Meditations on the Way of the Cross
I have always been fascinated with the service of the Stations of the Cross. It is visual and can be artistically appealing. Further it involves a walk, not unlike a labyrinth meditation. My daughter and I brought together the visual and the aural (text) in a little book, Meditations on the Way of the Cross. Those who know the service may enjoy using the prayers that follow at each of the stations. I wrote this with young people in mind.
Prayers from Meditations on the Way of the Cross by Bob Commin
1 Jesus is condemned to die
Like a tall tree
I reach up into the sky
And receive God’s power from above
Like the sun emptying light into me.
With outstretched arms
I embrace the world
Compassionately
And see a wilderness
Become an Eden of
flowers before me.
Amen
2 Jesus accepts the cross
I face the cross
I see the arms of Jesus
Outstretched
In love for me.
I take up the cross
And do the difficult jobs.
I carry the burdens of others,
But I know
That Jesus carries me.
Amen
3 Jesus falls for the first time
When we fall Lord,
Help us to know
That there is no falling
Beyond the boundaries
Of your presence and love.
In our pain and vulnerability
Continue to come to us
And help us to see you
In the compassionate community
That desires our healing,
In the fellowship of Mary
And Jesus Christ
Her son, our Lord.
Amen
4 Jesus meets his mother
Dear Lord Jesus,
Who can describe Mary’s sorrow
As she comforts you
On the way to the cross?
This is the “sword that pierces
Her heart.”
She will not hold you back.
You have made your choice.
Lord of the crossroads,
Help us to know;
When to comfort our children,
When to protect them,
And when to let go.
Amen
5 Simon of Cyrene carries the cross
Lord Jesus Christ
Simone of Cyrene,
An African pilgrim,
Helped to carry your cross
Through jeering crowds
And threatening soldiers.
Help me a child of Africa,
Not be afraid.
Let me hear when you call
And let me take up the burdens of others
To walk the road with them.
Amen
6 Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ,
Let me respond freely
With love and compassion
Like Veronica, the woman
Who came out of the crowd
To wipe your perspiring face
And carried away in her heart
The image of your face.
Let me also be a bearer of your image
Outwardly in my actions
And inwardly in my heart.
Amen
7 Jesus falls for the second time
Confessio
You will hold me
And I will fall
I, David, will shatter into a thousand pieces
So small
Lost in every garden I have been
I will fall through the garden hose
I will squeeze mud between my toes
I will become the beggar at my gate
And refuse the beggar food.
The people I love I learn to hate
I will dig a grave for my friends
I will take money from the dead thief’s hand
I will lie with the liar
And I will rise with the fowl
See on my back a burden I carry
It burns with the image
Of the blackness of you.
I will fall
And you will hold me,
Even in the abyss of
Self.
Amen
8 The women of Jerusalem
Dear Lord Jesus,
You fill our lives with activity,
So that each day brings new explorations,
And fills us with wonder and thanksgiving.
When we become the patient
And actions cease,
Be with us in the waiting
And calm our fears
Let us sense your guidance
And come to life
In new and surprising ways.
Amen
9 Jesus falls for a third time
Lord I am in the belly of the whale.
Things are very dark now,
There seems to be no way out
And no way up.
I wander blindly in this agonising deep,
Submerged in a sea of troubles
There is no energy or beauty or delight;
Only a dullness.
I can only wait for you Lord.
Spew me out with such a blast,
Send me streaming to the surface
And spread me into a fountain
Of pleasure and response
To dance in the light of the world.
Amen
10 Jesus is stripped
Dear Lord Jesus
Thank you for our health.
Through our bodies,
Eyes and ears, taste, touch and smell,
We can enjoy your world.
When we are ailing
We receive your healing
Through the love and care of others.
Help us in turn
To care for those who are in need of healing.
Amen
11 Jesus is nailed to the cross
Dear Lord Jesus,
Your body shudders with pain
As nails tear through flesh and bone.
Pilate’s misguided powers pin you
To a wooden cross of earth
To stop the river of love in you,
But you become a great baobab tree
Spreading blessings into the heavens
And drawing us into its cool shade
To heal us with your love potion.
We feel a new spring surging
Through the wood of your cross.
Amen
12 Jesus dies on the cross
Dear Lord Jesus
Amidst all your pain
You still commend yourself
Into the father’s care
And so you die.
Dying fills us with fear
It challenges all that we believe.
We spend years running from it.
We struggle not to hand ourselves
Over to its darkness.
To rest in you is more than sleep,
It is the final trust.
When our time comes
Give us a good death.
Amen
13 Jesus is laid in a tomb
Dear Lord Jesus
Thank you for the men and women
Who received your body,
The body they loved;
That resonated your personality.
Now they will honour it
And give it a proper burial.
They will cherish your memory
And grow through their sadness.
Let us give due honour to those who die around us
And cherish the memory of them.
Let us be present for the dying.
Amen
14 Conclusion
The Coming of Light
There is a darkness
Descending upon the world.
But deep within a tomb,
A womb of earth,
A light glows with intensity,
It is the light of our salvation
Consuming the darkness;
The light of new birth
Of the new day.
Amen
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