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 men."
But now, the Creator falls to the very earth He created. A misstep from the heavy weight he carries across his shoulders . . . 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.
