I sat in Church Friday night after taking part in the Solemn Lenten Practice of Stations of the Cross. I noticed a range of feelings passing through my body as we journeyed with Jesus. Our Priest and Deacon helped make the Way of the Cross so real.
I wonder if having died twice during my own life has anything to do with the sorrow I felt when I noticed the absence of so many of you. Elderly people talk about realizing the brief span of our lives when it seems too late to do anything about it. “Life is short, and we don’t realize it until it’s too late.” I know the feeling, but I also knew it as a child. Wishing we would have made different choices does not lead to salvation.
I have no doubts about an afterlife. I also have no doubts about Jesus. The two years I suffered through religious school at a Rabbinical Synagogue left no doubt. After the final destruction of Judea, Rabbis codified their teachings in the books called the Talmud. In the Talmud, the authors mention Jesus more than any other person.
Of the many religious sects in Judea, only the Pharisees and Nazoreans survived the Roman annihilation. The latter also known as the Church of Jerusalem survived because we moved across the Jordan to Pella where the Romans left us alone.
The Talmud said nothing about the Eucharist, even though Orthodox Hebrews try to practice their own version of it. The books said nothing about the Treasury of Merit created by Jesus and given to the first Pope, Peter, and his successors. The Pope has granted many Plenary Indulgences during Lent, chief among them? The Stations of the Cross.
Where do you go on Friday nights during Lent?
When I learned about the Church’s Treasury of Merit, I knew that the gospels answered the questions posed by the Rabbi’s for two thousand years. I also knew the Church would give me access to the path than I did not find in those near-death experiences.
Christ’s mercy exists and thank God, His plan includes giving His Vicar the power to dispense His Treasure and forgive the punishment of temporal sin. That punishment keeps us from reaching Heaven unabated as we must expiate it in purgatory. Frankly, I do not want to pass through purgatory on my way to Christ’s Kingdom.
Can you help me explain the indignation we allow our Lord to suffer by ignoring Him on Friday nights during Lent? What justification exists for passing up the opportunity to gain a Plenary Indulgence from the Church’s Treasury offered by our Sovereign Pontiff? On Friday nights of Lent, please come to the Church and take part in the 14 Stations of the Cross, accept your treasure. If you do not feel you need it, give it to a soul in purgatory who cannot progress without our prayers.
Your brother in the Lord
The 14 Stations of the Cross represent events from Jesus’ passion and death. At each station we use our senses and our imagination to reflect prayerfully upon Jesus’ suffering, Death, and Resurrection.
The Stations of the Cross reorient our soul’s journey to God. Popular devotions like the Stations of the Cross can help us cultivate a rich spiritual life. They help us to know God and His beloved Son deeply.
1. Jesus Is Condemned to Death.
Pontius Pilate condemns Jesus to death.
2. Jesus Takes Up His Cross.
Jesus willingly accepts and patiently bears his cross.
3. Jesus Falls the First Time.
Weakened by torments and by loss of blood, Jesus falls beneath his cross.
4. Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother.
Jesus meets his mother, Mary, who is filled with grief.
5. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross.
Soldiers force Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross.
6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus.
Veronica steps through the crowd to wipe the face of Jesus.
7. Jesus Falls a Second Time.
Jesus falls beneath the weight of the cross a second time.
8. Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem.
Jesus tells the women to weep not for him but for themselves and for their children.
9. Jesus Falls the Third Time.
Weakened almost to the point of death, Jesus falls a third time.
10. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments.
The soldiers strip Jesus of his garments, treating him as a common criminal.
11. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross.
Jesus’ hands and feet are nailed to the cross.
12. Jesus Dies on the Cross.
After suffering greatly on the cross, Jesus bows his head and dies.
13. Jesus Is Taken Down From the Cross.
The lifeless body of Jesus is tenderly placed in the arms of Mary, his mother.
14. Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb.
Jesus’ disciples place his body in the tomb.
The closing prayer—sometimes included as a 15th station—reflects on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.