Stations of the Cross
This evening at St. Thomas we did something new when we gathered to pray the stations of the cross. There is a long tradition of coming together on the Fridays of Lent to pray these traditional prayers, but tonight we added something new. I began our prayer this evening by reminding those gathered that we would be praying in two languages, but as one community. This year our large hispanic community suggested we not only pray the stations in English, but also in Spanish. What gladdened me was the suggestion by those who speak English in the parish to have one prayer service each week that would be bilingual rather than two separate ones. Both communities were able to gather this evening and be unified by the cross.
Stations of the Cross is one of my favorite ways of praying. The Stations draw one into the central mystery of the Christian life, the death and resurrection of Christ. It is also a very physical prayer, as one usually walks from station to station, recalling the events of the Crucifixion. Originally this prayer was created for Christians who were unable to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to walk the path that Christ walked on his way to death and to pray for the strength to be able to follow Him faithfully. Today, I would guess that it is still not common for most Christians to travel to Jerusalem to retrace the steps of Christ, but many of us do so in our own parishes each week when we call to mind the Passion of Christ.
Tonight as we prayed together at the 12th Station, Jesus dies on the Cross, I was hit with the same sorrow that seems to always be there for me on Good Friday and when we remember the death of Christ. I hope that I will never lose the feeling of sorrow that accompanies my sins, the sorrow of knowing that God died in order for me to live.
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