Christians are in the midst of observing the grace filled season of Lent, meditating, among other things, on the crucial last days of their Lord Jesus Christ, who after a mock trial was led to the Crucifixion. One important form of meditation and prayer in churches these days is called, “Way or Stations of the Cross”. For those not familiar with the internal layout of a church, particularly a Catholic church, be informed that all the churches have on their side walls, “the stations of the Cross”, numbered from one to 14. Every Friday the faithful gather in the church to pray at each station specific prayers. Some others who take their Lenten spiritual exercises more seriously, do them daily, besides almsgiving and fasting.
The prayers are emotional as each “station” describes the painful and humiliating journey that Jesus, with the cross on his shoulders, made from Pilate’s palace to Calvary where he was finally crucified on the same Cross. As an aside, it is good to know that Jesus was not the only one who carried a Cross and died on it. The major difference, however, is that the others so punished were charged with serious crimes. Jesus, on the other hand, who spent his time revealing God’s love through his words and actions for the poor and the downtrodden, had committed no crime whatsoever. No wonder then that despite having died a “criminal’s death”, he continues to draw ever more believers who follow him to this day.
The walls in churches are marked with 14 stations depicting events as they unfolded in Jesus’ last journey. Traditionally, they are as follows: Pilate condemns Christ to death; Jesus carries the Cross; the first fall under the Cross; Jesus meets His Blessed Mother; Simon of Cyrene helps to carry the Cross; Veronica wipes the face of Jesus; the second fall; Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem; the third fall; Jesus is stripped of His garments; Jesus is nailed to the cross; Jesus dies on the Cross; Jesus is taken down from the Cross; and Jesus is laid in the tomb.
It is believed that the next day His mother Mary walked in sorrow and pain the path that her son was unjustly forced to walk with that heavy Cross. Not only Christians but many others are often puzzled as to why God let his son Jesus suffer such pain, humiliation and death. On further meditation one arrives at the conclusion that it was all for the love of humanity. Meditation of such a journey can teach us to take pain and humiliations of life in our own stride and that rather than being revengeful and bitter about betrayals, we can all, like Jesus pray , “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing”.
