EN - CRUCIS_compressed


EN - CRUCIS_compressed

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edited by Fr Paolo Mojoli sdb
Stations
of the Cross
with meditations by
Francis de Sales
2022
graphic design by : Elena CRISTINO

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Contents
Introduction
STATIONS I - IV
STATIONS V - VIII
STATIONS IX - XII
STATIONS XIII - XIV
Final prayer

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Introduction
“I have been cruci ed with Christ; and it is no longer I who
live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in
the esh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me” (Paul to the Galatians 2:19b-20).
The Lord Jesus has truly loved “to the end” (Jn 13:1).
Following in the footsteps of St Paul’s testimony, bishops
and doctor of the Church, St Francis de Sales was deeply
touched by this immense love.
Among his many testimonies of faith, hope and charity, we
draw inspiration from his Letters in the meditations in these
Stations of the Cross.
Why the Letters in particular? The most attentive scholars,
fascinated by the gure of this saint, agree in stating that
“his correspondence is the most complete story of his life
and the most faithful. It is there and only there that the
saint manifests himself completely; unbeknown to him, he
makes it easy to contemplate and study his absolutely
fascinating personality under all aspects”.

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St Francis de Sales offers the addressees of his Letters, and
us as well, not just a formal or intellectual transmission of
Faith, but one that completely transforms lives. The “heart”
that we will hear him speak of so often in his Letters is in no
way merely sentimental. Instead, he brings it back to its
biblical value as the vital core of the complete person and of
our entire life.
In particular, it completely overturns one idea that is still
somewhat widespread: the fear that St Francis de Sales is
made of sickly sweet and sugary stuff. It is something he has
sometimes been unjustly accused of.
Instead, he had the personality of a ghter, struggling nobly
for the cause of the One who was cruci ed, risen, and had
conquered every bre of his being. In any case, despite
knowing how to defend himself with the sword, he preferred
to conquer hearts by means of Christ's charity, pastoral zeal
and mercy.

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Jesus is
condemned
to death
Mt 27:4-26
1
Jesus falls the
rst time
Is 53: 4
3
2
Jesus carries
His cross
Jn 19:16-17
4
Jesus meets
His Mother
Lc 2:33-35

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Simon of Cyrene
helps Jesus carry
his Cross
Mc 15:21
5
Jesus falls for
the second
time
Col 1:24 - 26
7
6
Veronica
wipes the
face of Jesus
Ps 26:7 - 9
8
Jesus speaks
to the women
of Jerusalem
Lk 23:38-29

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Jesus falls a
third time
He 5:7-9
9
Jesus is
nailed to the
Cross
Lk 23:33 - 34
11
10
Jesus' clothes
are taken
away
Jn 19:23 - 24
12
Jesus dies on
the Cross
Lk 23:44-46

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The body of Jesus
is taken down
from the cross
Jn 19:31-34
13
14
Jesus is laid
in the tomb
Jn 19:40 - 41
Stabat Mater dolorósa iuxta crucem
lacrimósa, dum pendébat Fílius.
Cuius ánimam geméntem, contristátam
et doléntem pertransívit gládius.
O quam tristis et a lícta fuit illa
benedícta Mater Unigéniti!
Quae moerébat et dolébat, Pia Mater
dum videbat nati poenas íncliti.
Quis est homo, qui non eret, Matrem
Christi si vidéret in tanto supplício?
Quis non posset contristári, Christi Matrem
contemplári doléntem cum Filio?
Pro peccátis suae gentis vidit Jesum
in torméntis et agéllis sùbditum.
Vidit suum dulcem natum moriéndo
desolátum, dum emísit spíritum.

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Jesus is condemned to
death
1
We adore you O Christ and we praise you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
So when Pilate saw that he
could do nothing, but rather
that a riot was beginning,
he took some water and
washed his hands before
the crowd, saying, ‘I am
innocent of this man’s
blood; see to it yourselves.’
Then the people as a whole
answered, ‘His blood be on
us and on our children!’ So
he released Barabbas for
them; and after ogging
Jesus, he handed him over
to be cruci ed.
Mt 27:24-26
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
Do you know what the shepherds of Arabia
do when they see ashing lights, hear
thunder and realise that the air is lled with
lightning? They take shelter with their
ocks and herds. When we see persecutions
or opposition threatening us, bringing us
distress, we need to take shelter along with
our a ections beneath the holy Cross, rmly
believing that “all things” work together “for
good, for those who love God” (Rom 8:28).
Our Father, Hail Mary
At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

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Jesus carries His
cross
2
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
Then he handed him
over to them to be
cruci ed.
So they took Jesus; and
carrying the cross by
himself, he went out to
what is called The Place
of the Skull, which in
Hebrew is called
Golgotha.
Jn 19:16-17
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
I love your progress in solid virtue; this
progress must be obtained by overcoming
di culties so that you can be trained at the
school of the Cross, the only school in which
our souls can become perfect. And yet, I
cannot but feel a maternal tenderness which
makes me want my children to experience
good things. Just be courageous my dear
Daughter.
Spiritual rosebushes are not like earthly ones:
with the latter, the thorns stay while the roses
die; with the former, it is the thorns that
disappear and the roses remain.
passeranno e le rose resteranno.
Our Father, Hail Mary
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.

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Jesus falls the rst
time
3
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
Surely he has borne
our in rmities
and carried our
diseases;
yet we accounted him
stricken,
struck down by God,
and af icted.
Is 53, 4
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
Humility and patience. Yes, my ever dear and
beloved Daughter. You are surrounded by
crosses while your husband is ill. So then, holy
love will teach you well that you must remain
humbly on your cross in imitation of the great
Lover, as someone unworthy to endure anything
for love of Him who su ered so much for us;
and patiently, as someone who does not want to
come down from the cross, except a er death,
if it pleases the eternal Father in this way.
O my dear Daughter, recommend me
to that divine cruci ed and crucifying Love, that
He may crucify my heart and all my passions, so
that I may no longer love anything else but Him
who wanted to be so painfully and lovingly
cruci ed for the sake of our love.
Our Father, Hail Mary
Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blest,
Of the sole begotten One!

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Jesus meets His
Mother
4
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
And the child’s father and
mother were amazed at
what was being said
about him. Then Simeon
blessed them and said to
his mother Mary, ‘This
child is destined for the
falling and the rising of
many in Israel, and to be a
sign that will be opposed
so that the inner thoughts
of many will be revealed
—and a sword will pierce
your own soul too.
Lk 2:33 - 35
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
For a long time you have desired to serve God
and have placed yourselves in the school of the
Cross, and therefore, not only do you accept
it patiently, but I am sure that you embrace it
serenely and lovingly, thinking of the One who
bore his and was in turn borne to death,
and of the One who, having but one son, but an
incomparably lovable son, saw him die on the
Cross, with eyes full of tears and a heart full
of pain, but a sweet and gentle pain in
consideration of our salvation and that of the
whole world.
Our Father, Hail Mary
Christ above in torment hangs.
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying glorious Son.

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5 Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus
to carry his cross
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
They compelled a passer-
by, who was coming in
from the country, to carry
his cross; it was Simon of
Cyrene, the father of
Alexander and Rufus.
Mc 15: 21
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
Yesterday I gave a talk on the Passion in front of
the Sisters of St Clare who had begged me so
much to do so, a er having myself witnessed the
address given in the city. And when I came to the
point where I contemplated how the Cross was
loaded onto the shoulders of our Lord and how
He embraced it, saying that, in His Cross and
together with it He accepted and took all our
little crosses on Himself to sanctify them, but
especially when I went into detail, saying that He
kissed our dryness, our contradictions, our
bitterness, I assure you, dear Daughter, I felt very
consoled and found it hard to hold back my tears
[...].
May our litte crosss always unite us to his big one.
Our Father, Hail Mary
Is there one who would not weep,
Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?

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Veronica wipes the face
of Jesus
6
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry
aloud,
be gracious to me and
answer me!
‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek
his face!’
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from
me.
Do not turn your servant
away in anger,
you who have been my
help.
Do not cast me off, do not
forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
Ps 27:7 - 9
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
Remembering that outward cross
that you wore on your heart when I had the joy
of seeing you, I will tell you to love your cross
very much, my dear Lady, for, if you observe it
through eyes of love, it is all gold.
And although on the one hand your see the
Love of your heart dead and cruci ed among
the nails and thorns, on the other hand you
will nd a number of precious stones, enough
to make the crown of glory that awaits you, so
long as, while waiting to take possession of it,
you lovingly bear the crown of thorns with
your King, who was willing to su er so much
to enter into his happiness.
Our Father, Hail Mary
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother's pain untold?

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Jesus falls the
second time
7
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
I am now rejoicing in my
sufferings for your sake,
and in my esh I am
completing what is lacking
in Christ’s af ictions for
the sake of his body, that
is, the church. I became its
servant according to God’s
commission that was given
to me for you, to make the
word of God fully known,
the mystery that has been
hidden throughout the
ages and generations but
has now been revealed to
his saints.
Col 1: 24 - 26
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
The other day, when the good woman from the
nearby city came here, I was able to nd out
about the many sorrows you live amidst,
dearest Sister, my Daughter. And certainly, I
felt compassion at them, but more than that,
consolation, because I am sure that God will
hold you with His holy hand and lead you
through the way that He Himself has opened
for you to high perfection, because I want to
believe,
Our Father, Hail Mary
Bruised, derided, cursed, de led,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.

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Jesus meets the women
of Jerusalem
8
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
But Jesus turned to
them and said,
‘Daughters of Jerusalem,
do not weep for me, but
weep for yourselves and
for your children. For
the days are surely
coming when they will
say, “Blessed are the
barren, and the wombs
that never bore, and the
breasts that never
nursed.”".
Lk 23:28- 29
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
Madam, if God has made you stronger and more
courageous in the face of adversity, glory be to His
Goodness. He is always ready to help the souls who
hope in Him. Therefore, always hope in Him,
Madam, and in order to hope in Him, always be
completely His. Sacri ce your heart o en to His love
on the altar of the Cross, on which He sacri ces His
own for love of you. The Cross is the royal door that
leads to the path of holiness: whoever seeks it
elsewhere will nd not even a speck of it.
Madam, I will not tell you not to take account of
a ictions, for your spirit, which is always ready to
respond would tell me that they necessarily make
themselves known through the atrocious pain they
cause you: I will tell you to look at them only through
the Cross. In this way, they will seem small to you, or
at least, they will seem so pleasant to you that you
will love them more than any consolation you could
have without them.
Our Father, Hail Mary
For the sins of His own nation,
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.

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Jesus falls a
third time
9
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
In the days of his esh,
Jesus[a] offered up prayers
and supplications, with
loud cries and tears, to the
one who was able to save
him from death, and he was
heard because of his
reverent submission.
Although he was a Son, he
learned obedience through
what he suffered; and
having been made perfect,
he became the source of
eternal salvation for all
who obey him.
Heb 5:7 - 9
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
What a grace it is to be not only at the foot of
the Cross, but on the Cross, or at least
somewhat cruci ed with Our Lord!
Be courageous, my dear Sister; make a virtue
of necessity and do not miss the opportunity
to give God a great proof of your love for Him
in the midst of tribulations, as He gave you a
great proof of His in the midst of thorns.
Our Father, Hail Mary
O thou Mother: fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with thine accord.

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Jesus' clothes are
taken away
10
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
When the soldiers had
cruci ed Jesus, they took his
clothes and divided them
into four parts, one for each
soldier. They also took his
tunic; now the tunic was
seamless, woven in one
piece from the top. So they
said to one another, ‘Let us
not tear it, but cast lots for it
to see who will get it.’ This
was to ful l what the
scripture says,
‘They divided my clothes
among themselves,
and for my clothing they
cast lots.’
Jn 19, 23 - 24
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
Live in peace, with a great love for the will and
providence of God; live with our cruci ed
Saviour in the centre of your heart. Some time
ago, I saw a young girl carrying a bucket of water
on her head, at the centre of which she had
placed a piece of wood. I wanted to know why,
and she told me that she had put it there to
break the movement of the water and thus
prevent it from spilling. So,I said, from now on
we must put the Cross at the centre of our hearts
to draw our a ections to this wood and by means
of of this wood, so that they will not spill over on
other things such as anxieties and disturbances
of spirit.
Our Father, Hail Mary
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ my Lord.

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Jesus is nailed to the
Cross
11
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
When they came
to the place
that is called The Skull,
they cruci ed Jesus
there with the
criminals,
one on his right and
one on his left.
Then Jesus said,
‘Father, forgive them;
for they do not know
what they are doing.’
Lk 23:33 - 34
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
The best crosses are the heaviest ones, and the
heaviest ones are the ones that are most
repugnant to the lower part of our hearts. The
crosses found on the street are excellent, but
more excellent still are the ones found at
home. And when they are more troublesome
they are better than hairshirts, disciplines,
fasts, and anything else that has been invented
by austerity. In these is revealed the generosity
of the children of the Cross and the
inhabitants of the holy mountain of Calvary.
Our Father, Hail Mary
Holy Mother, pierce me through;
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior cruci ed.

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Jesus dies on
the Cross
12
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
It was now about noon,
and darkness came over
the whole land until
three in the afternoon,
while the sun’s light
failed;[b] and the curtain
of the temple was torn in
two. Then Jesus, crying
with a loud voice, said,
‘Father, into your hands I
commend my spirit.’
Having said this, he
breathed his last.
Lk 23:44 - 46
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
But let us speak a little about this heart of my
dearest Daughter: is it not surprising that this
heart allows itself to be so deeply disturbed when
faced with a little daughter who is a bit stubborn
and rash, as if it were faced by armed enemies?
But do not be upset at all, my dearest Daughter!
There is no more unbearable annoyance than one
made up of small but pressing and continuous
disturbances.
Our Lord allows us to be unable to overcome these
little inconveniences so that we may learn
humility and understand that if we have been able
to overcome certain great temptations, we owe it
not to our own strength, but to the special
assistance of His divine Goodness.
Our Father, Hail Mary
Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torment died.

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13 The body of Jesus is taken
down from the cross
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
Since it was the day of
Preparation, the Jews did not
want the bodies left on the
cross during the sabbath,
especially because that sabbath
was a day of great solemnity. So
they asked Pilate to have the
legs of the cruci ed men broken
and the bodies removed. Then
the soldiers came and broke the
legs of the rst and of the other
who had been cruci ed with
him. But when they came to
Jesus and saw that he was
already dead, they did not break
his legs. Instead, one of the
soldiers pierced his side with a
spear, and at once blood and
water came out.
Jn 19:31 - 34
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
The crosses we make or invent for ourselves
are always a bit too delicate: there is
something of ourselves in them, so they are a
little less crucifying.
So humiliate yourselves then, and joyfully
receive the ones that are imposed on you
without your asking for them. The duration of
the Cross gives it value, for there is no
punishment harsher than one that continues
for a long time. “Be faithful until death, and I
will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10)
Our Father, Hail Mary
Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

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Jesus is laid in the
tomb
14
We adore you O Christ and bless you,
because by your holy Cross you have
redeemed the world.
They took the body of
Jesus and wrapped it
with the spices in linen
cloths, according to the
burial custom of the
Jews. Now there was a
garden in the place
where he was cruci ed,
and in the garden there
was a new tomb in
which no one had
ever been laid.
Gv 19: 40 - 41
From St Francis de Sales’ Letters
No one ever knew with certainty what wood
our Lord's Cross was made of; and I think it
happened so that we might love all the crosses
He would send us equally, whatever wood they
were made of, and not say: “This or some other
cross is not worthy of being loved because it is
made of this or some other wood”.
Our Father, Hail Mary
By the Cross with thee to stay;
There with thee to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of thee to give.

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Lord Jesus, once more
you are in the hands of men,
but this time, they are the loving
hands of Joseph of Arimathea and some
pious women from Galilee, who know that your
body is precious. Their hands represent the hands
of all who never tire of serving you and making visible the
love of which human beings are capable.
It is this love that
makes us hope in the possibility
of a be er world. We need only be willing
to let ourselves be met by the grace that comes
from you.O God, eternal light and endless day, ll with
your blessings those who devote themselves to your praise
and to the service of those who su er in the countless places
of human pain and sorrow. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pope Francis

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Cross on the site
of the Chateaux de Sales.
This is where Francis was born
on 21 August 1567