Stations of the Cross: A Lenten Treasure
- Leah Brix
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
I was sweaty, exhausted, and moody as I ran/waddled through the rain to get to my van. I had just completed my Catholic workout of the week and was in a hurry to get home. The temperature on my dashboard read 33*... whew.
All afternoon, my phone buzzed with warnings from the weather app about a severe winter storm brewing in our area. But when I left my house, it was still 40*, so I wasn't too worried. I knew the Stations of the Cross only took about 30 minutes, so I figured I would be home in plenty of time. I hadn't anticipated the bonus 15-minute homily at the end.
In Father's defense, it was a beautiful reflection on Mary, focusing on precious moments of her life with her son, but THIS mom was less than a month away from my due date with the patience of a wet hen.
I'm sorry, Jesus. You and Your Mother both deserve to be honored in that way. But I drive a 15-passenger van, so slippery roads with a load of squirmy kids really freak me out, especially when the temperature was dropping by the minute, and the rain would soon turn to ice.
So now you know why I was cranky. I am happy to report that we made it home safely, so I now regret my agitation.
But why was I sweaty? Because I'm HUGE and stations are the equivalent of competing in the Olympics at 36 weeks of pregnancy!
If you have never attended public stations, there is a long genuflection after the leader says, "We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You," and here everyone drops to one knee and responds, "because by Your Holy cross You have redeemed the world."
Then we stand to meditate on the particular event or station in Jesus’ passion, then we fully kneel for a short prayer and resolution. Then we stand to sing "At the Cross" also known as the "Stabat Mater," as the presider walks to the next painting depicting the stations on the church's walls, and we repeat the process 14 times!!
The very first time we knelt down, I hit my big belly on one of the bookholders. Fortunately, they don't cover the entire length of the pew, so I strategically moved down the pew to find a spot away from the bookholder because this big belly of mine didn't fit! So now I'm awkwardly 3 feet away from my 3 oldest kids who came with me.
Going from standing to genuflecting, to standing, to kneeling, to singing has me completely breathless and sweaty.
We got to the 12ᵗʰ Station, where Jesus dies on the cross. The meditation ends with Jesus' last words, “It is finished," and continues, “then, bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
Here we pause in silence to meditate on this powerful scene.
But this particular night, I was feeling a bit dramatic, and agreed- it is finished. My spirit has given up, too, and there is no way I can get myself to stand up! I'm giving up. I quit. I am now stuck in this position until someone comes and lifts me up!
Stations of the Cross are always a dramatic experience for our family. Two weeks earlier, my daughter accused me of getting into a sing-off with the incredibly talented college intern who was walking around the church leading that night. We used a different version of the stations, so the song we used was "Were you there." I can't help that it's one of my favorites, so I have no problem belting it out using my amateur soprano pipes. But a sing-off? I’m offended by the suggestion.
Perhaps you remember this story from a few years ago, and my son's drama while being a candlebearer for our priest during stations- Trouble with Candles?
I grew up going to stations weekly, so I never thought twice about NOT going after I started my family. Some years, we make it faithfully every week of Lent, but other years, we may only make it twice.
I knew this was going to be a weird Lent for me... my due date is literally Easter Sunday, so I told the kids that we were going no matter what. So the Friday after Ash Wednesday, our family filled an entire pew. The second Friday rolled around, and the older kids went to a youth night at one of the parishes in our cluster, and Adam took the younger kids to town to buy a bunny. Left alone with my busy 2-year-old, the two of us watched the stations on YouTube. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
So, what's the big deal with the Stations of the Cross anyway?
Well, praying the Stations of the Cross, or the Way of the Cross, is an ancient tradition, dating back to Mary herself, who was the first to venerate the footsteps of her beloved Son. She would follow the footsteps of Jesus and kiss the ground where His blood was shed. She would meditate on what Jesus experienced there and pray before moving on to the next spot.
Meditating on the Passion of Our Lord is an inexhaustible mine of hidden treasures for us to discover, as well as an endless source of graces and spiritual blessings.
We can find the encouragement and graces needed for our conversion, the strength to subdue our worldly passions, and fresh incentives to live a life of virtue.
St. Augustine said, "A single tear shed at the remembrance of the Passion of Jesus is worth more than a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or a year of fasting on bread and water.”
While St. Paul of the Cross teaches, "The passion of Jesus is a sea of sorrows, but it is also an ocean of love. Ask the Lord to teach you to fish in this ocean. Dive into its depths.”
And St. Bonaventure encourages, "He who desires to go on advancing from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, should meditate continually on the Passion of Jesus.”
We pay special attention to Jesus’ passion during Lent, but it is a good practice to think of it every Friday throughout the year!
But during Lent, there is an added incentive: the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence every day!
A plenary indulgence removes all consequences that need to be paid for because of sin. So, to help clarify, when we go to confession, our sins are forgiven, but there may still be a certain amount of debt that needs to be paid, especially if serious sins were confessed.
I love to use the example of a child throwing a baseball through the neighbor's window. The child apologizes for breaking the window (confession), but a new window needs to be paid for (reparation, so prayers, works of mercy, etc. while alive, or time in purgatory after death).
The gates of heaven are opened for everyone who receives a good confession, but they may have to spend some time in purgatory to atone for those sins.
A plenary indulgence means that the slate is wiped completely clean! The “window” has been paid for! Because it is possible to receive the indulgence every day, many people will offer their indulgence for one of the poor souls in purgatory.
So how can we receive this incredible, merciful gift?
You must go to confession within 7 days before or after the day of the indulgence.
You must receive Holy Communion on that day.
You must pray for the Holy Father.
Most people pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be for his intentions.
You must progress from one station to the next within the church, or another consecrated erection of the Stations, so perhaps in a cemetery.
If you are doing the Stations of the Cross in a big group, it is acceptable for the congregation to remain in their pew while the presider walks from station to station.
That may be very intimidating for some of you! I know in my current state of life, I can’t get to daily mass, so I have a very hard time meeting all of these requirements! The good news for us is that there is a partial indulgence if we show up, which is still an amazing spiritual gift!
So this year may be a bit chaotic for me, but Lent isn’t over yet. I still have two weeks left to try to get that plenary indulgence, but in the meantime, I have been meditating on the Passion each morning on my own and have been incredibly blessed and humbled by it.
I hope your Lent has been challenging in stripping you of your former self, and that you will be able to rise again on Easter morning, a new and beautiful creation.
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Leah
