As we begin Lent this Ash Wednesday, we begin to walk with Jesus during this time of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. Throughout this season, we will share prayers from “The Way of the Cross with Pope Francis,” the devotional booklet we are offering as a gift to our readers. It shows, beautifully and powerfully, the faces and experiences of so many who are walking their own Way of the Cross every day in the world CNEWA serves. To order your free copy, visit cnewa.org/wotc, or write to wotc@cnewa.org.
First Station
Jesus is condemned to death
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 7:21)
Lord, how many mothers even today share the experience of your Mother, as they weep for the fate of their daughters and sons? How many conceive and give birth to their children, only to see them suffer and die from disease, malnutrition and lack of water, medical care and hope for the future? We pray for those who hold positions of responsibility, that they may heed the cry of the poor rising up to you from every part of our world. The plea of all those young lives condemned in different ways to death by the indifference born of selfish and discriminatory political policies. Grant that none of your children may lack employment and all that is needed for an honest and dignified life.