Third Station – Jesus Falls the First Time

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. 

All: Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world. 

From the book of the prophet Isaiah 

Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, but he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed (Is 53:4-5). 

Reflection 

As Jesus walks with the cross, the weight becomes too much for him, and he falls for the first time. St. Joseph, who took Jesus as his own, remembered that first fall of Jesus. Any parent does, as they look on and see the hurt and pain of their child. For the first part of his life, Jesus had Joseph who could come to his aid, and now Mary, nearby, looks on, and wishes to console her son. 

Dear St. Joseph, in our stumbles in life, be an intercessor for us. 

Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...