Cusmanian Way of the Cross
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (cf. Gal 6:14)
The Paschal Mystery of the Cross and Resurrection is the center of the preaching of the Apostles. We too, based on this truth, affirm that Jesus Christ “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried, descended into hell and on the third day rose from the dead”. The Paschal Mystery did not only involve Jesus… it involves and transforms all of us, “redeemed by his blood on the cross and marked by the seal of his Spirit”. His Easter is our Easter, his death is our death, his Resurrection is our Resurrection.
Aware that it was not possible to resurrect without death and glory without passion and that God the Father exalted his Son Jesus because he “became obedient until death and death on the cross”, we too yearn to resurrect by staring at Jesus crucified, dead and risen.
Blessed James Cusmano wrote to his sister Vincenzina: “Courage! Temper your heart to the ardent charity of Jesus Christ and never fear the travails and pains that may be encountered in seeking the glory of God…”. Whoever goes to the school of the Crucified One must learn that one lives by dying and one wins by losing”.
For the Cusmano, contemplating the mysteries of the Passion and fixing one’s gaze on Crucified Love is the path of souls in love with Jesus and “bought back from His precious blood”. The soul that yearns for perfection cannot desist from following Jesus who moans in the Garden of Gethsemane, hangs from the cross, offers himself as a victim for sinners, spills his blood, reconciles Heaven and earth, and redeems man from sin.
In the school of the Divine Redeemer, we learn to seek the Will of God and to live it faithfully, to forgive offenses, to face any opposition, to know how to suffer, to offer ourselves victims of atonement following in the bloody footsteps of Jesus, certain that the cross leads to Heaven. To seek Christ on Calvary and follow him to the end, embracing the cross, forms in us his own image. The Cusmano does not hide that following Jesus “is not weak souls who put their affections in creatures, in earthly things” and exhorts us not to leave Jesus on the cross “for the restraint of Tabor”, that is, for the joy of a moment. Rather, we can take advantage of this “to have more soul to follow Him tomorrow at Calvary. It may happen that we do not immediately see its fruits, that we do not grasp its meaning, that we feel the temptation to shake it, but “those who have legitimately fought for Jesus Christ will be crowned”.
The Cusmano exhorts to cultivate the desire to suffer or die, following the great mysticism of Avila; moreover, with regard to St. John of the Cross to suffer and be despised for Jesus, to the thirst to cooperate so that the groan emitted by Jesus on the cross – sitio (I am thirsty) – can be quenched to satisfy the unquenchable thirst for souls to be saved.
Thus, preaching and following Christ crucified, we will discover that what is scandal for the Jews and foolishness for the Gentiles, for those who are called, is God’s power and God’s wisdom (cf. 1 Cor 1:23-24), the acquisition of true and lasting peace, hope which is the certainty of eternal life.
Opening Prayer
G. In the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
The Way of the Cross is the way of life. It is at the center of the mystery of salvation, of the great love of God, who by loving us has given his Son for us. Following Christ, we travel the path of pain that blossoms into joy, of the crucifixion that prepares the resurrection, of death that is transformed into life. Accompanied by some meditations by Blessed Father James Cusmano, we retrace and meditate on this journey of salvation in communion with the Church, in which the martyrdom of Christ, his Head and Spouse, is perpetually renewed.
G. Let us pray
O God, who has redeemed man with the precious blood of your only-begotten Son, grant us all the wisdom of the cross to celebrate with faith the mysteries of your Son’s passion and taste the sweetness of your forgiveness. Through Christ our Lord.
All. Amen.
First Station : Jesus is condemned to death
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to Mark
Pilate I replied: “What shall I do then with what you call the King of the Jews? And they shouted again: “Crucify him! But Pilate said to them, “What harm has he done? Then they cried out louder: “Crucify him!”. And Pilate, after flogging Jesus, delivered him to be crucified (Mk 15:12-15).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“Jesus was ready to embrace His mission for the glory of His eternal Father and for the immense love He brought to our poor souls. And he remained in his place until the death of the cross, and for a people who did not want him, who insulted him, who persecuted him”.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Second Station: Jesus is loaded with the cross
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to John
“Then they took Jesus and he, carrying the cross, went to the place de Cranio, called Gòlgota in Hebrew” (Jn 19:17).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“Going up Calvary, following Jesus in the chimney of the cross, is not for weak souls who put their affections in creatures, in earthly things. They will not stand up to this trial, they will be lost in the multitude.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Third Station: Jesus falls the first time
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Book of Lamentations
Listen, please, my moans: there is no one to console me, all mine are happy with my ruin. They enjoyed seeing me humiliated. My pain is too great and I can’t take it anymore (Lam 1:21-22).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“Take advantage of your weaknesses to humiliate yourself in the sight of God, and know how to pity your neighbor in such circumstances. Our weakness is a great means in God’s hands, to rise up to Him. Through this means He reveals to our soul the horror of our misery and thus destroys our self-love in order to give us His own and to unify us in His will and love.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory
Song…
Fourth Station: Jesus meets Mary his mother
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to Luke
Simeon blessed them and spoke to Mary, his mother: “He is here for the ruin and resurrection of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And a sword will pierce your soul too” (Lk 2:34-35).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“Mary from the first moment of conception was united and present to God. She had the great fortune to participate in all the sufferings of Jesus. She accompanied him on the painful journey; all Friday she stayed all day.
at the foot of the cross with firmness of victim, suffering in the soul what Jesus suffered in the body. Inwardly united to Jesus in the Redemption, he gave maximum glory to the Father in adhering to his will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory
Song…
Fifth Station: Jesus is helped by the Cyrenean
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to Mark
They forced a man who was passing by, a certain Simeon of Cyrene, who came from the countryside, father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry the cross (Mk 15:21).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“We must feel in our hearts the impulse of tenderness and piety; descend into the field of misery; help poverty; relieve pain; dry the tears of the unhappy; offer to the whole world the spectacle of that charity that starts from the heart of God.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Sixth Station: Jesus meets Veronica
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the book of the prophet Isaiah
He has neither appearance nor beauty to attract our glances, not splendor to feel in him delight. Despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows who knows well how to suffer, like one in front of whom one covers one’s face (Is 53:2-3).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“Do you want to see Jesus? Here we have the Poor: they are the living image of Jesus Christ our life; they are another sacrament, because in the person of the Poor is hidden Jesus. He shed all his precious blood for each of these souls made in the image and likeness of God. If by your cooperation he sees these souls return to Him from His blood, buy them back, oh how grateful He will be to you, how He will love you! how much mercy He will not pour on your souls! May God increase His Charity in your hearts!”.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory
Song…
Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Letter to the Hebrews
We do not have a high priest who does not know how to pity our infirmities, having been tried in all things, in the likeness of us, except sin (Hebr. 4:15-16).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“If the infirm nature does not keep pace, and falters and falls, as long as it is not voluntary, there is no guilt. The fall serves the cognition of one’s own misery, to feel more the need of God, of His divine help. The soul prays and groans until it obtains it; and thus destroys the ancient man in himself, to form the new Jesus Christ, in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Eighth Station: Jesus meets the pious women
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to Luke
He was followed by a large crowd of people and women who were beating their chests and moaning about him. But Jesus, turning to the women, said: “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me, but weep over yourselves and your children” (Lk 23:27-28).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“How happy I would be to see you all filled with the Holy Spirit, inflamed with divine love, always seeking your Jesus in Holy Communion, in prayer, in sacred visits, in fervent jubilation, in the continuous presence of God in offering to Him all your travails, your sufferings, in perfect union with His adorable, gentle but unquestionable will.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Ninth Station: Jesus falls the third time
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the book of the prophet Isaiah
He was pierced for our crimes, crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that gives us salvation has fallen on him; for his wounds we have been healed (Is 53:5).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“Thus was the lovable Redeemer reduced for our sins. The Scripture says: he was no longer recognizable! and so the poor sinner is reduced, when he has the misfortune to fall into the greatest of miseries: sin. Better to die than to offend God. In this soul our beloved Lord is crucified once again”.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to John
The soldiers then took his clothes and made four parts, one for each soldier (John 19,23).
L. 2 From the writings of Giacomo Cusmano
“What tenderness has brought to my heart this stripping of our poor rags to clothe the Poor Man of Jesus Christ! The Poor are the treasure of Jesus Christ, and He says to you today: May my treasure be recommended to you. Do you see that brother of yours? He has no roof, no bed, no food, no medicine. Take away something from your vanities, your pleasures, your superfluous, take a “morsel” and give it to him; give a few hours to visit the poor, to console the afflicted; do not go to bed without your conscience testifying to a service rendered to your neighbor.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to Luke
When they arrived at the place called the Skull, there they crucified him and the two evildoers, one on the right and the other on the left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Lc 23.33-34).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“Believe in Jesus Christ, your life, who offering you the cross promises you and gives you life. Mortify your senses, clear your own love from your heart by trampling on it, doing the opposite of what it desires, and I promise you that you will see God. And then you will be enlightened, you will be peaceful, you will be industrious, you will be happy; it is a matter of manner, but you will be with God”.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to Luke
It was around noon, when the sun eclipsed and it was dark all over the earth until three in the afternoon. The veil of the temple was torn in the middle. Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said: “Father, into your hands I deliver my spirit. That said, he died (Lk 23:44-46).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“Look at Jesus hanging from the Cross for the health of souls: would we want to meet a different destiny from the one touched by Jesus Christ our life? He who goes to the school of the Crucifix must learn that one lives by dying and one wins by losing, and when he is master in this divine strategy, then with the grace of the Lord he will be worthy to sustain and win the battles for the greater glory of God”.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Thirteenth Station: Jesus is deposed from the cross
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to John
Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate granted it. Then he went and took the body of Jesus (Jn 19:38).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“We never complain about what we may have in our lot to suffer for love of Jesus Christ and his Poor Ones. We always walk in the presence of God, following Jesus Christ, and when we reach the great fate of leaving life, as He left it for us on the cross, it is then that we can intone the hymn of our resurrection.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is placed in the tomb
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to Matthew
“Joseph of Arimathea, having taken the body of Jesus, wrapped it in a white sheet and laid it in his new tomb, which had been dug into the rock; then rolled a large stone on the door of the tomb, he left. There they were, in front of the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” (Mt 27,59-61).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“If it is true that He was crucified by those who came to redeem Him, it is very true that by dying He conquered death, and humiliated and beaten by His enemies, in His own humiliation He brought victorious triumph. If the grain of wheat is not placed under the earth and will not be mortified, the fruitful ear of abundant harvest cannot sprout”.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Fifteenth Station: Jesus rises again after three days
G. We adore You, O Christ, and bless You.
All. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
L. 1 From the Gospel according to Luke
Some women went early in the morning to the tomb to bring aromas and found the stone removed. Now, while they were perplexed, here appear two characters in shining robes who said to them: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen! (Lk 24:1-4).
L. 2 From the writings of James Cusmano
“Jesus alone, his glory, his love, may be the only object of all our thoughts, all our feelings, the unique aim of all our operations, the only pasture of all our affection… Living in Him and for Him, we will be glorified with Him in heaven”.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory…
Song…
Concluding Prayer
G. We pray
O God, almighty and merciful, who has redeemed us with the blessed passion, death and resurrection of your Christ, preserve in us the work of your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.
All. Amen.
