St. Boniface & the Homeless

These photos of St. Boniface Church in San Francisco (from the San Francisco Chronicle) and their outreach to the homeless speak volumes. What do they say to you?

Good Friday ~ The Way of the Cross ~ God's way of Forgiveness

The season of Lent has come to a close. We are in the midst of the three holiest of days in our faith. As we anticipate and prepare to celebrate the joy of our Savior's resurrection we may be tempted to leave behind the call to take up our crosses and follow Him. As we witness the conflicts and strife in our world let's follow, even more closely, our Lord in the Way of the Cross, the Way of Forgivness in His redemptive love, the way of the resurrected One.





The Way of Forgiveness in Christ & His Cross

First Station: Jesus is Condemned
We Adore You...
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God...For the Jews demand signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. I Cor. 1:18, 22-24

Heavenly Father, like the Jews we want proof to satisfy our finite senses. Like the Gentiles we want knowledge to gratify our intellectual pride. As we come to your Son help us realize that we cannot contain or comprehend the love, the mercy, the life you call us to share.
Forgive and free us to follow you our God and Savior.

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Second Station: Jesus takes Up the Cross
We adore You...
But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord... Ac. 3:18-20

Jesus, Lord, you take your cross showing us the path and way of repentance. Lord as we, with you, take our cross help us let go of our sins, of anything that hinders us from knowing and loving you. It is in your Presence, at your holy cross, we find the fullness of life you created us to know. It is there we find the path to you and your Kingdom of truth and love.

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Third Station: Jesus Fall the First Time
We adore...
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it...The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Ps. 34:14 & 18

Holy Spirit, open our eyes to recognize the reality and sorrow of evil that caused you to stumble and fall. Forgive us for pretending or for trying to excuse the lies of sin and deception our enemy offers. Spirit of God lead us to the power of your peace, and the fullness of your mercy. Heal the brokeness of our hearts by your Presence. Restore those crushed in spirit by the embrace of love.

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

Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother
We adore...
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out my Spirit. Joel 2: 28-29

Blessed Mother as you saw your son, struggling with his cross, as you came to him in your sorrow your broken heart was filled with His Spirit. That same Spirit longs to fill and flow through our hearts and lives as we embrace the freedom of the cross. Holy Spirit fill our lives with your truth and love, empty us of all that is false and selfish.

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
We adore...
But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world...Peace and mercy be upon all who follow this rule. Gal. 6:14 & 16

Jesus, like Simon we sometimes face the cross thrust into our lives. You let us choose to follow you and take our cross, or to deny you and that which you would offer. Lord, may our glory, our pride be found only in you. May we share the truth of your peace and the power of your mercy in the journey of our lives .

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be..


Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
We adore...
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. II Chron. 7:14-15

Jesus, Savior, with eyes of humble faith help us to seek your face. In the beauty of your holy smile may we know your forgiveness for our ignorance and failures, for our sins. Jesus the gift you let us share, to bring a smile to your face, that knew such suffering, to bring joy to our angels who strive so hard for us, by simple repentance and trust in you, as we pray:

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time
We adore...
Have mercy on me O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Ps. 51:1-2

Heavenly Father, we pray with King David for your mercy. Cleanse us of anything that would cause my sister or brother, or me, to stumble or fall. May the nail-scarred hands of your Son wash away the grime of this world and the lies of the deceiver that have stained our souls.
Lord we thank you for the freedom of your forgiveness. May we live that freedom for you and your Kingdom.

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Eighth Station: Jesus Meets the Weeping Women of Jerusalem
We adore...
Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Ps. 51:8-11

King of Kings, struggling up Golgothas hill you met the women of Jerusalem. Days before they had come to meet you with praise and palms. Their joy had been robbed as they yielded to the doubts and fears of the masses. Lord of the cross, forgive us for allowing our faith to falter, for trusting our fears more than your love. Jesus free us, to simply love and trust you and your word.

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Ninth Station: Jesus Fall the Third Time
We adore...
Behold thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Ps.51:6-7

Lord we get so cluttered. We carry such silly burdens of the stuff of life. All the worries and grudges, resentments and fears we cling to make us stumble and bring sorrow to you. Lord the false light of our pride of achievement or abilities simply blinds us from seeing you and ourselves. Jesus we are sorry. Forgive us. Help us to learn that you set us free from the burdens of this world to take our cross with you. You open our eyes to see the gift of who we truly are, created for and restored in your love.

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
We adore...
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified...my speech and my message were not plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
I Cor. 2:2, 4-5

Jesus, what did you think as they stripped your clothes from your beaten and bleeding body? Fear? Embarrassment? Shame? Yet, in your holiness and love you must have felt ...sorrow. Lord in stripping off our pride and excuses, in simple repentance, we are afraid, embarrassed, ashamed. But Lord in your Presence we find we can be clothed in mercy, filled with forgiveness and sharing in the beauty and joy of your holiness. Jesus may the truth of your love calls us to you and to your cross.

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
We adore...
One of the criminals who were hanged railed upon him 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 in your Kingly power”. And he said: “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”. Lu. 23:39-43

Savior, as the nails pierced your body you heard the cries of the fallen being crucified with you. You heard the cries of all of us, who have failed and sinned. In your pain and anguish you carried the pain and anguish of all those pierced by sin. You brought to all who call out to you, in simple repentance, the promise of the Paradise of your Kingdom, the truth of your forgiveness and love.

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies On the Cross
ALL KNEEL
We adore...
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty will say to the Lord, “my God in whom I trust”. Ps.91:1-2

Holy Savior, mercy-filled God, in the shelter of your cross we find peace. Jesus in the Presence of your broken Body we find your holy love that fills us with... You. Savior, for all the times we trust in self, the emptiness of the world, or our fears and failures, forgive us. Jesus you are our God in whom we trust.
.
Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken Down From the Cross
We adore...
For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done what is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgments. Ps. 51: 3-4

Heavenly Father, as they took the Body of your Son from the cross you saw the sorrow and fear of his disciples. For the only time of eternity you felt the emptiness of your Son separated from you, by our sins. And, Father God, you saw our fears and sorrows. You saw the emptiness of our lives apart from you and apart from each other. And you saw the holy blood shed for our forgiveness and healing. You saw your Son, Jesus, our hope, as we turn to you in prayer.

Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...

Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Tomb
We adore...
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children and to all that are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him”. Ac. 2:38-39

Holy God, at the tomb it is so quiet.
Yet in the silence we can hear the hope and promise of your resurrection, the promised fullness of your Holy Spirit.


Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory be...