Tonight was my night to lead the Stations of the Cross at our parish, which I've done more than a few times of the last couple of years, but something tonight really struck me. As we were getting ready to begin, I stood before the altar and noticed that something felt...heavier than it had when I was opening the parish. As we started and different members of our community prayed at each Station, that heaviness felt holy, and I could feel God was close to us.
As I was sitting at home tonight, it hit me that that's exactly what the Stations of the Cross are supposed to do. They should move us and bring us into the holy.
What Are the Stations of the Cross?
Before I first walked the Stations, I kind of had idea of what the Stations of the Cross were… kind of. For those of you unfamiliar with the Stations, don’t worry, I'm working on a guide to walk through the Stations that I'll publish this weekend, which will help you understand how to home for those interested. But for now I'll briefly introduce them.
The Stations of the Cross, or the Way of the Cross, starts at the first station where Jesus is condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. Then we walk with Him through His carrying of the cross, His falls, St. Simon of Cyrene picking up and carrying His cross, Christ's meeting His mother, and finally His crucifixion and death, ending with Christ being laid in the tomb at the 14th station.
This has it’s roots in a very ancient practice. Starting in at least the 4th century, people who could would make a pilgramage to Jerusalem and walking the Via Dolorosa, but there were far more people who couldn't. So to bring Christ's journey to Golgotha closer, the Stations were developed. By the 14th century, the Franciscans helped spread this throughout Europe and it eventually made it's way to the rest of the Western World. W
Why We Walk It During Lent
Lent is a holy season set aside for us, for our preparation for the Paschal mystery. In the Early Church, this was a time of intense final preparations for Baptism. We should look at this time of year as an opportunity for us to slow down, to be formed and shaped to stand at teh foot of the cross on Good Friday, to rush to the empty tomb on Easter morning, and to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. The Stations of the Cross are an absolutely beautiful way to prepare ourselves in body, mind, and spirit. What I love most about it is the way it draws us into Christ’s Passion not as mere observers, but as companions on the road, present with our whole selves.
If we prepare by walking the Stations, we don’t just show up at Holy Week cold. We’ve been warmed up, so to speak, and we’ve been journeying with Christ. We have taken time to pause and reflect on each moment of Christ’s passion. We bear the weight of what Christ carried and we’ve answered the call to pick up and carry our cross with him. When we reach Holy Week, the cross should be something we’ve anticipated and something taht moves us even more deeply because it’s the destination we’ve been walking toward together with Christ.
A Practice for All Christians
I came to the Stations of the Cross from an… unusual direction. Before coming into the Anglican Tradition, I was Eastern Orthodox and spent 20+ years in the Byzantine Rite. I’ll be honest - that tradition is absolutely breathtaking in its liturgical tradition. The Divine Liturgy, the chant, the icons - there’s nothing else like it. But as much as I love my Orthodox roots, there is room for more.
Tthe Stations of the Cross are not part of the Eastern tradition. And I want to say honestly that there is something missing that could add a real richness for our Eastern brothes and sisters. Not because the Orthodox Church is deficient, but because this particular practice, this embodied, communal, step-by-step walk with Christ through His Passion, gives us something that isn’t really found anywhere else. Maundy Thursday has a tradition in the East where the icon of Christ is nailed to a cross, which is moving. I can’t help but think how much more meaningful that would be if the faithful had walked the Stations and really sat with Christ’s passion.
Even within our own Anglican tradition, many have let this ancient practice go. I think that’s a real loss for us. The Stations of the Cross are not something only for the Roman Catholic Church. They belong to the whole Western Church and through the Western Church, all of Christendom. There’s something to be gained spiritually by Orthodox and Protestant Christians. Any Christian who wants to walk more deeply into the meaning of Holy Week and Easter has every right to this practice.
Why the Body Matters
One of the things I love most about the Stations is that they require your body. We walk, we stand, we kneel, we read, we hear, we walk. This isn’t by accident. Our whole being, body and spirit, are inged because Christ’s Incarnation means that our bodies matter and are made to commune with and worship God. Christ carried a real wooden cross on his Incarnate and human shoulders down a real road in Jerusalem. We bring our bodies into our prayer because Christ brought His body in the world for our salvation.
An Invitation Before Holy Week Arrives
If you have never walked the Stations of the Cross, this Lent is a great time to try it. If your parish does not observe them, ask why not or find a parish that is. If you’re already doing the Stations this Lent, try inviting a friend or two to join you.
I’ll have an article explaining how the Stations of the Cross work and what we’re doing this weekend, as well as an explanation fo how to do them yourself if you dno’t have an opportunity to do it in a Christian community.
Holy Week is coming and we’re all journeying toward the Cross and Christ’s resurrection - let’s use the stations as a chance for us to come and walk with Christ so we can are ready to join Him on Easter.
About Fr. Thom Crowe
I'm Fr. Thom, a priest in the Episcopal Church/Anglican Tradition. I spent 5 years as an ordained deacon in the Orthodox Church. By day, I'm a tech marketer, dad to a sweet girl, and husband to a great wife who runs the Made Shop. I'm an avid reader, beer aficionado, lover of theology and history, and insufferable coffee snob. I have a pretty happy life here in Tulsa, OK.