My Via Dolarosa

Author's note:  Written as a hymn several years ago, this is a reminder that we are not alone in our struggles and suffering in this life on earth. 

The street that Jesus walked on His way to the cross has been named the Via Dolarosa, which means “way of sorrows”. We, too, walk a way of sorrows as we go through life – sometimes the product of circumstances, and sometimes the direct result of our own sins or mistakes. In either case, we can feel overwhelmed by our sorrows. But we have One whom we can follow, who will then walk with us, and who has borne so much more than we will ever have to bear.

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My Via Dolarosa
by Joseph Weilenbeck

O Lord, walk with me on my Via Dolarosa.
Let my every step be taken in Your will.
Correct me and reprove me.
Let Your Holy Spirit move me
Past my sorrows, Your sweet purpose to fulfill.

Though my faulty steps will oft’ cause me to stumble,
There are two truths to be counted with each fall –
My sin which does corrupt,
And my Lord who lifts me up,
For You are faithful to be with me through it all.
   
Lord, in weakness, I may pity all I suffer,
And, in shame or sorrow, mourn my every loss.
But the pain I might endure
Cannot compare with that You bore
When, long ago, You took my sins upon the cross.
   
O Lord, walk with me on my Via Dolarosa.
And, in my sorrows, may all others clearly see
There is not so great a pain
That You cannot sustain
The life You purchased when You walked that street for me.

O Lord, walk with me on my Via Dolarosa.


Joseph Weilenbeck 2005