10th Station of the cross prayer

10TH STATION OF THE CROSS:
JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS
We adore you O Christ, and we bless you,
Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

LECTOR: When our Lord arrives at Calvary, the soldiers strip him of his garments. From the sole of his foot to the head, there is no sound spot in it; just bruise and swelling and oozing wound, not drained, or bandaged, or eased (cf. Isaiah 1 :6) The executioners take His garment and divide it into four parts. Thus, Scripture is again fulfilled: They divide my garments among them; for my clothing, they cast lots. (cf. Ps 22:19)

MEDITATION: At Calvary the journey pauses for a moment, but the suffering does not. The soldiers roughly strip Jesus of His garments before the crowd. The wounds from the scourging are reopened as the cloth is torn from His body. The One through whom all things were made now stands exposed, humiliated, and deprived even of the most basic human dignity.

From head to foot His body bears the marks of suffering, just as the prophet Isaiah described bruised, wounded, and broken. Those who carry out the execution treat His clothing as nothing more than spoils to be divided among themselves. They cast lots for His garment, fulfilling the words of the Psalm: “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

In this moment Jesus is stripped not only of His clothing but of every form of earthly security. He is deprived of comfort, privacy, and honour. Yet He accepts this humiliation in silence, offering everything for our salvation.

This station invites us to reflect on the many ways people today are stripped of their dignity. In our world, countless men and women are deprived of opportunities that could allow them to live with dignity. Families struggle under the weight of poverty, while others are denied fair wages or meaningful work. Many suffer silently from illness without access to proper care.

Others are stripped of dignity through violence, abuse, or exploitation. Harsh words, gossip, and slander can destroy a person’s reputation just as surely as physical harm wounds the body. Entire communities sometimes feel stripped of hope by corruption, injustice, and broken promises.

Even creation itself bears the scars of being stripped. Forests disappear, rivers are polluted, and fertile lands are exhausted as the pursuit of profit often overrides the responsibility to care for the earth entrusted to us.

Standing before Christ stripped of His garments, we are reminded of the call to a deeper freedom, the freedom that comes from letting go of selfish attachments and learning to place our trust in God alone. True dignity does not come from what we possess, but from who we are in the eyes of God.

When we defend the dignity of others especially those who are ignored, shamed, or pushed aside we stand with Christ on Calvary. And when we learn to live with humility and compassion, we begin to restore in the world the dignity that He died to redeem.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, when You were stripped of Your garments on Calvary, You endured humiliation so that our true dignity might be restored.

Help us to remember that our worth does not come from possessions, status, or the opinions of others, but from being loved by You and created in the image of God.

Give us the courage to defend the dignity of every human person especially the poor, the vulnerable, and those whose voices are often ignored. Teach us to reject injustice, corruption, and exploitation in all their forms.

May we also learn to live with simplicity and gratitude, caring for the earth and the resources You have entrusted to us. Help us to use what we have not for selfish gain, but for the good of others.

Clothe us, Lord, with hearts of compassion, humility, and justice, so that in our words and actions we may reflect the dignity You have given to every human life.

Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Holy Mother, pierce me through; in my heart each wound renew,
of my Saviour crucified.