Being the Beloved:
stories of ongoing transformation in daily life
By Rev. Stan Jacobson, Spiritual Director, CFDM Board Chair
As I walked the cobble stone streets of Old Jerusalem in 1972, I noticed a number of plaques high up on the walls of ancient buildings. Some said Via Dolorosa and others identified where certain events happened as the battered Jesus headed toward Calvary and his crucifixion. Up to that point in my young life I had never heard of The Stations of the Cross. That is no longer the case.
We are now in the season of Lent. Various denominations have different traditions during Lent or none-at-all. This year the congregation where my wife and I attend is experiencing The Stations of the Cross in our adult Sunday School class. As part of my own “quiet time,” I too am seeking to relive or experience the events of Jesus’ life from his time in the Garden of Gethsemane to when he died on the cross. In 1991, Pope John Paul II created an alternative set of The Stations of the Cross based only on the New Testament rather than the older Stations of the Cross which included two non-Biblical events. It is this version, Scriptural Stations of the Cross that we are experiencing in our class, and that I am reliving in my own time of devotions.
Sometimes I use imagination during my prayers with The Stations. I see in my mind’s eye the scene. Then I place myself into it as one of the characters or as a bystander. In this way I seek to use as many of my senses as possible and seek to be keenly aware of my feelings. God speaks to us as we meditate and ponder the Scriptures using our intellect. God has also created our imagination, and God’s Spirit uses all that God has created.
Questions that I might ask include:
What do I see and hear?
What do I see in the faces of people and especially of Jesus?
What am I feeling, experiencing?
How does this experience impact me today, in my life today?
What is God’s invitation to me in this experience?
Reliving the Via Dolorosa in this way has deepened my desire to respond to Christ’s love. It moves me toward an even greater desire for others to know and experience Jesus’ path of sacrificial love for the world, all The Beloved. If this speaks to you, online resources can be found by searching “scriptural stations of the cross,” or look for opportunities in your area to participate in a re-enactment of The Stations.
May God’s blessings be with each of you during this Lenten season and during Holy Week.
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