GUADALUPE HOUSE MINISTRY: The Stations of the Cross: Following the Path of Love

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Stations of the Cross: Following the Path of Love

"Few souls contemplate My Passion

with true feeling; to the souls that meditate

on My Passion very devotedly, I grant them

a greater number of graces."

- Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska

In the Middle Ages, it was a common practice for devout Christians to identify themselves with Christ's Passion by making the long and sometimes perilous journey to the Holy Land, in order to walk the hallowed footsteps of the Lord’s final hours. Pilgrims prayerfully followed a set route through the streets of Jerusalem known as the 'Via Dolorosa' (Way of Sorrows) or the 'Via Crusis' (Way of the Cross), which is the traditional path Jesus was led through as he painfully carried his Holy Cross from Pilate's Palace to the hill of Golgotha.

After the Turks captured Jerusalem in 1291, Christian pilgrimages to these hallowed sites ceased for many years. To compensate, the Franciscan Friars who were the former custodians of many of the shrines in the Holy Land, established "replica" Via Dolorosas throughout Europe as alternatives pilgrimages. The concept caught on and it wasn't long after that parish churches adopted and modified the devotion, which then evolved into the 14 standard tableau-like versions seen in every Catholic church today, with grander outdoor setups being found at major pilgrimage sites, such as Lourdes and Medjugorje.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us

Interestingly, the visionary and stigmatic, Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, offered another explanation of the origin of the Stations of the Cross devotion. According to her private revelations, the tradition was originated by none other than the Holy Virgin, herself ... who after the death of her Divine Son, caused a set of crosses to be erected on a hillside near her now-famous house at Ephesus. According to Bl. Anne Catherine, Our Lady would often ascend the hill to pray with her entourage of pious women, stopping at each cross to meditate on a particular stage of Our Lord's Passion. Her companions preserved and passed down the devotion to other Christians, which eventually became the stations used presently by the Church.

Regardless which story you prefer to believe, the purpose of the Stations of the Cross is to provide us with visual references of what Jesus endured at the original site of the Via Dolorosa so we can better spiritually empathize with his sufferings and death. Although the devotion is practiced throughout the year, it takes on special significance during Lent when we commemorate the Lord’s Passion in a special way. To pray the devotion, one simply needs to recite the prayer below at each station:

We adore you, O Christ, and we

bless you, because by your Holy Cross,

you have redeemed the world.

After briefly reflecting on the events of a particular station, the Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be are prayed before proceeding to the next station. Repeat the set of prayers after each successive station. If prayed in a church, it’s also customary to move from one station to the next. Below is a list of the 14 Stations of the Cross along with reflections and optional petitions that I personally wrote and pray for my own private devotion... but readers can always use their own impressions as reflections, or use other reflections/prayers readily available, via several websites.

Opening Prayer:

O Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, through this pious exercise of the Stations of the Cross, allow me to spiritually accompany you along the path of your suffering in mystical union with our most Holy Mother, Mary, the Virgin of Sorrows; offering consolation to both you and to her; making atonement for my sins and the sins of the world, which caused your sacred hearts unimaginable pain and sorrow.

Please forgive my transgressions and have mercy on me, along with all other sinners, now, and at the hour of our deaths. Amen.

+ + + + +

+ 1st Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death +

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,

because by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world. Amen.

Petition:

O Jesus, like you, help me to forgive those who misjudge, hurt, and offend me; to completely let go of any unresolved past resentments or trauma that may still haunt me to this present day.

[Note: If praying the long version, recite an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be at each station.]

+ 2nd Station: Jesus Takes Up His Cross +