WeAreCalled2
Seek and Serve
Lent is a time for reflection, prayer and a turning back to God. Just as Jesus went to the desert to face himself and get closer to His father, we are called. We will explore the Stations for the Cross and how they still have meaning in our lives today. Read them slowly, look at the pictures and reflect on it. Take your time. Allow Jesus to speak to you thru the reflections Take the time to be in the desert. He will find you there
Stations of the Cross
And how it is relevant in my life....
Station 1 - Jesus condemned to Death
Picture it. He stands before a crowd that condemns Him “What did I do” he must think. He loved everyone, spoke visions of heaven, fed thousands, healed the sick. How He must have thought “what exactly did I do to deserve this”. How many times have we felt condemned. Condemned for just being who we are. Maybe we don’t look the same as others. Maybe we say different prayers. Maybe the words we speak are different. He came to unite us. He came to put us all on a level playing field. He loved everyone equally regardless of their faults. And yet he was condemned. How often do we judge harshly?
Dear Jesus, help me to see beyond a persons outside, situation, differences. Let me be more like you loving everyone and seeing the light they hold within. Help me not to judge..... Amen.
Station 2 - Jesus is made to bear His cross
Touch the wood. It is hard. It is rough. It is heavy. But He bears his cross with purpose, mission, determination as an example for us. We are all given a cross in our lifetime, some of us heavy, burdensome crosses and some not as big. But not one of us gets thru this life without a cross to carry. How do you carry that cross? Do you accept it? Do you deny it and hope that someone else will pick it up? Do you allow others to help you carry it? Look to Jesus to see how he carried it knowing it was his to carry. Knowing that it served a greater purpose. He didn’t kick and scream about it even though it really wasn’t fair. He accepted it.
Dear Jesus, may I pick up my cross with the same grace you did believing and trusting that it serves a purpose in my life. And that in the end, it will bring resurrection and life. Amen
Station 3 - Jesus falls the first time
We all fall. Sometimes we can’t go but a few steps without falling again. And when we do, we could just lay there in order to avoid another fall. Or we could bang our hands against the ground in anger that we fell. Or we could wait for someone to come along to pick us up. Or we could look to Jesus. He fell. In front of everyone. In humiliation. In innocence. And He stood back up again. We all fall. It’s a part of life. But it is what we do with that fall, the getting up, that shapes us. Slowly and surely, pick yourself up and continue the walk. Just like He did.
Jesus, when I fall, give me the strength to stand back up again no matter how difficult that may be. Amen
Station 4 - Jesus meets His mother
Oh, the love of a mother. That comforting, self less love that makes everything right no matter how old we are. If you were lucky enough to experience that mother love in your own mother, be thankful. If you were not, you can find it in Mary for she is the mother to all of us. Her love is all encompassing and unconditional. Imagine in His most difficult hour looking up to see the loving eyes of his mother. It would have given Him the strength to continue. In your difficult time, lift your eyes to Mary. Feel her loving arms wrap around you and comfort you. She is always there on the sidelines awaiting your glance. Just look up.
Hail Mary full of grace…. Jesus, thank you for sharing your mother with me. Help me to turn to her in times of need and accept the love only a mother could give.
Station 5 - Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross
Simon gets pulled from the crowd and forced to help carry the cross of Jesus. Little did he know that it would be one of the greatest gestures he would do. Sometimes we are pulled to help carry the cross of someone else. We may not understand why we were chosen for this role at the time but God always has a reason. Instead of grumbling “why me”, embrace the cross, walk with them awhile and know in your heart that we are all called to be simon every now and again.
Jesus, soften my heart and strengthen my hands so that I may be ready to carry the cross of someone you think needs me. Amen.
Station 6 - Veronica wipes Jesus' face
Veronica. Don’t we all need to be a Veronica for someone these days. Someone who looks beyond the disfigurement of someone’s wounds, who doesn’t judge in someone’s weakest moment but rather a kind person who wipes the face of someone in need in a gesture of love. We can walk around with a cloth ready for such a task. There are so many people in this world, carrying a heavy cross in need of a gesture of love. Won't you be Veronica for someone?
Jesus, help me to recognize those that could use a gentle face cleaning. I will carry the cloth of faith and love to do so and be ready for such a person. Amen.
Station 7 - Jesus falls the second time
We often think that when we have a great tragedy in our life that we will not have another one. That wouldn’t be fair now would it. But Jesus fell a second time. We just might also. We weren’t guaranteed that nothing bad will happen to us even when we are faithful, following Christ and doing everything God asked of us. What we were promised, is that He will always be there with us in our suffering. So when we fall again and again and again, we simply must know that God is in the struggle with us and stand back up again. I was once told by a wise priest, you are never closer to God than when you are in the middle of suffering. You walk holy ground. Embrace that. Jesus, open my mind and heart so that when I am suffering, I see you there. Again and again and again.
Jesus, help me to see the holy ground beneath me. Again and again and again....
Station 8 - The women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus
They weep. Because they know. They weep. Because the pain is too much to bear. They weep. Because they will miss Him. We all need a good cry every now and again. Crying from pain comes from the soul. It comes from the pain. Sometimes, it cannot be stopped. And its okay. The shortest verse in the bible is “He wept”. Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. He wept so that we would know that Jesus understands us when we weep. He knows what it feels like to feel so much pain that it pours out of your eyes. And this is comforting to know that he understands us in our sorrowful times. So cry away and know that He weeps with you.
Jesus, in my moments of weeping, I turn to you knowing you understand for you wept too.
Station 9 - Jesus falls a third time
Jesus keeps falling. Even today. Think about where we are at today. Less and less people are going to church. He falls. The church has faced so many trials and failures that people do not trust in it anymore. He falls. There is so much hatred in the world today. He falls. People are angrier and more lost these days. He falls. Even saying His name can be uncomfortable In todays world. He falls. But here’s the good news. He stands back up again. Yes, we are in sad shape and difficult times. But, He will stand again. He will get up and continue the mission. In the end, Jesus will prevail, light over darkness and love over hatred. He will rise again. That is the good news of the 3rd fall.
Jesus, we need you now more than ever to stand up and show the world that your love can save us. Amen.
Station 10 - Jesus is stripped of his garments
What does it mean to be stripped of your garments? No kingly robes. Nothing left but your naked self. To be stripped is to be left vulnerable. And when you area vulnerable, where do you turn? Sometimes we get stripped of all we have so that we can turn to and rely only upon God. It is not an easy state to be vulnerable but one that humbles us and brings us to our knees. When the things of this world are taken away, what do you have left? God. And its all you need. Maybe, we get stripped sometimes to remind us of what and who is important.
Jesus, help me to keep my eyes lifted to you without needing to be stripped of anything. And if I were to be stripped, all I need is you.
Station 11 - Jesus is nailed to the cross
You can almost hear the sound of the hammer driving the nails in. thump. thump. thump. It echos in your mind if you let it. Such pain. Such agony. Now look over to Jesus’ face. He bears it with grace, dignity, purpose. Why? Because Jesus knew His mission He understood what God wanted from Him. And when times were tough for Him, He retreated in prayer to stay connected to his father. We all have those nail in the hand moments. Be ready for them by staying close to God in prayer, by knowing your mission and purpose in life and by accepting God’s will and grace.
Jesus, may I be as close to your father as you were by praying each day, by accepting my purpose and God’s will for my life.
Station 12 - Jesus dies on the cross
He dies on the cross. He came to this world as both Human and Divine not only to die for our sins, but also to show us the way. To give us an example of how to love. To turn everything on its side to a new covenant, a new way of living, a new loving God. He lived as we should live. In love or his Father and for one another. He lived out a mission that was difficult, knowing each step of the way what was to come. It is truly the greatest love story ever written. For you. For me. For all. An example of self less love. He was divine, and could have come as a King but instead He came as you and me to show that He understands our walk. And He died so that we may have eternal life in the Kingdom of God. We, in our humanity, put Him back up on that cross every day when we sin. And He still loves us. This part of the story is important. He had to die. There is no resurrection without the crucifixion. And there is where our hope lives. In the Easter Sunday, tomb is empty resurrection. What a love story.
Jesus, you died for me and now I live for you.
Station 13 - Jesus is taken down from the cross
It is over. It is done. He is taken down and placed in the arms of his mother. But we know the story is not over. We know what is to come. But sometimes during our pain and our struggle, we don't see it that way. Think of how Mary felt holding her son in her arms. The ache. The pain. Even if she knew it was His destiny. She is still a mother. She is still human. As we are when we go thru pain. We cannot always see beyond what is laying in our arms at the moment. We are allowed to feel pain. We are allowed to scream and ask "why God?". But when the moment passes, we must remember what comes after the crucifixion There is always the resurrection to follow. Always. And God is in the midst of it all. So don't give up hope. Don't be afraid. Don't despair. Hold onto what you know. Hold onto the risen Christ who promises you it will all work out in the end. Just hold on for a few more days....
Jesus, when I am holding my pain in my arms, help me to remember that you promised us Sunday always comes....
Station 13 - Jesus is laid in the tomb
And now we wait. We wait for the resurrection. For the promises to be fulfilled. For the grand finale He promised us. Sometimes we go thru periods where we feel abandoned by God, we feel alone and we question al that we have learned. This is okay. It's a period of waiting. Waiting for your heart to open again. For God to enter again. For Jesus to come to us and for us to recognize Him and say "Abba" as Mary Magdalene did. Even she didn't recognize Him at first. And its okay. We don't always recognize Him in our lives but He is there. He is definitely there. So wait it out when you are in the "dark night of the soul". And continue to pray. Continue to search. And one day, the clouds will clear and the resurrection will be upon you. Remember, there is always a resurrection after the crucifixion. It is our Easter story. It is our love story. It is our promise. And Jesus always delivers....
Jesus, stay with me when I am lost, confused and sometimes in the dark. Continue to wait for me and love me and find me again.