Holy Stairway

May 4, 2014

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Scala Sancti
A famous papal sanctuary located adjacent to the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, the Holy Staircase is believed to be the actual steps that Jesus climbed the day He was sentenced to death. Tradition holds that the stairs were ordered sent from Jerusalem to Rome by Saint Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine in 334 A.D. Though not completely documented, this has been believed for over 1,200 years, since it was first mentioned in papal documents in 844. The stairs are known as the Scala Pilati (Pilate's stairway) or the Scala Sancti (holy stairway).

It has been proven that the staircase was first located in the Patriarchum, the complex of palaces that was the ancient seat of popes. In 1589, Pope Sixtus V had it located to it's present location in front of the ancient palatine chapel (the Sancta Sactorum). Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) restored the staircase, and promoted it's veneration as one of Christianity's great relics. The pope climbed the 28 steps on his knees many times, an act of veneration done that was done traditionally then, and continues to this day. A prayer related to the passion of Jesus Christ is recited upon each of the 28 steps.

Prayers To Be Recited While
Climbing Up The Holy Staircase

At the foot of the Holy Staircase, before beginning your ascent
on your knees, recite:
"My Jesus, by the merits of your passion, I pray that you inspire
in me feelings of faith, of hope, and of charity, and that you grant
me pardon for my sins, while I, having decided to change my
life, proceed to climb the Staircase, which I venerate as a memento
of your sacrifice and as a spur to trusting in your mercy in this
life and to getting myself ready for eternal salvation in the next.
Amen."
1st Step:
My Jesus, by the anxiety that oppressed you in taking leave of
Holy Mary and of your beloved disciples, have pity upon me!
Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
2nd Step:
My Jesus, by the mortal anguish that made you sweat living
blood in the olive garden, have pity upon me! Holy Mother!
Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
3rd Step:
My Jesus, by the bitterness that Judas's betrayal caused you,
have pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the
wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
4th Step:
My Jesus, by the confusion felt in the ways of Jerusalem, exposed
as you were to the taunts of the vulgar crowd, have pity upon me!
Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
5th Step:
My Jesus, by the meekness you displayed before the tribunal,
have pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the
wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
6th Step:
My Jesus, by the patience you exercised during the mocking and
the insults that preceded your sentencing, have pity upon me!  Holy
Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
7th Step:
My Jesus, by the fatigue you felt on climbing up and descending
this staircase a number of time, have pity on me!  Holy Mother!
Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be impressed
in my heart!
8th Step:
My Jesus, by the silence you met the false witnesses with, when
they accused you before Pilate, have pity upon me!  Holy Mother!
Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be impressed in
my heart!
9th Step:
My Jesus, by the humility with which you let yourself be jeered
at and dressed as a madman in Herod's court, have pity upon me!
Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
10th Step:
My Jesus, by the shame suffered on seeing yourself stripped of
your clothing and chained to a column, have pity upon me!  Holy
Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
11th Step:
My Jesus, by the torment of your pitiless flagellation, have pity
upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds
of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
12th Step:
My Jesus, by the agony caused by the spines that pierced your
head, have pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about
that the wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
13th Step:
My Jesus, by the humiliation suffered when you were dressed
in a mantle of purple, with your eyes blindfolded and saluted in a
parody of how a king is saluted, have pity upon me!  Holy Mother!
Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be impressed in
my heart!
14th Step:
My Jesus, by the pain you felt on being presented to the people
that cried out that you were to be sentenced to death, have
pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds
of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
15th Step:
My Jesus, by the insult undergone in being put Bar Abbas, have
pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds
of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
16th Step:
My Jesus, by the resignation with which you embraced the cross
and walked up to Calvary, have pity upon me! Holy Mother!  Ah!
Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
17th Step:
My Jesus, by the sadness you felt in meeting your afflicted
mother Mary, have pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it
about that the wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
18th Step:
My Jesus, by the efforts you tolerated in your trip to Calvary,
burdened by the weight of the cross, have pity upon me!  Holy
Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
19th Step:
My Jesus, by the disgust that the bitter drink of wine mixed
with gall procured you, have pity upon me!  Holy Mother!
Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
20th Step:
My Jesus, by your suffering on feeling your clothes torn
from your bleeding and sore-strewn flesh, have pity upon me!
Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
21st Step:
My Jesus, by the strength with which you lay down upon
the cross and let your hands and feet be pierced with nails,
have pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that
the wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
22nd Step:
My Jesus, by the infinite love that induced you to pardon
those who had crucified you and to pray for them, have
pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the
wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
23rd Step:
My Jesus, by the generosity with which you promised
paradise to the repentant assassin and, through John, gave
to the faithful Holy Mary as a mother have pity upon me!
Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
24th Step:
My Jesus, by the cruel thirst that sharpened the torments
of your frightful agony, have pity upon me! Holy Mother!
Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
25th Step:
My Jesus, by the horror you felt on feeling forsaken by
the Father and cursed by men, have pity upon me!  Holy
Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the wounds of the Lord be
impressed in my heart!
26th Step:
My Jesus, by the love with which you sacrificed your life
to reconcile me with God and make me worthy of eternal
salvation, have pity on me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it
about that the wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
27th Step:
My Jesus, by the wound in your side, from which the
church, mother and teacher of its faithful, was born, have
pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the
wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
28th Step:
My Jesus, by the tears Holy Mary shed, she having
hugged you in her arms and arranged you in the tomb, have
pity upon me!  Holy Mother!  Ah!  Bring it about that the
wounds of the Lord be impressed in my heart!
You have finally reached the top top of the Holy Staircase.
Let us pray:
"Oh God, in whose passion a sword of grief, according to
Eimon's prophecy, pierced the sweet soul of the glorious
virgin and mother.  Mary grant that, in celebrating with
veneration your grief, we may earn the fruits of your passion.
You, who live and reign forever and ever.  Amen!"