The Third Station, Jesus Fall the First Time

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You!

Because by your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world!

Jesus, that You stumbled and fell is no surprise -- in fact, that You had managed to remain on your feet so long is mind boggling.  What You suffered during the agony in the garden, the betray, your arrest and being roughly handled on the way to the high priest's house, the abuse and ridicule You experienced at their hands, being brought before Pilate and Herod, the cruel scurging and crowning with thorns and finally being forced to carry a heavy cross took more strength than any one human being could have endured.  And that You were able to rise and start again on the journey carrying your cross is equally unfathomable.  Yet we must remember that your Divine Nature held so much love for us, that You had the strength to carry on.

So often, the "little things" trip us up:  a headache or fatigue, defects of body, mind or soul, irritations or moods; silly things that get in the way of our pride and cause us to stumble and fall.

Lord, give us wisdom and knowledge so that we remember that You are so much greater than everything else and that with your help, we can overcome those thing that "trip us up" so that we can live in ever greater union with You.