The Stations of the Cross
In addition to today being Independence Day,
we are also celebrating the visit of our Cardinal Archbishop to our
parish. Cardinal Justin Rigali is with
us today to celebrate the 11:00 AM Mass.
Afterwards, His Eminence will bless our new outdoor Stations of the
Cross. As you may know, our local
Knights of Columbus council cleared the woods behind the church and erected the
Stations. Each Station was paid for by individual
parishioners and families. This
beautiful wooded area is the perfect place to spend some time in solitude
meditating on the wonderful gift which Christ gave us when He allowed Himself
to be tortured and crucified for the salvation of the world. Therefore, I would like to devote this issue
of Ask Deacon Mike to sharing with you a brief history of this popular devotion. Much of the following is taken from www.communityofhopeinc.com.
The Stations of the Cross, also called The Way of the Cross, is a devotion to the passion of Christ consisting of prayers and meditations on fourteen occurrences that were experienced by Christ on His way to the crucifixion. During the time of the crusades (1095-1270), it became popular for pilgrims in the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus to Calvary. After the Moslems recaptured the Holy Land pilgrimages were too dangerous. As a result, the Stations of the Cross became a popular substitute pilgrimage throughout Europe. The Stations represented critical events from Scripture or tradition of Jesus' journey to Calvary. Originally done only outdoors, the Stations were allowed inside churches in the mid-18th century. Eventually fixed at fourteen, the Stations soon became a familiar feature in all Catholic churches. The devotion may be conducted personally by the faithful, making their way from one station to another and saying the prayers, or by having an officiating celebrant move from cross to cross while the faithful make the responses. The stations themselves must consist of, at the very least, fourteen wooden crosses, pictures alone do not suffice, and they must be blessed by someone with the authority to erect stations. Our beautiful new stations certainly meet this requirement.
The devotion originated in the late 4th century when pilgrims flocked to the Holy Land from all parts of the world to visit the land of Jesus. Heading the list of places they visited was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which had been built by the Emperor Constantine in 335 AD atop Calvary and the tomb of Jesus.
Processions of pilgrims to this church were common. Egeria, a woman from Gaul who traveled to the Holy Land in the 4th century, recalls in her diary how she joined Christians from all parts of the Roman world walking westward on Holy Thursday from the garden of Gethsemane to the church of the Holy Sepulcher, where they celebrated Jesus' death and resurrection.
Christian pilgrims contributed to the development in Europe of the Stations of the Cross in its present form. Returning from the Holy Land, they brought oil from the lamps that burned around Jesus' tomb, soil and relics from the holy places. More important, they brought memories of the liturgies, devotions, and shrines they experienced. Soon, churches and shrines were being built throughout Europe modeled on the pilgrim sites, and Jerusalem's devotions and liturgies influenced the liturgical and religious life of western Christians.
The Moslem conquest of Palestine in the 7th century contributed to the building of replicas of the holy places in Europe, as Christians, finding access to the holy places more difficult, sought places of pilgrimage nearer home. If they could not go to Jerusalem, they would have reminders of Jerusalem close by.
For most of us the practice of this devotion occurs during Lent. But, with our new outdoor Stations of the Cross we have the opportunity to pray and meditate on Christ’s passion and death at any time of the year. We often focus on Jesus as the Son of God and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Praying the Stations gives us the opportunity to unite our human suffering with the very real human suffering of Jesus.
If you have any questions concerning the Church, sacraments or parish life please contact me and I will address them here. As always your identity will be kept anonymous. You can place your question in the collection basket or send it to the rectory. Just be sure to address the envelope to Ask Deacon Mike. You can also contact me by e-mail at deaconmikefranks@verizon.net.
I would like to express my appreciation to our Knights and the other workers who made this project possible and to our parishioners who contributed to purchase the Stations and benches. I wish you all a happy 4th of July and as always, I love you all. Deacon Mike Franks