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Via Crucis Station 09
Valinhos Sanctuary
The Sacred Way of the Cross
Via Crucis Station 09
JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME
Via Crucis Station 09 witnesses the third and final fall of Christ beneath the cross. Completely spent, utterly exhausted, Jesus collapses one last time before reaching Calvary. This is the fall of total depletion, of having absolutely nothing left to give from human strength—and yet, somehow, He rises again. This station speaks to me in those moments when I feel I cannot go on, when I've reached the absolute limit of my strength, when everything in me wants to quit. At Valinhos Sanctuary, this station embodies Our Lady's call to persevere unto the very end. The third fall is teaching me that grace is strongest precisely when I am weakest, that divine power perfects itself in my human poverty, that the moment before victory often looks exactly like total defeat.
V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.
My suffering Lord, You have nothing left in this moment. Your strength is gone. Your blood has poured out on this road. Your body is broken beyond recognition. This third fall is complete collapse. Yet somehow You rise one more time. How? Not by Your human strength—that's finished. You rise by complete abandonment to the Father, by love that's stronger than death itself, by grace perfecting weakness. When I reach my limit, when I have absolutely nothing left, when I fall that final devastating time, teach me this truth: it's precisely here, in my total poverty, that Your power works most perfectly. I cannot rise on my own strength anymore. I've tried and failed too many times. But You can raise me. Let me stop trying to be strong in myself and simply surrender to being strong in You.
The Three Falls
Rising again through mercy and perseverance.
The First Fall
The Weight of Sin
Jesus collapses beneath the crushing burden of humanity's sins. Each unrepented sin adds weight to Christ's cross. This fall teaches us humility: we cannot stand on our own merit.
The Second Fall
The Persistence of Weakness
Despite His resolve, Jesus falls again. We return to the same sins, the same failures. Yet Heaven's patience persists, never tiring of calling souls to conversion. Each rise is a new chance for mercy.
The Third Fall
Final Surrender
Utterly exhausted, Jesus falls completely. This is the fall that precedes triumph—total abandonment to the Father's will. After darkness comes light. We must persevere to the end.
Deepen Your Journey
Explore the richness of this station through sacred history, spiritual wisdom, and contemplative practices.
The Fátima Connection
Both Francisco and Jacinta faced what I think of as their "third fall"—the illnesses that would take their young lives. According to the accounts, Francisco, burning with fever, whispered that he was suffering to console Jesus for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Jacinta, in terrible pain, said she was offering everything for the conversion of sinners.
They fell completely—childhood, health, earthly life itself taken from them. Yet they rose to eternal glory through this final surrender. Fátima's message has become clear to me: perseverance to death brings victory. The third fall isn't failure; it's the final surrender that precedes resurrection.
Wisdom from Saints
St. Paul's words have become my anchor: "When I am weak, then I am strong." According to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, during her final agonizing illness, she didn't see herself as dying but as entering into life. St. Maximilian Kolbe faced starvation in Auschwitz yet remained joyful, leading prayers until the very end—his third fall becoming his final victory.
St. John of the Cross wrote about the "dark night of the soul"—that experience of complete spiritual desolation that actually precedes the closest divine union. I'm learning that my weakness isn't an obstacle to God's work—it's the prerequisite.
Contemplative Practice
Identifying my own "third fall" area—the place where I feel utterly defeated, where I've tried and failed so many times I want to give up completely. This might be an addiction, a relationship that seems beyond repair, a vocation that feels impossible, a health crisis I can't overcome. I'm bringing it honestly to Jesus at this station, praying: "Lord, I have fallen for what feels like the last time. I cannot rise on my own anymore. Raise me by Your grace alone."
Practicing Resurrection Faith each morning this week: before getting out of bed, I remember Christ's third fall and rising, saying: "Jesus, You rose when You had nothing left. Raise me today."