Stations of the Cross for Teens - St. Elizabeth Ann …

1 Teen Stations of the Cross Let us come together in prayer to walk with Jesus, to be His companions on His way to the Cross . These reflections represent the collective voices of the amazing Teens of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. I am very proud of our young people who have opened their hearts and invited the Holy Spirit in to inspire them and to give them the courage to share these reflections. Our Teens bring to life the Stations of the Cross through their own lens, reflecting on Jesus struggle in the context of their own life experiences. As you listen to these reflections, we invite you to see with your heart how Jesus can help you to carry your Cross this Lent.

2 As we begin our journey, let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father, As we reflect on your Son s Way of the Cross , we ask you to please open our ears, minds, and hearts to your Presence. Please lead us to your Son s Cross , please lead us to your love, please lead us to salvation. This we ask, in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. V The First station Jesus is Condemned to Death. Although sinless, Jesus is sentenced to death as a criminal. Pilate has the ability to release Jesus, but instead he gives in to what the crowd wants. Pilate thinks Jesus is innocent, but he isn t courageous enough to stick up for Him. Pilate washes his own hands of the matter and ties Jesus hands behind His back.

3 The journey to the Cross begins. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross , You have redeemed the world. As we picture Jesus powerless before Pilate, we are filled with regret. Pilate officially condemned Jesus, but we are responsible too. Our sins brought Jesus to His Cross , as well. Jesus was treated so unfairly. Pilate was only interested in giving the crowd what they wanted, rather than doing the right thing. The world is still unfair today. As Teens , we often feel stuck in situations that are out of our control. Sometimes, we feel powerless in the face of big problems at school, in our community, and in our world.

4 It is comforting to know that Jesus can relate to us. Standing before Pilate, He probably felt the same way. Dear Jesus, You surrendered your power, so that we might be saved. When we feel powerless and unfairly treated, we can come to You, knowing that You will understand. As we set out on our Lenten journeys, help us to remember that You will stand up for us, even when no one else will. V The Second station Jesus Takes Up His Cross . Jesus not only is condemned to death unfairly, but also has to carry the Cross on which He will die. The Cross is heavy, not only because of the wood, but also because of the weight of all of the sins of the world, past, present, and future.

5 Jesus takes up the Cross willingly to take away our sins and ease our burdens. He takes it up out of love. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross , You have redeemed the world. It is hard to think about the fact that our sins add to the weight of Jesus Cross . Every time we fight with our siblings, every time we talk back to our parents, every time we give in to peer pressure, we add to the weight of Jesus Cross . And still, Jesus takes it up willingly and gives His life to save us. He offers to carry our burdens when they are too heavy for us to bear alone. When pressures at school and worries about college weigh us down and when we see loved ones carrying crosses of illness or pain, we can ask Jesus for help.

6 Jesus wants to carry these crosses for us; it s up to us to let Him help. Jesus, you take up the Cross to save us from our sins and ease our pain. This Lent, please help us to give up our sins, so that we can lighten your load. Help us to give you our burdens, so that you can lighten our load. Only in you can we find peace, hope, and salvation. V The Third station Jesus Falls the First Time. The burden of the Cross is more than anyone can bear. Jesus falls under the weight of the Cross . He falls under the weight of our sins, worries, addictions, stresses, and hurts. Despite His pain, He is pulled up and forced to continue.

7 We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross , You have redeemed the world. When we think of how Jesus fell under the weight of the Cross , we think about the troubles in our lives that weigh us down, like school stress and peer pressure. Some of us carry the weight of being bullied or struggling with divorce and death in our families. It can be so hard to get back up when we have setbacks like getting bad grades, hanging out with the wrong people, and getting bullied. We see some people our age falling under crosses of violence, drugs, alcohol, and prejudice. When Jesus fell for the first time, He found the strength to get up and keep going.

8 We too can find the strength to keep going by talking to trusted adults in our families and in our schools who can help. We can help our friends when they fall by giving them our ears to listen and our shoulders to cry on. Most of all, we can pray and ask Jesus to help all people who fall. He understands and will always help us to get back up. Jesus, you know how it feels to fall under the weight of the world s problems. You help us to endure our struggles. This Lent, please pick us up when we fall and give us the strength to continue. V The Fourth station Jesus Meets His Mother. ~ Reflection written by a Youth Minister for Teens As Jesus carries on, His eyes meet those of His beloved mother.

9 Perhaps Mary meets her Son s gaze and gives Him the only gift she has left, a loving smile that, while forced, gives her Son the strength He needs to continue. At the wedding at Cana, Mary told the servants to Do whatever he tells you. On the Way of the Cross , Mary must take her own advice and do as her Son told her believe in God s will and love as Jesus loved, even against all odds. Allowing her heart to be pierced by the sword, Mary holds back her tears and, with undying love, holds up her Son. We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross , You have redeemed the world. I can t imagine what Mary endured on the Way of the Cross .

10 I know how my heart breaks when I see one of my own children suffering or when I see one of you suffering. As a mother, I know without a doubt that Mary would have done anything to trade places with Jesus, to walk the Way of the Cross herself if it meant sparing her child; and yet that was not an option. Mary could not take the Cross away from Jesus, but because of His Cross , Mary can help us. Because of the Cross , Mary will ask her Son to pick up our crosses when they are too heavy to bear. Just as Mary did not leave Jesus side, she will not leave ours. She cares for you; Her Son cares for you; to my Teens reading this, your families, teachers, and I care for you so much.