Prepared by Archbishop Bassetti, pronounced by Pope FrancisThe meditations and prayers of the stations of the cross for Good Friday, 2016, were prepared by Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia — Città della Pieve. The full text may be read here.
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Pilate said to them, “What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.—The Gospel according to Mark (15:14-15)
When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.—From the Gospel according to Mark (15:20)
And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours were the sorrows he carried. But we, we thought of him as someone punished, struck by God and brought low. Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughterhouse, like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers, never opening his mouth.—From the book of the prophet Isaiah (53:4, 7)
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed” … And his mother kept all these things in her heart.—From the Gospel according to Luke (2:34-35, 51)
They compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry Jesus’ cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of the skull).—From the Gospel according to Mark (15:21-22)
He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.—From the book of the prophet Isaiah (53:2-3)
He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.—From the book of the prophet Isaiah (53:5)
And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”—From the Gospel according to Luke (23:27-28)
Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but rather emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.—From the Letter to the Philippians (2:6-7)
And they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.—From the Gospel according to Mark (15:24)
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”—From the Gospel according to Luke (23: 39-43)
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”—From the Gospel according to Mark (15:33-39)
When evening had come, since it was the day of preparation; that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. … And he bought a linen shroud, and took him down.—From the Gospel according to Mark (15: 42-43, 46a)
Joseph took the body [of Jesus] and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and departed.—From the Gospel according to Matthew (27:59-60)
