Second Station - Jesus takes up his cross
(The heavy wood of the cross)
(The heavy wood of the cross)
Reading
Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls (1 Pet 2:24-25).
The wood of the cross is heavy, for on it Jesus bears the sins of us all. He staggers under that burden, too great for one man alone (Jn 19:17).
Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls (1 Pet 2:24-25).
The wood of the cross is heavy, for on it Jesus bears the sins of us all. He staggers under that burden, too great for one man alone (Jn 19:17).
Reflection
Now Pilate and I have washed our hands. We have handed Jesus to executioners.
My Jesus, when executioners were so cruel to you what did you do? You didn’t talk to them. You didn’t even block them. You freely gave yourself for them to scourge, insult, spit or do any other form of violence. Did you ever think ‘Can I bear all of these as a human? Didn’t you have self-pity in you? How did you handle these Jesus? You lost so much blood! How did you bear it?
Jesus knelt down and thanked Father because His work of redemption has begun. The executioners who had no clue of this, opened the gates and laid a heavy wooden cross on his shoulder. Jesus kissed it too. Executioners thought he had gone mad.
The trumpet sounded to announce the departure of Pilate’s horsemen, and one of the Pharisees belonging to the escort came up to Jesus, who was still kneeling, and said, ‘Rise, we have had enough speeches; rise and move.’ They pulled him roughly up. He slowly stood up and started to move.
Lord Jesus, in this mirror, in this picture, I see the unfathomable, the unspeakable depth of your love for me.
When you meet the Cross, you do the same.
Jesus Speaks
Yes my Son, I didn’t have enough physical strength to carry that heavy cross when I looked at it. But I just looked at my Father and His promise. “I will not let you carry a cross more than what you can bear”. I know that I could trust my Father. He would never abandon me. I knew it was the only way for the salvation of human kind. I accepted it. Yes it gave a new meaning to the Cross. Now it is a sign of salvation.
Now you have my Father, myself and Holy Spirit; consult us. Speak to us when you are in trouble and always. Then you will learn to give new meaning to the problems.
Will you accept your daily cross in the same way?
Personnel Reflection
When I get hurt by my own family members, friends, co-workers, parishioners, I don’t have this patience. I look for people who can console me. If there is no body I will be sorry for myself. If I have to be patient I will be patient not the way you are but “I will be silent until I get a chance”.
When I come across a problem, the problem is changing me to the worst.
We all carry some kind of a cross in our daily lives. We might be exhausted at home or with the job, diagnosed with serious illness, our loved ones may be not close to God, in financial trouble, laid off from the job, betrayed by our close friends, rejected by our loved ones or any other reason. Most of the time we don’t accept it with love. We accept with sadness and grumbling. Although Jesus’ cross was heavy and he had the reason to curse most of them, he accepted his cross with love and forgiveness.
Let’s learn to accept all our situations from His hands
Now Pilate and I have washed our hands. We have handed Jesus to executioners.
My Jesus, when executioners were so cruel to you what did you do? You didn’t talk to them. You didn’t even block them. You freely gave yourself for them to scourge, insult, spit or do any other form of violence. Did you ever think ‘Can I bear all of these as a human? Didn’t you have self-pity in you? How did you handle these Jesus? You lost so much blood! How did you bear it?
Jesus knelt down and thanked Father because His work of redemption has begun. The executioners who had no clue of this, opened the gates and laid a heavy wooden cross on his shoulder. Jesus kissed it too. Executioners thought he had gone mad.
The trumpet sounded to announce the departure of Pilate’s horsemen, and one of the Pharisees belonging to the escort came up to Jesus, who was still kneeling, and said, ‘Rise, we have had enough speeches; rise and move.’ They pulled him roughly up. He slowly stood up and started to move.
Lord Jesus, in this mirror, in this picture, I see the unfathomable, the unspeakable depth of your love for me.
When you meet the Cross, you do the same.
Jesus Speaks
Yes my Son, I didn’t have enough physical strength to carry that heavy cross when I looked at it. But I just looked at my Father and His promise. “I will not let you carry a cross more than what you can bear”. I know that I could trust my Father. He would never abandon me. I knew it was the only way for the salvation of human kind. I accepted it. Yes it gave a new meaning to the Cross. Now it is a sign of salvation.
Now you have my Father, myself and Holy Spirit; consult us. Speak to us when you are in trouble and always. Then you will learn to give new meaning to the problems.
Will you accept your daily cross in the same way?
Personnel Reflection
When I get hurt by my own family members, friends, co-workers, parishioners, I don’t have this patience. I look for people who can console me. If there is no body I will be sorry for myself. If I have to be patient I will be patient not the way you are but “I will be silent until I get a chance”.
When I come across a problem, the problem is changing me to the worst.
We all carry some kind of a cross in our daily lives. We might be exhausted at home or with the job, diagnosed with serious illness, our loved ones may be not close to God, in financial trouble, laid off from the job, betrayed by our close friends, rejected by our loved ones or any other reason. Most of the time we don’t accept it with love. We accept with sadness and grumbling. Although Jesus’ cross was heavy and he had the reason to curse most of them, he accepted his cross with love and forgiveness.
Let’s learn to accept all our situations from His hands