Stations of the Cross

St. Francis Catholic Church in Waco, TX

Tradition
It has been a long tradition for Catholics to gather together, normally at 3:00PM, to pray and reflect on the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Many practice this devotion on Fridays throughout the year. The Stations of the Cross originated in the 14th Century, but the images of the Stations could be found in many churches before this time. The devotion has its roots in the Way of the Cross or Via Dolorosa. Shortly after the death of Christ, people began making pilgrimages to Jerusalem and tracing Christ's path to His crucifixion.  Pious tradition holds that the Blessed Mother would daily visit the site of Christ's passion.

Reflections
One thing that is fairly well established is that there are a total of fourteen stations. While this may be generally the case, the way one prays or reflects on the Stations can vary greatly. There are a number of different reflections available to pray along with the stations. If you are not able to attend the Stations at Church, you can use one of these:

• Biblical Stations of the Cross, Bl. John Paul II
• Mary's Way of the Cross, Fr. Richard G. Furey, CsCR (Online Version)
• The Way of the Cross, St. Josemaria Escriva

Virtual Stations and Apps
In the modern age we live in, there are other technological options to aid in praying the Stations. There a few very good iOS and Android apps (see list below). EWTN has its reflections available as an mP3 and Busted Halo has created a YouTube video of Stations. Here are some of those options:

• Video: Mary's Way of the Cross narrated by Angelina, (Part 1 of 3)
• Busted Halo's Virtual Stations of the Cross
• EWTN's Audio Stations of the Cross
• Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) app by EBSolutions

Prayer
We adore you, O Christ and we praise you.
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross:The Cross, Prayers and Indulgences

Christ Carrying the Cross by Titian

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Today we honor the Cross of Christ.  "Devotion to the Holy Cross dates back to the earliest days of Christianity. The feast itself has been celebrated since the fourth century. Today the Church commemorates the recovery of the True Cross by the Emperor Heraclius following his victory over the Persians." (In Conversation with God, Vol 7, p.140). I recommend reading some of St. Josemaria Escriva's reflections. For now, I would simply like to share some prayer and indulgences related to the Cross. All were obtained from the Handbook/Manual of Indulgences.

22 En ego, o bone et dulcissime Iesu
Prayer before a Crucifix 
Good and gentle Jesus, I kneel before you. I see and I ponder your five wounds. My eyes behold what David prophesied about you: “They have pierced my hands and feet; they have counted all my bones.” Engrave on me this image of yourself. Fulfill the yearnings of my heart: give me faith, hope, and love, repentance for my sins, and true conversion of life. Amen.

(Psalm 22:17-18; Roman Missal, pp. 935-936.) On any Friday during Lent a plenary indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who, after communion, devoutly recite the above prayer before an image of Jesus Christ crucified. On other days of the year the indulgence is a partial one.

55 Signum crucis
Sign of the Cross 
A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who devoutly sign themselves with the cross while saying the customary formula: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

63 Viae Crucis exercitium
Stations of the Cross
A plenary indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who devoutly make the Stations of the Cross. This devout exercise of the Stations of the Cross helps renew our remembrance of the sufferings that our divine redeemer underwent on his journey from Pilate’s praetorium, where he was condemned to death, to Mount Calvary, where for our salvation he died on the cross. The norms for obtaining this plenary indulgence are the following:

1. This devout exercise must be performed before stations of the cross that have been lawfully erected. 
2. Fourteen crosses are required in order to erect the Stations of the Cross. As an aid to devotion these crosses are customarily attached to fourteen tableaux or images representing the Jerusalem stations.
3. In accord with the more common custom, this devout exercise consists of fourteen pious readings to which are joined some vocal prayers. But in order to perform this devout exercise it is required only that one devoutly meditate upon the passion and death of the Lord. It is not required that one meditate upon each of the individual mysteries of the stations.
4. Movement from one station to the next is required. If this devout exercise is carried out publicly and such movement by all present cannot be done without some disorder, it is sufficient that the person who is leading the exercise move from station to station while the others remain in their places.
5. Persons who are legitimately prevented from fulfilling the above requirements can obtain this indulgence if they at least spend some time, e.g., fifteen minutes, in devout reading and meditation upon the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Equivalent to this devout exercise of the Stations of the Cross — even with regard to obtaining the indulgence — are those other devout exercises which have been approved by competent authority and which call to mind the remembrance of the Lord’s passion and death in a manner similar to the Stations of the Cross.
7. In order to obtain this indulgence, the patriarchs can establish some other devout exercise in memory of the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ for those Eastern Christian faithful whose usages do not include this exercise of the Stations.

Stations of the Cross

From Church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Avranches, Manche, Normandie, France

Lenten Tradition
Our parish, St. Catherine of Siena, like many Catholic churches throughout the world, traditionally prays the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent. I particularly like our tradition of incorporating all three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We begin our evening with a light Lenten meal, made and served by one of the Church apostolates or ministries. This accentuates the fasting. While we are eating, we are encouraged to donate to a local charity; each Friday during Lent is dedicated to a different local charity. This act encourages alms giving. Finally, we all walk over to the Sanctuary and pray the Stations.

Origin
The Stations of the Cross originated in the 14th Century, but the images of the Stations could be found in many churches before this time. The devotion has its roots in the Way of the Cross or Via Dolorosa. Shortly after the death of Christ, people began making pilgrimages to Jerusalem and tracing Christ's path to His crucifixion.  Pious tradition holds that the Blessed Mother would daily visit the site of Christ's passion.

Praying Perspectives
One thing that is fairly well established is that there are a total of fourteen stations. While this may be generally the case, the way one prays or reflects on the Stations can vary greatly. There are different ways of praying the Stations. For example, Joe Catholic led the Stations at our parish last night and we prayed the Stations from a Marian point of view. Blessed John Paul II had his own variation on meditating on the Stations based on sacred scripture. These are available in paperback on Amazon and as an iTunes app.

Saints & the Stations
Over the years, many of the saints have written their own reflections on the Way of the Cross. My personal favorite, available in the Handbook of Prayers and the Daily Roman Missal, was written by St. Josemaria Escriva. I like these because they assume a lectio devina approach. This version is available at EscrivaWorks or can be purchased as a small paperback at Scepter Publishers.

Ordinary Fridays
You don't need to wait until Lent to pray the Stations. Traditionally, many devout Catholics have prayed the Station on "ordinary" Fridays. If you can't make it to a church to walk around the Stations on the wall, you can use a prayer card, chaplet or other reminder to help you follow the Way of the Cross.

My mother told me about the Stations at Groom, Texas. I hope to take her some day soon.