7th Station

THE SEVENTH STATION : JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

“St. Augustine assures us that there is no spiritual exercise more fruitful or more useful than the frequent reflection on the sufferings of Our Lord. St. Albert the Great, who had St. Thomas Aquinas as his student, learned in a revelation that by simply thinking of or meditating on the Passion of Jesus Christ, a Christian gains more merit than if he had fasted on bread and water every Friday for a year, or had beaten himself with the discipline once a week till blood flowed, or had recited the whole Book of Psalms every day” (The Secret of the Rosary, St. Louis Marie de Montfort, “Twenty-Eighth Rose”).

The following passage is taken from The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich

The procession was still at some distance from the south-west gate, which was large, and attached to the fortifications, and the street was rough and steep; it had first to pass under a vaulted arch, then over a bridge, and finally under a second arch. The wall on the left side of the gate runs first in a southerly direction, then deviates a little to the west, and finally runs to the south behind Mount Sion. When the procession was near this gate, the brutal archers shoved Jesus into a stagnant pool, which was close to it; Simon of Cyrene, in his endeavors to avoid the pool, gave the cross a twist, which caused Jesus to fall down in the midst of the dirty mud, and Simon had the greatest difficulty in lifting up the cross again.

Jesus then exclaimed in a tone which, although clear, was moving and sad: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered together thy children as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not?" When the Pharisees heard these words, they became still more angry, and recommencing their insults and blows endeavored to force him to get up out of the mud. Their cruelty to Jesus so exasperated Simon of Cyrene that he at last exclaimed,"If you continue this brutal conduct, I will throw down the cross and carry it no further. I will do so if you kill me for it."

The following passage is taken from The Passion of Jesus and Its Hidden Meaning by Fr. James Groenings, S.J.
The procession, starting from Pilate's mansion, moved in a westerly direction over twelve hundred paces through the middle of the city. The most frequented streets were carefully chosen for the march. "Whenever we crucify a criminal," writes Quintilian, "the most populous streets are selected so that the multiude may look on and be seized with fear."

What the Redeemer suffered on this way of the cross goes beyond all we can conceive. At every step on the uneven, hilly street, the wounds of His scourged shoulder become deeper and more yawning. Often the heavy cross-beam fell against the thorn-crowned Head. The Saviour, tired unto death and without strength, drags Himself wearily along under the mighty load. Suddenly the procession halts. What has happened? The Almighty, the infinitely Powerful has sunk exhausted, and upon Him has fallen the wood of martyrdom. He writhes in pain in the dust like to a worm trodden upon.

But the soldiers know a remedy. With scourges and sharp thorns applied according to Roman usage, they help Him to His feet, and again Christ staggers along. But behold, after a few hundred steps, He falls a second time and, near the gate of the city, a third time.' Our relapses into sin are the cause of this.

If the sufferings of His body were great, the sufferings of His Divine Heart were still greater. I shall not speak of the scorn of His avowed enemies, who gave vent to their satanic joy by blaspheming Him and spitting upon Him, by blows and kicks, and by throwing dirt and stones upon Him. It caused Christ more sadness that the official sentence of death had not failed to make an impression upon those who, during the trial, had been partly in sympathy with Him. "He must then," they said one to another, "have been an impostor, a magician, a blasphemer and a rebel, or matters would not have taken such a bad turn."

CONCLUDING MEDITATION AND PRAYER

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,
R.. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

MEDITATION
Jesus again falls to the ground; but the cruel executioners do not permit Him to rest a moment. Pushing and striking Him, they urge Him onward. It is the frequent repetition of our sins which oppress Jesus. He forgives willingly, but I add to my sins relentlessly. Witnessing this, how can I continue to sin? Why do I continue to sin? It is because, deep down, I love myself more than Jesus.

PRAYER
O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Offer me Thy helping hand, and aid me, that I may not fall again into my former sins. From this very moment, I will earnestly strive to reform: nevermore will I sin! Thou, O sole support of the weak, by Thy grace, without which I can do nothing, strengthen me to carry out faithfully this my resolution.

Our Father Hail Mary. Glory Be.
V. Lord Jesus, crucified,
R. Have mercy on us!