Stations of the Cross: Station 8

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Station 8

Jesus Dies and is Laid in the Tomb

Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" (Matthew 27:45-54).

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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