The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
R.    The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings:
The grain, the wine, and the oil,
the sheep and the oxen.
R.    The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R.    The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

The Eighth Station – Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem

V.  We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.

R.  For by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

Moved by compassion, these devoted women weep over our suffering Savior.  But He turns to them and says: “Weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children.  Weep for your sins and those of your children; for they are the cause of My suffering.”  You also must weep over your sins, for there is nothing more pleasing to our Lord and more useful to yourself than the tears you shed out of contrition for your sins.

O Merciful Jesus, who shall give my eyes a torrent of tears, that I may day and night weep over my sins?  I beseech Thee by Thy bitter and bloody tears to move my heart, so that tears may flow in abundance from my eyes, and that I may weep over Thy sufferings and over my sins until death.

Our Father…; Hail Mary…; Glory Be…

V.  Lord Jesus, Crucified.

R.  Have mercy on us.

Sung…O Thou Mother font of Love.  Touch my spirit from above.  Make my heart with thine accord.

Do something great for our Lord today – think of the statement Jesus made to the women of Israel.  Luke 23, 27-31…27 A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him .28 ⁿ Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children,29 for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’30 At that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ ^o 31 for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?”  Are those days here?

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.

But you man of God chose righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.  Compete well for the faith.

Eternal God, in Whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion – inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us so that in difficult moments we may not despair nor become despondent but with great confidence, submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.