A popular devotion prayed during the Lenten season is the Stations of the Cross. Today the Stations are represented by images found in and around Catholic churches. They come in many forms and some rise to the level of great art. But did you ever wonder about the origin of this form of prayer?
From the earliest days of the Church, people told and retold the story of Jesus' crucifixion. Visitors coming to Jerusalem wanted to see the holy places where Jesus spent his last hours. These locations gave people a special connection to Christ. Pilgrims "walked with him" by following in his footsteps as he was led to his death. Unfortunately, for people who lived great distances from this land, travel was quite difficult. It might take a lifetime to make such a journey. In addition, this area of the world was (and still is) often unsafe for travelers because of frequent wars.
To solve these problems, people in medieval Europe (around 1400–1500s) created the Stations of the Cross. Artists made "replicas" or models to symbolize what happened on the way to Calvary. The stations took the form of paintings and/or statues. Many hung on walls of churches while some were places outdoors along a path. Different churches showed different parts of Jesus' journey. Some had only a few and others highlighted many. Eventually the Church decided upon fourteen stations of Jesus's Passion with a fifteenth showing his Resurrection. Today you will find these fourteen displayed in some fashion in every Catholic church.
The Stations are prayed by walking from image to image and meditating on the events that led to Jesus' death and resurrection. Some people prefer to pray in their own words. Others choose from one of the many meditations booklets that have been written to guide people in their prayer and reflection.
During Lent, many churches schedule communal prayer services to pray the Stations in a group setting. Beginning next Wednesday, I will be featuring a reflection a day for each of the stations. We will end the meditations on Good Friday. In the meantime, here are a few links to virtual Stations of the Cross that you can explore on your own.
This video uses puppets made by a Jesuit priest. Very interesting interpretation.
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