Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
All: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
A reading from Luke 23:27-30: A huge crowd of people followed,along with women weeping and carrying on. At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. The time is coming when they’ll say, ‘Lucky the women who never conceived! Lucky the wombs that never gave birth! Lucky the breasts that never gave milk!’ Then they’ll start calling to the mountains, ‘Fall down on us!’ calling to the hills, ‘Cover us up!’
Let us pray: Holy One, Even as we cry for you, Lord, you care for us. Protect us in times of trial, and strengthen us when we feel defeated, until that day when you reign in peace forever and ever. In Jesus’ name, Amen
(May be sung or said) Were you there when the women mourned for him? Were you there when the women mourned for him? Oh sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when the women mourned for him?
