A Journey to Calvary
The Way of the Cross
for the Terminally Ill
by Carla Riga
This Way of the Cross was written for those who are terminally ill and for those who care for and love them. The author was inspired to write this Journey to Calvary as she watched her mother suffer with cancer, and saw how her mother's journey paralleled Jesus' as he walked the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
I. Jesus is condemned to death.
I'll never forget the day, February 13th, when I received the news. The exploratory surgery did not go well ... they said the worst thing that could happen is that I might have a colostomy. When I awoke, the look in my family's eyes told me it was much worse ... cancer. There was nothing they could do. That day I felt I had been given a death sentence. Jesus, what did you do as you stood before Pontius Pilate and received a sentence to die? Just as you did nothing to deserve this sentence, neither did I. What is in this sentence that could be good? Please walk with me and show me how to journey the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
II. Jesus takes the cross upon his shoulders.
Lord, I have been given this disease, help me to carry this cross with courage and love as you did. May I carry the cross of discomfort and sickness from chemotherapy and radiation, doctors' appointments and plain hospital walls? Please help me to carry this cross. Please walk with me and show me how to journey down the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
III. Jesus falls for the first time.
They didn't tell me that I would be sick. Nausea, lack of energy, the emotional drain has me face down under the weight of this cross. Help me, Jesus, my head is spinning from all that is happening to me. Help me to continue. There are so many that need me to continue. Please walk with me and show me how to journey down the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
IV. Carrying the cross, Jesus meets Mary.
As I deal with all this disease has given me, I realize my spouse is dealing with it too. Jesus, how did you comfort your mother? Was it a touch, or a look of compassion for her? Or was it an understanding smile you gave her that strengthened Mary in her sorrow and disbelief of what she was seeing? Mary, help my loved ones. Walk with me too as I journey down the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
V. They compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross of Jesus.
The day the hospice care givers arrived I knew my Simon of Cyrene had arrived. They came right in when asked and took up my cross, my pain, and my worries walking with Jesus and me on our journey down the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
VI. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
There are many Veronica's in my life coming in different forms to wipe my face. The neighbors who have brought food, grocery shopped or sent cards. Those people who are praying for me. The visitors who have listened, loved and laughed with me. All these gestures are acts of kindness like that of Veronica, as we journey down the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
VII. Jesus falls a second time.
Jesus, how can I go on? The pain, the discomfort, the sorrow of my family is all too much for me to bear. I feel flattened under the weight of this cross. Will I make it to Calvary? Where can I find strength? Jesus, help me to continue. There are so many that need me to continue. Please walk with me and show me how to journey down the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
VIII. Jesus meets the women and the children.
Lord, how did you comfort the women and the children? My children and extended family look at me and cry. I don't want them to see me like this, yet we need one another. Our good-byes are difficult but not final. They walk with us as we journey down the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
IX. Jesus falls a third time.
Lord, how much longer is this road to Calvary? This is it. I am too weak to get up. Too weak to eat or open my eyes. Why ME?? Why do I have to suffer? What is it that gets you up a third time? Is it again love? That deep desire to love? I hear my children's voices; their love picks me up with your love as we journey down the road to Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
X. Jesus is stripped of his garments.
I never thought that this disease could strip me of all I enjoy doing. Sharing a meal with friends and family, working, gardening, baking and traveling. All these things I have enjoyed are being stripped away each day. Was this what it was like for you? The only thing is simply to be and be present to all that come to visit. Please stay with me hear at Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
XI. Jesus is nailed to the cross.
The time is near. I can no longer eat. The medication is now an added appendage to my body. As I lay here surrounded by my loved ones, I am overcome by a deep loneliness. Why have you abandoned me on Calvary?
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
XII. Jesus dies on the cross.
Jesus, is this where the road to Calvary ends--here on the cross? Is this where the journey takes me--only to darkness and confusion? Help me to understand and accept this cross. Even as I slowly die, I wonder, "why me?" Are you really still here with me on this hill in Calvary?
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
XIII. Jesus is taken down from the cross.
As they took your body down from the cross and darkness covered the land, what did the people do? Mary, your mother, gently took you in her arms and held you. Did she die that day too? Jesus and Mary, please help my family and loved ones as they accept the part of them that has died. They are on Calvary with me. Gently hold them and comfort them in this time of loss and confusion.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
XIV. Jesus is laid in the tomb.
My family and friends wonder sometimes, "Is there more than just the grave?" In many ways, they could be compared to those first disciples. They were not certain what was going to happen. Their hearts were broken with sorrow and confusion. Jesus, all the events of your passion happened so quickly. Your disciple did not have much time to think what could happen next. Help my family and loved ones to understand there is more that awaits us in heaven. It doesn't end at Calvary.
V: We adore you Christ and we bless you,
R: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
XV. The Resurrection
Jesus, on our entire journey to Calvary, you never gave me an answer to where this road to Calvary would lead. You silently walked with me and led me to the cross on Calvary. I thought somehow that there on Calvary I would find the answer to all this, yet you gave me no answer. Now I know and understand that this journey to Calvary has led me on another journey, a journey of glory. This journey will be for all eternity. This can never be fully understood without your resurrection, which is a confirmation of all God's promises and hope of eternal glory. Yes, the road to Calvary was difficult but knowing that it will end in glory helps me to continue on even though I do not fully understand the mystery. Thank you Jesus for showing me how to journey down the road to Calvary.