Stations of the Cross
Introduction to the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday
Why the Stations?
The most important reason for reviving the practice of making the Stations of the Cross is that it is a powerful way to contemplate, and enter into, the mystery of Jesus’ gift of Himself to us. It takes the reflection on the passion out of our heads, and makes it an imaginative exercise. It involves our senses, our experience and our emotions; to the extent we come to experience the love of Jesus for us, to that extent the gratitude we feel will be deep. Deep gratitude leads to real generosity and a desire to love as we have been loved.
The History:
From the earliest of days, followers of Jesus told the story of His passion, death and resurrection. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where Jesus was. These sites become important holy connections with Jesus. Eventually, following in the footsteps of the Lord, along the way of the cross, became a part of the pilgrimage visit. The stations, as we know them today, came about when it was no longer easy or even possible to visit the holy sites. In the 1500’s, villages all over Europe started creating “replicas” of the way of the cross, with small shrines commemorating the places along the route in Jerusalem. Eventually, these shrines became the set of 14 stations we now know and were placed in almost every Catholic Church in the world.
How to do the Stations?
The first point to note is that this is prayer. It isn’t an intellectual exercise. It is in the context of our relationship with God. We could read through the text of each of the stations, and look at the pictures, but that wouldn’t necessarily be prayer. This is an invitation to enter into a gifted faith experience of who Jesus is for us. It becomes prayer when we open our hearts to be touched, and it leads us to express our response in prayer.
The second thing to remember is that this is an imaginative exercise. Its purpose is not a historical examination of “what really happened” on that day in history. It’s about something far more profound. This is an opportunity to use this longstanding Christian prayer to let Jesus touch our hearts deeply by showing us the depth of His love for us. The context is the historical fact that He was made to carry the instrument of His death, from the place where He was condemned to die, to Calvary where He died, and that He was taken down and laid in a tomb. The religious context is that today Jesus wants to use any means available to move our hearts to know His love for us. These exercises can allow us to imaginatively visualize the “meaning” of His passion and death.
The point of this exercise is to lead us to gratitude. It will also lead us into a sense of solidarity with all our brothers and sisters. In our busy, high-tech lives we can easily get out of touch with the terrible suffering of real people in our world. Journeying with Jesus in the Stations, allows us to imagine His entry into the experience of those who are tortured, unjustly accused or victimized, sitting on death row, carrying impossible burdens, facing terminal illnesses, or simply fatigued with life.
Four Parts to the Stations
The first part is a simple description of the scene. It helps us be conscious of what the “meaning” this station is for us.
The second part is the traditional prayer at each station. Its words become more and more meaningful as we repeat them throughout the journey.
The third part is the contemplation of the scene, reflection on the power of the scene for us, to enter it more deeply and to lead to some experience of it personally.
The fourth part is our response.
