Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, open our minds and hearts now to your presence that we may be renewed in our following of Jesus, Who is the Eternal Radiance of Your Face that You have shone into our darkness to show us the way to union with You.
We make our prayer to You through Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and Your Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and Ever! Amen.
The Third Station: Jesus falls the first time.
Meditation
Even a healthy man might easily be thrown off balance and toppled to the ground by a weight as heavy as a crossbeam if He tripped or twisted His ankle in the streets that Jesus had to tread on the way to Calvary. All the more so Jesus, then, who had been denied sleep and food and drink and had suffered constant physical abuse since the night before. He was on His last legs; and they were beginning to fail Him.
Prayer
Father, whenever Jesus fell and got up again, he took in turn three basic prayer positions: full prostration on the ground after falling, a kneeling position as He got up, and a standing position when back on His feet. Every repetition of this expressed yet once again the fullness of His sacrifice to you in supplication for us. Grant that everything that befalls us may also become part of our prayer, part of our offering of self to You.
The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother
