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3-26-2021 Stations of the Cross
These 14 Limoges china reliefs depict the sorrows of Christ.Attribution of photographs: Tango7174, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross, Via Crucis, and Via Dolorosa (Latin for Way of Sorrows), is a devotion that reflects on Jesus’ final days on Earth—from being condemned to death to dying on the cross and being placed in the tomb. A series of prayers encourage believers to think about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us by dying on the cross.
The formal devotions find their origins in the practices of the pilgrims who traveled to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. The path that Christ went on his way to Calvary was and is one of the most revered parts of that pilgrimage.
The artistic representations of the Stations of the Cross did not become prominent as till the end of the 17thcentury. The Stations of the Cross consist of a series of 14 renderings that typically line the interior walls of every Catholic Church. Pope Innocent XI allowed Franciscan friars to adorn their churches with the different stations. In 1731, Pope Clement XII allowed all churches to have stations and to practice this devotion. These illustrations capture key moments during Jesus’ journey to His death on Good Friday.
We say the stations usually during Lent on Fridays, but can be performed any time of year at home. Can we be there for one hour a week to walk with Him and meditate on His suffering for us? Show Jesus how much we love Him.