3. Jesus falls the first time

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

Because, by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Jesus falls at the feet of his tormentors. Yet his longing for our
salvation drives him on. He did not need the blows of the soldiers to flog
him to Calvary. His love for us drove him on; the Holy Spirit drove him on;
the longing of the eternal Father to win us to heaven drove him on.

Lord, it was not the weight of the cross but the weight of my sins which
made you suffer so much. By the merits of this first fall, save me from
falling into mortal sin.