Gethsemane Garden Stones, Stations of the Cross

Could you not keep watch with me?

2006-08-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

36Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed.

38Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

40And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41”Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:36-41)

Preparatory Prayer

2006-08-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Meditations of St. Alphonse Ligouri

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, I repent sincerely for having ever offended Thee. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany Thee on this journey. Thou goest to die for love of me; I wish also my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of Thee. My Jesus, I will live and die always united to Thee.

My good and dear Jesus,

I kneel before You, asking You most earnestly to engrave upon my heart a deep and lively faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins, and a firm resolve to make amends.
As I reflect upon Your five wounds, and dwell upon them with deep compassion and grief, I recall, good Jesus, the words the Prophet David spoke long ago concerning Yourself:

“They pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My bones.”

The 1st Station

2006-08-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

I. Jesus is Condemned to Death.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider that Jesus, after having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross.

My Adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no it was my sins, that condemned Thee to die. I beseech Thee, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey towards eternity.

I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

The 2nd Station

2006-08-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

II. Jesus accepts His Cross.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider that Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on His shoulders, thought of us and offered for us to His Father the death that he was about to undergo.

My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribulations that Thou hast destined for me until death. I beseech Thee, by the merits of the pain Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy Cross, to give me the necessary help to carry mine with perfect patience and resignation.

The 3rd Station

2006-08-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

III. Jesus falls the First time.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider this first fall of Jesus under His Cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, His Head crowned with thorns, and He had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so weakened that He could scarcely walk, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. As the soldiers struck Him cruelly, He fell several times under the heavy cross.

My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the Cross, but of my sins, which have made Thee suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal sin.

I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

The 4th Station

2006-08-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

IV. Jesus meets His Sorrowful Mother.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider how the Son met his Mother on His way to Calvary. Jesus and Mary gazed at each other and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts, which loved each other so tenderly.

My most loving Jesus, by the pain You suffered in this meeting grant me the grace of being truly devoted to Your most holy Mother. And You, my Queen, who was overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by Your prayers a tender and a lasting remembrance of the passion of Your divine Son.

I love You, Jesus, my Love, above all things. I repent of ever having offended You. Never allow me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

The 5th Station

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V. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry His Cross.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider how weak and weary Jesus was. At each step He was at the point of expiring. Fearing that He would die on the way when they wished Him to die the infamous death of the cross, they forced Simon of Cyrene to help carry the cross after Our Lord.

My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the cross as the Cyrenian did. I accept it, I embrace it. I accept in particular the death that Thou hast destined for me, with all the pains which may accompany it. I unite it to Thy death; I offer it to Thee. Thou hast died for love of me! I will die for love of Thee, and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace.

I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

The 6th Station

2006-08-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

VI. Veronica wipes the Face of Jesus.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider that the holy woman named Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted and His Face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel, with which He wiped His adorable Face, leaving on It the impression of His Holy Countenance.

My most beloved Jesus. Thy Face was beautiful before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, and wounds and blood have disfugured it. Alas! My soul also was once beautiful, when it received Thy grace in Baptism, but I have disfigured it since by my sins. Thou alone, my Redeemer, canst restore it to its former beauty. Do this, by Thy Passion, O Jesus.

I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

The 7th Station

2006-08-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

VII. Jesus falls the Second Time.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross, a fall which renews the pains of all the wounds of the Head and members of our afflicted Lord.

My most gentle Jesus, how many times Thou hast pardoned me, and how many times have I fallen again, and begun again to offend Thee! Oh, by the merits of this new fall, give me the necessary helps to persevere in Thy grace until death. Grant that in all temptations which assail me I may always commend myself to Thee.

I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee with my whole heart; I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

The 8th Station

2006-08-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

VIII. The Women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider that those women wept with compassion at seeing Jesus in so pitiable a state, streaming with blood as He walked along. But Jesus said to them, “Weep not for Me, but for thy children.”

My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the offenses that I have committed against Thee, because of the pains which they have deserved, and still more because of the displeasure which thy have caused Thee, Who hast loved me so much. It is Thy love, more than the fear of Hell, which causes me to weep for my sins.

I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

The 9th Station

2006-08-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

IX. Jesus falls the Third Time.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider the third fall of Jesus Christ. His weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of His executioners excessive, who tried to hasten His steps when He had scarcely the strength to move.
Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weakness that Thou didst suffer in going to Calvary, give me strength sufficient to conquer all human respect and all my wicked passions, which have led me to despise Thy friendship.

I love Thee, Jesus, with my whole heart, and I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

The 10th Station

2006-08-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

X. Jesus is stripped of His Garments.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. 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. Have pity for your Savior so cruelly treated and tell Him:

My innocent Jesus, by the torment You suffered in being stripped of Your garments, help me to strip myself of all attachment for the things of earth that I may place all my love in You who are so worthy of my love.

I love You, O Jesus, with all my heart; I am sorry for ever having offended You. Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

The 11th Station

2006-08-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

XI. Jesus is nailed to the Cross.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider that 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, raising the Cross, left Him to die with anguish on this infamous gibbet.

My Jesus, loaded with contempt, nail my heart to Thy feet, that it may ever remain there to love Thee and never quit Thee again.

I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

The 12th Station

2006-08-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

XII. Jesus is raised upon the Cross and Dies.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider how thy 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 Cross on which Thou didst die for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death, but Thy death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Thy death, give me grace to die, embracing Thy feet and burning with love for Thee. I commit my soul into Thy hands.

I love Thee with my whole heart. I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

The 13th Station

2006-08-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

XIII. Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the arms of His sorrowful mother.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider how, after Our Lord had died, He was taken down from the cross by two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, and placed in the arms of His afflicted Mother. She received Him with unutterable tenderness and pressed Him close to her bosom.

O Mother of Sorrows, for the love of Your Son, accept me as Your servant and pray to Him for me, And You, my Redeemer, since you have died for me, allow me to love You, for I desire only You and nothing more.

I love You, Jesus my Love, and I am sorry that I have offended You. Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

The 14th Station

2006-08-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

XIV. Jesus is laid in the Sepulchre.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Consider that the disciples carried the Body of Jesus to bury It, accompanied by His Holy Mother, who arranged It in the Sepulchre with her own hands. Then they closed the tomb and all withdrew.

Oh, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that closes You in. But You gloriously did rise again on the third day. I beg You by Your resurrection that I may be raised gloriously on the last day, to be united with You in heaven, to praise You and love You forever.

I love Thee, my beloved Jesus; I love Thee more than myself; I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Divine Mercy

2006-08-05T15:44:00.001-07:00

Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday following Easter. The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday.

Audio and video from the National Shrine of Divine Mercy, Stockbridge Mass.

How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy:

Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

Sign of the Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

Our Father:

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

The Hail Mary:

Hail Mary,Full of Grace,The Lord is with thee.Blessed art thou among women,and blessed is the fruitof thy womb, Jesus.Holy Mary,Mother of God,pray for us sinners now,and at the hour of death. Amen

The Apostles Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen

Then on the larger beads say the following:

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the 10 smaller beads say the following for all 5 decades:

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Conclude with (three times):

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.

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Merciful Heart

taken from EWTN Devotionals on The Divine Mercy

There are two scriptural verses that we should keep in mind as we involve ourselves in these devotional practices:

“This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Is 29:13)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt5:7)

It’s an ironic and somewhat frightening fact that many of the most religious people of Christ’s time (people who were actively practicing their religion and eagerly awaiting the promised Messiah) were not able to recognize Him when He came.

The Pharisees, to whom Christ was speaking in the first quotation above, were very devoted to the prayers, rules, and rituals of their religion; but over the years, these outer observances had become so important in themselves that their real meaning had been lost. The Pharisees performed all the prescribed sacrifices, said all the right prayers, fasted regularly, and talked a lot of about God, but none of it had touched their hearts. As a result, they had no relationship with God, they were not living the way He wanted them to live, and they were not prepared for the coming of Jesus.

When we look at the image of the Merciful Savior, or pause for prayer at three o’clock, or pray the Chaplet — are these things drawing us closer to the real sacramental life of the Church and allowing Jesus to transform our hearts? Or have they just become religious habits? In our daily lives are we growing more and more as people of mercy? Or are we just giving “lip service” to God’s mercy?

making the stations

2006-08-05T02:35:00.000-07:00

I’ve been making the Stations of the Cross garden stones since Ash Wednesday in the year 2005. I was inspired by the writings of St. Catherine Emmerich regarding Mary’s house in Ephesus, Turkey.

St. Catherine tells how Mary, the virgin mother of Christ, had placed stones marking the Passion of Christ in the garden behind her home in Ephesus. This story gave me the idea to make garden stones of the Way of the Cross for backyard gardens.

I saw a tiffany glass garden stone at my sister’s house of a sunflower and thought this would be the perfect medium for making the Way of the Cross. The glass & concrete are sturdy enough to weather the elements and retain their beauty. They fit well in a garden setting. They turn an otherwise ordinary setting into a prayerful, meditative one.

The Stations pictured here are tiffany garden stepping-stones not really meant to be stepped upon, but they could be. They are made from cut stained glass & concrete. The images are pieces of glass, held in place by the concrete. It takes me around 8-12 hours to make each stone depending on the detail and how many pieces of glass. Each piece is scored, and then broken. Most of them need to be ground to smooth out the edges and for finer detail in shaping. They are then put together like a puzzle to form the image. When all the glass pieces are in place they are taped together and placed in a mold. The mold can be any shape; octagon, circle, rectangle, square, diamond. Once placed in position in the mold the concrete is mixed, colored, and then poured into the mold. When the concrete dries the piece is taken out of the mold and cleaned up. It then needs to cure for about a month before being treated with a concrete water seal.

Many of the images I used to create my patterns were inspired by St. Catherine Emmerich's book, on which the movie “The Passion of The Christ” was based. Many of the images I use are so reflective, such as the 2nd Station “Jesus Accepts the Cross” where Jesus actually “hugs and embraces” the Cross, that one finds themselves naturally drawn deeper into contemplation.

When I was making the very first pattern, ‘Jesus is condemned by Pilate’ I had originally drawn a picture of Jesus standing slightly behind Pilate who was addressing the crowd. Later that day, after I put my miraculous medal on, I resumed work drawing my pattern when the thought occured to me, “make Jesus bigger”. I thought, “but if I make Jesus bigger there won’t be any room for Pilate?” then the answer came, “make Pilate smaller”. Doesn’t that just sound like our Blessed Mother? Make Jesus bigger! And so I did. From then on I have been consulting Our Lady during the entire process - “Which piece of glass should I use here? Help me make this cut? Where should this go?” so that for me the process of making the Stations is truly “Ora est Labora”.

I can’t allow myself to take the credit for having any talent in making these. I have never cut glass before in my life. I had to ask the clerk at the Stained Glass store which tools I would need and how to use them. Indeed, if there is any good in any of them it is the work of the Holy Spirit using my hands.

Interested in purchasing a set?

2006-08-05T02:30:00.000-07:00

I have created this space to share with you my devotion to the Passion of Christ.

I make these garden stepping stones of the Stations of the Cross as a visual aid to praying the Way of the Cross, to transform a garden into a spiritual prayer garden. Consider purchasing a set for your backyard, convent, monastery, retreat center or church.

AVAILABILITY:

Making the Stations is not my livelihood, but more of a passion. A set of the 14 Stations of the Cross takes around 40 days to 2 months to make. Each stone is individually hand made and takes approx 8-12 hours during my spare time to make (see the section on “how they’re made”). They need to cure or dry for 28 days from the time the concrete is poured. Then they are treated with a concrete sealer (you can either do this yourself or if you’re not in a rush I can do it here).

The octagonal stones are approximately 11 ½ ” x 11 ½ ” x 1 ½ ”

The circular stone is approx 11” diameter and 1” - 1 ½ ” deep

Each stone weighs approx 8 lbs.

As you can see they can be made into a variety of shapes: octagon, hexagon, square, and circle and colors: tan, terracotta, black, charcoal, and gray.

PRICING:

I am currently asking $100.00 per stone for the Stations of the Cross and Divine Mercy when ordered as a set. A set of the 14 Stations of the Cross would be $1400 and if you wanted to add the Divine Mercy it would be $1500. Arrangements can be made for one stone per month.

I ask $120.00 to $150.00 per stone for individual stones e.g. Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Rose of Lima and St. Michael the Archangel depending on the complexity. I plan to add new designs as time and inspiration allows. I can also make custom orders.

All Shipping & Handling is extra.

Please contact me if you would like to inquire about purchasing a set.

2000revert@gmail.com

and please let me know how you found out about me