Stations of the Cross
OPENING PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ,
fill our hearts with the light of your Spirit,
so that by following you on your final journey
we may come to know the price of our Redemption
and become worthy of a share
in the fruits of your Passion, Death and Resurrection.
You who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen.
Source: Opening Prayer of Pope John Paul II, while leading the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum on Good Friday, 2000
"STATIONS OF THE CROSS"
"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." (Lk 23:34)
Do you pray the Stations of the Cross?
The "Stations of the Cross" is an ancient prayer practice whereby pilgrims who traveled to Jerusalem would follow Jesus’ footsteps from the site of his condemnation by Pontius Pilate to his death on the Cross at Calvary. This journey would take them along the “Way of the Cross ” or “Via Crucis,” also known as the “Way of Sorrow” or “Via Dolorosa,“ pausing to pray at certain sites marking particular events of Jesus’ Passion and death as recounted in Scripture and Tradition.
Due to the inability of many to journey to the Holy Land, around the fifteenth century the Franciscans promoted the practice of encouraging people to reenact this prayer practice and devotion through replicas of the Way of the Cross. Each “station” is identified with a cross and an image mounted on the walls of the churches or at other locations, depicting one of the particular scenes of Jesus’ Passion, Crucifixion, and death. Eventually, this led to the traditional practice of fourteen stations currently found in most churches.
These stations traditionally depict the following scenes: First Station: Jesus is condemned to death; Second Station: Jesus carries his Cross; Third Station: Jesus falls for the first time; Fourth Station: Jesus meets his Mother; Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his Cross; Sixth Station: Veronica wipes Jesus’ face; Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time: Eighth Station: Jesus meets the pious women of Jerusalem; Ninth Station: Jesus falls the third time; Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments; Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross; Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the Cross; Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the Cross; Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the Tomb. Pope John Paul II proposed a Fifteenth Station: Jesus’ Resurrection.
The Stations of the Cross, like other practices and devotions, call us to a time of prayer and an imaginative experience. We are invited to reflect and meditate on what Jesus experienced and suffered for us, opening our hearts to experience his unconditional love and, in turn, calling us to respond in gratitude and love.
Usually the guide leading the journey begins with offering a traditional prayer on approaching each Station: “We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, “ after which, all respond: “Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.” The guide offers a scriptural passage or short reflection of the scene depicted at each Station. A verse from a traditional hymn may be sung while walking to the next station. At the end of this journey, a concluding prayer is offered.