Disciple's Way of the Cross

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh...sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Introduction

Priest: Christ suffered for you and left you an example that you should follow in his steps (1 Pet 2:21).

All: Lord Jesus, last night you knelt in a garden and sweat blood over this way we are about to travel with you. You would walk a physical way of the cross. We, a spiritual. Your human will fought to avoid this "cup," but at last you embraced the Father's will and found peace. You surrendered, "Thy will be done," and went to meet your death. Even now, as we kneel before you we wonder why we go this way with you. But you remind us that if we would be your disciples we must pick up our cross and follow in your steps (Mk 8:34). Disciples let us be.

Were you there when He stood before the judge?

JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: Though harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth: Like a lamb led to the slaughter, or a sheep before the shearer, he was silent... Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away (Is 53:7, 8).

All: Lord, You stand before Pilate. Divine power before human. Meekness before arrogance, love before fear. Pilate's power seems impressive, bold. But the power of the world is weak, unstable. Pilate vacillates between expediency and truth: "What about your 'king'?" he pleads. "We have no king but Caesar!" the crowd responds. Politics over religion! Pilate makes the political choice, saying in effect, "I'm opposed to this, but..." He condemns innocent blood. Lord, how often, by our indifference, our apathy, are we counted among today's Pilates, still at it, condemning innocent blood: the preborn, the weak, the starving. Help us stand as disciples before the world with you... with them.

Were you there when he knelt to take his cross?

JESUS TAKES HIS CROSS

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow in my steps (Mk 8:34).

All: Your cross is harshly thrown at your feet. Do you, as does the priest at Mass, bend to kiss your altar of sacrifice before taking it on your blood-stained shoulders? As the Father fashioned this cross for you, so have you fashioned one for each of us, your disciples. You have carved each cross with your own hands, and weighed it, that it be not one ounce too heavy for our strength. You have anointed it with consolations, and kissed it, before placing it gently on our shoulders. Keep before us the words of St Teresa of Avila: "When you embrace the cross you do not feel it." Teach us, your disciples, to embrace our crosses: our sicknesses, disappointments, failures, family trials, the monotony of life... even to kiss these crosses for love of you.

Were you there when he fell beneath his cross?

III

JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: It was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured... He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins (Is 53:4, 5).

All: Your journey has but begun, yet already the cross crushes your weakened body to the ground. What shame to fall before so great a crowd. What shame when I fall before so great a God. I sometimes become discouraged with my weaknesses: my anger, laziness, pride; my irrational desires for sex, food, drink, money, constant stimulation. Let the sight of you struggling to your feet under the blows and kicks of the soldiers inspire me to get up when I fall, to return to your forgiving, merciful heart. Make me aware of my weaknesses, that your power may rest upon me, and enable me to rise again to penitent, but confident, discipleship.

Were you there when sweet Mary faced her Son?

JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: Can a mother forget her infant, be without compassion for the child of her womb? (Is 49:15)

All: It is one thing to endure taunts and ridicule, to be treated like a common criminal, to be driven like an animal to execution. But, now, for your mother to see this...? You are devastated that Mary must suffer this, but consoled by her loving glance. Mary is the perfect symbol of the Father's mercy and tenderness. For thirty-three years Mary has known you would be the suffering servant of Isaiah. Simeon kept fresh in her mind the wound her heart would this day suffer. Now the sword pierces surely, deeply, as she gazes on you, her disfigured Son. As we travel along this disciple's road, struggling to bear our own heavy load, remind us to look to Mary as our own mother, for comfort, consolation, encouragement; not for her to lift our cross, but to sweeten it with a mother's love.

Were you there when they forced a stranger's help?

SIMON HELPS JESUS

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink... sick and you visited me... Whatsoever you did for the least of my brothers you did for me" (Mt 25:35, 36, 40).

All: Simon, drawn by the noisy crowd, complains at having to share your burden: "Why should I share in the cross of a criminal?" Then something happens to change his heart. Do you show him God himself in your blood-stained eyes? Yes, and then, the cross could not be torn from him. Gentle Lord, help us to see your heart within the least of your brothers when we are tempted to ask ourselves "Why should I clothe, shelter, feed, give drink to the poor?... Why visit the sick, imprisoned?... Why show respect for the dead, their loved ones? Why protect the unborn, the aged, oppressed? Lord, help us to see it is you we serve in all these your brothers and sisters in need, as we live out our noble call to discipleship.

Were you there when the woman wiped his face?

VERONICA WIPES JESUS' FACE

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: Praised be the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies and the God of all consolation. He comforts us in all our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble with the same consolation we have received from him (2 Cor 1:3, 4).

All: Veronica comes to wipe your blood-stained face. Never to be outdone in generosity, you leave the imprint of your face on her veil. Help us to see that same face as today we comfort those in sorrow, counsel those who doubt the faith, confront sinners, gently, firmly, teach others your way; while we patiently bear injustices received, forgive all injuries, and pray for those living and dead. And, when we have done these things for you, impress your image on our souls that we, your disciples, might go forth and show your face to the world.

Were you there when he fell a second time?

VII

JESUS FALLS A SECOND TIME

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: Come to me, you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will give you rest...for my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Mt 11:28, 30)

All: Even with Simon's help your cross weighs heavily on your bleeding shoulder, worn raw by the beam. The soldiers kick and whip and spit upon you. How much humiliation will you bear for us? As we fall repeatedly into sin beneath our same recurring weaknesses, anger, pride, laziness, self-indulgence, may your perseverance in your falls turn our discouragement into hope,our back-sliding into resolve, that we might rise again by your life within us, to live in and for you. Help us to remember that discipleship is not perfection, but perseverance; and that the difference between a saint and sinner is: a saint is a sinner who never stopped trying.

Were you there when the women wept for him?

VIII

JESUS SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children as a hen gathers her young beneath her wings, and you would not! (Lk 13:34,35).

All: The Jerusalem women weep at your suffering, yet you turn their concern to their children; to look beyond your suffering to the sin which caused it: your rejection by man. These well-meaning women, do they symbolize those who try to ease the suffering and misery of our world, but care little about the sin behind that suffering? Inspire us to work for the liberation of souls from the bondage of sin and selfishness as the primary way to alleviate world suffering. And may we never try to solve the ills of this world merely by social action, but rather, pray as if everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on us. As disciples may we weep not so much for you as for those who have rejected you.

Were you there when a third time he fell down?

JESUS FALLS A THIRD TIME

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: Rejoice in your hope, be patient under trial, persevere in prayer (Rom 12:12).

All: You lift your eyes momentarily from the road to see the top of Calvary, and, tripping on a rock, you fall again. You were so close, yet now you are so many kicks, so many insults, so many scourges from your goal. How easy for us, once we have travelled with you for a time to turn our eyes from the road which got us here: prayer and sacrifice; and to see our progress in the spiritual life as the result of our own efforts. If we do, Lord, bring us down, that we might remember your words: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who lives in me and I in him will produce abundantly, ...apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). May we see every fall as your precious invitation to draw us back to humble, prayerful discipleship.

Were you there when they stripped him of his clothes?

JESUS IS STRIPPED

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to cling to. Rather he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men. He was known to be of human estate, thus humbling himself, becoming obedient even onto death, death on a cross! (Phil 2:6-8)

All: As you were willing to be stripped of your clothes so may we be willing to be stripped of our honors, our accomplishments, our possessions, even our wills. Fill us with the spirit of St Francis, that we might see ourselves as the servant of everyone we meet, that we might seek the last place in all things, and we might live the simplicity of Lady Poverty, for love of you. Make us indifferent to all that this world has to offer, so as to be living witnesses to the world that, for your disciples, you are enough.

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?

JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: I tell you solemnly: as a young man you fastened your belt and went about as you pleased; but when you are older you will stretch out your hands, and another will tie you fast and take you where you do not wish to go (Jn 21:18).

All: They nail you hands and feet to the cross, to the instrument of our salvation, the instrument of your Messianic fulfillment. This is the paradox of the Christian life: by surrendering our freedom, by binding ourselves to you, we become free from sin, selfishness, error, free to be fulfilled in your enduring love. May the sight of you being bound to the cross, your "glory" (Jn 12:23), inspire us to see the glory of our own commitments: to meditative prayer, to a sacramental life, to Sunday worship; to marriage or religious vows, to children, to friends, to a life of virtue, ...to the sweet bondage of discipleship.

Were you there when he bowed his head and died?

XII

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: One of the criminals... blasphemed him... But the other rebuked the first: "Have you no fear of God... We deserve it, after all... Jesus, remember me in your kingdom." "...this day you will be with me in paradise." (Lk 23:39-43) Jesus, seeing his mother there with the disciple he loved... said to him, "Behold your mother." (Jn 19:26, 27). Then, Jesus uttered a loud cry and said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." And, having said this, he expired. (Lk 23:46)

[All kneel for a moment of silent prayer.]

All: We have seen the two responses to suffering: blasphemous complaining, or penitent prayer for mercy. May our response be the latter, that of Dismas: to gaze upon your crucified body, to forget our own suffering, confess our sins, and receive your pardon, peace, and hope. And, may we, as your "beloved disciples," heed your dying request: "Behold your mother," that by Mary's guidance, example and prayers, we too might come to say--now, and in death-- "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."

Were you there when they took him from the cross?

XIII

JESUS IS TAKEN FROM THE CROSS

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: I say to you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body and can do no more... Fear him who has power to cast into hell once he has killed... ...whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. (Lk 12:4, 5, 8, 9)

All: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, inspired by your crucifixion and death to put aside their fear of the Jews, now give public witness to their love for you. They place your body in the arms of your mother weeping--not tears of devastation, but tears like the gentle shower after a storm, anticipating the blossoming of new life. May the sight of your limp body, totally spent for us, unlock the courage in our hearts to ignore all human respect and give bold witness to our discipleship with you.

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

XIV

JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB

Priest: We adore you O Christ and we praise you.

All: (Genuflecting) Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Priest: I solemnly assure you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will preserve it into eternal life. (Jn 12:24, 25).

All: This grain of wheat, you, Lord, have died. Your body is placed in the earth, soon to bear magnificent fruit. We too must die if we would bear fruit: die to our self-indulgence; die to living merely by feelings, rather than by reason informed by faith; die even to our own wills, so as to live the virtue this world hates: obedience... Obedience to you, your Church, our superiors. As disciples, intent on bearing fruit, may we so bury our wills in yours to be able to say joyfully, easily, promptly, in all things, "Thy will be done."

Were you there when he rose up from the dead?

THE RESURRECTION

Priest: Then I saw new heavens and a new earth; the former heavens and the former earth had passed away... And I saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, adorned as a bride, prepared to meet her husband. (Rv 21:1, 2)

All: As the many grains of wheat are crushed yet come to life in the Eucharist, so you Lord, crushed for our sins, come to life in the resurrection. In your Easter victory you bring joy from sorrow, success from failure, victory from defeat, Life from death, endured for you. May we never separate the cross from the resurrection; and may we never forget the joy of the New Jerusalem toward which we journey in this valley of tears, where we will be no longer just your disciples, but your spouse in an eternal marriage with our God.