Sacrament Prep

While preparing the girls for their Sacraments of Initiation this spring, I came across a great craft at a favorite Catholic Mom blog.   It was a color-by-number and was fairly intricate to color in, but Noelle and I were able to finish it in about an hour.

Folding it in a zig-zag was probably the most complicated part, but the finished product...wow!  When you view it from the left, you can see a monstrance...

but when viewed from the other direction, you can see Jesus Christ.

The object of the lesson is that when you receive the Eucharist, even though it doesn't look like Him and you can't see Him...He's really there.

Promptings of the Spirit

I believe in the Holy Spirit. And not in some vaguely conceptual way. I believe that the Holy Spirit is actively at work, in large ways and small, in my life every day.

Whoa. Did I just say that out loud? I usually don't talk about this to anyone unless I am convinced that their beliefs are in line with mine. But I want to share something that happened to me when we first moved into this house, and I can't tell the story without prefacing it.

I believe that those gut feelings I sometimes get, those hunches, those unexpected complications and annoying delays are really the Holy Spirit prompting and guiding me. And more than once, by following those "instincts," I have been spared from harm or led into a favorable situation.

Case In Point: Our dentist's office is 25 miles away, and it takes a minimum of 30 minutes to get there under the best conditions. There are so many people in our family with teeth that I schedule multiple cleanings at the same time, instead of making the trip on many separate days. The dentist office is so busy that you have to book your appointments 12 months in advance. 


In spite of all that, I found myself loading the kids into the van only 15 minutes before the appointment time.  Arriving on time would be a physical and spatial impossibility.

You can imagine that I was already flustered and frustrated. Now, mix in one carsick kid. With great impatience and resentment (for the delay, not the kid) I pulled over to the side of the road. He didn't get sick, but he did walk it off and breathe in the fresh air for a short while. And we got underway once again.

Not two miles farther down the road, we saw warning flares. And there in front of us was a multi-car pileup. Shattered glass lay all over the road. It had happened so recently that the cars hadn't been removed from the roadway and the police hadn't arrived yet. And I can't help but think that if we hadn't been delayed that extra few minutes, we would have been part of it. 


Coincidence? Could be.

I have learned the hard way not to ignore those nagging feelings. Many years ago (circa 1997), when I only had three little kids and was still singing in the choir, I felt the strongest reluctance to go to choir practice one evening. My husband wasn't home that night, so I'd have to take the kids with me, and it was a school night,...yada yada. I just plumb didn't want to go, but I packed 'em all up, got a good parking spot right out in front of the church, and went inside.

I forgot one of my song books in the car, though, so I sent the kids out to get it. They retrieved the book, returned to the church door, and as it was swinging shut I could hear a commotion outside. Shortly thereafter, somebody ran to the church door and called in, "Does anybody here drive a blue station wagon? Somebody just crashed into it."

I shudder to think how many seconds those kids were away from being in that car when that drunk driver came careening down the street, bouncing like a ping-pong ball off of fifteen parked cars. I am eternally grateful that they were spared from harm, but I will never forget how strongly I had felt I should stay home that night.  I chose to ignore my gut feeling, and we were out one blue station wagon as a result.

The instance I want to relate took place on a Friday night in September 2008, but it requires a bit of explanation.

Our house has two kitchens...One on the main floor which we use all the time, and a second one up on the third floor, in a large room that used to be a daycare. Someday it could be a 2 bdr apt., but now it's a rec room with a kitchenette, 2 bedrooms, and some exercise equipment.  We usually hang out downstairs where the fireplace is, but for some reason on that particular Friday I had everyone truck up there to watch a movie and have snacks.

Before we went upstairs, I heated up a can of Spaghetti-Os and grabbed a few other things to munch on. Once up there, I preheated the oven to bake popcorn chicken.

Now, my 7yo Clare had been whining to me for weeks that she needed an ear cleaner (Q-tip). Of course, I usually don't carry Q-tips with me, and she'd only ask for them when we were in church, or in the car, or somewhere else similarly devoid of Q-tips. And of course, by the time we got home to where the Q-tips live, we'd both have forgotten about it. So Friday night she whined about it again, but bingo! I knew exactly where the Q-tips were - only a few steps away! So I stepped out of the room to get them.

Something smelled funny. Smelled hot. At first I thought it was just the smell of the electric oven preheating, since it doesn't get much use. But there was that funny feeling again, so I moved a little closer to the staircase. And the smell was stronger there.

I wasn't too terribly worried, because our fireplace has had smoke backing into the living room since Christmas Eve (when I caused a chimney fire, another story). The smoke detectors go off every day, and also every time we open the oven door, so I wasn't too alarmed. But the farther down the stairs I went, the worse the smell got, and the hazier the air became with smoke. By the time I got all the way down, I couldn't see across the living room, and the acrid smoke was choking me.

And there, on the stove, was the pot I used to heat the Spaghetti-Os that I forgot to turn off before going upstairs. The pot's contents were blackened and the smoke was terrible. And for once, the smoke detectors hadn't gone off.

Could there have been a fire? I don't know...probably. Would I have been so quick to get Clare a Q-tip if she hadn't been bugging for so long? Maybe, maybe not. All I can say is that I believe with all my heart that all the factors were put into play by the Holy Spirit to come together at that one moment to spare us from harm. You can scoff, or give me an "Amen!" or dismiss it as dumb luck or blind chance.

But I'll just keep on believing anyway, thank you very much.

The Proverbs 17 Family

Perhaps I should offer an explanation to my Proverbs 17 header up there, lest anyone think we're some kind of dire, dour, doom-and-gloom Bible thumping family.  I mean, I may be an aspiring Bible-thumper, but not a dire, dour, doom-and-gloom sort of one.

Many years ago, my husband received the good advice that if you don't know where to start reading the Bible, open it to the book of Proverbs and choose the chapter corresponding to today's date.  There are only 31 chapters of Proverbs, so it works out perfectly.

Because I want to make reading Scripture a more prominent part of our family life, naturally I gravitated to the daily Proverbs when I was looking for a place to start with the boys.  We didn't get to it every day (still don't), but it was always an extra-special treat when we happened to hit upon a day that included the word "numbskull."  (That's in the Bible?  REALLY??)

On the 17th of a month not long ago, somehow it seemed that everything we read was speaking directly to us and our specific weaknesses, as individuals and as a family  Verse after verse made us hang our heads, chastened, again and again.  So I made Powerpoint slides of the pertinent verses, converted them to .jpgs, and made a Picasa collage out of them. 

>> Better a crust of dry bread, than a house full of feasting with strife.  (Some dinnertimes at our table are truly miserable affairs.  I still haven't resorted to feeding them dry bread crusts.  Not yet anyway.)

>> Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam, so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.  (The quantity of bickering and quarrels around here is off the charts)

>> He who loves a quarrel loves sin.  (Ditto)

>> He who covers over an offense promotes love, (oh, just overlook someone else's fault once in a while, won'tcha?)

>> but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. (and don't keep bringing it up!)

>> Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent (you know who you are)

>> To have a fool for a son brings grief, and the father of a numbskull has no joy.  (Uses the word 'numbskull.'  Duh.)


I'd like to say that we've managed to eliminate those particular faults by now, but I don't want to break the sixth commandment.

Pro-Life Message

I saw this on facebook and am reposting it here for my non-fb friends.



A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said:  'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.

The doctor said: 'Ok, what do you want me to do?'

She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.

The lady was horrified and said: 'No, doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!

'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.'

The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.

He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb.

The crime is the same!
 
(Actual photo of the feet of a preborn baby at 10 weeks gestation)

If you agree, please SHARE. Together we can help save precious lives!

"Love says I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person. Abortion says I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself..."

Jesus sacrificed Himself for the good of sinners! That's perfect love!

In the Words of C. S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis once said:

"God's work in our lives can be painful, but His ultimate goal is to transform us into something better. "

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised."

"But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards."

"You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but he is building up a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself."

Two Inspirational Poems

Splinters From The Cross

Little headaches, little heartaches,
Little griefs of every day,
Little trials and vexations,
How they throng around our way!

One great cross, immense and heavy,
So it seems to our weak will,
Might be born with resignation,
But these many small ones kill.

Yet all life is formed of small things,
Little leaves make up the trees,
Many tiny drops of water
Blending, make the mighty seas.

Let us not then by impatience
Mar the beauty of the whole,
But the love of Jesus bear all
In the silence of our soul.

Asking Him for grace sufficient
To sustain us through each loss,
And to treasure each small offering
As a splinter from His Cross.

The Tapestry

My life is but a weaving between my God and me,
I do not choose the colors, He worketh steadily.
Oftimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.

Not till the loom is silent, and shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful in the skillful Weaver's hand
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.

Stations of the Cross, Closing

The Resurrection of Jesus
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You
because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices that they might go and anoint Jesus. Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had just risen, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, "Who will roll the stone back from the entrance of the tomb for us?" for it was very large. But looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled back, and upon entering the tomb they were amazed to see a young man sitting at the right side and clothed in a white robe. He said to them, "Do not be terrified. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him." (Mk. 16, 1 to 6)

Let us pray: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Stations of the Cross, Fourteenth Station

Fourteenth Station

Jesus is laid in the tomb

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world

Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus, and wrapping it in a clean linen cloth he laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out of rock. Then he rolled a large stone agains the entrance of the tomb and departed. (Mt. 27, 59 and 60)

Reflection: I will praise you, O Lord, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, my God, I cried out to you and you healed me. O lord, you brought me up from the lower world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit. Sing praise to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger lasts but a moment; his good will is for a lifetime. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with dawn comes rejoicing. (Ps. 29, 2 to 6)

Let us pray: Almighty and eternal God, on the edge of sadness when all seemed lost, You restored to us teh Saviour we thought defeated and conquered. Help us, we beg You, so to empty ourselves of self concern that we might see your hand in every failure and your victory in every defeat. These things we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Thirteenth Station

Thirteenth Station

The body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world

When the soldiers came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead so that they did not break his legs, but one of them opened his side with a lance, and immediately there came out blood and water. Joseph of Arimathea, because he was a disciple of Jesus (although a secret one for fear of the Jews), besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave permission. (Jn. 19, 33 to 34, 38a)

Reflection: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and I will bring you back to your land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. O my people! I will put my psirit in you that you may live. You shall know then that I am the Lord. I have promised it, and I will do it, says the Lord. (Ezechiel 37, 12 to 14)

Let us pray: Beloved Saviour, You returned to the Father all that He had given You, so that He might restore all to You a hundred-fold in the glorious resurrection. Help us, we beg You, to give generously of ourselves in all that we do for You, so that like You we might be made perfect in a new resurrection.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Twelfth Station

The Twelfth Station

Jesus dies on the Cross


We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the curtain of the temple was torn in the middle. Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, "It is finished. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Then, bowing his head, he died. (Lk. 23, 44 to 46; Jn. 19, 30b)

Reflection: My people, what have I done to you? or in what have I offended you? Answer me. What more should I have done, and did not do? I led you out of the land of Egypt, and you prepared a cross for me. I opened the Red Sea before you, and you opened my side with a lance. I gave you a royal sceptre, and you have given me a crown of thorns. With great power I lifted you up, and you have hung me upon a cross. My people, what have I done to you, or in what have I offended you? Answer me. (From The Reproaches of Good Friday)

Let us pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Eleventh Station

Eleventh Station

Jesus is nailed to the Cross


We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you
because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world

When they came to Golgotha, the place called the Skull, they crucified Jesus and the robbers, one of his right and the other on his left. And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Lk. 23, 33-34; Jn. 19, 18)

Reflection: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, far from my prayer, far from the words of my cry? O my God, I cry out by day, and you answer not; I cry out by night, and there is no relief for me. All my bones are racked. My heart has become like wax melting away within my chest. My throat is dried up like baked clay, my tongue cleaves to my jaws; they have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. (Ps. 21, 2-3, 15-16, 17b)


Let us pray: Lord and Saviour, You have told us that we too must accept crucifixion if we are to accept resurrection with You. Help us to rejoice in the sufferings that come with the fulfillment of our daily duties, seeing in them the royal road of the cross to the resurrection.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently done page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Tenth Station

The Tenth Station

Jesus is stripped of his clothes


We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

They gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall; but when he had tasted it, he would not drink. Then after they had crucified him, they divided his clothes, casting lots, to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, "They divided my clothes among them, and upon my garments they cast lots." (Mt. 27, 34 and 35)

Reflection: Happy is the man whom God chastises! Do not reject the punishment of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he smites, but his hands give healing. Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak; I looked for comforters, and I found none. Rather they put gall in my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Job 5, 17 and 18; Ps. 68, 21 and 22)

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, stripped of everything, you stood exposed to the jeers and contempt of the people whom You loved. Clothe us with genuine love of others, so that nothing we suffer may ever fill our hearts with hatred or bitterness. Amen.


Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Ninth Station

The Ninth Station

Jesus falls a third time


We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

I lie prostrate in the dust; give me life according to your word. I declared my ways, and you answered me; teach me your commands. Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds. My sould weeps for sorrow; strengthen me with your words. (Ps. 118, 25 to 28)

Reflection: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid? When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies themselves stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war be waged upon me, even then will I trust. (Ps. 26, 1 to 3)

Let us pray: Almighty and eternal God, You permitted your Son to be weakened, crushed, and profaned so that He might rise from the dead freed from the ravages of sin. Help us to accept our weaknesses and failings as forerunners of our glorious resurrection in union with your Son. Amen.


Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Eighth Station

The Eighth Station

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem


We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

There was following Jesus a great crowd of people, and among them were some women who were bewailing and lamenting him. Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." (Luke 23, 27 and 28)

Reflection: Come, all you who pass by the way, look and see whether there is any suffering like my suffering, suffering with which the Lord has afflicted me on the day of his blazing wrath. At this I weep, my eyes run with tears: far from me are all who could console me, far away are any who might revive me. (Lam. 1, 12 and 16)

Let us pray: Beloved Jesus, with tears of pity these women of Jerusalem responded to You, broken, bruised, and beaten, on the road to Calvary. Deepen our faith, we beg You, so that we may see You in our brothers and sisters, bruised by our envy, beaten down by injustice, and broken by our greed and our indifference. Amen.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Seventh Station

The Seventh Station

Jesus falls the second time

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

It was our weaknesses that he carried, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one struck by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the punishment that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all. (Is. 53, 4 to 6)

Reflection: Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and uttered no cry. When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. (Is. 53, 7 and 9)

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, You shared in our weaknesses and accepted our guilt. Grand us the favor of rejoicing over our human weaknesses, so that in all we do, Your strength, swelling in us, may be shown to all others. Amen.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Sixth Station

The Sixth Station

Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

"Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?" And answering the kind will say to them, "Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me." (Mt. 25, 37 to 40)

Reflection: A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; for he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself. (Sirach 6, 14 to 17)

Let us pray: Almighty and ever-loving God, we feel your love and understanding in the consolation and support we receive from one another. Give us, we beg You, the courage and dedication to sacrifice and suffer with those who are in need, the least of your people. Amen.

Stations of the Cross, Fifth Station

Fifth Station

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You,
because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

And when they had mocked Jesus, they took the purple cloak off and put his own clothes on him, and they led him out to be crucified. Then they forced a certain passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, to take up his cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, a name meaning 'the place of the skull'. (Mk. 15, 20 to 22)

Reflection: With a loud voice I cry out to the Lord; with a loud voice I beseech the Lord. My complaint I pour out before him; before him I lay bare my distress. When my spirit is faint within me, you know my path. In the way along which I walk they have hid a trap for me. I look to the right to see, but there is no one who pays me heed. I have lost all means of escape; there is no one who cares for my life. (Ps. 141, 2 to 5)

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, help us to see in the sufferings and shortcomings of our lives a share in Your Cross; strengthen and console us in the belief that we bear all things in union with You, who have taken upon Yourself even our guilt. Amen.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Fourth Station

Fourth Station

Jesus meets his afflicted mother

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You,
because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Now there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus, therefore, saw his mother and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, 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 into his home. (John 19, 25 to 27)

Reflection: To what can I compare you, O daughter Jerusalem? What example can I show you for your comfort, virgin daughter Sion? For great as the sea is your distress; who can heal you? (Lam. 2, 13)

Let us pray: O blessed Lord, at your passion a sword of sorrow pierced the loving heart of your mother as Simeon had foretold. Grant that we who look back on her sorrows with compassion might receive the healing fruits of your sufferings. Amen.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Third Station

Third Station

Jesus falls the first time

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love what is its own. Because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I have spoken to you: No servant is greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also. (John 15, 18 to 20)

Reflection: Why are your clothes red, and your garments like those of the wine presser? "The wine press I have trodden alone, and of my people there was no one with me. I trod them in my anger, and trampled them down in my wrath; their blood spurted on my garments and I stained all my clothes. I looked about, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that there was no one to lend support; so my own arm brought about the victory." (Is. 63, 2 to 5)

Let us pray: O God, to free us from sin and weakness your Son, Jesus Christ, embraced his fearful passion and crucifixion. Strengthen us in our baptismal resolutions by which we renounced sin and Satan, so that through the passion of this life's sufferings we might rise to new life of joyful service free of all selfishness. Amen.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.

Stations of the Cross, Second Station

Second Station

Jesus carries his Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You,
because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

And Pilate said to the Jews, "Behold, your king!" But they cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. And so they took Jesus and led him away, bearing the cross for himself. (John 19, 14 to 17)

Reflection: Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, no appearance that would attract us to him. He was rejected and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom men turn away, and we held him in no esteem. (Is. 53, 1 to 3)

Let us pray: Father in heaven, your Son, Jesus Christ, still carries his Cross in his persecuted brothers and sisters throughout the world. Make us feel the needs of all persons so that we might as readily help them as we would help Jesus himself. Amen.

Click on the picture for a link to an excellently-done corresponding page on the Catholic Stations of the Cross.