† The Seventh Station

VII Jesus Falls the Second Time

…it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured.

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. Is 53:4-6

The gift here is endurance. Jesus falls a second time, but struggles to his feet and continues. In the Garden, he had prayed to be spared this, but rose from prayer strengthened to do the Father’s will, not his own. Following Jesus is the work of a lifetime, and to fall is not to fail. With the strength of this One who bore our burdens, we can begin again and persevere in our Christian journey.

Save us, Savior of the world, for by your cross and resurrection,
You have set us free.