Meditation of Blessed Alphonse Marie on the Station of the Cross

Opening Prayer

“The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were to take place in two days’ time. So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest Jesus by treachery and put him to death.” (Mk 14:1)
In your work meditate on the great work and toil Jesus undertook in order to redeem the world. He had been constantly conversing with His heavenly Father and He undertook and did everything out of love for Him. Consider, why and for whom Jesus suffered so much and you see that it is for the sinners, that is, for the enemy of His glory and His name and that happened out of love for them. (Rekindle the Gift of God that is within You, I/26; II/14)

1. Jesus Is Condemned to Death

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“The chief priests accused Jesus of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, ‘Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.’ Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.” (Mk 15:3-5)
Still are ringing in my ears the words of our priest about Jesus’ suffering in the Olive Garden: “Look children, what Jesus, our dear Savior, suffered because of our sins and how suffering had caused Him to bleed. Look children, how violent this suffering must have been. Suffering is already violent when it causes sweating, but what must it be when the suffering caused bloody sweat? These sufferings of Jesus have caused our sins.” (Autobiography of Elizabeth Eppinger, I/28)

2. Jesus Carries His Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself…” (Jn. 19:16-17a)
“Why did you come to this place? Was it not to carry the cross in following our Divine Model, the cross of sacrifice and of renunciation? Is there a more meritorious, a more indispensable cross than that of daily dying to self? (Exhortations of MAM, p. 11)

3. Jesus Falls the First Time

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.” (Is 53:6)
“If we fell, let us hasten to acknowledge our fault, to confess it, to accuse ourselves, and then rise again.“ (Thoughts of MAM, p. 40)

4. Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother…” (Jn. 19:25a)
“O Mary, my dear mother, take me under your protection. I want to be your child, I want to follow your virtues; but how can I achieve this? O Mary, my dear mother, today I meditate on your sorrows, o pray for me so I do not cause you any pain.” (Autobiography of Elizabeth Eppinger II/8, II/10)

5. Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus.“ (Lk 23:26)
“Meet with love and kindness all persons who are recommended to your care; consider that God uses you as His instrument among people.” (Thoughts of MAM, p. 32)

6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced.” (Is 50:6-7a)
“Dear God, give me the grace to serve You like this good Sister.” (Autobiography of Elizabeth Eppinger, I/37)

7. Jesus Falls a Second Time

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“Yet, it was our infirmities that he bore, our suffering that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted.” (Is 53:4)
Humbly turn your gaze upon the Lord; accept all contempt and disdain for the love of God and thank Him for allowing you to suffer something for Him. (Exhortations of MAM, p. 51)

8. Jesus Speaks to the Women

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children.’” (Lk 23:27-28)
“When I heard that something was said against one or the other, I wept and asked God to change the hearts of these who allowed themselves such evil talk.” (Autobiography of Elizabeth Eppinger, I/27)

9. Jesus Falls the Third Time

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42)
“Would we complain, if Jesus lets us taste a few drops of His chalice of suffering? (Thoughts of MAM, p. 21)

10. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced.“ (Is 50:7a)
“Look, my daughter, if a virgin wants to keep her heart chaste, she must be careful not to allow her eyes to go astray, close her ears, and flee from worldly things. The more a virgin seeks to preserve her chastity, the more she is to attach her heart to me; she should constantly act in my presence, and always speak confidentially to me in her heart.” (Autobiography of Elizabeth Eppinger, V)

11. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” (Is 53:5)
I wondered how the rough nails had to be when to make such terrible wounds…. On the way we came to the cross. I considered again the same matter and I asked my mother: “Why did they crucify our Savior?” My mother answered: “This, my child, was done for our sins.” (Autobiography of Elizabeth Eppinger, I/7)

12. Jesus Dies on the Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he said this he breathed his last.” (Lk 23:46)
“All Religious who observe their vows will die a happy death.” (Thoughts of MAM, p. 53)


13. Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was a member of the council, had not consented to their plan of action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea and was waiting the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried.” (Lk 23:50-53)
“God will bless what you say in His name. Thus there will be one more just soul for heaven.” (Thoughts of MAM, p. 34)

14. Jesus Is Laid in the Sepulcher

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
“They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.“ (Jn. 19:40-42)
“It is written, that one who contributes to the salvation of a soul has thereby assured the salvation of his own soul.” (Thoughts of MAM, p. 33) 

Closing

“The young man said to women, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised.” (Mk 16:6)
Whom else should we love, if not the crucified Jesus? Therefore, we don’t want to ask for anything else as much as for love. For when we have love then, whatever happens, nothing will be hard and difficult for us. Love makes us strong. (Rekindle the Gift of God that is within You, II/42)