Posted 1003 days ago

Reflection - Stations of the Cross

As part of their acts of devotion, early Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem retraced Jesus route as he carried his cross to his death. By the sixteenth century, this pilgrimage route through Jerusalem was called the Via Dolorosa , the Way of Sorrow. Along the Way, certain points of the journey (stations) were associated with specific events recounted or implied in the Gospel accounts. These became known as the Stations of the Cross.

There are presently fourteen stations on the Via Dolorosa, and some offer chapels or places to pray and meditate. Today churches of all traditions have rediscovered their significance and invite people from their community to walk the stations with Jesus.

These stations often have significance far beyond a symbolic walk. They provide a way for artists to express their own pain and struggle as well as their culture. In the process they invite us to enter their suffering and walk with them towards the transformation of the cross. Below are links to several Stations of the Cross from different cultural and theological perspectives. Prayerfully view these and spend time meditating on the life situations that have resulted in these images.

• Cityside Church in Auckland New Zealand has held an exhibit of contemporary icons to reflect on at Easter for the last 10 years
• Spencer Burke creator of The Ooze has put together Stations from his graffiti art
• The Way of the Cross from Latin America 1492 – 1992 by Adolfo Perez Esquivel views the Stations through liberation theology
• St Paul’s on the Green in Norwalk, CT has installed Stations with an anti war theme
• In 1973 the Mafa communities in North Cameroon started to develop art that depicted an African representation of the gospel. The following photos though not strictly following the Stations of the cross are a powerful African representation of the last week of Jesus life
• Mansour Mouasher has found this interesting set of Jordanian stamps depicting the Stations of the Cross

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