Stations of the Cross: Station 3

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Station 3

Carrying the Cross

I see you accept the Cross in the midst of such mockery. You could have refused. What more could they have done to you? I hear no words of complaint, no protestations of innocence, no cursing the injustice. Sometimes the things I face in my life are more than trivial. Sometimes the troubles of life bear down on me. But I so easily fall into self-pity. I too often assume that I am the only one who bears a cross, or that my cross is larger and heavier than any others. (Matt. 27:27-31; Jn 19:17)

No comments:

Post a Comment

History of the Stations

The Stations of the Cross are often synonymous with Lent, Holy Week and, especially, Good Friday. This devotion is also referred to as the "Way of the Cross" and the "Via Dolorosa." It commemorates the key events on day of Christ's crucifixion and concentrate on His final walk through the streets of Jerusalem, carrying the Cross.

The Stations originated in Europe when wars prevented Christians from traveling to the Holy Land. Instead, artists created works depicting scenes of Christ's journey to Calvary. These sculptures or paintings were then installed at intervals along a procession route, inside the parish church or outdoors. Performing the devotion meant walking the entire route, stopping to pray at each "station."

The object of the Stations is to help the faithful to make, in spirit, a journey to the scenes of Christ's sufferings and death. It is carried out by passing from Station to Station, with certain prayers and meditation on the various incidents represented at each station. The Stations of the Cross, therefore, constitutes a miniature pilgrimage to the holy places at Jerusalem.

The Via Dolorosa (or the Way of the Cross) at Jerusalem is the original journey through the points of Christ’s final walk. These scenes were reverently marked out from the earliest times and have been the goal of devout Christians ever since the days of Constantine.

The continuation of the Stations of the Cross seems to have begun around the 5th Century however the composition of the Stations in churches did not become at all common until towards the end of the seventeenth century. It wasn’t until 1731 that Clement XII fixed the number of Stations at fourteen. Ordinarily the Stations should be erected within a church or public oratory. If the Stations (Via Crucis) go outside, e.g., in a cemetery or cloister, it should if possible begin and end in the church.

The Stations of the Cross may be either publicly or privately attended. For more information, please visit http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15569a.htm