Perhaps you’ve been wondering …. about the
Catholic Tradition of making the Stations of The Cross which is such a common
part of our Lenten Practice?
From the earliest days, the followers of Jesus
shared the story of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. When Christian pilgrims came to Jerusalem
they wanted to see the sites which were connected directly with these events in
the life of Jesus. These sites became
holy places to visit and it became a common practice to follow in the footsteps
of Jesus on his way to his crucifixion.
For awhile it was impossible for Christians to visit Jerusalem and so in
the 1500’s villages all over Europe began creating their own way of the cross
with small shrines. These evolved into
the 14 stations we have today, and gradually they became part of the church
building itself. Today we can make the
stations on our own as a private devotion or as a community. It is a tool to help us contemplate the
mystery of Christ’s passion and death in preparation for the celebration of the
resurrection at Easter
