The Third Station, Jesus falls for the First Time

An Unfailing Sacrifice

He stumbles, the dust rising to meet Him,
the weight of wood pressing into torn flesh,
the burden not just of timber
but of every sin, every sorrow, every cry
that ever rose to heaven unanswered.

He falls,
not of weakness,
but of love.

Love that bows low beneath our pride,
love that does not grasp at its own strength,
love that, even in the dirt,
chooses to rise again.

The world watches, unmoved.
The soldiers grow impatient.
The crowds whisper,
but the cross is not yet lifted.

Still, He rises.
Still, He walks.
Still, He loves.

________________________________________

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, You who bore the weight of my sins,
who fell beneath the burden of my pride,
teach me to see Your love in the dust,
in the stumbling, in the struggle,
in the moments when I feel I cannot rise.

Give me the strength to follow You,
not in self-reliance, but in surrender.
May I embrace my own falls,
not as failures,
but as invitations to trust,
to lean on Your mercy,
to rise again in Your grace.

Jesus, fallen yet unfailing,
lift me with You.
Amen.