Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, by our now walking together the way of the cross with Jesus, help us to come closer to Him and to share this greater closeness to Jesus with one another, those with whom we live and work and all of our brothers and sisters everywhere. We make our prayer to you through Jesus, your Son and our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and with the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Meditation
Jesus is said to have fallen once more when taken to calvary itself. The place was called Golgotha in Aramaic, probably because it was a rise or knob or mount that looked like a skull. The same is suggested by the Greek and Latin words that are used to name the place as well, ie., Kranion and Calvaria, for they refer to the bald top of a skull. In consideration of a third fall, then, the last steps up to where Jesus was crucified may well have been steep and rough.
Prayer
Jesus, did you fall three times or thirty times on the way to Calvary? It is not important how many times you fell, is it? What is important is that you kept getting up again until you made it to the top where you completed the salvation of the world. You labored your way to that final spot, crawled and sweated and bled your way to the point of consummation: and every painful move you made was made for me too. Let me thank you, Lord, by myself getting up again and following you to my point of consummation.
Closing Prayer
Loving Father, You made us in your image. When we disfigured it by our sin, You sent us the radiance of your glory and reflection of your being, your very own word and only begotten Son, to make your image clear to us in all that He said and did and suffered for our salvation. We ask you now to pour out upon us always the Holy Spirit Jesus promised us from you that we may understand what He said and do as He did and share in His sufferings for us, growing toward the maturity of Jesus until we are perfected in your image by Him and joined to you with Him for all eternity. We make our prayer in His name, Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
