Stations of the Cross 11 – 14

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When praying the Chaplet of Mercy, I often meditate on 5 of the Stations of the Cross. I have stations 1 – 5 here.

11: Jesus is nailed to the cross.

Jesus has each of His limbs completely immobilised by the nails – He can do nothing, He cannot act. I too am very often immobilised – by worries, fears of failure, temptations, and simply having too many good ideas that I do not know which to choose. May God help me to get moving and be able to do His will before it is too late.

12: Jesus dies on the cross.

Even when dying, Jesus is carrying out His Father’s will. Everything Jesus does is active and powerful. He can say, “It is accomplished.” God’s word accomplishes what He sent it to do: “So shall My word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to Me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) How often can I say at the end of each day, “It is accomplished – I did my best – I have bot wasted much / any time today” ? God, please help me to use the time You give me to do Your will effectively.

13: Jesus is taken down from the cross and placed in His Mother’s arms

Mary’s loss, and the realisation of that loss, is total. What loss can compare to this? To lose Her beloved Son at a young age, to see Him murdered with the sanction of the state and His enemies triumphing. What realisation can compare to this? To receive the Corpse Herself, and to prepare the Body for burial Herself. And in all this, to accept, to forgive.

None of my losses compare to this. Nothing could impinge upon my consciousness like this. I have been spared this much.

Dear God, please help me to accept my meagre sufferings and to grow in virtue through the trials You allow for me. But please especially give me the grace to do justice to my Mother Mary, to love Her more, to compassionate Her more, to think of Her more.

14: Jesus is buried in the tomb

The stone is rolled across the entrance – the end is totally final for the disciples. Their loss and humiliation could not have been greater – the Master they had placed all their hopes in was now gone forever, and their guilt in leaving Him at the mercy of His enemies was clear for all to see. Their Master was dead – totally. Their own courage, their illusions of how far they would strive for their dreams, was dead – totally. Nothing was left. God left them in total darkness. God wanted them to be like Him – to strive against the darkness. Just as God, in creation, said “Let there be light”, when all was dark, so the disciples, surrounded by darkness, filled with darkness, had to continue to strive and pray, “Please, let there be light.” Just as a seed, somehow pushes its way through the dark earth and into the light, we must hope against all hope, and keep striving for the light.

Dear God, I am a man who has failed and fallen thousands of times, repeating the same sins again and again, with only a tiresome list of confessions in my favour. With my track record I cannot dare to hope for or promise anything from my own resources. Please help me to keep striving, to keep heading towards You, to keep PRAYING: “Please, let there be light in my life.”