Not exactly psalms! However, as one of the privileges I've had at Christ Church Cathedral was to lead the children in a "pilgrimage" along the Stations of the Cross as set up for the occasion, I'd like to insert here my own version of such a children's pilgrimage, with prayers and activities:
Station 1: Jesus is condemned to death: "Thank you, Jesus, for accepting the blame for the sins of others. Amen" The children are given an empty box (like a Kleenex box, for example), to collect items from the following stations.
Station 2: Jesus is flogged, crowned with a crown of thorns, and given his Cross to carry. "Thank you Jesus, for carrying the Cross. Amen" The children are given two craft sticks, with Velcro strips on one side of each stick. They carry the sticks and the box to the next station.
Station 3: Jesus falls for the first time. (At a sharp turn at the bottom of a steep slope in the road) "Thank you, Jesus, for understanding how it feels to fall down. Amen"
The children are given a small map of the Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem. It goes into the box.
Station 4: Jesus meets his mother. "Thank you, Jesus, for sharing the love of your mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Amen" The children decorate the craft sticks on the non-Velcro side.
Station 5: Simon of Cyrene is ordered to help Jesus. "Thank you, Jesus, for teaching us how to accept help. Amen" The children put the craft sticks together to form a cross. They carry the cross and the box.
Station 6: Veronica wipes Jesus' face. "Thank you, Jesus, for showing us your true face. Amen" Children are given an index card (unlined) and a pencil. They draw a picture of the face of Jesus. The picture goes into the box.
Station 7: Jesus falls the second time. (Possibly at the sight of the posted notice of his condemnation and that he is to be crucified.) "Thank you, Jesus, for being the Prince of Peace. Amen" The children are given a small piece of paper to write: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" and attach it to the top of the Cross.
Station 8: Jesus consoles the women who are weeping for him. "Thank you, Jesus, for drying our tears. Amen" The children are given a tissue to go into the box.
Station 9: Jesus falls for a third time. (Possibly within sight of Golgotha, where he is to be crucified.) "Thank you, Jesus, for showing us how to keep going when the road is hard. Amen" The children are given a stone to go into the box.
Station 10: Jesus is stripped of his garments. "Thank you, Jesus, for suffering embarrassment for our sakes. Amen" The children are given a paper doll wearing a loin cloth and a crown of thorns, but covered with a cloth cloak. The children remove the cloak and put it into the box. They carry the Cross and the paper doll and the box.
Station 11: Jesus is nailed to the cross: "Thank you, Jesus, for suffering pain for our sakes. Amen" The children attach the doll to the Cross.
Station 12: Jesus dies on the Cross. "Thank you, Jesus, for dying for us. Amen" All kneel for a moment of silence, then rise.
Station 13: Jesus' body is taken down from the Cross. "Thank you Jesus, for your broken body and blood. Amen" The children remove the doll from the Cross.
Station 14: Jesus' body is lain in the tomb. "Thank you Jesus, for making the grave a bed of hope. Amen" The children place the doll and the Cross in the box. They are given a cloth bag (scented with Holy Oil, if permitted, otherwise just scented with cloves and cinnamon). In the bag there is a hard boiled egg with a note: "This is one egg. The shell is like the Body of Jesus, it must be broken in order to reveal the white of the egg and the yolk of the egg. The white may be thought of as being like the Holy Spirit of God. The yolk may be thought of as being like the Creating Power of God. Shell + white + yolk = One Egg. Jesus, Son of God + Holy Spirit, the Comforter + Creator = One God. The Blessed Trinity." The egg and note are placed in the box to be opened on Easter Morning. The box is placed in the bag.
