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TRANSCRIPT
Stations of the Resurrection
“He is not here, for he has been
raised just as he said.” (Matt. 28:6)
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The Via Lucis or “Way of Light” or the Stations
of the Resurrection were discovered in the
Catacombs of St. Callistus in Rome. The Via
Lucis is particularly suited for the 50 days of the
Easter Season. It reflects upon the final pages of
the four Gospels, centering upon the
appearances of the Risen Lord from Easter to
Pentecost. This devotion may be done either
privately or within a community. If done with others, images might
be set up with a liturgical movement starting with the Pascal Candle
and then station to station.
SIGN OF THE CROSS
OPENING PRAYER: Almighty ever-living God, who gave
us the Paschal Mystery in the covenant you established for
reconciling the human race, so dispose our minds, we
pray, that what we celebrate by professing the faith we
may express in deeds. / May your people exult forever, O
God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing
now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look
forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of
resurrection. / Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, putting
off our old self with all its ways, we may live as Christ did,
for through the healing paschal remedies you have
conformed us to his nature. Amen.
(Fri., Easter Octave / 3rd Sun. of Easter / Mon., Easter Week 3)
READING: For if we have grown into union with him
through a death like his, we shall also be united with him
in the resurrection…. If, then, we have died with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with him. We know that
Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no
longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin
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once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God.
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being
dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. (Romans
6:5, 8-11)
REFLECTION: We are pilgrims, first through the Stations
of the Cross and finally with the Stations of the
Resurrection. We move from the darkness into the light.
As witnesses of the Lord and his saving works, let us
meditate upon the mystery of Christ’s victory over death.
His resurrection is the source of our hope. We are
promised life— and to the full. May we always follow
Jesus on the Way, he who is the Light of the World.
(O Filii et Filiae)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Ye sons and daughters of the Lord!
The King of glory, King adored, This day Himself from death restored. Alleluia!
First Station The Earthquake & Resurrection Matthew 28:2-6 Leader: We adore you, O Christ,
as the Light of the World!
All: For whoever follows you will
not walk in darkness but will have
the Light of Life.
READING: And behold, there was a great earthquake; for
an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached,
rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was
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like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. The
guards were shaken with fear of him and became like
dead men. Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do
not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the
crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he
said.”
REFLECTION: A new day has dawned. The promise of
old has been fulfilled. The breach is healed. The salvific
work of Christ has redeemed us from the devil. While the
primordial trespass brought suffering and death into the
world— Christ’s fidelity ushers forth healing and life.
Nothing will ever be the same again. Death is conquered if
not entirely undone. We no longer need fear the specter
of death. The grave will not consume us. No one need live
in vain. Like the apostles we are called as witnesses to the
saving truth. Christ becomes the pattern of our
discipleship: we must die with Christ if we hope to live
with him.
PRAYER: O God, author of our freedom and of our
salvation, listen to the voice of our pleading and grant that
those you have redeemed by the shedding of your Son’s
Blood may have life through you and, under your
protection, rejoice forever unharmed. Amen. (Friday,
Easter Week 4)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! All in the early morning grey
Went holy women on their way, To see the tomb where Jesus lay. Alleluia!
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Second Station The Women at the Tomb Mark 16:1-8 Leader: We adore you, O
Christ, as the Light of the
World!
All: For whoever follows you will not walk in darkness
but will have the Light of Life.
READING: When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene,
Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so
that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the
sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to
the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll
back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been
rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they
saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a
white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to
them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the
crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the
place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples
and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; there you will
see him, as he told you.’” Then they went out and fled from
the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They
said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
REFLECTION: The empty tomb is a silent witness to
Christ’s power over life and death. Just as he could heal
bodies, forgive sins and exorcise demons; he could raise
the dead. Of course, his resurrection went far beyond the
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earlier expressions of his power as with the son of a
widowed mother or a little girl or his friend Lazarus.
Jesus would never suffer or die again. His victory is
complete. While not seen in the tomb, the Risen Lord
made brand new would appear to his friends. He wants to
fill the caverns of our hearts with his loving presence. His
return to life is no fiction. The resurrection is the greatest
of all realities. It changes human history. Love makes
possible life and in Jesus is the greatest love of all. Love is
stronger than the grave. Love is forever because life is
forever.
PRAYER: O God, by whose grace, though sinners, we are
made just and, though pitiable, made blessed, stand, we
pray, by your works, stand by your gifts, that those
justified by faith may not lack the courage of
perseverance. Amen. (Thursday, Easter Week 5)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! This told they Peter, told they John,
Who forthwith to the tomb are gone; But Peter is by John outrun. Alleluia!
Third Station Peter & the Beloved Disciple at the Tomb John 20:2-10 Leader: We adore you, O Christ, as
the Light of the World!
All: For whoever follows you will
not walk in darkness but will have
the Light of Life.
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READING: So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the
other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They
have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know
where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went
out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other
disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not
go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into
the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth
that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but
rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also
went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he
saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the
scripture that he had to rise from the dead. Then the
disciples returned home.
REFLECTION: When Jesus asked the question, “Who do
they say I am?” there were many answers but it was Peter
who saw deeper than the rest and acclaimed him as the
Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus in response makes
Peter the ROCK of his Church. Of course, when Jesus
prophesied his rejection and passion, Peter objected and
Jesus rebuked him for becoming a stumbling block. Now
another type of rock has been rolled aside to reveal the
mystery of Christ and his resurrection. The apostle John
reaches the tomb first but he waits for Peter. He knows
full well that it is Peter that Jesus established as their
visible head, even if he has stumbled in his fear and
weakness. Peter enters the tomb but all he can see are the
trappings of death. Next, John enters and we are told that
“he saw and believed.” Peter must be healed from his
three-fold denial of Christ. That is why his vision is
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blurred. But John traveled with the women to the hill
where our Lord was crucified. He has remained faithful
with eyes wide open. Jesus has done as he said he would
do.
PRAYER: Graciously hear our supplications, O Lord, so
that we, who believe that the Savior of the human race is
with you in your glory, may experience, as he promised,
until the end of the world, his abiding presence among us.
Amen. (Seventh Sunday of Easter)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! An angel clad in white they see,
Who sat and spoke unto the three: “Your Lord has gone to Galilee,” Alleluia!
Fourth Station Mary Magdalene Encounters the Risen Lord John 20:11-18 Leader: We adore you, O Christ, as the Light of the
World!
All: For whoever follows you will not walk in darkness
but will have the Light of Life.
READING: But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two
angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at
the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said
to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them,
“They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they
laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and
saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said
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to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you
looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to
him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid
him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She
turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which
means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my
brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your
Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary of Magdala went
and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,”
and what he told her.
REFLECTION: Mary Magdalene came to anoint the dead
body of Christ. Her sorrow seemed inconsolable. Her pain
was felt on many levels. Her tears reflected her deep love,
but also something more. She appreciated that Jesus came
to forgive and heal. His works were good and he gave
hope. Nevertheless, he was betrayed by his own and
treated like a common criminal. I suspect an element of
her pain was the injustice against one who exemplified
everything about goodness and innocence. She expected
to find a sealed tomb. But it was open and the soldiers
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had fled. She grieved and questioned. Had someone
stolen his body? Would his enemies even refuse him a
decent funeral and the rites of his people? How much
could they hate one man? But just as angels once
announced to shepherds his joyous birth in the cave used
as a stable; now they proclaim that he is risen from the
cave of the tomb. He is born to eternal life. It is too much
to believe. But then the one she takes for the gardener
calls her name and she knows the impossible has come
true.
PRAYER: O God, whose Only Begotten Son entrusted
Mary Magdalene before all others with announcing the
great joy of the Resurrection, grant, we pray, that through
her intercession and example we may proclaim the living
Christ and come to see him reigning in your glory. Amen.
(Collect for Mary Magdalene)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Two on the road encounter a third
Who tells a story that seems absurd; But they are moved by all they heard. Alleluia!
Fifth Station On the Road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-27 Leader: We adore you, O Christ,
as the Light of the World!
All: For whoever follows you will
not walk in darkness but will have
the Light of Life.
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READING: Now that very day two of them were going to a
village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and
they were conversing about all the things that had
occurred. And it happened that while they were
conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and
walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from
recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing
as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One
of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the
only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied
to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The
things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a
prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the
people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him
over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were
hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and
besides all this, it is now the third day since this took
place. Some women from our group, however, have
astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body; they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who
announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us
went to the tomb and found things just as the women had
described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them,
“Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the
Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his
glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the
scriptures.
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REFLECTION: The pattern of Emmaus is followed in our
lives and in the movement of the Mass. We are all
pilgrims on a journey. We often feel defeated and
abandoned. Many are afraid. There is no path to new life
that does not pass through the Cross. Arguably we might
interpret a catechesis for the liturgy in the story. The men
are traveling and the Mass begins with a procession. The
saving works of Jesus and the Scriptures are discussed
and explained as in the Liturgy of the Word with its
readings and homily. Each of us is called to know and to
walk with the Lord. Our true home is heaven but that in
no way invalidates the presence of Jesus that we
encounter along the Way.
PRAYER: O God, who willed that through the paschal
mysteries the gates of mercy should stand open for your
faithful, look upon us and have mercy, that as we follow,
by your gift, the way you desire for us, so may we never
stray from the paths of life. Amen. (Saturday, Easter Week
2)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! They urged him stay so they might be fed He vanished with the breaking of bread
Tis then they knew him in all that he said. Alleluia! Sixth Station In the Breaking of the Bread Luke 24:28-35 Leader: We adore you, O Christ, as the Light of the World!
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All: For whoever follows you will not walk in darkness
but will have the Light of Life.
READING: As they approached the
village to which they were going, he
gave the impression that he was
going on farther. But they urged
him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly
evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them. And
it happened that, while he was with
them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it,
and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and
they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts
burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and
opened the scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and
returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered
together the eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to
Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on
the way and how he was made known to them in the
breaking of the bread.
REFLECTION: Returning to the parallel with the
Eucharist, after our Lord explained the Scriptures to them,
the travelers begged that he might remain with them.
Jesus revealed himself to them in the “Breaking of the
Bread,” an expression used in the early Church for the
Mass. We encounter the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus in the
Eucharist. Just as he disappeared from their sight; Christ
is hidden from ours behind the accidents of bread and
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wine. Nevertheless, we participate in the sacrifice of
Calvary at Mass. We receive Jesus, whole and complete,
risen from the dead, in the sacrament of the altar. After
this miraculous event, the men race back to Jerusalem to
proclaim what they have seen. This is representative of
the commission that comes at every Mass. We are to take
what we have been given and to proclaim it to the world.
We are sent on mission.
PRAYER: O God, who for the salvation of the world
brought about the paschal sacrifice, be favorable to the
supplications of your people, so that Christ our High
Priest, interceding on our behalf, may by his likeness to
ourselves bring us reconciliation, and by his equality with
you free us from our sins. Amen. (Thursday, Easter Week
2)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! That selfsame night, while out of fear
The doors were shut, their lord most dear To His Apostles did appear. Alleluia!
Seventh Station The Upper Room John 20:19-23 Leader: We adore you,
O Christ, as the Light of
the World!
All: For whoever follows you will not walk in darkness
but will have the Light of Life.
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READING: On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for
fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and
said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this,
he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again,
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send
you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and
said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you
forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are
retained.”
REFLECTION: The Risen Jesus appears in the locked
upper room. He is the same but very different. He is not
restrained by locks and doors even though he must still be
made welcome at the door to the human heart. We are
called to repent and to believe. He extends his peace to
the apostles and tells them not to be afraid. He will
breathe upon them and empower them to do his works.
Never in the history of the world had God given such
authority or power to men. His new priests will be able to
forgive sins and to summon his presence as food for our
souls. The apostles ran and hid themselves but God has
found them out. None of us can hide from God. He has
done so much for us but the question remains. Will we
say YES or NO to God?
PRAYER: O God, who restore us to eternal life in the
Resurrection of Christ, grant your people constancy in
faith and hope, that we may never doubt the promises of
which we have learned from you. Amen. (Tuesday, Easter
Week 5)
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Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! When Thomas saw that wounded Side.
The truth no longer he denied; “Thou art my Lord and God,” he cried. Alleluia!
Eighth Station Doubting Thomas John 20:24-29 Leader: We adore you, O Christ, as the
Light of the World!
All: For whoever follows you will not
walk in darkness but will have the
Light of Life.
READING: Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came. So the other
disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said
to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand
into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his
disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in
their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to
Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and
bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be
unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to
him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you
come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are
those who have not seen and have believed.”
REFLECTION: While we might call him Doubting Thomas,
when challenged to examine the marks of Christ’s victory
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in the flesh of our Lord, he shows himself as Believing
Thomas. Our Lord refers to us when he says, “Blessed are
those who have not seen and have believed.” We come to
know the Risen Lord through the testimony of the Church,
the Word proclaimed and the sacraments. We do not
simply know ABOUT Jesus but KNOW Jesus through a
saving relationship of faith. Our faith might also be tested,
but by God’s grace it can grow stronger still. Thomas is
the great patron saint of our age where too many people
fail to believe. Some of the faithful recite Thomas’ words
when the Eucharist is elevated at Mass, “My Lord and my
God!”
PRAYER: O God, restorer and lover of innocence, direct
the hearts of your servants towards yourself, that those
you have set free from the darkness of unbelief may never
stray from the light of your truth. Amen. (Wednesday,
Easter Week 5)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! “Throw out your nets,” said a voice from the shore
They caught so many yet not a net tore; “Bring fish for breakfast,” the Lord did implore. Alleluia!
Ninth Station By the Sea of Tiberias John 21:1-14 Leader: We adore you, O Christ, as the Light of the
World!
All: For whoever follows you will not walk in darkness
but will have the Light of Life.
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READING: After this, Jesus
revealed himself again to his
disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He
revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter,
Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of
his disciples. Simon Peter said to
them, “I am going fishing.” They
said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went
out and got into the boat, but that night they caught
nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on
the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was
Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught
anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to
them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you
will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to
pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple
whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When
Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his
garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far
from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net
with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a
charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them,
“Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter
went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred
fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the
net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have
breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him,
“Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord.
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Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time
Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from
the dead.
REFLECTION: It seems as if the apostles tried to return to
life as normal, but life would never again be the same.
Locked in an upper room or out fishing, there was no
running away from Christ. As professional fishermen,
they were both frustrated and surprised by their failure to
catch even one fish. The Lord calls to them from along the
shore and guides them in setting their nets. Everything
changes. Suddenly their nets are filled to the breaking
point. This reminds us that without Christ, we can do
nothing. With Christ, there is everything to gain. He
cooks fish by a fire and invites them to breakfast. Jesus
will continue to feed his people. He will make the apostles
into fishers of men. As such they will draw others to the
banquet of the Lord.
PRAYER: O God, who by the abundance of your grace give
increase to the peoples who believe in you, look with
favor on those you have chosen and clothe with blessed
immortality those reborn through the Sacrament of
Baptism. Amen. (Saturday, Easter Octave)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Peter’s denial was crowed by the cock
But love forgave him to feed our Lord’s flock; He is restored and made once more Rock. Alleluia!
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Tenth Station Jesus Forgives Peter John 21:15-19 Leader: We adore you, O Christ, as
the Light of the World!
All: For whoever follows you will
not walk in darkness but will have
the Light of Life.
READING: When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to
Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more
than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I
love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said
to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love
me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third
time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was
distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you
love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything;
you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my
sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but
when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and
someone else will dress you and lead you where you do
not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of
death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he
said to him, “Follow me.”
REFLECTION: The Risen Lord addresses Peter who is still
wounded by his three-fold denial. Jesus heals and
reconciles Peter to himself by asking three times, do you
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love me? With each affirmation, Peter is commissioned
anew to tend and feed his sheep. Peter is again the ROCK
of his Church. Peter and Judas give us contrasting stories.
Both betray Christ and yet one finds mercy and hope
while the other despairs and dies. We are not always
perfect saints, but Peter reminds us that even the weakest
instruments can be made strong and valuable in Christ.
There is no sin or failure that God’s grace cannot heal. We
may not be the Christians we are supposed to be, but God
is not finished with us yet.
PRAYER: O God, who open wide the gates of the heavenly
Kingdom to those reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,
pour out on your servants an increase of the grace you
have bestowed, that, having been purged of all sins, they
may lack nothing that in your kindness you have
promised. Amen. (Tuesday, Easter Week 3)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Our Savior tells us, “Come follow me!”
Baptize the world in Godhead three So that believers might all be free. Alleluia!
Eleventh Station The Great Commission Matthew 28:16-20 Leader: We adore you, O Christ, as
the Light of the World!
All: For whoever follows you will not
walk in darkness but will have the
Light of Life.
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READING: The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the
mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they
saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus
approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on
earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you. And
behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
REFLECTION: Jesus founded a Church and we are
summoned to both a personal and a corporate faith in
Christ. The initiation of old was circumcision, but now the
rite that accompanies faith is baptism. It is in this new rite
that there is neither Jew nor Gentile, free nor slave, male
nor female. We know equality in grace even as we are
given different ministries within the great call to holiness.
We are a people sent on mission to proclaim the Good
News— that God so loved us that he sent his only-
begotten Son— the Christ who laid down his life and then
took it back up again for you and me. We usher souls into
the kingdom. We are baptized in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We die with Christ
so that we might rise with him. We are born again and
made temples of the Holy Spirit. Our sins are washed
away and we are made adopted sons and daughters to the
Father, kin to Christ.
PRAYER: O God, who have united the many nations in
confessing your name, grant that those reborn in the font
of Baptism may be one in the faith of their hearts and the
homage of their deeds. Amen. (Thursday, Easter Octave)
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Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! And we with Holy Church unite,
As evermore is just and right, In glory to the King of light. Alleluia!
Twelfth Station Ascension of Jesus Acts 1:6-12 Leader: We adore you, O Christ,
as the Light of the World!
All: For whoever follows you
will not walk in darkness but
will have the Light of Life.
READING: When they had gathered together they asked
him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the
kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you
to know the times or seasons that the Father has
established by his own authority. But you will receive
power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will
be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said
this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud
took him from their sight. While they were looking
intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men
dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said,
“Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the
sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into
heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him
going into heaven.”
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REFLECTION: Jesus ascends into heaven to sit at the right
hand of the Father. However, the Ascension is not an
occasion of abandonment or loss. Jesus leaves that he
might be made more present. No longer will the Lord be
limited to the hundred or so miles he traveled in his
earthly lifetime. His ascension and the sending of the
Spirit will insure his abiding presence among his people.
He has promised to be with us when we gather to pray;
indeed, he has given assurance that he will be us to the
very consummation of the world. We will never be
orphaned. He hears our prayers and is our wondrous
Mediator. He goes ahead of us so that he might prepare a
place for us in his house of many rooms. The event of the
Ascension is not a story of sadness. While we might not
see him with our mortal eyes, we worship with a living
remembrance, not nostalgia for one who is gone but
making present that which is remembered. Jesus is made
present in his person and in his activity. It is this Risen
Lord that we receive in Holy Communion.
PRAYER: Gladden us with holy joys, almighty God, and
make us rejoice with devout thanksgiving, for the
Ascension of Christ your Son is our exaltation, and, where
the Head has gone before in glory, the Body is called to
follow in hope. Amen. (Feast of Ascension)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Our humble thanks to God let's show
And fitting praise on Him bestow For Paschal blessings here below. Alleluia!
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Thirteenth Station Mary & the Disciples Wait in Prayer Acts 1:12-13 Leader: We adore you, O
Christ, as the Light of the
World!
All: For whoever follows you
will not walk in darkness but
will have the Light of Life.
READING: Then they returned
to Jerusalem from the mount
called Olivet, which is near
Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they
entered the city they went to the upper room where they
were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son
of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All
these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and his brothers.
REFLECTION: Our Lord gave Mary as Mother to our
emissary John. As Mother of the Church, she is cherished
by the early faith community. She is gathered with the
apostles in the Upper Room. They are waiting. The Holy
Spirit will come upon them. Mary saw her Son die; it is
fitting that she should witness the Risen Lord. Catholics
still gather with Mary as they await her Son. How many
rosaries have been said, especially before Mass? The
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Mother of the Redeemer is now the Mother of all the
redeemed.
PRAYER: God of everlasting mercy, who in the very
recurrence of the paschal feast kindle the faith of the
people you have made your own, increase, we pray, the
grace you have bestowed, that all may grasp and rightly
understand in what font they have been washed, by
whose Spirit they have been reborn, by whose Blood they
have been redeemed. Amen. (Divine Mercy Sunday)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Now let us praise the Lord most high,
And strive His Name to magnify On this great day through earth and sky: Alleluia!
Fourteenth Station The Holy Spirit & Pentecost Acts 2:1-14 Leader: We adore you, O Christ, as the Light of the
World!
All: For whoever follows you will not walk in darkness
but will have the Light of Life.
READER: When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they
were all in one place together. And suddenly there came
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from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it
filled the entire house in which they were. Then there
appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and
came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled
with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different
tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now
there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a
large crowd, but they were confused because each one
heard them speaking in his own language. They were
astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all
these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does
each of us hear them in his own native language? We are
Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of
Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya
near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews
and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear
them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of
God.” They were all astounded and bewildered, and said
to one another, “What does this mean?” But others said,
scoffing, “They have had too much new wine.” Then Peter
stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed
to them, “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in
Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my
words.”
REFLECTION: The floodgates of heaven will open and
literally rain upon them. The Spirit of God will live in the
Church just as the soul animates the body. The apostles
will be enlightened and strengthened by abundant graces.
The Spirit of God will lead them to all saving truth and
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give efficacy to the work of their hands. The division of
Babel is reversed. The language of the Spirit will make us
one people, united in Christ. The apostles will perpetuate
the saving ministry and insure the transmission of the
deposit of faith. The Holy Spirit will come upon the
Church and never leave her.
PRAYER: O God, who by the mystery of [Pentecost]
sanctify your whole Church in every people and nation,
pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit across the
face of the earth and, with the divine grace that was at
work when the Gospel was first proclaimed, fill now once
more the hearts of believers. Amen. (Feast of Pentecost)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! O sons and daughters of the Lord,
The King of glory, King adored, From death to life has been restored. Alleluia!
Concluding Rite
REFLECTION: We have celebrated the public witness of
our Lord’s resurrection but we must each have our own
meeting and relationship with the Risen Lord. Most
encounters with the living Jesus go unrecorded, even that
which must have privately occurred between our Lord
and his Blessed Mother. Without a record, we can only
presume that it was a joyful reunion of a Mother and Son
who collaborated in the Greatest Story Ever Told— the
story of our redemption. Like St. Paul, we have never seen
the earthly Jesus face-to-face, and yet he calls us each by
name and would have us put aside our blindness so that
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we might know him with eyes of faith. What he tells Paul,
he says to us:
READING: “Get up now, and stand on your feet. I have
appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a
servant and witness of what you have seen of me and
what you will be shown. I shall deliver you from this
people and from the Gentiles to whom I send you, to open
their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and
from the power of Satan to God, so that they may obtain
forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who
have been consecrated by faith in me.’” (Acts 26:16-18)
Through the Via Lucis, we have shared our pilgrim journey
with the Risen Lord. As servants and witnesses of Christ, let
us now pray in the way our Savior taught us:
OUR FATHER
CLOSING PRAYER: O God, who in the celebration of
Easter graciously give to the world the healing of heavenly
remedies, show benevolence to your Church, that our
present observance may benefit us for eternal life.
(Saturday, Easter Week 5) / As we recall year by year the
mysteries by which, through the restoration of its original
dignity, human nature has received the hope of rising
again, we earnestly beseech your mercy, Lord, that what
we celebrate in faith we may possess in unending love.
(Wednesday, Easter Week 2)
We ask this through Christ, our Risen Lord. Amen.
BLESSING: Lord, may everything we do, begin with your
inspiration, continue with your help, and reach perfection
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under your guidance. May almighty God bless you, the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
This adaptation of the Stations of the Resurrection by Fr.
Joseph Jenkins is dedicated to the late Msgr. Richard
Hughes, the former pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption
Church in Upper Marlboro, MD.
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NOTES OR PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
This revision includes several specially written verses to the hymn “O
Filii et Filiae.” The new lyrics are before stations 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11.
Revised June 1, 2019
This booklet is an adaptation of the ancient VIA LUCIS that combines Scripture, liturgical prayers, hymnody and newly authored reflections to assist believers in their celebration and appreciation of the mystery of Easter.
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