I don’t know about you but I can often glide through Easter, post a “He is Risen” family photo on Instagram, eat a delicious ham with all the sides, and sing “Glorious Day” in church and call it good. I have enjoyed participating in the Stations of the Cross because I think that we can often forget that what Jesus sacrificed is so much more than we deserve. What Stations of the Cross has done for me is refocused the entire season. I will still post that family photo, eat that ham, and sing that awesome song, but I will also feel extremely humbled and grateful for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
The Stations of the Cross was originally a Catholic ritual meant to be literally walked through many times throughout the lenten season. Many Catholics walk through it every Friday throughout Lent, and some even practice it in other times of the year to remember Christ’s sacrifice. More recently some Christian circles have adjusted the 14 steps to what we have today, and what I will be sharing from (http://www.joyfulheart.com/stations-of-the-cross/).
These Stations help me to stop, reflect, slow down and experience Christ’s journey from God’s call to Jesus, all the way to the burial in the tomb. It helps me to walk alongside the disciples and really feel the pain of the death of their best friend, their Savior. I often end the process feeling sad, humble, and desperate for the resurrection. It makes Sunday, the day of Easter feel 100 times more victorious, and 100 times more important. And it makes me way more thankful for the season, and for our Savior and what he did for us.
A few notes about how this process will go, and how I hope you will be able to experience it.
- A Station Every Day: I will post each station in the morning, starting March 20, and ending on Good Friday (April 2). There will be scripture, a tiny reflection by me, and some questions for you to ponder.
- Kids can experience it, too. I’ll leave a little activity or reading for your children along with the grown up devotional: consider doing it over breakfast. It doesn’t have to be intense, they might not be listening, but I promise you it’s getting into their little hearts.
- Take your time! It is meant to be an experience. It was originally meant to be a walk, so you could feel Christ’s true walk to the cross, and also so that between stations you would have a second to let it all sink in. I encourage you to read, let it sink in, and then take some time to listen to what God wants to speak to you. (If you want to be real extra, read them and then go for a walk!)
Stations of the Cross has become a very important part of my Easter experience, and I hope it can become a part of yours, too. I am so excited to share it with you, and with whoever wants to journey with us! I will leave you with the words of an Italian bishop, Alphonsus Liguori. His prayer explains perfectly the purpose and benefit of the Stations of the Cross.
“My Lord, Jesus Christ,
You have made this journey to die for me with unspeakable love;
and I have so many times ungratefully abandoned You.
But now I love You with all my heart;
and, because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for ever having offended You.
Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of me;
I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You.
My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.”
Alphonsus Liguori
(https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/193170.pdf)
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