Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph: Introduction

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

Introduction

I suppose, to some, the title of this series of reflections, Praying the "Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph,” must seem confusing, maybe even odd. How can St. Joseph be spoken about in the same breath as the Stations of the Cross when there is nothing, neither in Sacred Scripture nor in the tradition of the Church, that would lead us to believe that St. Joseph was a witness to the events of Jesus’ passion and crucifixion? Joseph is not mentioned, even by reference, in the Passion Narratives of any of the four Gospels, nor does he even seem to be a presence at all in the last three years of our Lord’s life when He engaged in His public ministry of teaching and healing. Since Joseph is only an active presence in the Infancy Narratives and the one, seemingly out-of-place event when he and Mary took Jesus, at age twelve, to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, it has long been assumed that he must have died sometime prior to Jesus shuttering the carpenter shop in Nazareth and emerging from relative obscurity to engage in His public ministry. Even more so, Joseph is silent in words (although “noisy” in deeds) in the Gospels. There is not one of his words recorded. How then can Joseph “accompany” us on our praying of the stations, when he didn’t accompany Jesus? And how can we “pray” with him when we have none of his words?

But, in a sense, I believe St. Joseph did accompany our Lord from condemnation to entombment. I know, beyond a doubt, that my parents are with me still, even though they are deceased. They make their presence known to me in many ways - sometimes subtly and sometimes dramatically - especially at times when I need them most. During the times when I have suffered in body or in mind or in spirit, I felt their presence and guidance; I “heard” their words of encouragement, wisdom and consolation. I knew that, even in death, they had not abandoned me and their love for me was just as strong, perhaps even stronger, as it was when they were with me in time and space. “For us, life has not ended, but merely changed.” Would Jesus have not experienced the same thing when He needed Joseph the most?

Furthermore, it seems to me, that a role Joseph played in the Infancy Narratives was to direct others to the babe lying in the manger. When the shepherds arrived at the stable in Bethlehem, would it not have been St. Joseph who greeted them and pointed toward Jesus? Upon the arrival of the Magi, would it not have been he who personally escorted them to his son? And so, is it a stretch of the imagination that St. Joseph does the same thing for us when we arrive on the scene to encounter our Lord, even to the cross?

As we pray the Stations of the Cross, Joseph is as he was in Scripture – silent. And that’s okay – because we are not. And so, as we pray the Stations of the Cross, our words are united to his heart . . . our prayers become his intercession for us.

So, come now . . . let us pray the Stations of the Cross, asking Joseph to accompany us, to lead us, not only to the cross, but to a deeper appreciation and a more profound love for Jesus. And as our Spiritual Father, may he guide, counsel, and strengthen us as we pick up our own crosses daily.

 

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The First Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

The First Station - Jesus is Condemned

He came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” He said, “because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord . . . “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And they took offense at him.

Is this not the son of Joseph?

The high priest said to him, “I order you to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “You have said so. But I tell you: From now on you will see ‘the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power’ and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven.’” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need have we of witnesses? You have now heard the blasphemy; what is your opinion?” They said in reply, “He deserves to die!”

But is this not the son of Joseph?

Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” In the end, Pilate had him handed over to them to be crucified,

But is this not the son of Joseph?

Yes, he is the carpenter’s son, the son of Joseph. But He is so much more: Son of God ... Messiah ...  King of the Jews. Rejected and condemned for who He is. Rejected and condemned for speaking the truth. But it is the truth that has set us free.

Let us pray ... St. Joseph, your son, Jesus, was condemned and crucified by the authorities for speaking the truth ... the truth about them and the truth about Him. The truth about love and the truth about mercy. The truth about freedom and the truth about inner peace. The truth about accepting others and the truth about how cherished we are in the eyes of God. The truth about who and what is righteous in the eyes of God, and the truth that we need to turn away from sin and repent. O righteous Joseph, teach me to always see Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.

St. Joseph, foster father of the Son of God, pray for us.

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Second Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

The Second Station - Jesus Accepts the Cross

Hands ... a child’s hands that grew to become the strong hands of an adult ... shape, mold, caress the wood in his father’s carpenter shop. Raw wood – cut, sawed, sanded, transformed, by His hands, to become a table, a chair, a chest, a house – things of the living.

Shoulders ... a carpenter’s shoulders, strong, muscular, broad ... accept the rough, course, splintery beam. Shoulders ... lately scourged, stinging with pain from open, bloody wounds. A wooden beam ... imposed, yet somehow also accepted – a thing of death.

Yet, it is not just a beam of wood he carries in those hands and on those shoulders. But the world ... all of us, and all of our sins.

The hands, the shoulders, of the carpenter’s son ... full of strength, power, glory, grace, and redemption.

Let us pray .... Oh St. Joseph, you used the talents of your craft for good. Through the work of your hands, you brought joy into the lives of so many by making for them the things they wanted, the things they needed. It saddens and baffles me that others, who were given the same God given talents, used them, not to be co-creators with Him and bring joy and beauty to the world, but rather to inflect pain and death to Jesus. St. Joseph, help me to see my talents, my intellect, my personality, my wit, for what they are, gifts to be shared to give glory to God and benefit to all.

St. Joseph, model of artisans, pray for us.

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Third Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

 

The Third Station - Jesus Falls the First Time

God said to the prophet Jeremiah: "It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and the animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me."

But now, the Creator falls to the very earth He created. A misstep ... His knees buckle ... He stumbles .... His body crashes to the ground.

The boy fell taking his first steps. Perhaps a skinned knee. Perhaps a tear. But always with the resolve to pick himself up and go on. And now the man, taking his last steps, sprawls to the ground. The well-trod dirt of the road touches his lips ... the scent of animal dung fills his nose ... the angry, hateful words of mockery, ridicule, and cursing drown out the hosannas from his ears. Yet the man, like the boy, is filled with resolve and picks himself up and goes on.

How can this be? God answers us through the words of His prophet, Isaiah: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is God from of old, creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny."

Let us pray ... St. Joseph, I stumble and fall. I sin. I like to think how strong I am, yet I am often so weak, and I stumble under the weight of the evil I choose. And after I stumble and fall, it is often difficult for me to muster the strength to stand and admit I was wrong and begin walking along a new path - the way of goodness, grace, purity, and righteousness. I also like to make excuses for myself, shrugging my shoulders, justifying and minimalizing what I do by saying, “Hey, I’m only human!” Dear Joseph, you whom Scripture calls “righteous,” assist me to strive to always be the person God created me to be - good and in His image.

St. Joseph, Most Prudent, pray for us.

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Fourth Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

 

The Fourth Station - Jesus Meets His Mother

Sometimes there are no words. Sometimes the eyes say it all. And there, on that road, as son meets mother, eyes speak for a pierced heart. Eyes speak for a broken body.

He tried to form words. But his pain and his exhaustion, his parched lips and his tongue that clung to the roof of his mouth muted the words. Her tear-filled eyes squinted and looked deeply, lovingly into his. “Don’t, my son,” they said. “I know.”

She recalled the words He spoke to her when she and Joseph searched everywhere to find their twelve-year-old son, only to discover Him among the elders in the Temple. “Why were you searching for me,” he asked. “Did you not know I must be about my Father's business?” And today, carrying the cross towards his tragic destination, He is about His Father’s business. It is the business of complete, unearned, underserved, unconditional love. It is about having no greater love than to lay down His life for those who are beloved. It is about fulfilling a promise first made in the Garden of Eden and reiterated, time and time again by the prophets to make right the sin of Adam. It is about redemption. It is about eternal life.

Sometimes there are no words. How do you really say, “I love you” and convey the depth, intensity and sincerity of that love through words. Words betray us in the moments we most could use them, and the eyes say it all. Jesus and Mary’s eyes met, and the “I love you” need not be spoken. They knew.

As the soldier, roughly and contemptuously separated mother from son and forced Jesus to continue the slow, pain-filled journey to the site of His crucifixion, a word finally came to Mary’s lips. It was the same word she spoke to the angel in accepting God’s will to become the mother of the Son of God. Did she whisper it to herself, or did she scream it out for her son to hear? “FIAT!!!” “Let it be!”

Let us pray ... St. Joseph, when you and Mary brought Jesus to be presented in the Temple when He was an infant, Simeon prophesied that a sword would pierce Mary so that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed. But a sword pierced your heart, too, having already died, you could not protect Jesus from the torturous pain He endured in His passion, nor the piercing sorrow in Mary’s heart as she witnessed the cruelty inflected upon Him. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, O Immaculate Heart of Mary, O most Chaste Heart of Joseph, protect me from all danger, from all that would injure my body and my soul, my heart and my spirit. Unite my breaking heart to yours.

St. Joseph, Husband of Mary and Protector of Virgins, pray for us.

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Fifth Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

The Fifth Station - Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross 

He came from Cyrene, a town in northern Africa. With his two sons, Alexander and Rufus, he made his way from the country fields that fateful Friday morning, through the city gates, and into the heart of Jerusalem. He jostled through the narrow, crowded streets and the jeering mob, seeking a safe place for him and his sons to witnesses the spectacle of a condemned criminal shouldering the burden of that which would be the means of His execution - the cross on which he would hang. “His name is Jesus,” someone said in a whisper.

Something drew Simon to that particular place, something more than two sons of an age, when a gory crucifixion was a sight not to be missed. But what was it that drew him into being an unwitting participant in the drama he was witnessing? Was it his height and physique? Was it, being from Cyrene, his darker skin color? Did Jesus stumble beneath the weight of the wood right in front of him? Did he instinctively, stretch out his arm to help or mutter a word of protest against the violent way Caesar’s centurions were keeping the Peace of Rome? Or was he simply at the wrong place at the right time? Whatever the reason, soon the wood marked a groove on Simon’s shoulder as he was compelled to share the weight of the cross.

“You! Take the cross!” commanded the centurion. And Simon stepped out of the crowd, and out of anonymity, and balanced the timber against his shoulder. Were there words exchanged between Jesus and Simon, or perhaps just a look and a nod? But whatever transpired between them, the experience was enough to change Simon’s life forever. He became the first, in a line of millions, who have heeded Jesus’ invitation, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Let us pray ... O St. Joseph, bless the Simon of Cyrenes in my life – those who lift the cross from my back through a helping hand, a kind word, a smile, or simply by their presence. And help me, also, to be someone who takes on the burdens of others when they are crushed by the weight of the world with all its disappointments, sorrows, struggles and pain, even when it’s not convenient, even when it’s not really what I want to do, even when taking up their cross will make heavier my own. Help me to be there, to support and to firm the steps of others, because it is not they who are asking, but your Son.

St. Joseph, Most Obedient, pray for us.

 

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Sixth Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

 

The Sixth Station - Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

There was something about that face. Rugged and strong ... the face of a carpenter that had known the fatigue of a hard day’s work and was not unaccustomed to struggles, and worries, and disappointments  ... yet it also reflected the serenity of one who appreciated the beauty of His Father’s creation - the sun glistening on the Sea of Galilee, the scent of the wildflowers growing in the fields, and the patches of Aleppo pine trees that grew in the forests. It was a gentle face, one that beckoned both the righteous and the sinner to come and see, to hear and listen, to discover and be transformed. His was a gentle face, that reassured woman and children, the outcast and the poor, the sick and the brokenhearted, that He had come for them too, and that they had a place in His kingdom. There were laugh lines on His face which revealed that He laughed heartily and often, but there were also furrows on his brow which were windows to an inner sadness, a depth of thought, and a seriousness in His nature. And those eyes! Those eyes that were beacons of his love, his compassion, and his mercy ... but above all, the depth of his soul.

All of this was the imprint that was captured on the cloth that the woman named Veronica pressed against Jesus’ face as she bravely, compassionately, broke from the crowd and pushed her way to Him amidst insults, shouts, curses and threats. But there was more, so much more, that the streams of blood, sweat and spit which dripped copiously from the condemned man’s face could not hide, that also became part of that imprint. Yes, pain and exhaustion, but more than that ... courage - beyond that which is humanly possible; determination – a resolve to see this through to the end; a serenity that comes from the knowledge that, through it all, he has been true to Himself and true to the will of His Father; a sense of purpose - that all of this is not in vain, and He is accomplishing everything that He was born to fulfill, all that had been promised to humankind since Man first ate of the fruit of sin; and holiness - “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:26).

All of that was captured on the cloth of the woman named Veronica, let we ever forget.

Let us pray ... St. Joseph, in ancient Israel, people gave great thought to the name they gave to a child. Names were often translatable, and so, the name spoke of a virtue or quality they wished their child to possess, or something they hoped the child would accomplish. In recalling the passion of your son, we remember the brave and compassionate woman who pushed through the crowd to offer a simple act of kindness to Jesus by wiping his dirty, bloody, sweat-filled face. Her name, Veronica, means “true image” - a fitting name, not so much because of the imprint of His face left on her veil, but because. in her compassion, she, herself, became the “true image” of Jesus. St. Joseph, assist me to so reflect your son to others - by the warmth of my smile, the compassion and love in my eyes, and the kindness of my actions - that I, too, might be the “true image” of Jesus, so that when they see me, they see Him.

St. Joseph, Most Faithful, pray for us.

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Seventh Station

 Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

The Seventh Station - Jesus Falls the Second Time

Jesus’ body falls under the weight of the wood a second time. But this time, with more intensity than the first. He lies there motionless but then lifts his head. His eyes survey the crowd that has gathered to watch the spectacle. He recognizes some ... those who had followed him who now weep for their Master, as well as for their broken faith, hope, and heart. There were those there who had heard him preach and witnessed his miracles in the Temple precinct, and now simply don’t know what to think. And there, too, were those who had shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” as he entered the gates of Jerusalem the previous Sunday, but had screamed “Crucify Him!” earlier that day at Pilate’s Praetorium.

There was one other face he recognized ... the face of Evil. It was the same face that tempted Him in the desert three years before: “Bow down and worship me, Jesus, and all the kingdoms of the world will be yours.”

Satan sneered and laughed, “It’s over, Jesus. You’ve lost. Don’t continue your meaningless self-sacrifice. Don’t get up. Stay on the ground. The game is over, Jesus. I’ve won.”

But repeating the words he had once spoken to the Evil One, he said, “Get away from me, Satan. You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” And with renewed strength, He staggered to his feet once more and continued along the way.

Let us pray ... Evil is real, and so is the Evil One. But goodness, and virtue, and the power of God are so much greater. St. Joseph, although not immaculately conceived as Mary was, and, like us, your soul had been stained by Original Sin, you, nonetheless, strove to be a reflection of God the Father by your holiness. Help me to strive to follow the words of Jesus and be perfect as my Heavenly Father is perfect, to stand strong in the face of temptation, to avoid the near occasion of sin. and to fight off the demons who seek the ruin of my soul. Help me not to fall to sin, and to have the strength to rise up again when I do.

St. Joseph, Terror of Demons, pray for us.

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Eighth Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

The Eighth Station - Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem

Although the Gospels tell us that Jesus spoke from the cross seven times, they recall only once that he speaks carrying his cross to the place of execution. And it is to a group of women, weeping at the sight of the pitiable figure who struggles and stumbles beneath the weight of the cross as they stand amidst those who spew condemnations, mockery, and curses along the crowd-filled street.

There is much that we don’t know about these women. Were they followers of Jesus, weeping at the fate of their Master? Had they only recently heard him teaching in the Temple Square and liked what he said? Had they heard of how He had raised Lazarus from the dead and were filled with hope that this man would free them from the oppression of Rome, as well as their own personal oppressions - the illnesses that racked their bodies, the demons that tormented their souls. Or were they merely onlookers who just were sensitive enough to know that no one, guilty or innocent, deserved to be treated like this? And although we know the names of others who became players in this tragic sacred drama – Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, Simon of Cyrene, Veronica – these women are nameless and known for only one reason – their hearts and their souls were moved, and their eyes wept the tears of compassion.

They choke on their tears and are unable to speak. Yet the one who chokes on the dirt of the road speaks to them. The one who was moved with compassion for those who came to him with eyes that could not see, ears that could not hear, limbs that could not walk, sores that would not heal, now shows compassion for hearts and dreams and hopes that are shattered. Shattered now and will be, even more so, in the future - “Do not weep for me,” He tells them. “Weep for yourselves and for your children.”

Who are these unnamed women who stand on the crossroad and weep? Perhaps we know them well. Perhaps they are us. And to them and to us, Jesus says, “Yes, weep. Weep for yourselves and for your children ... And weep for all of God’s children who are hungry and who are thirsty, those who are strangers and those who are naked, those who are ill and those who are in prisons. Yes, weep for all those who are battered and bruised and broken in body and in spirit. Yes weep ... show compassion of heart for them. For when you do for them, you do for me.”

Let us pray ... St. Joseph, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn; they shall be comforted.” I am amazed that often, it seems to me, that those that mourn, are the very ones who give comfort .... the ones whose prayers for themselves haven’t been answered in years, yet are the first ones who pray for others; those who scarcely have enough to get by on, but always seem to have something to give to someone else in need; the ones who always have a kind word for others, yet are the victims of lies, and gossip. and the judgement of others; those who weep for the pain and suffering of others, yet whose own bodies are in torment, and their hearts are breaking. It seems to me that this is who the women of Jerusalem met on the road carrying a cross. They offer tears for Him, yet it is He, despite his own pain and imminent death, who offers compassion and consolation to them. St. Joseph, help me to be a person for others as Jesus was.

St. Joseph, Solace of the Afflicted, pray for us.

 

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Ninth Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

The Ninth Station - Jesus Falls the Third Time

Jesus falls ... again. His legs struggle to balance His body. And He falls ... again. How can he go on?

The pain ... The state of shock ... The sheer exhaustion ... He has lost so much blood ... His muscles contort ... The wounds from the scourging ooze with infection ... His one eye is closed from a beating ... His swollen, broken nose makes breathing difficult . . . How can He go on?

The scaffolding, on which the crossbeam he carries will be hoisted, waits several yards away ... Nails and hammer lie on the ground anticipating His arrival ... A crowd has already assembled to make sure that nothing obstructs their view of his slow crucifixion ... A few soldiers mill around, impatiently waiting ... How can He go on?

A soldier’s lash offers incentive to muster whatever strength remains in a body bereft of strength, depleted of dignity. But he needs no such incentive. For of all that had been taken from Him, something has remained, and in fact, intensified – dependence upon His Father, and the desire to fulfill the very purpose of His human life.

He bears all – pain, injustice, weakness, humiliation, rejection, loneliness - with a strength that is only all possible when it is God-given. His strength is a strength derived from surrender to a power beyond His own ... a power so strong that it can transform what may seem to be defeat into victory. With this strength comes a knowledge, an assurance, that He does not take these final steps to the cross alone. As His earthly father took his hands in his, and steadied and guided His first steps as a child, so now, the fingers of His heavenly Father intertwine with His to secure the steps which will become His last.

How can He go on? It’s a question we often ask about ourselves. How can I go on when diseased has ravaged my body? How can I go on without my deceased loved one? How can I go on without a job and any means to support myself and my family? How can I go on when my addictions control me? How can I go on when no one seems to love me, not even myself? How can I go on when I can’t even get out of bed in the morning, and I dread the day because I am so depressed? How can I go on when I have no hope, and can’t envision the future? How can I go on when I’m stuck in my unforgivable past?

How can I go on? “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.”

Let us pray ... St. Joseph, sometimes I don’t know what is worse – to keep falling under the weight of worries, doubts, fears, disappointments, illness, financial hardship, broken relationships, addiction, depression, and anxiety, or to just remain on the ground because they are overwhelming ... they are persistent ... they never seem to go away ... and I never get the opportunity to rise up, to regain my footing and to move on. And so, it is not just my back that is broken under their weight, but my hope. But Scripture says, “Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and never grow weary. They will walk and not grow faint” (Isaiah 40:31). St. Joseph, pray for me that no matter what pushes me to the ground, I may not let it defeat me.

St. Joseph, Most Strong, pray for us.

 

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Tenth Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

The Tenth Station - Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

Crucifixion ... the ultimate assault ... the gradual stripping off, layer by layer, of what makes one who he is, leading to the stripping away of the very breath of life.

Jesus has been stripped of so much in a mere twelve hours – His friends ... His popularity ... His reputation ... His health and well-being ... and now His very clothes, the last physical possession He has. But this last indignation is even more than it seems, for the stripping off of His clothing is nothing less than an assault on His purity, His moral dignity, and His manhood, as the veil of modesty and privacy are forcibly ripped from Him. Jesus is stripped of His clothes - but robed in glory.

"The glory of God is Man fully alive,” wrote the Second Century Father of the Church, St. Irenaeus. But he was wrong. The glory of God is in a man barely alive, a man who stands naked on the hill called Golgotha ... a man who stands naked before the world so that His glory might be revealed ... stripped so that we might be clothed with the righteousness of God. He was laid bare before the world so that we might be covered, inside and out, with the glory of God.

Let us pray ... St Joseph, oh the tunnel vision some people seem to have, and at times, even me! We think that stripping another only involves the forcible removal of another’s clothing. But on Golgotha, so much more was stripped from Jesus than tunic and loin cloth. He was stripped of everything that the world seems to value. But the one thing they could not strip from him was that He is the Son of God - beloved, one with the Father. I, too, am a Child of God, loved beyond measure, and have infinite worth in His eyes. Help me always to remember that, and to respect my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit ... a place where the holy, infinite, almighty, all-knowing, ever-present God of love and mercy dwells.

St. Joseph, Most Chaste, pray for us.

 

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Eleventh Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

 

The Eleventh Station - Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

His hands are held down so that five-inch iron spikes can be driven into them.

• Yet are these not the hands of the Incarnate One, God in human flesh?
• Are these not the hands that touched, women, children and outcasts with welcome and acceptance?
• Are these not the hands that rubbed mud on the eyes of the blind to open them and give them sight?
• Are these not the hands that touched the ears of the deaf that allowed them to hear and to listen?
• Are these not the hands that touched the stretchers of the lame and brought healing to crippled, mangled limbs?
• Are these not the hands that dared to touch the diseased skin of lepers and made them clean?
• Are these not the hands that held the stiffened hands of the dead and restored them back to life?
• Are these not the hands, outstretched over sinners, conferring absolution to them?
• Are these not the hands that blessed and broke the bread and lifted the cup just the night before, transforming them into his Body and Blood?
• Are these not the hands that reach out for all eternity to embrace us?

And His legs are held down so that nails may pierce through the skin, sinew and muscle of Jesus’ feet.

• Yet are these not the same feet that ran, skipped and jumped through the adventures of His childhood?
• Are these not the feet that walked into the Jordan River to receive John’s baptism?
• Are these not the feet, blistered by hot desert sands for forty days of fast, prayer and temptation?
• Are these not the feet that walked the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee and invited twelve to come follow Him?
• Are these not the feet that strode the dusty roads in Galilee and Judea carrying the Good News of Salvation?
• Are these not the feet that entered the homes of the sick, the rich, the sinners, the tax collectors, the faith-filled and the faith-less?
• Are these not the feet that walked on water?
• Are these not the feet that straddled a donkey amidst “hosannas” and waving palm branches?
• Are these not the feet that still walk our earth, accompanying us on whatever roads life takes us?

Let us pray ... They saw Him give sight to the blind, cleanse the lepers, free the possessed, cure every disease and every infirmity, raise the dead. They had heard Him preach a sublime doctrine, silence his adversaries, speak as man never did. He had read their thoughts, fulfilled their prophecies, proved Himself their long-expected Messiah. But they shut their eyes to His miracles and their ears to His invitations and His warnings. And they rejected Him, tortured Him, crucified Him. St. Joseph, I too have heard His word. I too have seen miracles done in His name. Are their sins any greater than mine? My sins - the evil things I have thought, the hurtful things I have said, the unloving things I have done, the good that I left undone - are these not a crown of thorns I cram on his head, a cross I lay upon His back, the nails I pound into His hands and feet? What I have done to one of his least ones, I have done to Him.

St. Joseph, Most Just, St. Joseph, Most Obedient, pray for us.

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Twelfth Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

 

The Twelfth Station - Jesus Dies on the Cross

Jesus’ body is hoisted up upon the cross. The cross ... not just instrument of His death, but a pulpit lifted high for all to see and hear His final lessons:

“Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” A lesson in mercy - not just taught but demonstrated in the most extreme way possible.

“Today you will be with me in paradise.” A promise given to the thief to His right who begs that Jesus remember him when He enters His kingdom ... and the blessed assurance given to us that, if we die with Him, we will also rise with Him.

“Woman, behold, thy son! Son, behold, thy mother.” Obedient to Third Commandment, Jesus honors His mother. And faithful to the moral obligations of the Talmud, He personally ensures the care and support He will no longer be able to provide her by entrusting her to His beloved disciple. But John represents us at the foot of the cross. And Jesus entrusts her to us to be our mother.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Far from a cry of despair, what is recorded in both Matthew and Mark’s Gospels is a prayer. In the darkest moment of His life, in the face of death, Jesus prays. He recites Psalm 22 which, rather than expressing despair at God’s absence in the time of His greatest need, it is a hymn of confidence in God’s abiding presence, His pervasive care.

“I thirst.” A reminder that when we give drink to one of His least ones, we quench Jesus’ thirst as well.

“It is finished.” Not just the cry of a dying man that His life is about to expired, but the exuberant proclamation that His earthly mission is finished. All he was born to do has been accomplished.

“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” As he had done at each moment of His life, so too at death, Jesus entrusts Himself into the all-powerful hands of His Father, who, in the beginning, fashioned all things and saw that it was good.

Ecce Homo ... Behold the man ... Behold that man . . .

That Man – See Him broken there – See Him bleeding there – See Him hurting there.

That Man – See Him suffering there – See Him helpless there – See Him selfless there.

That Man – See Him hanging there – See Him crying there – See Him dying there.

FOR US! FOR ME! FOR YOU!

Let us pray ... St. Joseph, one of the things that most hurts me is when I am not appreciated. It’s not that I look for the adulation of others, I don’t need public recognition and applause. But often it seems, that the good I do goes unnoticed. And sometimes that makes me feel like the good that I tried to do, I didn’t do. - It didn’t have the effect that I hoped it would. I wonder if Jesus ever feels that way. All he did for us, we who are so undeserving, and, often times, He is forgotten or taken for granted. Jesus gave everything to me ... GIVES everything to me ... His very life, His body and blood then on the cross, and His body and blood now, in the Eucharist. And sometimes I act as if that is nothing, rather than the supreme gift that it is. St. Joseph, inspire me to appreciate, more and more, all that Jesus did and does for me, and let that appreciation bring me to a greater love for Him. Jesus, if I failed said it before, I say it now. Thank you. I love you.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Dying, pray for us.

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Thirteenth Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

 

The Thirteenth Station - Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

Forty days after His birth, his father and mother travelled to this city, to Jerusalem, to fulfill the prescriptions of the Law and present Jesus in the Temple. There they encountered an old man named Simeon, to whom God had revealed that he would not know death until his eyes beheld the Messiah. And somehow, there, in the cry of this child, he recognized the voice God’s anointed one. Joseph and Mary looked at each other with a mixture of wonder, joy and pride as the old prophet spoke of the child held in Mary’s arms. But then, his voice trembled, as if choking back tears, “This child will be a sign that will be contradicted.” And turning to Mary, he said, “And your heart a sword will pierce.” Today, that sword has pierced her through. Jesus’ limp, lifeless body is taken down from the cross and laid in the arms of His grieving, distraught mother.

PIETA. Oh, the pity!

She cradles Him in her arms as she cradled Him in the moments after His birth. What was she thinking as an ocean of her tears fell and mixed with the blood upon His face that now expressed the peace of death? Did she think of the day of His birth? Did she recall so many memories of the boy Jesus - smiling, laughing, singing, running, playing, hugging? Did a memory surface of her confusion when, unknown to her and Joseph, he stayed behind in Jerusalem after the caravan back to Nazareth had departed, and they found Him three days later among the scribes in the Temple. Or did she recall her pride when, as an adult, after the reports of His teaching and miracles reached them, all of Nazareth squeeze into their small synagogue to hear him preach? Did she remember her confidence in him at Cana in Galilee as she turned to Him and said, “Son, they have no more wine?” Or was the present moment too great, too grief-filled, to recall anything but the horrors just ravaged upon Him.

“Come, all who pass by the way, pay attention and see: Is there any pain like my pain, which has been ruthlessly inflicted upon me?” (Lamentations 1:12)

PIETA. Oh, the pity!

Let us pray ... Holy St Joseph, you were a man of great hope and faith. You faced many difficult times in your life. Fleeing into Egypt, fearing for the safety of Mary and Jesus, you lived – like us today – in uncertain times. Your strength came from knowing that the power and faithfulness of God would always be constant.

Fill us with the confidence that you had in the Lord, our God. Help us to know that God is close to us - that He will deliver us from the trials and troubles we are now encountering.

May the light of the Lord give us hope. May it guide us every day of our lives. And, uniting our prayers with yours, may we be assured that He will strengthen us in all our difficulties. Amen.

St. Joseph, Solace of the wretched, pray for us.

 

 

Praying The Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - The Fourteenth Station

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

 

The Fourteenth Station - Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

The crowd is gone. The streets are empty. The shouts of, “Crucify him!” have faded. The laughing, the jeering, the finger pointing, have ended. The soldiers are back in their quarters, well satisfied that they have kept the Peace of Rome. Lash and spear, hammer and nails, are in their usual places, awaiting their next victim. A good day’s work of inhumane cruelty is now celebrated with laughter, a pat on the back and some cheap wine. The Jews rest in their homes for the Sabbath, celebrating the day Yahweh rested from the work of creation, as your body lies in the tomb resting from the work of salvation. 

Sleep in heavenly peace, my Lord. Sleep in heavenly peace.

Right now, Pilate is in his palace, enjoying a meal, already having forgotten the events of the day. Caiaphas celebrates the Sabbath, well satisfied that he has protected the faith of Israel from being corrupted by yet another false prophet. Veronica stares at the cloth which bares your image, unable to take her eyes off the bloodied yet somehow beautiful image. Simon of Cyrene consoles Alexander and Rufus, whose nightmares recall the horror of all they saw today. And Simon, himself, cannot stop thinking about the pitiful man whose cross he carried. Strangely, he somehow realizes his life, in a way he does not understand, has been irreversibly changed by the encounter. 

Sleep in heavenly peace, my Lord. Sleep in heavenly peace.

Your Apostles hide themselves in the upper room where, in what seems like an eternity ago, they celebrated the Passover with you. The room hides them from the Temple Guard who search for them, but it cannot hide their feelings of grief and guilt. Peter sits alone in a corner weeping uncontrollably over his cowardice in abandoning you, and worse, his denial that he even knew you. Elsewhere in the city your beloved disciple holds the hand of your mother, unable to find words to console inconsolable grief. 

Sleep in heavenly peace, my Lord. Sleep in heavenly peace.

Your pain is gone. Your passion has ended. Your body lies in the coolness of a borrowed stone sepulcher, wrapped front and back in the linen shroud purchased by Joseph of Arimathea. The aroma of burial spices perfumes the heaviness and staleness of the air. A stone boulder blocks the sun’s light from intruding on death’s darkness. 

Sleep in heavenly peace, my Lord. Sleep in heavenly peace.

Yes, my Lord, sleep in heavenly peace - for in three days, the sun will rise to a new day - and so will you.

Let us pray ... St. Joseph, we all have within us some areas, some parts of our heart, that are not alive, that are a little dead. We find ourselves in tombs, places that are dark and cold, places that have a boulder that has closed us off from love, and hope, and joy. We want to get out, to rise from whatever is dead in our lives, but we don’t know how. Only Jesus has the power to shatter the darkness in our lives and restore us to light and life. St. Joseph, intercede for us, that Jesus, your Son and our Lord, will give us the grace to rise from what is dead in our lives, to hear His voice call our name to come out of our tombs, and to come to Him, the Resurrection and the Life.

St. Joseph, Renowned Offspring of David, Light of Patriarchs, pray for us.

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph - Concluding Prayer

Praying the Stations of the Cross with St. Joseph

Concluding Prayer

To you, O blessed Joseph,
do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.

Through that charity which bound you
to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and through the paternal love
with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance
which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.

O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family,
defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ.

O most loving father, ward off from us
every contagion of error and corrupting influence.

O our most mighty protector, be kind to us
and from heaven assist us in our struggle
with the power of darkness.

As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril,
so now protect God's Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity.

Shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid,
we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness,
and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.

Amen.

 

 

 

Prayer to a Not-So-Hidden God

 

Prayer to a Not-So-Hidden God

A Prayer in Adoration

O God of the Masquerade,

I see you, although masked in a wafer of bread.

I hear you, although in silent stillness.

I feel you, although no mortal being dares to touch my leprous skin.

Oh, how wonderful it would be

to see,

to hear,

to feel

you in your wonderous, unspeakable power!

And I pray, someday I will.

But for now, I am content with

the masquerade, the silence,

for I am not fooled by its ordinariness.

For you have rubbed spit-moistened mud onto my eyes, and now I see.

You have touched my ears and whispered, "Ephphatha! Be open!" and now I hear.

You have touched my leprous soul with gentle, loving, 

caring, merciful, healing hands,

and I feel you . . .

Here.

With me.

Now.

In this moment.

When I call out to You.

When I need to see,

When I need to hear,

When I need to feel.

O Divine Mystery,

I desire my eyes never again to be blinded by the ungodly,

my ears never to be deafened by the blaring din of the world,

my senses never to be numbed by pleasures that can never satisfy.

May I be content, for the rest of my days, with the Holy Masquerade,

O Not-So-Hidden God,

till that day when the veil is removed,

the silence is replaced by the song of angels,

and I feel loving, powerful, yet gentle arms

hold me in embrace.