Unite Your Suffering to Jesus: A Priest's Stations of the Cross for the COVID-19 Pandemic

During this time of pandemic, let us unite in prayer as we meditate upon Jesus’ Passion.

First Station: Jesus is condemned to death

Meditation: In this time of pandemic, we remember all those who will be tested for COVID-19 and learn of their positive test results.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with them and their families in this time. Bring them comfort, peace, and the grace of healing.

Second Station: Jesus carries His cross

Meditation: Our Lent this year surely has intensified. We all have taken on additional crosses and penances.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with us during our time of isolation and quarantine. Help us carry our cross, which unites us to your suffering and the suffering of the entire world.

Third Station: Jesus falls the first time

Meditation: Jesus falls under the weight of the cross. But with each fall, he picks up the cross and continues towards Calvary.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with the researchers working to find a cure for the coronavirus. When they become discouraged, give them the grace of perseverance.

Fourth Station: Jesus meets his mother

Meditation: As Jesus walks the way of the cross, He meets his mother, whose love soothes His pain for a moment.

Prayer: Mary, our mother, Health of the Sick, meet us now on our world’s way of the cross. Pray for the sick and the dying. Ask your Son to bring healing and containment to this virus.

Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross

Meditation: Simon of Cyrene is called from the crowd to help Jesus for just a moment. Some help the sick because of their profession and others from the goodness of their hearts.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with our first responders who help the sick today. Send your angels to protect all who still must work for the good of all.

Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Meditation: Veronica sees the blood on Jesus’ face and out of love wants to wipe it away. Doctors and nurses attend to the sick, undertaking the work out of love for humankind.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with the nurses and doctors, help them to see Jesus in those they serve.

Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time

Meditation: Jesus falls a second time under the weight of the cross. The corona virus affects many with compromised immune systems.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with those who are already sick, protect them from the virus, so they may continue to live the rest of their days in happiness, joy, and peace.

Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

Meditation: Jesus offers consoling words to these women whom he meets along the way of the cross. We all need words of hope and encouragement, but most especially those now mourning the loss of a loved one. Those who die from the virus are not a number, but a person with a family.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to remember those who have died, and console their loved ones. We entrust them to your love and mercy.

Ninth Station: Jesus falls a third time

Meditation: Fear and failure bring discouragement.

Prayer: When we become disappointed with ourselves and those around us in the days ahead, dear Lord, give us the encouragement we need to continue.

Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments

Meditation: The poor and the homeless at this time suffer because of the virus. Jesus in the Gospels taught the disciples to clothe the naked and give food and drink to the hungry and thirsty.

Prayer: During this time of need, dear Lord, open our eyes to see the needs of those most vulnerable.

Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross

Meditation: Jesus finally reaches Calvary and knows that His hour has arrived. His death will bring salvation. His blood will redeem us. In those final three hours, he extended forgiveness to persecutors and the good thief and commended his soul to the Father.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us, in this hour, to turn to you and find forgiveness, and then extend mercy to family and friends.

Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross

Meditation: It is finished. The work of redemption complete. We remember all who have died. We remember the countless lives lost to the Coronavirus. We pray for those who die of natural causes or other diseases during this time. It is a good and noble deed to pray for the dead.

Prayer: Dear Lord, grant eternal rest and peace to those whom you have called to their eternal home.

Thirteenth Station: The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross

Meditation: Because the Sabbath would soon begin, the body of Jesus needed to be removed from the cross.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with the funeral directors who now attend to those who have died and their families. Help them in this troubling time to comfort and console those who grieve.

14th Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb

Meditation: The grave becomes a place of remembrance for those who have died. For us as believers in Jesus, the grave becomes a sign of hope, because on Easter Sunday, the tomb was empty. In this moment of darkness which we now find ourselves, we cling to the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be with us and walk with us during this time.

[See also: “We Need Our Church Back”: A Priest’s Spiritual Combat for Coronavirus Pandemic This Holy Week]

[See also: Pope Gives Special Holy Week Encouragement Amid Pandemic Difficulty: “Hope Does Not Disappoint”]