Sunday, March 30, 2025
Friday Stations of the Cross
One of my favorite Lenten devotions is the Stations of the Cross. The inspiration for the devotion comes from the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, the path Jesus took on the way to his crucifixion. Today it is marked by fourteen stations, nine of which are outside and five inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the location according to tradition where both Jesus was crucified and the place of the empty tomb.
Along the nave of our church, on both sides, are depictions of the stations. When we gather, the following words are said at each station: “We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You (genuflect), because by your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.” The stations we pray are scriptural, but other versions are adapted for those whose cross is particularly heavy today, such as a way of the cross for migrants.
All of us, however, can identify with the Way of Sorrows. We pray at the fifth station: “Lord Jesus Christ, help us to see in the sufferings and shortcomings of our lives a share in Your Cross; strengthen and console us in the belief that we bear all things in union with You.” Gathering as a community to pray the stations, I feel solidarity and support—that we all have a cross to carry but help one another. Just as we gather around the cross, so we gather to share a delicious fish dinner hosted by the Knights of Columbus. See you on Friday in the Church and in Nevin Hall.
In Christ,
Rev. Robert P. Capone
