The Stations of the Cross
The Way of the Cross
Via Crucis
The Stations of the Cross are a series
of (usually) fourteen scenes that remember the Passion of Jesus Christ --
His suffering, crucifixion and death. The term can refer to the physical
representations of these scenes, as in "Our Lady of Lourdes, Raytown's,
Stations of the Cross are pictured below," but it is more commonly used to
refer to the devotional act of praying the Stations, as in "At seven p.m. on
Fridays during Lent, the faithful can pray the Stations of the Cross at Our
Lady of Lourdes, Raytown."
The
Stations have evolved from a very early tradition in the Catholic Church by
which pilgrims would follow the actual Via Dolorosa, or Way of
Sorrows, stopping at the Stations to contemplate the events that tradition
holds took place there. This tradition had spread from the Holy Land to
Europe as early as the fourth century, which of course necessitated putting
together visual representations of the Stations.
The Stations of the Cross are:
Station One: Jesus is Condemned to Death
Station
Two: Jesus Carries His Cross
Station
Three: Jesus Falls the First Time
Station
Four: Jesus Meets His Blessed Mother
Station
Five: Simon Helps Jesus to Carry His Cross
Station
Six: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Station
Seven: Jesus Falls the Second Time
Station
Eight: Jesus Meets the Women
Station
Nine: Jesus Falls the Third Time
Station
Ten: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
Station
Eleven: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
Station
Twelve: Jesus Dies on the Cross
Station
Thirteen: Jesus is Taken From the Cross
Station
Fourteen: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
There are other lists of
Stations that those above, which are the traditional set. Pope John Paul the
Great created a series of Stations based entirely on Scripture; in this set,
the Stations are: (1) The Agony in the Garden; (2) Jesus' betrayal and
arrest; (3) He is condemned by the Sanhedrin; (4) He is denied by Peter; (5)
He is condemned to death by Pilate; (6) He is scourged and crowned with
thorns; (7) He is made to carry his cross; (8) Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus
carry the Cross; (9) Jesus meets with the women of Jerusalem; (10) He is
crucified; (11) He promises paradise to the thief; (12) He speaks to John
and Mary; (13) He dies; (14) He is laid in the tomb.
