“The cross of Christ, embraced with love, never brings sadness with it, but joy, the joy of being saved and of doing a little of what he did on the day of his death.”  Pope Francis

The Stations of the Cross -- also known as the Way of the Cross, the Way of Sorrow, or the Via Crucis --  refers to a series of images depicting the path of Jesus Christ on his final day on earth.  The stations are representations along the actual path on the Via Dolorosa where Jesus walked to Mount Calvary. The purpose is provide the faithful with a way to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ.

The series of stations is as follows: (1) Jesus is condemned to death, (2) He is made to bear his cross, (3) He falls the first time, (4) He meets his mother, (5) Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross, (6) Veronica wipes Jesus’ face, (7) He falls the second time, (8) the women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus, (9) He falls the third time, (10) He is stripped of his garments, (11) He is nailed to the cross, (12) He dies on the cross, (13) He is taken down from the cross, and (14) He is placed in the sepulchre.

VIRTUAL STATIONS OF THE CROSS

For the times when we cannot go to a church to pray the devotions dedicated to following the last earthly footsteps of Jesus, we offer this virtual version, featuring the Stations at St. Maria Goretti and Our Lady of the Assumption Churches, with our former resident seminarian Colin McNabb leading us in prayer: Lynnfield Catholic Collaborative Virtual Stations of the Cross.  Click here for the accompanying guide: Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori

As another alternative, here are the Stations of the Cross and reflections offered by Bishop Barron: Word on Fire Stations of the Cross.