Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross are numbered stages in the events of the Passion, from the condemnation of Jesus to the placing of his body in the tomb.
The Stations of the Cross are often found in churches as a series of statues or other works of art placed along the walls or on pillars.
Christians can use the Stations of the Cross as the basis for a structured meditation on the last hours of Christ's life.
The Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) takes the faithful on a journey through the final stages of the Passion, as explained in this Roman Catholic guidance note:
In the Via Crucis, various strands of Christian piety coalesce: the idea of life being a journey or pilgrimage; as a passage from earthly exile to our true home in Heaven; the deep desire to be conformed to the Passion of Christ; the demands of following Christ, which imply that his disciples must follow behind the Master, daily carrying their own crosses.Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2001
Jesus meets his mother Mary in one of the Stations of the Cross ©
The guidance note reminds worshippers that the Via Crucis...
should conclude, however, in such fashion as to leave the faithful with a sense of expectation of the resurrection in faith and hopeCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2001
There are fourteen Stations of the Cross:
- Jesus is condemned by Pilate
- Jesus carries the Cross
- Jesus falls
- Jesus meets Mary, his mother
- Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry the Cross
- Veronica wipes Jesus' face
- Jesus falls again
- Women weep
- Jesus falls again
- Jesus is stripped
- Jesus is nailed to the Cross
- The death of Jesus
- Removal from the Cross
- Jesus is put in the tomb