The Way of the Cross
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“In the Via Crucis, various strands of Christian piety coalesce: the idea of life being a journey or pilgrimage as a passage from earthly exile to our true home in Heaven; the deep desire to be conformed to the Passion of Christ; the demands of following Christ, which imply that his disciples must follow behind the Master, daily carrying their own crosses…” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 133)  In the Way of the Cross (Via Crucis) the faithful are invited to follow the final earthly journey of Christ. We walk and pray before the traditional 14 stations that depict the central moments of the Passion of Christ from His condemnation to His entombment. This journey is an occasion to contemplate Our Lord’s work for our redemption undertaken with love and humility.The devotion has its origins in the actions of Christian pilgrims who retraced Christ’s original steps in the City of Jerusalem. Over time the Church erected shrines and images to represent these places for the faithful who were unable to visit the Holy Land. Today a variety of prayers and meditations can be used for this devotion. Here we employ the prayers composed by Saint Alphonsus Ligouri accompanied by photographs of the 14 Stations from the Church of Saint Patrick in our parish. |
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