THE BIBLICAL STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Evening of Prayer, Devotion and Reflection on

THE BIBLICAL STATIONS OF THE CROSS

First Friday
MARCH 5 at 7:30 PM

The great Pope John Paul II
developed a set of Stations of the Cross
based on events in the final days of Jesus’ life
as recounted in the Bible.
Join us for this special evening
of prayer and reflection on the Stations.
We will have a prayer service
featuring scripture reflections, music, movement and visual art.

When we come together to meditate on the Stations of the Cross, we want to tell ourselves that all is not lost in hard times. When bad news comes, one bit after another, we grow anxious. When misfortune hits us close to home, we grow disheartened. When we fall direct victims of a disaster, our self-confidence is totally shaken and our faith is put to the test. In testing times we see no reason for believing and hoping. And yet we believe. And yet we hope. This can happen in our personal lives. It happens in the wider society.

We renew and strengthen our faith, and continue to trust in the Lord. For he saves those who have lost all hope. And this hope does not ultimately disappoint us. It is truly in Christ that we understand the full meaning of suffering. During this meditation on the Stations of the Cross, while we hear with anguish the painful side of Jesus' suffering, we will also give attention to its redemptive value. It was God's plan that the "Messiah had to suffer", and that these sufferings should be for us. An awareness of this fills us with living hope. It is this hope that keeps us joyful and patient in our troubles.

A journey of faith and hope is a long spiritual journey, as we ponder the deeper design of God in the cosmic processes and events of human history. Below the surface of calamities, wars, revolutions and conflicts of every kind, there is a quiet presence, there is purposeful divine action. God remains in the world, in society, in the universe. "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord."