Stations of the Cross are especially Lenten in their devotional nature

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

The Stations of the Cross, sometimes called the Way of the Cross, is one of the oldest Catholic devotions. It is also prayed more often during the season of Lent.

The Stations appear to have arisen out of the practice of early Christians retracing the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus walked to his crucifixion outside Jerusalem.

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As Christianity spread across Europe, most people could not travel to Jerusalem and a practice eventually arose of erecting local representations of Via Dolorosa. This did not become common until the Crusaders began returning from journeys to the Holy Land, beginning in the 11th century. When Jerusalem fell to the Turks in the 12th century, travel to the Holy Land became even more rare.

Another point to remember about the stations is that most of Europe was illiterate when they first became popular. The use of visual representations of the Passion as aids for prayer helped fix the Passion narratives of the Scriptures firmly in people's minds.

Interestingly, the most important part of each station is not the scene it shows, but the cross. Each station must have a cross attached to it. Even if nothing else is present, the cross alone makes it a valid station. This is because the purpose of the devotion is to remind us of the redemptive sacrifice of the Cross, through which Christ won our redemption. That is the true focus of our meditation on the stations, just as it is the focus of our Lenten journey. As we follow the stations, we follow the path by which our salvation was won.

At one time, it was required that the cross of each station be made of wood -- just like the Lord's cross. That is why with older stations, made of stone or plaster or painted on walls, you will find a small wooden crosses attached. This requirement of a wooden cross seems no longer to be emphasized.

(Valid stations must also be blessed by someone with the authority to do so. Originally, this was a Franciscan priest. Now any priest may receive this authority from his bishop.)

The number of the Stations of the Cross is now 14. However, as few as five or as many as 43 stations have been used. The familiar 14, found in most churches today, were set by Clement XII in 1731.

Since the 1950s, there has been an increased use of a 15th station: the Resurrection. This came about as part of renewed understanding of the church's early celebration of the Triduum (the Three Days). This renewal was set down clearly by Pope Pius XII in 1955 with his revision of the Masses of Holy Week. This renewed emphasis on the Triduum helps us see three days as a seamless passage through which the entire mystery of our redemption is revealed.

(Sources: The Catholic Almanac, The Question Box; The Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Dictionary of Catholic Devotions, The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia, Butler's Lives of the Saints, and The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship.)