{"id":695,"date":"2012-03-24T12:59:57","date_gmt":"2012-03-24T16:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=695"},"modified":"2012-03-24T12:59:57","modified_gmt":"2012-03-24T16:59:57","slug":"stations-of-the-cross-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/stations-of-the-cross-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Stations of the Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the common devotions of the Catholic Church, especially in Lent, is the Stations of the Cross<\/a>.\u00a0 In praying the Stations of the Cross, we remember what Jesus went through during his final hours for us.\u00a0 Some of the Stations have specific scriptural origins (click here for a table)<\/a>\u00a0and some come from tradition.<\/p>\n

Generally, the Stations of the Cross can be found hanging on the side walls in most Catholic Churches.\u00a0 They may be portrayed by simple Crosses or elegant artwork.\u00a0 When praying the Stations, one walks from station to station as they pray, meditating on the final steps of Jesus.\u00a0 I am especially fond of outdoor Stations of the Cross.\u00a0 I like the outdoor Stations for two reasons.\u00a0 First, simply I like to be outdoors in the beauty of God’s Creation.\u00a0 Secondly, when found outside, the Stations are generally spread out over a much greater distance than in church.\u00a0 So, the symbolizes of walking those final steps of Jesus is much greater.<\/p>\n

Today, I would like to offer some brief thoughts on each of the Stations.<\/p>\n

The First Station – Jesus is Condemned to Death<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death.\u00a0 He had not done anything wrong.\u00a0 Those who had him arrested simply didn’t like what he was saying because it wasn’t what they wanted to hear.\u00a0 Jesus willing gave up his life so that our sins would be forgiven.\u00a0 Are we willing to really listen to what Jesus has to say?<\/p>\n

The Second Station – Jesus Accepts His Cross<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus willingly\u00a0accepted his Cross but not just the literal Cross but the suffering he endured on the Cross.\u00a0 When suffering comes our way, do we willing accept it (and seek God’s help) or do we do everything we can to avoid a cross?<\/p>\n

The Third Station – Jesus Falls the First Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

That wooden Cross was a very heavy burden to carry, especially for Jesus because he had already been beaten and scourged. So, he falls.\u00a0 When we are given a cross to bear, how often do we fall under the weight of the cross?<\/p>\n

The Fourth Station – Jesus Meets His Mother<\/strong><\/p>\n

The disciples all abandoned Jesus when he was arrested.\u00a0 But Mary, his mother, never abandoned him.\u00a0 Do we feel abandoned by others when we need help?\u00a0 Do we abandon others when they most need our help?<\/p>\n

The Fifth Station – Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus could not carry the Cross alone.\u00a0 Simon was forced to help him.\u00a0 Who do we know that is bearing a cross and needs help?\u00a0 Are we willing to be the one to help?\u00a0 Or do we run away?<\/p>\n

The Sixth Station – Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus suffered greatly during his final hours.\u00a0 There was nothing Veronica could do to change that.\u00a0 She could not take his suffering away.\u00a0 She could not suffer for him.\u00a0 She couldn’t fix everything.\u00a0 The one thing she could do was be there for Jesus and wipe his tears away in compassion.\u00a0 When we know someone who is suffering we might feel like there is nothing we can do to help.\u00a0 It is in that hour that all we can do is be there in compassion.<\/p>\n

The Seventh Station – Jesus Falls\u00a0a Second Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus falls again under the weight of the Cross but he does not give up.\u00a0 He continues to his hour when he will be crucified.\u00a0 When we face suffering, do we kept going in faith or do we give up?\u00a0 Jesus never gives up on us.<\/p>\n

The Eighth Station – Jesus Consoles the Women of Jerusalem<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Jesus carried his Cross, there were women along the way who were weeping and mourning.\u00a0 Jesus stops to console them.\u00a0 Jesus knows that he must be crucified but the women could not understand why.\u00a0 Do we understand why Jesus had to die for us?<\/p>\n

The Ninth Station – Jesus Falls the Third Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

How many times do we fall?\u00a0 How often do we sin, falling into temptation and sin?\u00a0 When we do, it is Jesus who helps us back up when we repent and seek his forgiveness.<\/p>\n

The Tenth Station – Jesus is Stripped of His Garments<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus is stripped naked in humiliation.\u00a0 Jesus was completely exposed to the people.\u00a0 Do we hide our sinfulness?\u00a0 Do we think God doesn’t see our sins if we cover them up somehow?\u00a0 We stand naked before God, all our sins and weaknesses exposed.\u00a0 We cannot hide from God.<\/p>\n

The Eleventh Station – Jesus is Nailed to the Cross<\/strong><\/p>\n

Such a painful death.\u00a0 Imagine the pain of the nails driven into his hands.\u00a0 It must have been awful.\u00a0 Imagine hanging on the cross and how difficult it would be to breathe.\u00a0 That’s how crucifixion kills – it is difficult to breathe, leaving one gasping for breath.\u00a0 It is not a quick death.\u00a0 Jesus was willing to endure this because he loves us.<\/p>\n

The Twelfth Station – Jesus Dies on the Cross<\/strong><\/p>\n

It seems like utter defeat!\u00a0 How could this happen to the Messiah?\u00a0 But it is a victory over sin and death, paid at a great price.\u00a0 Jesus loves us<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Thirteenth Station – Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross<\/strong><\/p>\n

The body is dead but it is does not became a meaningless lump of tissue.\u00a0 The body must be respected.\u00a0 So, Jesus is taken down from the Cross.<\/p>\n

The Fourteenth Station – Jesus is Laid in the Tomb<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recognizing that Jesus’ body must be respected because of the soul that had dwelled there, it must be given a proper burial.\u00a0 It is not just left to rot away.\u00a0 Out of respect, it is given a proper burial.\u00a0 Do we try the bodies of loved ones with love and respect after they die?<\/p>\n

Peace,<\/p>\n

Fr. Jeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the common devotions of the Catholic Church, especially in Lent, is the Stations of the Cross.\u00a0 In praying the Stations of the Cross, we remember what Jesus went through during his final hours for us.\u00a0 Some of the Stations have specific scriptural origins (click here for a table)\u00a0and some come from tradition. Generally, …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Stations of the Cross’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[99],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMTPk-bd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":697,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695\/revisions\/697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}