Stations of the Cross Seventh Station Jesus falls for the second time

Stations of the Cross

Seventh Station

Jesus falls for the second time

 

We adore you O Christ and we Praise you

Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world

Poem

Our pain he endured, the Suffering Servant, no man of beauty

Love his inspiration, the very reason driving this man of destiny

Broken, crushed by accepting the fate of loving, his steps faltering

The merciless cross dug into weary flesh causing the second falling

Crumpled upon the earth, a lamb led to slaughter, he did not complain

By his wounds healing occurred, as the Christ slowly got up once again

Meditation

The “Suffering Servant” portrayed by the prophet Isaiah, particularly in Isaiah 53, is a central figure in Jewish and Christian theology. It echoes the way of the Cross, in the weight of the cross, the humiliation of crucifixion, the pain of rejection, Isaiah’s words are a revelation. Describing a servant of God who endures immense suffering, is despised, and yet is ultimately vindicated, with his suffering bearing fruit for the many. The Servant of God embodied in the tiny infant born of Mary, the grown man praying until drops of blood poured as sweat accepted the way of the cross bringing forgiveness restoring life bringing hope to the hearts of people once again. His falling for the second time is a human weakness a stuttering in the face of the sheer force of evil. Christ gets up once more for love vanquishes evil, love dissipates hatred and love is the ultimate victory of the Suffering Servant.

Isaiah 53:4-12

Yet it was our pain that he bore,

our sufferings he endured.

We thought of him as stricken,

struck down by God* and afflicted,

But he was pierced for our sins,

crushed for our iniquity.

He bore the punishment that makes us whole,

by his wounds we were healed.

 

We had all gone astray like sheep,

all following our own way;

But the LORD laid upon him

the guilt of us all.

Though harshly treated, he submitted

and did not open his mouth;

Like a lamb led to slaughter

or a sheep silent before shearers,

he did not open his mouth

 

Seized and condemned, he was taken away.

Who would have thought any more of his destiny?

For he was cut off from the land of the living,

struck for the sins of his people.

He was given a grave among the wicked,

a burial place with evildoers,

Though he had done no wrong,

nor was deceit found in his mouth.

 

But it was the LORD’s will to crush him with pain.

By making his life as a reparation offering,*

he shall see his offspring, shall lengthen his days,

and the LORD’s will shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his anguish he shall see the light;

because of his knowledge he shall be content;

My servant, the just one, shall justify the many,

their iniquity he shall bear.

Source: http://humblepiety.blogspot.com/2025/04/stations-of-cross-seventh-station-jesus.html