Opinion : Stations of the Cross

Among the Christian religions of the world, Lent is a time of atonement, personal reflection, religious growth and preparation for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Catholics, this 40-day period is marked by a number of traditions. Perhaps the two most notable are the dispensing of ashes on Ash Wednesday (you see our dark smudge in the center of our foreheads) as a reminder to be humble and that we will all, in turn, return to dust – “ashes to ashes and dust to dust” and the “Stations of the Cross”.

A devotion unique to the Catholic Church, the “Stations of the Cross” remembers Jesus’ final journey in Jerusalem. After Jesus’ appearance before, and abuse by, Pontius Pilate, he made the journey to Golgotha. The path he traveled has many names: "Way of the Cross", the "Via Crucis", and the "Via Dolorosa”. It remembers 14 events that happened to Jesus during this journey. During medieval times the Holy Land was engulfed in wars making the journey there by Europeans difficult and dangerous. The church hired artisans to make various sculptures or works of art to represent the 14 events that happened to Jesus. These were then mounted throughout the church and acted as a substitute for an actual journey to the Holy Land. The next time you enter St. Mary’s parish in Vinton, look at the walls, our representations of these events can easily be seen. The events remembered are clearly detailed in multiple books of the bible. The list is composed of: Station 1 Jesus Is Condemned To Death Station 2 Jesus Is Made To Carry His Cross Station 3 Jesus Falls The First Time Station 4 Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother Station 5 Simon Of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross Station 6 Veronica Wipes The Face Of Jesus Station 7 Jesus Falls The Second Time Station 8 The Women Of Jerusalem Weep Over Jesus Station 9 Jesus Falls The Third Time Station 10 Jesus Is Stripped Of His Garments Station 11 Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross Station 12 Jesus Is Raised Upon The Cross And Dies Station 13 Jesus Taken Down From The Cross And Placed In The Arms Of His Mother Station 14 Jesus Is Laid In The Sepulcher Typically the process is lead by a reader. Three members of the parish are used to process from one station to the next. One will hold the processional cross and two will stand, one on either side of the cross bearer holding a candle to light the way. The reader opens with a specific reading for each station; the congregation responds to this reading, this is followed by the “Our Father” (Lords Prayer), a “Hail Mary”, a “Glory Be” and a final reading by the reader.