Lesson 10
Stations of the Cross
The Catholic Church is found by Jesus himself and her birthday is often seen as the moment of Pentecost.
A month prior, Jesus has died and rises from the dead on the third day. For the next 30 days he appears to people, teaching and encouraging them. Then, he Ascends into Heaven and tells the Apostles to wait in Jerusalem where he will send the Holy Spirit upon them.
On the 40th day after Jesus’ Resurrection, the Holy Spirit comes down on the men in what appears to be tongues on fire and they go out and preach the Gospel. (Remember, doing this will most likely mean risking their life, as there are people who killed Jesus who also want to kill them. All of them will eventually be killed for their preaching, except John).
After Peter, the first Pope preaches this first homily or public proclamation of what Jesus did. People believe and ask:
“…what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
-Acts 2:37-42
The Church is born in this moment, beginning with 3000 Christians.
From this point on, the Church continues to grow and spread. Over the next 300 years, though at times deeply persecuted, Christian converts most of the Roman Empire, to the point where the Emperor himself converts and not only makes it legal to be Christian, but makes it the religion of the Empire.
But during this time of growth, when people want to become Christians, they are asked, what shall we do?
The Early Church develops a way of entrance into the Church, similar to our RCIA, where a new person would live the life of Jesus for a full year - culminating in his Passion and Resurrection on Easter, where they’d receive Baptism
In a previous lesson, we talked about this, also creating a calendar that we still follow to this day.
In this same tradition, a tradition of the Station of the Cross is created to help us live the life of Jesus in our own lives.
The Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross is a meditation that is often done communally during Lent to help us meditate on what Jesus suffered for us to bring us to Heaven.
We have in our Tradition the walk that Jesus had to make from the moment he was given an order of execution to the moment of his passing. We call these the 14 Stations of the Cross.
Here are the Stations:
Pilate Condemns Jesus to Die
Jesus Accepts His Cross
Jesus Falls the First Time
Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother
Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
Veronica Offers Her Veil to Jesus
Jesus Falls the Second Time
Jesus Speaks to the Women
Jesus Falls the Third Time
Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
Jesus Dies Upon the Cross
Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross
Jesus Is Placed in the Sepulcher
(The Resurrection - some will add this)
Praying the Stations of the Cross
How the Stations of the Cross are prayed in community differ from each Church, but it typically is done in the following manner.
Procession - A Priest & a few Candle Bearers will start at the first Station of the Cross, often along the walls of the Church.
Announcement - They will announce the Station
Priest - The First Station of the Cross is Pilate Condemns Jesus to Die
Open Prayer - The following prayer is said -
Priest - We adore you, Christ, and we praise you.
People - (while genuflecting) - Because by your holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Meditation is read on the Station. We should take time at this moment, enter into our imagination and try to picture the events of what is happening.
Closing Prayer
Hymn & Procession to the next Station
♪♪♪ At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last. ♪♪
Take time to go over this with your class and practice it with them.
Practice the prayers and genuflecting.
A Brief Study on each Station
The goal of this class is to help youth understand this type of prayer and how to do it, so they are prepared to pray the prayer next class.
This is more information for you, or for your class, if you need it.
Also, the Carrying of the Cross is pretty graphic and violent, so please share information at an age appropriate level.
Pilate Condemns Jesus to Die
There are two important points to remember with this Station.
Jesus is being assassinated
We often go into Bible-la-la-land, but don’t think of this in its true historical context. The Jewish leadership are jealous of Jesus (Mt 27:18) and do not like his vision or his preaching. Jesus will speak more on this when he meets the women.
A common question people ask is, if there are thousands of people welcoming Jesus as the King on Sunday, why are they chanting for his crucifixion on Friday? The most likely answer is there are two different groups of people - those who like Jesus and those who are in power and don’t like him.
The Jews are afraid of the people, especially since they like Jesus, so they need to take care of Jesus quickly before the people can respond or riot against them.
He is kidnapped in the middle of the night, beaten, given a mock trial, brought before Pilate, then to Herod and back to Pilate, scourged and then given his death sentence - all before noon! (Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour (noon - sunrise is 0 hour/our 6 am - so this is 12 pm.. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” Jn 19:14) This is a hurried execution/assasination of their political rival.
Those who welcomed Jesus on Sunday saw him preaching on Thursday, and by the time they are up and going on Friday, Jesus is already carrying his cross.
Why the death penalty?
The Romans allowed the people they ruled to have their own cultures & rules, but some rules they reserved only for themselves. The death penalty was one of these. So the Jews want to kill Jesus but they need permission from Rome and thus they go to Pilate.
Jews - they kill Jesus because he says he is God. This is blasphemy.
Romans - If you watch the dialogue with Pilate, the Roman Official, and the Jewish leadership, Pilate believes he is innocent. He is also a politician. So he tries to appease the crowd by deflecting (sending to Herod), trader for Barabas, and then giving a lesser punishment (whipping). They aren’t satisfied and demand he is crucified. This is the highest form of torture/death and is only reserved for slaves & political rebels. Rome could care less if you declared yourself a God/god. The ultimate sin is the attempt to overthrow Rome. The Jews use this against Pilate (Jn 19:10-12) saying that Jesus says he's a King and therefore Jesus is a political rival. If Pilate lets him go, he is saying it's okay to have another King. Jesus then receives the death penalty and what is his punishment? What is his crime? It is written above his head - “King of the Jews”
Jesus Accepts His Cross
Accepting a Cross is a great paradox in the Christian life.
There is a great scene in the Passion where Jesus is mocked by the other people on death row for embracing it.
It is reminiscent of Jesus' comment - “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” - Matthew 16:24
This must have been such a bizarre comment, as Jesus hadn’t carried a cross yet when he said it!
The natural human response is to reject our sufferings, not embrace them. But Christian has redemptive suffering which makes God’s allowance for our suffering have great importance and power. We ought to lovingly accept both our blessings and our crosses. (cf. Romans 5:3-5, Job 2:10)
Jesus Falls the First Time
Jesus Falls the Second Time
Jesus Falls the Third Time
Often times when a prisoner was sentenced to death, the Romans would make them carry their own cross to the place where they’d be executed. This would have been done in two ways - either the full cross or the top bar of the Cross. Traditionally, Jesus carried his full cross.
We have to remember that unlike others carrying his cross with him, he was greatly injured before his crucifixion by his scourging.
His scourging would have taken place before his carrying of the cross.
He was whipped with something called the “Cat of Nine Tails”, which would be a whip that had 9 leather straps attached to it. The end of each strap would have a bone fragment, metal, or a sharpened stone, which were meant to dig into the skin and cut or tear it, as opposed to just a strike.
Jesus is so badly beaten that he dies unusually quickly in his crucifixion - even shocking Pilate (cf. Mk 15:43-44)
Crucifixion was meant to be both humiliating and painful.
The idea is that anyone who tried to overthrow Rome was to be made an example of - they’d strip you naked and then hang you in a prominent place in front of everyone.
How you die of crucifixion is by slowly suffocating in your own lungs.
Arms would be dislocated with nails holding you in place, so everytime you had to breathe, you had to pull up on dislocated arms, held my nails, as well as feet that were nailed, to hoist yourself up for a breath, and then sag back down.
Crucifixion could take up to 24 hours. Jesus dies in 3 hours (3 pm - cf Mt 27:46). This shows the extreme condition he was already in as he was carrying his Cross.
In fact, Jesus was in such bad shape, they had to force someone else to help him, namely Simpon of Cyrene, because he couldn’t do it.
It's also important to remember the pain as he falls, the cross as it falls on him, and onto his wounds and the crown of thorns on his head.
Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother
This moment doesn’t occur in the Scriptures, but is passed down to us through Tradition - much like much of the teachings on Mary.
It is reminiscent of the prophecy that was said to Mary when she was young with her newborn son in the temple.
After Jesus' birth, according to the Jewish law, she brings the newborn Jesus to the temple to dedicate him. While there, she encounters two prophets that are there and they prophecy about Jesus
This is the story we meditate on in the 4th Joyful Mystery of the Rosary
The prophecy speaks of the great deed Jesus will accomplish, but also the suffering that will cause Mary too.
…and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through [Mary’s] soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.” - Luke 2:34
Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
“And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyre′ne, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.” - Luke 23:26 (cf Mark 15:21, Matthew 27:32)
As we spoke of with his falls, Jesus isn’t capable of carrying his own cross anymore and so the Romans look to have another Jew help him.
According to Roman law, they could force a civilian into manual labor, carrying their armor for example, for up to a mile but no further.
This is what Jesus is referenced when he is teaching and says, “and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” Matthew 5:41-44
This is also where the expression comes from “Go the extra mile”.
If a Roman makes you do one mile - you turn the other cheek - and do another mile out of love for him who is doing an evil to you.
This is especially burdensome for Simon as a good Jew would now be considered ritually unclean for the Passover - a massive inconvenience for him and his family to be forced into this type of labor.
Veronica Offers Her Veil to Jesus
This is another moment that isn’t in the Scriptures but has been passed down to us by Tradition.
Imagine Jesus’ swollen, bleeding face with sweat and blood in his eyes. A woman named Veronica ways his face, giving him a small amount of love/support and comfort.
This veil imprinted that of Christ's face into it and we still have this veil, kept in a shrine in Italy.
Jesus Speaks to the Women
This is the most cryptic of all the sayings of Jesus during the Stations, in what areas to be a reprimand when they are mourning him:
And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” - Luke 23:27-31
Jesus is speaking here about the two worldviews or paths for the Jewish people’s redemption.
This is at the heart of Jesus’ assassination.
The Jewish leaders were planning the overthrow of Rome, much like Judas Maccabeaus in the time of the Greeks (notice how many people are named Judas at this time). They wanted a military uprising.
Jesus' tactic of conquering Rome is through love, mercy and forgiveness - loving the Romans. This is pure folly to the Jewish leaders, and with such a big following, they had to stop him.
So whose worldview will conquer?
The women he speaks to - their child - ie 30 years from now, they will get what they are seeking. “He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.” - Mt 26:52. In 70 AD, the Jewish leaders attempted their military overthrow of Rome. As a result, the Roman military is sent to destroy all of Jerusalem, killing many people and tearing down the temple, brick by brick (the one wall remains in Jerusalem called the Wailing Wall)
In one of the Roman Victory Arches in Rome (Arch of Titus), you can see a depiction of the Menorah they brought back from the Temple as loot to Rome for their victory in destroying Jerusalem.
What about Jesus’ vision/worldview?
Where is the center of the Catholic Church…Rome.
Through 300 years of Jesus’ method, the Roman Empire converts and is still the center of Catholicism to this day.
Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
This is the only valuable thing that Jesus has, so the soldiers don’t tear it and gamble for who gets it.
As we spoke earlier, it was to strip him naked in humiliation.
It would also be extremely painful as it’d open up the healing/coagulating wounds of Jesus scourging.
Lastly, it fulfills a prophecy in Psalm 22:18
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the scripture,
“They parted my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”-John 19:23-24 (cf. Lk 23:34, Mt 27:35)
Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
Those crucified were nailed to the cross to heighten the pain. Sometimes it was done in the hand with cloth holding up the arms, as is the traditional belief of Jesus, or it would be further down in the wrist, where the wrist bone stops the nail from tearing loose.
Jesus Dies Upon the Cross
As mentioned previously, Jesus is in such a bad condition, he dies in only 3 hours.
During this time, he agonizes to say his final words before he dies.
After Jesus' death, immediately some crazy events happen.
Eclipse - Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. - Matthew 27:45
Earthquake - and the earth shook, and the rocks were split;
Terrified Romans - “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” - Mt 27:54- This would have terrified the Romans, whose religion were largely rooted in this time of cosmic movement.
Temple Curtain Torn - “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” - Mt 27:51 During this event, the temple curtain that separated the people from the Holy Place is ripped in half, showing that the people could now approach God. This would also have been horrifying to the Jewish leadership at that time.
Jesus' side is pierced - The goal of crucifixion was to kill someone painfully and slowly. If necessary, they could speed up the process by breaking the criminals legs - thus not allowing them to push up for a breath and they’d suffocate. After all these cosmic events happen, the Romans freak out - they want this to end. But seeing that Jesus is already dead, instead of breaking his legs (which they can’t do according to the prophecy). They “pierced his side” meaning they essentially stabbed him in the heart by under his rib cage.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, “Not a bone of him shall be broken.” And again another scripture says, “They shall look on him whom they have pierced.” - John 19:32-37
Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross
Jesus Is Placed in the Sepulcher
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathe′a, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed. Mary Mag′dalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the sepulchre. - Matthew 27:57-60
They are unable to prepare his body because the Passover is starting, and like Simon, they don’t want to be ritually unclean for the feast by touching a dead body.
Two days later, on the third day, they return to his tomb and Jesus has risen.
If you note, the shroud is left there on Easter Sunday:
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. - John 20:6-7
The tradition of the Church is that we still have this shroud and it is kept in Turin, Italy. Known as the Shroud of Turin, it has blood markings and marks from Jesus himself.
You don’t have to believe this is Jesus' actual burial cloth, but a forensic doctor recently went to Turin to study it and although it can’t be certain, he found that there is no reason to not believe it isn’t authentic. His book is called A Doctor on Calvary - very good read.