 Variations
on the stations
 In
recent years some variations have been introduced into the traditional
devotion. One of these is the addition of a 15th station - the Resurrection
of Jesus. Another is a series of scriptural stations, which begin with
the Agony of Jesus in Gethsemane and omit some of the traditional non-scriptural
stations in favor of incidents mentioned in the gospels.
Pope
John Paul II celebrated a series of scriptural stations on Good Friday
in 1991, and again in 1994, in the Coliseum at Rome:
- Jesus
in the Garden of Gethsemane
- Jesus
betrayed by Judas
- Jesus
condemned by the Sanhedrin
- Jesus
denied by Peter
- Jesus
condemned by the people
- Jesus
crowned with thorns and clothed in purple.
- Jesus
carries the cross.
- Jesus
assisted by Simon of Cyrene
- Jesus
meets the women of Jerusalem
- Jesus
is crucified.
- Jesus
speaks to the thief
- Jesus
speaks to his mother
- Jesus
dies on the cross
- Jesus
is buried.
What
Prayers do You Say?
There
are no official prayers to say with the Stations of the Cross. For many
centuries, pilgrims in Jerusalem were prevented from praying the devotion
publicly along the Moslem-controlled Via Dolorosa, and so groups and
individuals passed silently and quickly along the holy way. Without
words, the devotion depended on the sentiments it raised in the human
heart -- which may be a reason for its continuing popularity. Above,
right: The Man of Sorrows. Medieval Christians identified with this
image because it portrayed the fatigue and discouragement that was so
much part of their lives.
Though
there are no official prayers, saints and spiritual writers over the
centuries have provided a wealth of prayers and aids for the devotion,
and each year new aids appear.
 What
do you do?
Christians
fortunate enough can still visit Jerusalem, the Via Dolorosa and the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher. But it is not necessary to go to Jerusalem
to find Christ-- or to make the Stations of the Cross. We can follow
the stations in our own churches, homes, or places of prayer-- alone
or with others. Nor is it necessary to walk from one image to another,
if it cannot be done. We can make the Stations within our own hearts
and minds-- as a "spiritual pilgrimage"
Following
Jesus Christ
What
matters most in the Stations of the Cross is to follow Jesus Christ
in his passion and to see ourselves mirrored in him. Whether we know
it or not, we bear the imprint of his cross. We are judged unjustly,
we fall, we find life's journey hard, we know the mystery of death,
and we recoil from it. To face life's dark side in ourselves and in
our world, we need images of hope, and Jesus offers images of hope in
his passion.
"Human
kind cannot bear very much reality." (T. S. Eliot, Burnt Norton)
Through his passion and resurrection, Jesus transforms the reality of
evil we find hard to bear. By accompanying him on the Way of the Cross,
we gain his courageous patience and learn to trust in God who delivers
us from evil.
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Copyright
2002 - The Passionist Missionaries - all rights reserved
Written by Victor Hoagland, C.P.
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