Historicity and Significance of Stations of the life-giving Cross

By Ladislaus Louis D’Souza

Mumbai, Feb 27, 2024: The ‘Stations’, or the ‘Way of the Cross,’ as this devotion has varyingly been known, is one of Catholicism’s most identifiable and popular traditions.

This pious devotion which, from of old, dwelt on the suffering and death of the Saviour has over time included a pointed reference to Christ’s Resurrection from the dead, a Fifteenth Station becoming imperative.

As such, the “Empty Tomb” invites the believer to focus contemplatively on the fourteen steps marking Christ’s historic climb up Calvary Hill.

Origins

This profound devotion originated from the pilgrimages the early Christians made to the various locales of significance associated with Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. This prayerful practice, continuing throughout the Middle Ages, came to be further popularized by the Franciscans on becoming Custodians of the historical sites in Jerusalem and the Holy Land in 1342.

Gradually spreading to other parts of Western Europe, the numbers and names of stations varied periodically. The traditional set of fourteen came to be recorded in Spain in the first half of the 17th century, especially in Franciscan communities; from there it spread first to Sardinia (then under Spanish domain) and thence to Italy where it found a fervent apostle in a Franciscan friar, Saint Leonard of Port Maurice (+ 1751).

The famed Leonard tirelessly erected over 572 Via Crucis, including the famous one inside the Colosseum in December 1750 at the behest of Pope Benedict XIV who himself led the devotion on Good Friday. The Colosseum Stations, as a Papal Good Friday exercise that carries on to this day, was revived by Pope Saint Paul VI in the 20th century.

Steeped in history

Significantly, this devotional practice is also known as the “Via Dolorosa” – literally, the “Sorrowful Way”. Geographically, the Via Dolorosa, alternately known as the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) is a street in two parts within the Old City of Jerusalem. Considered the path that Jesus traversed, carrying his cross, the winding route from the Antonia Fortress west to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (a distance of about 600 meters) a celebrated place of Christian pilgrimage. The current route, established since the 18th century (replacing all earlier versions) is today marked by nine ‘Stations’, with the remaining five stations within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher since the 15th century.

Reality & Presumptions

The Via Dolorosa in effect commemorates 14 happenings traditionally marking Christ’s Cross journey from, Pilate’s Judgement Seat, the Praetorium [Jn 18:28b]; apart from flogging, the grotesque tomfoolery involved mocking, spitting upon and thorn-crowning by the Roman soldiery across the streets of Jerusalem, right up to Golgotha, where he was crucified.

Not to be forgotten of course is the invaluable assistance rendered him by Simon of Cyrene (Mt 27:26-35) and the succour provided by Veronica. No reference to the latter exists in the passion narratives. Nevertheless, it is theorized that Jesus’ burial cloth, the ‘shroud’, was folded into a square frame and displayed above a church altar, only an apparent imprint of his face visible.

This imprint coming to be considered the ‘True Image’ [vera (Latin)+eikon/icon (Greek)] of Jesus, a legend about a woman named ‘Veronica’ daring to use her veil in public to wipe Jesus’ blood-splattered face developed. The significant part of this legend was that her soothing act of kindness was repaid by Jesus with his facial imprint on the veil.

Identifying with the Cross

The Stations reveal the extent to which God will go out of love for us. Those who identify with the Cross of Jesus and the Sorrowful Way leading to it will also identify with the unwillingness to destroy and crucify.

The question is not who killed Jesus but what killed Jesus: a vicious cycle of hate and violence continues to make the Lord walk the via dolorosa in the men and women of our day, his re-crucifixion evident in his sisters and brothers.

To a world bereft of a sense of sin and shame, the scourging and physical pain that Jesus endured might appear as some sort of madness [cf 1 Cor 1:23]. Such a contention itself can of course be considered minor in comparison to the pain caused by the real burden he was bearing: the burden of the sin of every human person since Adam and Eve that he bore successfully to the cross.

And that success is what the Stations are meant to remind us of. Indeed, as Lent progresses, our contemplation of this holiest of seasons reminds us of what a precious gift our salvation is, considering the ransom paid for it by Jesus – “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:5).

As we mull over the pain and humiliation he suffered for us, paying a price that we could never pay ourselves, we can’t help but praise and thank the Father for the superabundance of His love. Could we, influenced by the power of the Spirit, commit ourselves to a life of obedience to His Son?

Way Traced by the Spirit

The life of Jesus was essentially a journey traced by the Spirit: at the beginning of his mission Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert (cf Lk 4:1); then, as a divine fire burning in his breast, the Spirit has him trudge up Calvary (cf Lk 12:49-50), the last stage of which is painfully hard.

The evangelists linger, although with moderation, over the description of the journey the Son-of-God and Son-of-man deigned to walk out of sheer love for the Father and for His human creation.

Every step of Jesus is a step closer to the accomplishment of the Father’s will for our salvation: to the hour of universal forgiveness (cf Lk 23:34); the pierced Heart that opened an inextinguishable fountain of grace (cf Jn 19:34); the immolation of the true Paschal Lamb, of whom not a bone was to be broken (cf Jn 19:36); the gift of his Mother (cf Jn 19:26-27) and of the Spirit (cf Mt 27:50)….

Every bit of suffering marking Jesus’ life-journey is a seed of future joy for all humanity, every jeer, a premise of glory! Similarly, every encounter of Jesus on the Via Dolorosa, with those familiar and those unfamiliar, enemies and the indifferent alike, is a chance for one final lesson, one last look, one supreme offer of reconciliation and peace.

And yes, all this, if contemplated with sincerity will bring us on the same page with Jesus! Indeed! Lest the opportunity pass us by, let our soulful cry to the Lord be:

Pass me not, oh, gentle Saviour,
Hear my humble cry.
While on others thou art calling
Do not pass me by!