40 Days Of Prayer And Reflection - The Way Of The Cross; Station 9 Jesus Falls A Third Time

We welcome you to join us from now until Good Friday, in praying the Way of The Cross. Each Day, save for Sundays, we will feature one station for your prayer and reflection. If you are just joining now or would like to spend time with one of the previous stations, you may do so using this link: The Way Of The Cross 2012

Station  9 Jesus Falls A Third Time

We adore You O Christ And We Praise You...


For By Your Holy Cross, You have Redeemed The World.


The spirit is willing, but His flesh is so very weak. It is hard to conceive how awful the weight of His cross must be. He falls and we wonder, will he ever get up? Can he get up? As the crowd jeers and the soldiers crack their whips...He rises.

Christ Speaks To Me: Drained, empty, my strength is gone. I collapse into stones and dirt adding new wounds and opening old ones. My body lies still. Kicks and blows do not rouse me.

Yet - my will is my own, as is yours.

You must know this - your body may break, but there is no force on earth, and none is the depths of Hell, that can take away your will.

My will is mine, your will is yours. I rise...so you can too.

I Reply: My Jesus, my Lord. I see you fall, and my heart leaps to my throat. You lay still. Are you breathing? Am I? Then you rise and stagger on. This too, I can do. My will is mine.

When all strength is gone, and guilt, shame and self-reproach drag me to the ground pressing stones and dirt into my flesh, protect me from Judas' sin - save me from the pit of paralyzing despair.

My Jesus, my Lord help me to know that no sin of mine, is greater than your love. No matter how heavy or paralyzing my past may be, I can rise again with you!

Amen.