"Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46) is the seventh and final Word of Jesus from the Cross. It is His last prayer, drawn from Psalm 31, and it shows complete trust in the Father at the very moment of death. Christians have made these words their own for centuries. They are part of Night Prayer (Compline) in the Liturgy of the Hours, and many saints died with them on their lips. This short meditation asks for the grace to surrender ourselves to God both no

"It is consummated" (John 19:30), in some translations "It is finished," is the sixth of the Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross. It is not a cry of defeat. It announces that the work the Father gave Him, the redemption of the world, has been accomplished to the end. This brief meditation applies that Word to our own lives: each of us has work God has given us to do, in our vocation, our family, and our daily duties, and we ask for the grace to finish it faithfully. It i

The Seven Last Words are the seven sayings of Jesus from the Cross recorded in the Gospels. They have been prayed and preached on for centuries, especially on Good Friday, when many parishes hold a three-hour service from noon to three o'clock. "I thirst" (John 19:28) is the fifth Word. Jesus' thirst was real and physical after hours of suffering, but spiritual writers have long seen in it a deeper thirst: His longing for souls and for our love. This short meditation asks for

"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46) is the fourth of Jesus' Seven Last Words, cried out in the darkness that covered the land. It is the opening line of Psalm 22, a psalm that begins in anguish and ends in trust and praise. In this Word, Jesus takes on the experience of abandonment that so many people feel in grief, depression, doubt, or spiritual dryness. This brief meditation asks for faithfulness in desolation and the grace never to despair of God'

"Woman, behold thy son... Behold thy mother" (John 19:26-27) is the third of the Seven Last Words. From the Cross, Jesus gave His mother to the beloved disciple John, and the Church has always understood that in John He gave Mary to all of us as our spiritual mother. This short meditation accepts that gift personally and asks Mary to be a mother to us now and at the hour of our death. It is a good prayer on Good Friday, on the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15), b

"Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43) is the second of the Seven Last Words. Jesus spoke it to the repentant thief, often called St. Dismas, who asked only to be remembered when Jesus came into His kingdom. This Word is one of the most hopeful moments of the Passion: it shows that it is never too late to turn to Christ. This brief meditation echoes the good thief's request and asks for the grace of final perseverance and the hope of hea

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34) is the first of the Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross. While He was still being crucified, He prayed for the very people who were putting Him to death. No Word is harder to live. This short meditation asks forgiveness for our own sins and a merciful heart like Christ's toward those who have hurt us. Pray it on Good Friday, before Confession, when you are struggling to forgive a family member, coworker,

Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). This short offering takes the ordinary crosses of a day, weariness, disappointment, pain of body or mind, and unites them to Christ's Passion. St. Paul wrote that he could "fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ" for the sake of the Church (Colossians 1:24), and generations of Catholics have learned to "offer it up." Pray it in th

The Chaplet of the Five Wounds honors the Passion of Christ. This traditional structure may be prayed on ordinary beads. The Prayer On the crucifix: Apostles' Creed. On the large beads: Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the wounds of our souls. On the small beads (five times for each Wound): My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Holy Wounds. Conclude: Holy Mother, pierce me through; in my heart each Wound renew of my Savio

On Good Friday we adore the Cross and remember the Passion. Offer this traditional act of love. The Prayer We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. O my people, what have I done to thee? or in what have I aggrieved thee? Answer Me. Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us. Traditional Good Friday adoration texts; classic liturgy English, public domain. If these prayers help you, you can support D

This prayer, "Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus," is known in Latin as the En ego. For centuries Catholics have prayed it kneeling before a crucifix after Holy Communion, gazing on the five wounds of Christ and recalling the words of the Psalm that the prayer itself quotes: "They have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My bones." It asks for lively faith, hope, and charity, true sorrow for sin, and a firm purpose of amendment. The Church grants a plen

Ask the Poverello for a heart poor in spirit and rich in love of Christ crucified. The Prayer O beloved Saint Francis, who didst love poverty and the Cross of Christ with so great a love, obtain for me a spirit of detachment from earthly things and a tender devotion to the Passion of Jesus. Help me to love God above all, and my neighbor as myself. Amen. Traditional prayer to St. Francis; classic manuals, public domain. If these prayers help you, you can support Daily Catholic

The Stabat Mater meditates on Our Lady's sorrow at the foot of the Cross. Edward Caswall's classic English translation (19th century) is public domain. The Prayer At the Cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last. Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, All His bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword had passed. Oh, how sad and sore distressed Was that Mother highly blest Of the sole begotten One! Christ above in torment ha

After the fourteen stations, this traditional closing prayer offers thanks and asks for perseverance in grace. The Prayer O most loving Jesus, I thank Thee for the infinite love with which Thou didst carry Thy Cross and die for me. Grant that I may ever keep Thy Passion in my heart, that I may hate sin, love Thee above all things, and follow Thee faithfully until death. Amen. Pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the intention of the Holy Father. Traditional Way of

Begin the Way of the Cross with an act of faith and sorrow. This traditional opening prepares the heart for the fourteen stations. The Prayer My Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast made this journey to die for me with love unutterable, and I have so many times unworthily abandoned Thee; but now I love Thee with my whole heart, and because I love Thee I repent sincerely for having ever offended Thee. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany Thee on this journey. Thou goest to di

The 14th Station of the Cross invites us to walk with Jesus on the way to Calvary. This traditional meditation follows a classic English form of the Way of the Cross. The Prayer We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Consider how the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by His holy Mother, who arranged it in the sepulcher with her own hands. They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew. Ah, my

The 13th Station of the Cross invites us to walk with Jesus on the way to Calvary. This traditional meditation follows a classic English form of the Way of the Cross. The Prayer We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Consider how, after the death of our Lord, two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took Him down from the Cross and placed Him in the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received Him with unutterable

The 12th Station of the Cross invites us to walk with Jesus on the way to Calvary. This traditional meditation follows a classic English form of the Way of the Cross. The Prayer We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Consider how Jesus, after three hours of Agony on the Cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies. O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the C

The 11th Station of the Cross invites us to walk with Jesus on the way to Calvary. This traditional meditation follows a classic English form of the Way of the Cross. The Prayer We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Consider how Jesus, after being thrown on the Cross, extended His hands, and offered to His Eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our salvation. These barbarians fastened Him with nails, and then

The 10th Station of the Cross invites us to walk with Jesus on the way to Calvary. This traditional meditation follows a classic English form of the Way of the Cross. The Prayer We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Consider the violence with which the executioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments adhered to His torn flesh, and they dragged them off so roughly that the skin came with them. My innocent Jesus, by t