The Seven Churches Visitation, attributed to St. Phillip Neri in the 1500s, is a Holy Thursday devotion where people visit seven churches after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. This practice commemorates the final seven locations Jesus visited from his arrest on Holy Thursday to his death on Good Friday, recalling His request for disciples to stay and watch with Him in the garden.  If one cannot visit seven churches and pray at their Altar of Repose, then one can spend time in prayer with Jesus meditating on these events in Jesus life that won for us our salvation. 

Tradition says that the seven churches visited by St. Philip Neri correspond to seven ancient basilicas in Rome.

Station 1: Jesus in the Garden
Reflection: Recall Jesus going from the Last Supper to His agony in the garden.

Luke 22:39-46
39 And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed. 42 “Father, if you are willing to remove this chalice from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his seat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Station 2: Jesus before Annas
Reflection: Recall Jesus being taken out of the garden by the guards and crowd to the house of Annas where He is interrogated.

John 18:19-22
19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together; I have said nothing secretly.” 21 “Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?”

Station 3: Jesus before Caiaphas
Reflection: Recall Jesus being held captive in the house of Caiaphas where he is beaten and ridiculed.

Matthew 26:63-65
63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I place You under oath by the living God, to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”    65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? See, you have now heard the blasphemy;

Psalm 88 is strongly associated with Jesus’s imprisonment in the "pit" or dungeon under the House of Caiaphas, where he was held overnight following his arrest. Because of its tone of utter desolation, loneliness, and darkness, it is traditionally read and prayed to meditate on Jesus's abandonment during those hours.
The House of Caiaphas in Jerusalem features a subterranean,, cold cistern or pit where prisoners were lowered by ropes. This is believed to be the place where Jesus spent his final night, alone with his thoughts in total darkness.

PSALM 88 (A Despairing Lament)
2  LORD, the God of my salvation, I call out by day; at night I cry aloud in your presence.
3 Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.
4 For my soul is filled with troubles; my life draws near to Sheol.
5 I am reckoned with those who go down to the pit; I am like a warrior without strength.
6 My couch is among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave.  You remember them no more; they are cut off from your influence.
7 You plunge me into the bottom of the pit, into the darkness of the abyss.
8 Your wrath lies heavy upon me; all your waves crash over me.
9 Because of you my acquaintances shun me; you make me loathsome to them; Caged in, I cannot escape;
10 my eyes grow dim from trouble.  All day I call on you, LORD; I stretch out my hands to you.
11 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades arise and praise you?
12 Is your mercy proclaimed in the grave, your faithfulness among those who have perished?
13 Are your marvels declared in the darkness, your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
14 But I cry out to you, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
15 Why do you reject my soul, LORD, and hide your face from me?
16 I have been mortally afflicted since youth; I have borne your terrors and I am made numb.
17 Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.
18 All day they surge round like a flood; from every side they encircle me.
19 Because of you friend and neighbor shun me; my only friend is darkness.

Station 4: Jesus before Pilate
Reflection: Recall Jesus being brought before Pontius Pilate.

John 18:35-37
35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”  37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”

Station 5: Jesus before Herod
Reflection: Recall Jesus being taken before King Herod where he is mocked and abused.

Luke 23:8-9,11
8 Now Herod was overjoyed when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. 9 And he questioned Him at some length; but He offered him no answer at all. 11 And Herod, together with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, dressing Him in a brightly shining robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.

Station 6: Jesus before Pilate, again
Reflection: Recall Jesus being brought before Pilate a second time where he is scourged and crowned with thorns.

Matthew 27:22-26
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” 23 But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!” 24 Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; you yourselves shall see. ” 25 And all the people replied, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Station 7: Jesus’s Crucifixion & Death
Reflection: Recall Christ carrying his cross and enduring a painful death.

Matthew 27:27-31
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort to Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a red cloak on Him. 29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head. 31 And after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

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