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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