Way of the Cross leads us not to the tomb, but to the glory of life.

We observe 14 Stations of the Cross as a repentance prayer, in the lent period that precedes Easter in order to meditate on the passion of Jesus who was condemned to death and crucified at Calvary by Jews and Roman soldiers who opposed the teachings and doings of the Son of God.

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These stations of the passion of Christ are prayed as follows:

1. Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate – Although Pilate knew beyond doubt that Jesus did nothing wrong, wanting to satisfy the demanding crowd He released Barabas, a notorious criminal to them. Then Pilate had Jesus flogged and handed over him to be crucified. Jesus was to be crucified for the serious sins committed by each one of us. It is said “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23) but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Thus, instead of sinners like us dying for our sins, Jesus paid by his death for us to be saved.

2. Jesus bears the Cross – The Cross, said to have been made for Barabas, was to be carried by Jesus and the criminal who was to be crucified was spared. It was a very heavy cross. Jesus carried such a cross because our sins are so huge. In a way we are Barabasses of various types of mortal sins. The cross was unbearable, yet Jesus took upon himself the cross for us to be rescued and made us ready for heaven.

3. Jesus falls the first time – We committed sins to such a critical level, that load of the Cross was so heavy, Jesus fell to the ground with the cross. Our sins will fail us miserably and we will fall dangerously unless we repent and remain in the ways of God.

4. Jesus meets His Mother – Jesus and His mother Mary met each other during the journey to Calvary. This is the saddest meeting any mother and son could ever experience. And suffering is the worst in silence. We shall sincerely pray to Jesus through the intercession of Mother Mary to receive spiritual strength to bear sorrows, sufferings and separations.

5. Pedestrian Simon helps Jesus in distress – Simon was from Cyrene. He was passing by on his way home. Soldiers seized him and forced him to carry the cross behind Jesus. Simon is fortunate; he could lend a helping hand to Jesus. Sinners like us would never accept any cross. Instead we would try to place them on others because there is pleasure in doing sin. And in carrying cross there is pain. If we have a mustard seed size faith in Jesus, we are bound by his love to carry the cross given to us and we should accept due punishment for our sins.

6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus – According to legend, Jesus was offered a handkerchief by Saint Veronica, on the road to Calvary and the image of Jesus was impressed upon it by divine will. She was the only person who took courage to defy the orders of the soldiers and so closely met Jesus and did this never-forgettable act. O Jesus, my Lord, yours was the most handsome face of a man the earth ever saw. Though through our sins we have disfigured ourselves and became unworthy to show our face to you, your face remains the holiest.

7. Jesus falls the second time – The ongoing increase in human sins was unbearable even to God, Jesus fell the second time. We must prayerfully remember that our sins can fall us fatally and without the grace of God we cannot rise. Jesus, lift us out from the dark pit we are in.

8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem – ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, weep for yourselves and for your children.’ These words of Jesus remain true even today. We are weeping not about ourselves and not about our children. This is because we are all sinners. When sin is in, Jesus finds no place in the inn of our mind. We remain in the domain of the devil. Jesus, shower your grace and save us from the grip of the evil.

9. Jesus falls the third time – This is a warning signal to all of us that our sins will keep failing us and we will fall never to rise. We should avoid sin and avoid eternal fall. Jesus strengthens us in our faith.

10. Jesus is stripped of his garments – When one’s worn clothes are forcefully removed, it is a shame in public. Here, Jesus was the victim at the hands of the soldiers. Clothes of us are the symbols of sins and Jesus is happy when we are stripped of our sins. Jesus, keep us away from sins.

11. Jesus is nailed to the cross – Crucifixion is the worst form of killing a person. Jesus chose the worst form of death for our deadly sins. We made the nails of sins for Jesus to nail Him to the cross. Our sins gave deathly pain to Jesus. Sins are capable of such atrocities. Jesus, give us the wisdom to abstain from sins.

12. Jesus dies on the cross – Jesus accepted a miserable death on the cross to give us eternal salvation and the kingdom of heaven. The wage of sin being death, He accepted it on the Cross to save us. Our souls would eternally die, if He had not died for us. There is repentance and absolution for our sins, since Jesus paid the price for them.

13. Jesus is brought down from the cross to be buried – Death brings everyone down to the earth but Jesus was brought down to the earth by our sins. The age in which we live is short with Simons and Samaritans but long with Barabasses and Judasses. Hence, God’s grace is essential for physical and spiritual survival. Jesus, give us your protection at all times.

14. Jesus is placed in the burial vault – Joseph who came from Arimathea got permission from Pilate to take the body of Jesus from Cross. He took the body of Jesus down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. Jesus, when we die allow us to join you in heaven.

Read about why we should pray the stations of the Cross.

The way of the Cross leads us not to emptiness but to triumph and glory.

Our ways of the cross too are the same. They too lead us to glory and victory.

- – - written by Dr. C.T George

We wonder many times, why our prayers are not answered! The reason can be one of these…

There are times in our life when we pray but don’t seem to get an answer. When prayers don’t get answered we are disturbed, anxious, worried, afraid, and lose hope. There can be many reasons why our prayers may not be answered.

Faith
Lack of faith is a reason why prayers are not answered. We read how Jesus stills the storm in Mt. 8:23-27. The disciples woke up Jesus saying that they are perishing. Jesus questions them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” May be Jesus is asking us the same question. When praying for the sick, James 5:15 is so clear, “The prayer of faith will save the sick.” One way of building faith is to get to know the Lord. The more we get to know Him, the more we shall trust Him. Trusting the Lord involves complete surrender. Praying the Apostles’ Creed repeatedly will also build our faith.

Righteousness
Righteous people are those who are right before God, those who do the Will of God. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles (Ps 34:17). For “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers” (1 Pet 3:12). “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective” (Jas. 5:16).

Perseverance in Prayer
Many times in our life we would pray once or twice for a particular need and then give up. We would then ask others to pray thinking God will hear their prayers and not ours. The parable in Luke 18:1-7 taught me a beautiful lesson. The parable begins by Jesus telling the disciples about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. The parable narrates how a widow goes to an unjust judge to seek justice. The widow kept bothering the unjust judge for justice. The widow was persistent in her request and in the end the unjust judge grants her justice. Jesus ends the parable with a question and the answer. “Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long in helping them? I tell you, He will quickly grant justice to them” (Lk 18:7-8). Romans 12:12 says ‘Persevere in payer’. It is when we learn to wait in prayer that we will be able to develop the fruit of patience.

Humility
The Lord delights in the humble. “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds and it will not rest until it reaches its goal” (Sir 35:21).

Obedience
In Luke 5:4-8 there is a beautiful lesson on obedience. After Jesus taught the crowds, He said to Simon Peter, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch”. Simon Peter was a fisherman and he knew where to catch fish and he tried the whole night to fish but caught nothing. Simon answered the Lord, “Master we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets”. When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. There is blessing when we obey. In 1 Sam 28 we read that Saul had a big obstacle ahead of him. The army of the philistines gathered against Israel and Saul saw it and was afraid. In verse 6 we see Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him. Saul goes to a medium to inquire of her.

This is a sad plight we see around. When some Christians do not receive answers to their prayers, they go to soothsayers, palmists, and fortune tellers for consultation. To remove obstacles in their life they would go for witchcraft, voodoo, black magic and so on. Some go ahead with games such as tarot cards and the Ouija board. The Church in her teaching is very clear. All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future (CCC 2116). Deut. 18:12 says, “Whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord.” Those involved in such practices should repent, cleanse themselves and dedicate themselves to the Lord. In moments of suffering when it seems that God is not answering we must learn to be patient.

Avoid Sin
In Jn 9:31 we read ‘God does not listen to sinners’. We need to reject sin and diabolical temptations for God to hear our prayers. Sin not confessed can be a barrier between God and us. We must confess our sin and receive absolution. “So if one fasts for his sins, and goes again and does the same things, who will listen to his prayer? And what has he gained by humbling himself?” (Sir 34:31). “When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow” (Is. 1:15-17).

Fathers will
Our prayers should be in accordance with Abba’s will and not petitions based on selfish desires (Js. 4:3). 1 Jn 5:14 says “And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prays for Abba’s will in the most trying situation of His life. Many of our petitions are based on the temporary needs of this life. Abba looks at eternity when answering our prayers. Abba will give us only what is good. ‘God wills that our desire should be exercised in prayer, that we may be able to receive what He is prepared to give’ – St. Augustine.

Unforgiveness
God will withhold His mercy if we do not forgive (Mt 6:14). Sirach 28:2-4 says “forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. Does anyone harbour anger against another, and expect healing from the Lord? If one has no mercy towards another like himself, can he then seek pardon for his sins?” We must root out all bitterness, resentment and hatred before we expect our prayers to be answered. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, it is meaningful only if we are free from bitterness, hatred and resentment.

Helping the Needy
The poor have no one to defend their cause. God will answer our prayers if we give ear to their desperate needs. Is. 58:7-9 says, “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be rear your guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and He will say, here I am.” If God’s word abides in us, our prayers will be answered (Jn. 15:7).

- – - written by Patrick Horne

Malayalam Prayers As Images

We have given a list of Malayalam prayers in this article. As Malayalam font is impossible in TBTG, I have added the malayalam prayer images above. Click on any of the above thumbnail images to get the full Malayalam prayer on your computer. Then you can make a printout of the image as you like, which can be used to say the prayer whenever you feel like praying.

Christian Malayalam prayers included in this article are Alphonsa Malayalam Novena, Guardian Angel Prayer, Kuriakose Elias Novena, Nanmaniranja Mariyame, Parishudha Raanji, Prayer for Church, St Jude Prayer, St Michael Archangel, Thrisandiajapam, Yethrayum Dayaulla Maathaye, Rogashaanthi Prarthana, Kadabaadhyadakal Maaraanulla Prarthana and ThiruRaktha Samrakshana Prarthana. These Malayalam prayers are not the final list, I know. We will be adding more prayers to this list. If you have something to add to these, then please let us know that by your comments.

So use your time wisely and do find more time for prayers. Here are these Christian Malayalam prayers for your help. Alphonsa Malayalam Novena, Guardian Angel Prayer, Kuriakose Elias Novena, Nanmaniranja Mariyame, Parishudha Raanji, Prayer for Church, St Jude Prayer, St Michael Archangel, Thrisandiajapam and Yethrayum Dayaulla Maathaye. God Bless You All.