The Way of the Cross

Exploration Reflection
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Exploration Reflection
My whole life has been grounded on a prayer life that I learned by being a member of the Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. I have interacted with people who share a similar prayer life, with similar beliefs and practices concerning prayers. As a result, I have become familiar with a particular prayer life. However, my recent interaction with The Way of the Cross exposed me to an unfamiliar prayer life and Christian traditions.
The Way of the Cross is a Catholic devotion practice characterized by fourteen stations. Each station focuses on a specific event on the last day of Jesus Christ on earth, before his death. These events begin with the condemnation of Jesus to death and end with the laying of Jesus in the tomb. It is a celebration of and meditation on the passion of Christ to help Christians grow closer to Jesus. It begins with a prayer before individuals can move from station to station. After every narration of what happened to Jesus in each station, there is a short prayer followed by a bible verse. Each station starts with a specific prayer recited by the congregation and a narration of what happened to Jesus during the particular event.
My experience with The Way of the Cross was very eye-opening and refreshing. Even though I have always celebrated the death of Christ as part of my Christian and prayer life, I have never taken such a structured approach. The fourteen stations in The Way of the Cross provide a very structured way of praying and meditating on the death and resurrection of Jesus. While going through each station, I felt closer to Jesus Christ and had time to meditate and reflect on what He had to endure for my sins. I engaged with each station as an imaginative exercise where I could see Jesus being condemned, carrying His cross, dying on the cross, and being laid in the tomb. Although this experience was imaginative, it gave me a glimpse of the suffering Jesus went through so that I could receive eternal salvation. At some point, I felt like I was walking in solidarity with Christ, just like He did with us. I felt sad because Jesus had to suffer so much for me, but I was also deeply grateful that he had to suffer so that I could be saved. Honestly, this experience filled me with such deep gratitude that I have never experienced in my Christian and prayer life. It felt like I was experiencing or understanding Jesus’ suffering in a different light.
I also loved that each station has structured prayers that can be recited, just like the Lord’s Prayer. Each station begins with the acknowledgment of Jesus as our savior and redeemer. Every station starts with a short statement about how congregants adore and bless the Lord for redeeming the world through the cross. For me, this is...