All posts by Dana Kingrey

VI – Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Way of the Cross

“Preserve my life, for I am
godly; save your servant
who trusts in you.”
Psalm 86:2

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. (Genuflect)
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. (Stand)
V. Veronica, driven by loyalty and compassion, presents her veil to Jesus to wipe His disfigured face. And Jesus imprints on it His holy countenance: a great reward for so small an offering. What return do you make to the Lord for His innumerable blessings? (Kneel)
R. Jesus, You have blessed me beyond compare. What can I return for all the gifts You have bestowed upon me? I devote myself entirely to Your service. I give You all of my heart: imprint on it Your sacred image, that I may never again be tainted by sin. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Recite Act of Contrition.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us! (Stand)

Quis non posset contristari
Christi Matrem contemplari
Dolentem cum Filio?

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother’s pain untold?

VII – Jesus Falls the Second Time

Way of the Cross

“Let him put his mouth in the
dust—there may yet be hope.”
Lamentations 3:29

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. (Genuflect)
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. (Stand)
V. Suffering under the weight of His Cross, Jesus again falls to the ground; but the cruel executioners do not permit Him to rest a moment. Pushing and striking Him, they urge Him onward. It is the frequent repetition of our sins which oppress Jesus. Witnessing this, how can I continue to sin? (Kneel)
R. Jesus, Son of David, who helps all of those who cry out to You in faith; have mercy on me. Stretch out Your right hand to defend me, that I may not fall back into my sins from the past.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Recite Act of Contrition.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us! (Stand)

Pro peccatis suae gentis,
Vidit Jesum in tormentis,
Et flagellis subditum.

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender child,
All with bloody scourges rent.

VIII – Jesus Speaks to the Daughters of Jerusalem

Way of the Cross

“For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Luke 23:31

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. (Genuflect)
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. (Stand)
V. Some holy women in the crowd were so touched with sympathy at the sight of the sufferings of Jesus, that they openly mourned and lamented Him. Jesus, knowing what was to come in Jerusalem, because of its rejection of Him, turned to the women and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.’ (Kneel)
R. Jesus, we mourn and will continue to mourn both for You and for ourselves; for Your sufferings, and for our sins which caused them. Teach us, that we may be comforted and escape the judgments prepared for all those who reject You. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Recite Act of Contrition.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us! (Stand)
Vidit suum dulcem natum
Moriendo, desolatum,
Dum emisit spiritum.

For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.

IX – Jesus Falls the Third Time

Way of the Cross

“He has walled me about
so that I cannot escape;
he has made my chains heavy.”
Lamentations 3:7

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. (Genuflect)
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. (Stand)
V. Jesus, arriving exhausted at the foot of Calvary, falls for the third time to the ground. His love for us, however, is not diminished nor extinguished. How great was the burden of our sins, to cause Jesus to fall so often! By taking them upon Himself, out of great love for us, we are saved from the abyss of hell. (Kneel)
R. Jesus, my heart is filled with gratitude that You have saved me from a life of sin and death, as I have so often deserved. Ignite within me a passion to turn from my sinful ways, and grant me the grace to persevere in faith for the rest of all my days. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Recite Act of Contrition.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us! (Stand)

Eia Mater, fons amoris,
Me sentire vim doloris.
Fac, ut tecum lugeam.

O thou Mother! fount of love,
Touch my spirit from above.
Make my heart with thine accord.

X – Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

Way of the Cross

“They divide my garments
among them, and for my
clothing they cast lots.”
Psalm 22:18

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. (Genuflect)
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. (Stand)
V. Having arrived at the place of sacrifice, Jesus’ murderers prepare to crucify Him. His garments are torn from His bleeding Body, and the Holy of Holies stands exposed to the vulgar gaze of the belittling crowd. (Kneel)
R. Jesus, You suffered shame for our most shameful deeds. Unburden us from all pride, conceit, and envy; give us the grace to humble ourselves, that we may escape all shame in the everlasting life to come. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Recite Act of Contrition.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us! (Stand)

Fac, ut ardeat cor meum
In armando Christum Deum,
Ut sibi complaceam.

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.

XI – Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

Way of the Cross

“They have pierced
my hands and my feet—
I can count all my bones.”
Psalm 22:16-17

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. (Genuflect)
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. (Stand)
V. The Cross is laid upon the ground, and Jesus is stretched out on His bed of death. He offers up His Body to His heavenly Father on behalf of all mankind. His bruised limbs are nailed to the tree of shame by His brutal executioners. The blows are struck; His Blood pours out. (Kneel)
R. Jesus, Who was crucified for me, infuse my heart with holy fear and love for You. My sins were the cruel nails that pierced Your Body; grant me mercy and strength, to turn from the sins of my past life and nail to the Cross all that offends You. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Recite Act of Contrition.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us! (Stand)

Sancta Mater istud ages,
Crucifixi fige plagas
Cordi meo valide.

Holy Mother, pierce me through!
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

XII – Jesus Dies on the Cross

Way of the Cross

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Psalm 22:1

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. (Genuflect)
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. (Stand)
V. Jesus hangs on the Cross from the third until the ninth hour, the weight of His Body borne by His pierced hands. His Blood runs in streams down His Body, and saturates the earth. In the midst of excruciating pain, He pardons His murderers, then promises the bliss of eternal Paradise to the thief on the Cross beside Him. He dedicates His blessed Mother and beloved disciple to one another’s care. All is now finished, and meekly bowing down His Head, He surrenders His Spirit. (Kneel)
R. Jesus, we wholeheartedly embrace the Cross, where You loved us enough to take our place. In Your Death is all of our hope. From now on, let us live only for You, so whether we live or die, we may be wholly Yours. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Recite Act of Contrition.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us! (Stand)

Tui nati vulnerati,
Tam dignati pro me pati
Poenas mecum divide.

Let me share with thee His pain,
Who for all our sins was slain
Who for me in torments died.

XIII – Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

Way of the Cross

“Is it nothing to you, all you who
pass by? Look and see if there is
any sorrow like my sorrow.”
Lamentations 1:12

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. (Genuflect)
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. (Stand)
V. Joseph of Arimathaea goes to Pilate, and begs the Body of Jesus to be released; Pilate commands the Body to be delivered to him; It is anointed and wrapped in linen clothes by Joseph and Nicodemus, to be prepared for burial. (Kneel)
R. Jesus, grant that we may never turn away from the Cross which You have laid upon us. Your great love for humanity, Your suffering and Your sacrifice all flow from the Cross, which You humbly carried to completion to fulfill Your plan for our salvation. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Recite Act of Contrition.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us! (Stand)
Fac me tecum pie flere,
Crucifixo condolere,
Donec ego vixero.

Let me mingle tears with thee,
Mourning Him Who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

XIV – Jesus is Placed in the Sepulchre

Way of the Cross

“And they made his grave
with the wicked, […] although
he had done no violence.”
Isaiah 53:9

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. (Genuflect)
R. Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. (Stand)
V. The Body of Jesus is laid in the tomb by His disciples. The tomb is closed, and there the lifeless Body remains until the hour of Its glorious Resurrection. (Kneel)
R. Jesus, we hold within our hearts Your sacrificed Body enclosed in the tomb. By Your grace, may we die to our old selves, and united with You, rise to the newness of life. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Recite Act of Contrition.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us! (Stand)
Juxta crucem tecum stare,
Et me tibi sociare,
In planctu desidero.

By the cross with thee to stay,
There with thee to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of thee to give.

After this, return to the high altar and say, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be, in honor of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION
V. Christ became obedient unto death: even death on the Cross.
Almighty God, we call upon You to establish a new spiritual family of believers, for which Jesus was betrayed, given into the hands of wicked men, and suffered death on the Cross. We now live and reign with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction
May our Lord Jesus Christ, Who for our sake was scourged, made to bear His Cross, and crucified, bless us, and keep us from all sin. Amen.

Stabat mater
(Continued)
Virgo virginum praeclara,
Mihi jam non sis amara,
Fac me tecum plangere;

Fac, ut portem Christi mortem,
Passionis fac consortem,
Et plagas recolere.

Fac me plagis vulnerari,
Fac me cruce inebriari,
Et cruore Filii.

Flammis ne urar succensus
Per te, Virgo, sim defensus
In die judicii.

Christe, cum sit hinc exire,
Da per Matrem me venire
Ad palmam victoriae.

Quando corpus morietur,
Fac ut animae donetur
Paradisi gloria. Amen.

V. Ora pro nobis, Virgo dolorosissima.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Virgins of all virgins blessed!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share thy grief divine;

Let me, to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of thine.

Wounded with His every wound,
Steep my soul till it hath swooned,
In His very Blood away.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In His awful Judgment Day.

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
Be Thy Mother my defense,
Be Thy cross my victory.

While my body here decays,
May my soul Thy goodness praise,
Safe in Paradise with Thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, Virgin most sorrowful.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

In this Booklet, follow the Way of the Cross with prayers and reflections from “The Office for Holy Week and of the Paschal Triduum According to the American Rite,” accompanied by the verses of the Stabat Mater in English and Latin, and artwork depicting the Passion of Our Lord by Gebhard Fugel.

To order more copies of this booklet
please call us at 800-994-9817 or visit us online at Diocesan.com

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Advent 2023, Christmas 2023

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, as we embark on a new calendar year, help us, we pray, to develop an even stronger appreciation and love for your Blessed Mother. Send your Spirit into our hearts to foster and unleash a love for her as you have, a respect for her as you have, a devotion to her as you have, and an intimacy with her as you have. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

First Reading: Numbers 6:22–27
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 67:2–3, 5, 6, 8
Second Reading: Galatians 4:4–7
Gospel: Luke 2:16–21

Challenge for the Week

The Hail Mary is such a standard Catholic prayer that we sometimes take it for granted. In an effort to honor our Blessed Mother this week, make the commitment to pray a Rosary each day, or at least a decade. Slow down when praying the Hail Marys and, entering into the words reverently and thoughtfully, ask the Blessed Virgin to hold you close to her Immaculate Heart as you move through it.

Journal

1. By virtue of your baptism, you are able to call upon God as your Father. Is that something you reflect on often? Is it difficult to fully wrap your head and heart around God as your Father? Explain.

2. What role has the Blessed Virgin Mary played in your faith life up until now? Has it been significant or subtle? Reflect and share about it.

3. What are a few ways you can better celebrate the family of God in your life? How can you change and deepen your relationship with your brothers and sisters in Christ?

Beyond Words

Family matters . . . always has, always will. As much as we love and respect our own families and extended families in the modern day, it likely pales in comparison to how revered families were in the Mediterranean world in the time of Jesus. Parents were held in high regard and deep respect. Children took their family obligations very seriously. The readings for this solemnity, which celebrates the motherhood of Mary, call upon family structures.

In the first reading, we hear about Moses’s brother Aaron (the priest) and his family. Aaron’s sons, also priests, are being instructed to bless the Israelites. We see not only the priestly blessing at work here but also God’s invocation of peace upon his people through the priests. The psalmist praises God’s graciousness and blessing and beseeches everyone to join in. We see echoes of these admonitions of praise directed to God still today in our priestly prayers and blessings at Holy Mass.

The second reading to the Galatians, too, maintains the familial theme: God sends his Son through a woman (mother) so that we would receive a spirit of adoption as children that we might call out, “Abba!” (father). God is using St. Paul to explain to the Galatians that it is through baptism, not circumcision or mere adherence to the Law, that we become children of God.

This same truth is on display in the gospel when we see the shepherds visiting the Holy Family, representing the (now) extended family of God through their newborn son, Jesus. We hear, too, about Jesus’s circumcision, which represents his full inclusion into God’s covenant people. As with Jesus’s baptism later, though the Son of God did not “need” to go through the ritual, he did so as an example of the family’s solidarity with and honor for the faith. St. Luke reminds us, too, of how the Blessed Virgin “kept all these things in her heart” as any good mother would, being present to every event as it unfolded. Therefore, we the extended family of God—give praise and thanks, this day, for our Blessed Mother, Mary.

Related Fact

St. Luke makes mention of the Holy Family placing the infant Jesus in the manger. For the last several weeks, homes and churches the world over have displayed the creche (nativity set) as a way of visually and prayerfully entering into the Nativity of our Lord, but St. Luke makes no mention of the ox or ass included in most displays. Nevertheless, St. Luke’s allusion to the manger is not only historical but also scriptural. It reminds the reader of a prophecy from Isaiah that says the manger will be flanked by ox and ass (Is 1:3), foreshadowing Bethlehem.

Behind the Scenes

Today’s gospel briefly mentions circumcision on the eighth day of Jesus’s life. Given the sensitivity of the procedure, it is not often discussed at length in conversations about the faith and (perhaps rightly) is glossed over in most homilies. Understanding the background and significance of circumcision, though, can be helpful. On the eighth day of life, Jewish boys were circumcised in adherence to God’s covenant with Abraham back in Genesis. It was an outward sign of belonging to God’s family. It represented obedience and fideli-
ty to God’s covenant law, and it was taken very seriously. After Christ rose and his message of mercy and salvation was opened to all people—not just Jews—certain communities (like the one in Galatia) understandably had questions. Must a Christian be circumcised to become part of God’s covenant family? The Jews who had been circumcised naturally thought yes, while those adults seeking to become part of God’s family were less than enthused. St. Paul explains that baptism in Christ would now accomplish what circumcision originally represented—full entrance, admittance, and acceptance into God’s covenant family. This apostolic decision demonstrated that Christ’s Church was something new. While it had its roots in Judaism, it was distinct from all of its original laws and precepts. Our baptism would signify the circumcision of heart we must all undergo, but the outward sign was no longer necessary.

Word Play

The psalmist proclaims that “the ends of the earth may revere him.” The term revere (from which we get the derivative, reverence) is from the Latin revereri (re denoting “great force” and vereri, “to fear”). When we revere God or show reverence, it is born out of deep respect and a healthy fear of the Lord.

This excerpt from One Sunday at a Time: Preparing Your Heart for Weekly Mass (Cycle B) is reprinted with permission of Ave Maria Press.