“Here is the man” (J 19, 5) – the words of Pilate, directed to the crowd, showing Jesus. The most visible sign of God's Mercy is the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, who became a man to sacrifice His life for us on the cross.

We'll follow his footsteps, contemplating the way of the cross and asking for God's Mercy to be realized in us and in every human being around the world.

Station I - Jesus in front of Pilate

 “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. (…) What is truth?” (J18, 37-38).
The truth about life is as follows: it is sanctity, upon which only God can decide, not some Pilate – from the beginning until the end of the world. Let's pray so that we would all understand it.
Our Father…
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station II - Jesus receives the Cross

We adore you…
“Carrying the cross by himself, Jesus went to the place called Skull Hill (in Hebrew, Golgotha) (J 19, 17)
The sanctity and inviolability of human life demands taking up some toil to protect it against destruction, since there are so many people who want to destroy all what is sacred. Life protectors are called to take that cross.
Our father…
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station III – The first fall

We adore you…
“He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; (…) upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray (…) and the has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Is.53, 2-6)
At this station we realize God's infinite mercy, who, for our sins, gave His son away. May this convince us to trust in the Merciful Father that evil cannot conquer in the world. Life has to conquer death. Let's do everything for this victory to come.
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station IV - The Mother

We adore you…
“I am the Lord's servant” (L. 1, 38)
For a life to come into being we need a mother. A mother who serves life. She cannot be missed at the moment of conception, at birth or throughout the child's earthly wandering. The best of all mothers was at these moments with her Son. Let's pray for all mothers to be life's servants.
Our Father…
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station V – Simon of Cyrene carries the cross

We adore you…
“As they led Jesus away, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country just then, was forced to follow Jesus and carry his cross.” (L 23, 26)
Human life which is wandering through the world, throughout many dangers, often demands support to save this life. Jesus carrying the cross teaches us this lesson. He accepted help from a stranger. It was unwilling help, yet still this act became a merit. Oh Lord, let's hope we won't have to be forced to protect life.
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station VI – Veronica's help

We adore you…
“Great crowds trailed along behind, including many grief- stricken women” (L 23, 27)
Tradition says that one of these women was Veronica , who wasn't crying but she really wanted to help humiliated Life. She made an act of mercy, the one she was capable of. Nowadays, they are trying to tell us, especially those who set the European laws, that abortion is an act of mercy. May no-one give in or listen to that kind of law.
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station VII - Another fall

We adore you…
“But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people.” (Ps 22, 7)
A man falling down under the weight of the cross may arouse pity, but more often he arouses derision and disrespect. People who can be truly sympathetic and willing to help have always been scarce. As history shows, there have always been more of those willing to kill than those willing to pick up the falling ones. People nowadays tend to say “I don't kill but I won't help to protect life”. May we not become indifferent towards a man in danger, suppressed by the weight of life.
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station VIII - Women on the way of the cross

We adore you…
“The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all who live.” (Gen 3, 20) “(…) Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” (L 23, 28)
Out of the Creator's will a woman is the first cradle for a conceived child. God entrusted in her and gave her a vulnerable creature, who is an act of God himself. The role of a mother doesn't end with birth because a mother must also take care of the upbringing. Jesus says to the women: “Weep” which means take care of your children so that they wouldn't become a dry branch but always be members of the great mankind family, acting responsibly. For the upbringing of young generations in respect for life we ask you, Lord.
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station IX – The last fall

We adore you…
“All you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me.” (Lm 1, 12)
These words make us realize the truth that Jesus sacrificed all his strengths to save us. His helplessness on the Cross Way is to be a mobilization for us so that we wouldn't stop in protecting the biggest of all values- human life.
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station X – Jesus stripped off everything

We adore you…
“The soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.” (Mt 27, 35)
Every man has his dignity. One of the conditions to keep this dignity is the right to possess the most personal things. If a man's dignity is to be destroyed he is deprived of everything, including clothes. He is, in a way, killed socially. “You are not a human being” – this is a step to sanction the right to kill this creature. If the European laws gave dignity to a conceived human being, they wouldn't allow for it to be killed. Lord, I beg you to be able to understand the dignity of human beings, living under a mother's heart. We understand it. May all the world understand it as well.
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station XI – Spread on the cross

We adore you…
“Finally, they came to a place called The Skull. All three were crucified there – Jesus on the center cross, and the two criminals on either side. Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people, because they don't know what they are doing.” (L 23, 33-34)
All life of Jesus was a sign of God's mercy for the world. In the most dramatic moment of his life Jesus asks for God's mercy for us and the whole world. Especially in this Sanctuary we shall call aloud with Jesus; “God, have mercy for us and the whole world which doesn't respect human life, as a sanctity, but crucifies it in various ways.”
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station XII – It is finished

We adore you…
“Standing near the cross were Jesus' mother, and his mother's sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Woman, he is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “She is your mother.” (J 19, 25-27)
Jesus in his will, which he passes from the cross, grants us care for every mother and the fruit of her womb, that is life. Lord, help us so that around us life defeats death.
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station XIII – His body is taken down from the cross

We adore you…
“Afterwards Joseph of Arimathea (…) asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus' body down. When Pilate gave him permission, he came and took the body away. Nicodemus (…) also came. (…) Together they wrapped Jesus' body in a long linen cloth with the spices, as is the Jewish custom of burial.” (J 19, 38-40)
One of the signs of respect for man's dignity is a concern for his body after his death. The body has always been respected through burial in the mother-soil. Today, when so much is talked about human rights, this elementary one is not guaranteed for many. It was the Twentieth century, which was so boastful about its civilization progress, who turned a human being into the raw materials for the production of useful objects like soap, cosmetics etc. Doesn't it frighten us? Shouldn't we call in the Twenty-first century: “Have mercy on us and on the whole world?”
Our Father….
Lord Jesus, crucified, have mercy on us!

Station XIV – Tomb and Resurrection

We adore you…
“But very early on Sunday morning the women came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. So they went in, but they couldn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. They were puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Suddenly, two men appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed low before them. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking in the tomb for someone who is alive? He isn't here. He has risen from the dead”. (L 24, 1-6)
Let's end this Way of the Cross with the words of God's servant John Paul II, who consecrated this Basilica of Divine Mercy, repeated so many times throughout his pontificate: “Fight, for the right of every human being to be born. (…) Do not be discouraged by the difficulties, protests or failures which you can experience. (…) As a Vicar of Christ, God's Word Incarnate, I say to you: rest your faith in God the Creator and Father of every human being. (…) In Christ who died and was resurrected, the case of a man has already been given the final verdict: Life will Conquer Death”.
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Apostle's Creed…


Father Stanisław Maślanka
Crusade of Prayer for Conceived Children, Poland
Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Cracow-Łagiewniki 2007