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Stations of the Cross |
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BASIC R.C.BELIEF A sacramental of the Roman Catholic Church. To do this devotion, one says a prayer at the cross which is before each of the 14 pictures that are supposed to portray events in the life of Christ between the Judgment Hall and the Tomb. Only 9 of the 14 are scriptural. Generous indulgences are attached to this devotion. Pilgrims used to visit the Holy Land to see places associated with Jesus' death. When Jerusalem became Moslem, this was no longer possible. Blessed Alvarez of Spain erected several small chapels, each containing a representation of Jesus' sufferings. Around 1350, Franciscans erected stations in European churches. This was approved by the Pope, and spread throughout Roman Catholicism. POST VATICAN II Recent awareness of the importance of the Resurrection/Ascension has prompted, in some places, the use of a 15th (unofficial) station. CATHOLIC JOURNALS From THE CATHOLIC DIGEST, March 1993. "New Stations of the Cross? by George Martin. "For the past couple of years, Pope John Paul II has prayed a new version of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. The number of stations remains at 14, but some traditional Stations were dropped and new ones added. "Gone are the three falls of Jesus, and his meetings with his mother and Veronica. Added are stations commemorating the agony in the garden, Christ's betrayal by Judas and arrest, his denial by Peter, his promise to the good thief, and Mary and John at the foot of the Cross.... (In early years), there was no uniformity; the number of scenes varied from 7 to 42.... In 1584 a book containing a 12-Station version...circulated in Europe ...The 16th century also saw the popularization of various 14-Station versions in Europe... "Eventually, the European tradition of 14 Stations won out... "As history reveals, the Stations of the Cross have evolved through the centuries, and there is no reason they cannot continue to do so...A version approved by Pope Paul VI in 1975 began with the Last Supper and ended with the Resurrection... "Some Catholics will be more comfortable following Stations of the Cross they have used from childhood; others will welcome one or another revised version." |