Suffering With Joy

Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time

March 12, 2010

The Way to Calvary, c. 1540, Jacopo Bassano (b. ca. 1515, Bassano, d. 1592, Bassano), Oil on canvas, National Gallery, London

Jesus Falls the First Time Under the Cross

V.  We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.

R.  Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Our Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself unto death, even to the death of the cross.  For which cause God hath exalted Him and hath given Him a name that is above every name.  Come, let us adore and bow down before God, let us weep in the presence of the Lord who made us, for He is indeed the Lord our God. ¹

V.  Surely He hath borne our infirmities.

R.  And He hath carried our sorrows. ²

Let Us Pray

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, / that we, who fail in so many adversities through our own weakness, / may take heart again through the pleading of the passion of Thine only-begotten Son. / Who liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen.³

Hymn: Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, she beheld her tender child all with bloody scourges rent.

¹ Epistle of Palm Sunday (Philip. 2: 8-9) and Ps. 94: 6-7 of daily Matins. ² Is. 53:4. ^₃ Collect, Monday in Holy Week.

The Church encourages frequent meditation on the Passion of Christ to instill in us an attachment to Him, and love and gratitude for opening the gates of heaven to us.  By meditating on the Passion throughout the year, we can become attached to Christ and detached from sin.  As with all things related to the life of Christ, Mother Mary is never far away, so coupling the Stabat Mater with the Stations allows us to walk with her and honor her for suffering in union with Him.

Tags: Blessed Virgin, Stations of the Cross

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