Saint Augustine at Eagle Park
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Stations of the Cross: the Prayers ,
Stations of the Cross: the Prayers for the Young
The Artist: Nino di Simone
Stations of the Cross
For the Young
Hyperlinks to Stations: 1 · 2
· 3 · 4 · 5
· 6 · 7 · 8
· 9 · 10 · 11 ·
12 · 13 · 14 ·
15
First Station:
Jesus is Condemned to Death
Pontius Pilate sits and watches Jesus. He is a Roman judge. The
angry people standing around have told lies about Jesus, and they want Pilate to
kill Him. Pilate knows Jesus is a good man. He knows he should not
be killed. But Pilate is afraid. He wants the angry people to like
him, to be his friends, or he might lose his job. So he tells the,,
"Go ahead and kill Jesus."
Step up Close to Jesus
See how hard and fast he is breathing. He is afraid. Yes, He could
stop these men if He wanted simply because He is the Son of God. But then,
who would make up for our sins? So, Jesus is going to let it happen because He
loves us. He wants to save us and win heaven for us.
Pray
Dear Jesus.... Please make me brave so I can do what is right even
when it's hard to do... and don't let me be afraid to stand up for somebody when
others are telling lies about that person.
Jesus takes his cross quietly. He doesn't fight with the men who push
the heavy wooden cross on him. He doesn't hate them and say rough words to
them. If they had known he was dying for them and for all of us, they
would have acted differently. So, Jesus forgives them. he thinks
only of how he loves them and us. Then he takes up the cross and in His
heart asks His heavenly Father to help Him carry it bravely.
Step up Close to Jesus
See what a hard time He has getting the cross onto his shoulders. It
is clumsy and heavy. His shoulder is already sore because they have
whipped him long and hard. There are thorns around His head, too.
Sometimes the cross hits these thorns. They go into Jesus' head like sharp
nails. Whisper in your heart, "Jesus, make me brave like you."
Pray:
Dear Jesus.... When something's hard for me to do, help me remember how you
took the cross without fussing about it...and help me to be good and kind to
others even when it isn't easy.
Third Station:
Jesus Falls the First Time
Jesus is waling along. The cross is crushing His shoulder, and the
sharp stones in the road cut His bare feet. All around Him people are
shouting and pushing, and the Roman soldiers who have been ordered to crucify
Him want Him to hurry. Jesus tries as hard as He can to move faster, but
He stumbles and falls.
Step up Close to Jesus
See Him trying to get up. He wants to keep carrying his cross.
Everybody around Him is yelling and poking at Him. But Jesus does not get
angry. He offers this hurting to His heavenly Father for us because he
loves us. Then He pulls Himself to His feet and walks forward. Think
that you put your arms around Him. Whisper to Him in your heart,
"Jesus, teach me to be loving like you."
Pray:
Dear Jesus.... If something hurts me today, remind me to offer my hurt to
God...and don't let me be mean to anybody who gets hurt or to anybody that makes
mistakes or is different from me.
Jesus sees a beautiful lady reaching out out Him from the crowd. She is
His mother, Mary. She comes close. She puts her arms around Jesus,
and her face is full of tears. Tears are on Jesus' cheeks, too. You
can tell how much they love each other. But Mary is not allowed to stay
close to Jesus and say kind and loving words to Him. They make her go
away.
Step up Close to Jesus
He feels sad to have His mother see Him all bruised and beaten. He
knows it makes her unhappy. But she is brave like Him. She knows
that He chose to carry the cross. And, if that's what God had planned for Jesus,
she wants Jesus to do it. They both want to do what God wants them to do
because they know that what God wants is always good for us.
Pray
Dear Jesus.... When I have to be away from someone I love, help me offer my
lonely feelings to you...and help me to do what God wants me to do today.
Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
There is a man helping Jesus carry His cross. His name is Simon.
He was on his way home from work when he was stopped and told to help carry
Jesus' cross. At first Simon did not like to do it because he did not know
Jesus. But later, when he found out who Jesus really was, he was proud
that he had helped carry the cross.
Step up Close to Jesus
See how Simon is trying to get hold of the cross and carry it for
Jesus. Simon is strong, but the cross is heavy. Yet not too
heavy. Jesus never asks us to do anything we can't do. Sometimes
when you have hard things to do, it is Jesus asking you - as he asked Simon - to
carry the cross. Try to think then that Jesus is making you strong.
Whisper to Him in your heart, "Jesus, i want to be proud like Simon and so
I help you with your cross.
Pray:
Dear Jesus.... Make me strong when I have to do something hard...and when I
don't like to do something, such as cleaning my room, don't let me push it off
on someone else.
Sixth Station:
Veronica Wipes Jesus' Face
There is a woman kneeling before Jesus. We call her Veronica. She
has pushed her way through the crowd to get to Jesus. That was a brave
thing to do with all those rough people around to scare her. But she doesn't
think of them.. She thinks only of how she wants to give Jesus a handkerchief to
wipe His face. When Jesus gives it back there is a picture of His face on
Veronica's handkerchief. It was Jesus' was way of thanking her.
Pray:
Dear Jesus.... Let me be thankful to people who help me when I need
help...and help me do kind things for other people even if I don't get any
reward.
It is hard for Jesus to walk. He feels weak and shaky. He has had
no breakfast and He hurts all over. But the soldiers won't let Him stop
and rest. They keep poking at Him to walk faster. He tries; but
again He falls down in the dirty street, and the heavy, wooden cross falls on
top of Him.
Step up Close to Jesus
Stoop down to where He has fallen in the street. He is out of breath
and very tired. It would help if he could lie there just a minute.
But He gets up and tries walking again. You were not there when all this
happened; but remember, what you do or say to Jesus now counts as if you had
been there. So whisper in your heart, "Jesus, thank you for showing me
how always to get up and keep going."
Pray:
Dear Jesus.... When I try to do something and mess it up, help me to start
over again as you did...and if somebody falls down or gets hurt, let me feel
sorry for them and help them if I can.
Eighth Station:
Jesus Meets the Weeping Women
There are women standing at the corner of the street where Jesus is
passing. They are from Jerusalem. They feel sorry for him and say
loving words to him. Jesus tells them that He will feel better if He knows
they will always be kind and gentle toward everyone for love of Him and if they
will teach their children to do that. They are good women. They will
do what Jesus asks.
Step up Close to Jesus
Listen when he talks to these women. It is hard to behave well when
you are sick or feeling bad. It takes much courage to be unselfish like
that. But Jesus does not think of himself. He thinks only of being
kind to these ladies. Whisper in your heart, "Jesus, help me to be
thoughtful of others as You are."
Pray
Dear Jesus.... Show me how I can help others and make them happy...and teach
me to share what I have with others and not always try to keep the best of
everything just for myself.
Ninth Station:
Jesus Falls the Third Time
Jesuse is walking slower and slower. The soldiers wish He would
hurry. They are afraid all the excited people watching and yelling at
Jesus may cause a riot. Jesus is packed in so close he can hardly
breathe. He takes several more steps and then falls down in the dirty
street for the third time.
Step up Close to Jesus
He is flat on the ground. It is very hard for Jesus to move, but He gets
to his knees and pushes Himself up again. He knows He has to go on.
Jesus does not like all this pain - He would like to be rid of it. But, if
He wants to do what will help us, He can't stop now. He started this way
of the cross for God and for us, and He wants to finish it.
Pray
Dear Jesus.... If I am slow and people rush me, help me not to get mad...and
help me to be kind to everybody because everyone of us needs help sometimes.
Tenth Station
Jesus' Clothes are Taken Away
Jesus is now outside the city of Jerusalem. He is standing on a hill
called Calvary. The soldiers are going to crucify Him here. One of
them is pulling off Jesus' clothes. The clothes are sticking to Jesus'
sore back. It hurts when they are pulled off just as it hurts when someone
pulls a Band-Aid off a sore on your knee.
Step up Close to Jesus
He stands there without his clothes. He is like a wrestler or boxer
who takes off his ordinary clothes so he can fight better. Jesus is
getting ready for a fight too. He is fighting against death and sin.
He wants to win the fight. He wants to make it possible for all of us to
have life that lasts forever in heaven. We are Jesus' side and want Him to
win. Whisper in your heart, "Jesus, I am cheering for You."
Pray:
Dear Jesus.... Keep me strong in the battles I will have to fight to be good
and true to you...and let me never forget that I can pray for your help when I
am at mass with my family.
Jesus has been laid flat down on the cross. One soldier takes spikes and
hammers them through Jesus' hands. After Jesus' feet are also nailed, the
soldiers fix the cross into a hole so it will stand straight. Everybody
stands around and looks at Jesus. The good people feel unhappy because
they love Jesus. The people who don't love Him are unhappy too because
they have done something bad. It is a sad, sad day -- that first Good
Friday.
Step up Close to Jesus
He hurts all over. His head aches. He is thirsty, but in his
heart He is not sad like the people. He knows that what He chose to do was
the right thing. Now He looks down at the men who nailed him to the cross,
and He forgives them. Then He tells Mary to be a mother to all of us and
to count us as her children. He keeps thinking of others, even when he is
dying. Whisper in your heart, "Jesus, I love you."
Pray
Dear Jesus.... When somebody hurts me, help me to be forgiving...and help me
to live so Mary will be proud to count me as her child.
Jesus is hanging on the cross. He has been there for three hours. He
hurts all over. He is still thirsty, but nobody brings Him any
water. Jesus does not complain. He prays to His heavenly Father and
tells Him that he has finished what had to be done. He bows His head and
dies. A soldier runs a spear into Jesus' side. Blood and water come
out-a sign that Jesus gave everything.
Step up Close to Jesus
He is dead on the cross. He suffered all this because He wanted to put down
death and find a way to give life. He has met death and won the fight with
it. Even though it doesn't look that way. He hangs there so still as
if death has Him for good. But it doesn't. Jesus once said He was
Life. He told everybody that, if they would wait three days after his
death, he would show them that Life had won over death. Whisper in your
heart, "Jesus, i believe you bring life."
Pray
Dear Jesus.... No matter where I am, how long I live or what happens to me,
let me always be thankful that you died for me.
Jesus was taken down from the cross. The blood and dirt have been
washed away from His Body. The sharp thorns have been taken off too.
Now He is lying on His mother's lap. She holds Him lovingly. She
keeps saying His name over and over. How she loves Him! Her heart is
broken, but she does not cry or give up.. She remembers about waiting three
days.
Step up Close to Jesus
All His enemies are gone now so those who love Him can come near and stay
with His mother. If you had been there, you would have done the
same. you would have been proud of Mary for bing so brave. You would
not have cried either, even though your heart would hurt for Jesus.
you would be thinking about the third day. Whisper in your heart,
"Jesus, I love you."
Pray
Dear Jesus.... When someone dies, help me to remember that you have given
new life and that I can see that person in heaven...and let me be kind and
helpful if someone in my family is sad.
Jesus' friends have put clean clothes on His body and sprinkled him
with a sweet smelling perfume. Now they are putting His body into a
tomb. The tomb is a small cave-like room cut out of a big rock.
After they lay Him inside, they leave the tomb and roll a giant stone in front
of the doorway. It is so large that it takes several big men to roll it
into place. Then they all go home.
Step up Close to Jesus
You can't get very close to Jesus because He is still inside the tomb.
It is Saturday, the next day, pontius Pilate, the bad judge who let Jesus be
killed, sends soldiers to guard the tomb so that nobody would steal the body of
Jesus. The soldiers sit by the tomb all day and all night. Think
that you, too, sit there and that you watch and pray and remember about the
promise of the third day. Whisper in your heart, "Jesus, i am waiting
for you."
Pray
Dear Jesus.... Teach me how to wait when I can't have what I want right
away...and help me to pray even when you don't seem very near to me.
It is Easter Morning!!!
People who come to visit Jesus' tomb do not find a body. They worry at
first, but then they remember: This is the Third Day!! Later they see
Jesus walking around alive. Everybody who knew and followed Him is full of
joy. "Jesus is Risen!!! Jesus is alive!!" you think
you are there-and you too are very, very happy!!!
Stations of the Cross: the
Prayers ,
Stations of the Cross: the Prayers for the Young
The Artist: Nino di Simone
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