Via Dolorosa

With Lent beginning so late this year, I realized I had the time at work to develop a Lenten reflection. I wanted to help people focus on the spirituality of the season. So I focused on the Stations of the Cross as a seasonal practice. I had interviews of priests explaining what the stations are and why we pray them. I had footage of groups praying. I had numerous pictures of the stations in several churches. But with the recording and editing, I hadn’t actually taken the time to pause, reflect, and pray myself.

So, through Lent, I’d like to take the time to reflect on each station, inching toward to Calvary with Jesus.

The Stations of the Cross, or the Way of Suffering (Via Dolorosa), began with pilgrimages through the Via Dolorosa in the Holy Land, made by knights and pilgrims in the fourth century. After Jerusalem fell to Saladin in 1187, Franciscans were the first Christians allowed back in the city, establishing the Custody of the Holy Land in 1217. A few centuries later, Franciscans built outdoor replicas of the Way near their churches, in part because of their devotion to Jesus’ Passion and in part as a catechetical tool. The stations could number from 7-30, with different moments of the Passion replicated. 

In 1686 the Franciscans were allowed to have Stations inside their churches. In 1731, churches could have Stations if a Franciscan erected them. At this point, the number had settled on the traditionally seen 14. In 1862, bishops were allowed to erect Stations in their churches without Franciscan intervention. Now, it’s rare to find a Catholic church without the Stations circling the nave.

By praying the Stations, we enter into the story of Jesus’ Passion. We relate to the people he met. We relate to his suffering, his humanity. The Stations show us Christ who loved us through torture and death. They show us ourselves, in our repulsion of his suffering or our willingness to suffer with him. Ultimately, they prepare us for the coming the Resurrection.