The Stations of the Cross, even with their charge of emotional suggestion and popular spirituality, attest to the stages of a journey made up of pain and suffering that had Jesus himself as its protagonist. Popular piety, which feeds on prayer and its own gestures that deserve to be considered as a peculiar form of simple faith, attests that in the life of God’s people the passion and death of Jesus are part of that great mystery of love capable of giving a meaningful response to people’s lives, because it knows how to pronounce the last true response of faith imbued with hope: resurrection.
I station
Pilate said, ‘So what do you want me to do with what you call the king of the Jews?’. And they shouted again, ‘Crucify him. Pilate, wanting to give satisfaction to the crowd, set Barabbas free for them, and after he had him scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
Mc 15,12-13.15
II station
According to the custom of the time, every condemned person was loaded with the horizontal part of the cross, the patibulum, which would later be placed on the vertical part already present on Golgotha. “The soldiers, after having mocked him, stripped him of the purple and made him wear his clothes, then led him out to crucify him.
Mc 15,20
III station
The road to Golgotha was uphill and tiring; it is no wonder that Jesus could stumble and fall under the weight of the cross.
IV station
The Gospels repeatedly state that Mary went to Jesus during his preaching. It is quite plausible that, having heard of the death sentence, Mary also went immediately to assist Jesus.
V station
To speed up the journey to Golgotha and finish the crucifixion quickly, the Roman soldiers forced a passer-by to help Jesus. “They forced a passing man, a certain Simon of Cyrene, who came from the countryside, father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross”.
Mc 15,21
VI station
The name indicates the “true face”; it is not surprising that a woman moved by the suffering of the Master approached to dry her wounds.
VII station
The weight of the cross, although shared, causes Jesus this further moment of pain. Under the weight of the patibulum, Jesus certainly slammed his face on the ground, hurting himself.
VIII station
A great multitude of people and women followed him, beating their chests and moaning about him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not upon me.
Lc 23.27-28
IX station
This is the peak of Jesus’ suffering: the incredible effort required leaves him completely exhausted on Golgotha.
X station
“The soldiers took his robes, made four parts -one for each soldier- and the robe. But that tunic was seamless, woven all in one piece from top to bottom. So they said to each other, “Let us not tear it up, but draw lots for whoever touches it.
Jn 19,23-24
XI station
According to Roman culture, the person sentenced to death on the cross was usually nailed to the gallows with three nails one for each hand and one for the feet. We have testimony that Jesus was nailed to the gallows by the texts of the Easter apparitions: “On the evening of that day, the first of the week, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you. Having said this, He showed them His hands and His side… Thomas, one of the Twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’. But he said to them, ‘If I don’t see the sign of the nails in his hands and don’t put my less in his side, I don’t think”.
Jn 20.19-20.24-25
XII station
At three o’clock, Jesus cried out loud: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’. Jesus gave a loud cry, he died.
Mc, 34.37
XIII station
Giuseppe d’Arimatea, authoritative member of the synedrium, bought a sheet and laid him down from the cross, wrapped him with the sheet.
Mc 15.46
XIV station
In the place where he had been crucified, there was a garden and in the garden a new sepulchre, in which no one had been placed yet. There, then, since it was the day of the Jews’ parasheve and since the tomb was near, they placed Jesus.
Jn 19.42