12th Station of the cross prayer

12TH STATION OF THE CROSS:
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
We adore you O Christ, and we bless you,
Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

LECTOR: From the sixth hour, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi Eloi Lema Sabachthani?” Which is translated as “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the by-standers who heard it said, “Look he is calling Elijah.” One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink saying, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.” Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:33-39)

MEDITATION: After hours of unimaginable suffering, Jesus finally breathes His last. The sky grows dark and the earth trembles as creation itself seems to mourn. The One through whom all things were made now gives His life for the very world that rejected Him. To human eyes it appears that evil has won and that death has claimed the final word. Yet in this very moment of apparent defeat, the greatest victory in history is unfolding. Love conquers hatred, mercy triumphs over sin, and life begins to overcome death.

In our own time we too experience moments that feel like darkness. Many hearts are weighed down by hopelessness, discouragement, and a sense of emptiness. Our world bears deep wounds, families torn apart by violence, innocent lives lost through crime and political unrest, communities divided by hatred and prejudice, and countless people struggling under the burden of poverty, addiction, and despair. Too often human dignity is ignored, and the value of life is forgotten. In such moments it can seem as though God is hidden and the face of Christ is difficult to recognize.

Yet it is precisely on the Cross that Jesus reveals who God truly is. The suffering Christ shows us a love that refuses to abandon humanity even in its darkest hour. On Calvary the instrument of torture becomes the sign of redemption. The Cross, once a symbol of shame and cruelty, becomes the greatest sign of hope the world has ever known. From this place of suffering, Christ transforms death into a path toward life and darkness into the promise of light.

Whenever we face suffering, loss, or uncertainty, the Cross reminds us that God has not abandoned us. Even in moments when the world feels broken and heavy with sorrow, Christ remains present. His love continues to work quietly within human history, calling us to faith, compassion, and courage. As followers of Christ, we are invited to become witnesses of that hope, to show through our lives that love is stronger than hatred and that God’s mercy still transforms the world.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, by Your death on the Cross You broke the power of sin and opened for us the path to eternal life. In the moment when darkness seemed to triumph, Your love revealed the true victory of God.

Teach us to cherish and defend the dignity of every human life. Help us to work for justice, peace, and compassion in a world that so often forgets the value of the human person. When we encounter suffering, loss, or moments of deep uncertainty, remind us that You are never absent, even when the night seems longest.

Strengthen our faith so that our words and our actions may bear witness to Your saving love. May our lives proclaim with conviction and hope the truth spoken by the centurion beneath the Cross:

“Truly, this man was the Son of God.”

Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now,
and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Let me mingle tears with you, mourning him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live.