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The Way of the Cross - The Way of Compassion

The 14 Stations of the Cross

Old tradition of the way of the cross

There was a traditional way of the cross that Catholics used to perform every time the Lenten liturgical season arrived. This traditional way of the Cross involved entering into the mystery of the Passion of Christ by praying and meditating the events of His Passion. The 14 traditional stations of the cross are the following:

first station - Jesus is condemned to death
second station - Jesus receives the cross
third station - Jesus falls the first time
fourth station - Jesus is met by his blessed mother
fifth station - Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross
sixth station - Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
seventh station - Jesus falls the second time
eighth station - The women of Jerusalem mourn for the Lord
ninth station - Jesus falls for the third time
tenth station - Jesus is stripped of his garments
eleventh station - Jesus is nailed to the cross
twelfth station - Jesus dies on the cross
thirteenth station - Jesus is taken down from the cross
fourteenth station - Jesus is placed in the tomb

The procedure for performing this spiritual exercise is that the exercitant prays an opening prayer which varies according to many versions of the publication of the way of the cross. However, the classic prayers that follow are standard to all these versions. For the purpose of this article, let us take the opening prayer in one version:

Opening prayer

Jesus Christ, my Lord, with what great love You passed over the painful road which led You to death; and I, how often have I abandoned You. But now I love You with my whole soul, and because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for having offended You. My Jesus, pardon me, and permit me to accompany You in this journey. You are going to die for love of me, and it is my wish also, my dearest Redeemer, to die for love of You. Jesus, in Your love I wish to live, in Your love I wish to die.

Announcing the station and the prayer

The station is announced as thus: "First station: Jesus is condemned to death", then if the spiritual exercise is done individually or in a group, the leader leads with the prayer: "We adore You, Christ, and praise You. [the groups responds with] Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world."

Reading of meditation on the station

There is a meditation that is usually read within each station and this also varies with every publication of the way of the Cross.

Traditional closing prayer

Then the leader ends the prayer at the station with the closing prayer, "Lord Jesus Crucified, have mercy on us."

The revised way of the Cross

The spiritual exercise of the way of the Cross was recently revised to make it more based on Scripture rather than on Tradition. Thus, those aspects in the classic and old tradition of the way of the cross were replaced with the new scriptural versions. So the Church removed Jesus falling a second and a third time, Jesus is met by St. Veronica and His Blessed Mother, and Jesus is stripped with His garments. They placed instead these: the institution of the Eucharist, Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns, Jesus promises heaven to the repentant thief, Mary and John at the foot of the Cross, and Jesus rises from death.

The following is a complete list of the revised way of the Cross:

first station - The institution of the Eucharist
second station - The agony in Gethsemani
third station - Jesus is sentenced to death
fourth station - Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
fifth station - Jesus receives the cross
sixth station - Jesus falls under the weight of the cross
seventh station - Simon of Cyrene carries the cross of Jesus
eighth station - Jesus meets the pious women of Jerusalem
ninth station - Jesus is nailed to the cross
tenth station - Jesus promises heaven to the repentant thief
eleventh station - Mary and John at the foot of the cross
twelth station - Jesus dies on the cross
thirteenth station - Jesus is laid in the tomb
fourteenth station - Jesus rises from death

One important revision from the old and classic way of the cross is that in this new version is incorporated a scriptural reading that describes the actual event on the way of the cross. Moreover, the way of the cross begins with the Last Supper account where the Eucharist is instituted and ends with a positive tone in the resurrection of Jesus from death. The classic announcing of the station and the accompanying
prayer with it is retained.

What is the classic gestures and actions that go with this devotion?

The prayer of the way of the cross is done like a journey. The exercitants walk from "station" to "station", usually symbolized in different artistic renditions: from a simple cross with the number of the station inscribed with it to very elaborate wood carvings or painting-like representations of each event of the station.

When is this spiritual exercise usually done?

After Ash Wednesday, it has been a tradition for Catholics to perform this spiritual exercise every Friday with a group of other parishioners. It can also be done individually at one's own time. For highly organized parishes, they usually place the 14 stations in houses within the parish and then the participating parishioners pray the way of the cross after the evening mass by going from house to house under the leadership of the parish priest and a parish leader.