
The nails that pierced Your holy hands
And those that tore Your feet,
To hang Your body on the cross
And make Your shame complete.
But every blow the hammer struck
Was one more sin of mine,
And every drop of blood You shed
Was part of my design.
I nailed You to the cross that day
I made Your body bleed,
With all my self-indulgence and
My comfort and my greed.
Dear Jesus, I adore You and
I worship You alone,
Forgive me all my sinful deeds
And help me to atone.
The Twelfth Station
(Jesus dies on the cross)
Lord Jesus Christ, You died for me
At three o’clock today,
And there are not sufficient thanks
My soul can ever say.
What more is there upon this earth
That anyone can give,
Beyond the beating of the heart
And all the joy to live.
You gave Yourself, You gave Your all
That I might strive to be,
Another soul, another saint
In Your eternity.
You said “Forgive them, Father, for
They know not what they do,”
And I was one who went his way
And turned his back on You.
Dear Jesus, I am sorry and
I wish I could have died,
And shared in all Your suffering
When You were crucified.
The Thirteenth Station
(Jesus is taken down from the cross)
- (Jesus is taken down from the cross)
Lord Jesus Christ, when life was gone
Your good disciples came,
And took Your body from the cross
For Mary dear to claim.
They gave You to Your Mother and
She held You tenderly,
While sorrow pierced her loving heart
In deepest agony.
Dear Jesus, let me comfort You
And to Your Mother pray,
That I may never sin again
And never turn away.
Let not my spirit weaken now
And let me not despair,
But give me strength and confidence
And keep me in Your care.
Sincerely and devoutly I
Implore and I entreat,
That I may live my life for You
And worship at Your feet.
The Fourteenth Station
(Jesus is placed in the sepulcher)
Lord Jesus Christ, may all my sins
Be buried in Your grave,
My worldly thoughts, my passions and
The pleasures that I crave.
With tears of sorrow and regret
I fervently implore,
Your guidance and Your loving grace
That I may sin no more.
Dear Jesus, let me rise with You
In body, mind and soul,
Above this earth, beyond the tomb
To that eternal goal.
I long to join Your angels as
They sing Your lasting praise,
And worship You forever for
Your great and wondrous ways.
Give me Your tender mercy and
This humble prayer fulfill,
Just let me love You, Lord, and then
Do with me what You will.
Jesus has suffered so much for us. He endured every pain just to save us. What we can offer Him is just little for what he’ve done so big. Prayer. He listens to us everyday. He never failed to hear our heart. We just need to trust Him. Just a little sacrifice is what he wants us to give. Because more than those endless battles He had face, He loves us dearly that He has suffered enough for our life. 🙂 Jesus loves us so much. 🙂
The White Cross
After the tireless step on the way to the Cross 🙂
Scattered Piece 