Over the next two weeks, I am going to reprint here the weekly devotional that our parish holds every Friday during Lent. This devotion can take many different forms, but essentially it is a meditation on the final hours of the life of Christ. It may have its origin in the pilgrimages that the faithful used to make to holy places, particularly Jerusalem.
I have chosen to share this because having attended Stations faithfully for the past, um...10? 15? years, these prayers and reflections have continued to impress themselves on me in different and deeper ways not only every year, but almost every time I read them. I hope that by sharing them, it can be a blessing for someone else as well. Please excuse any typos - my keyboard is acting up and some may slip past me.
Opening prayer
Jesus came with his disciples to a country place called Gethsemani, and he said to them, "Sit down here, while I go over yonder and pray." Then he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be saddened and exceedingly troubled. He said to them, "My soul is sad, even unto death. Wait here and watch with me." He went forward a little, and falling prostrate he prayed, saying, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet not as I will but as you will." (Mt. 26, 36 to 39)
Almighty and eternal Father, accept our prayer of thanksgiving for your Beloved Son, our Saviour and Lord. As we recall his Sacred Passion send the Spirit of Christ into our hearts, we beg You, so that whether we pray or work we might do all in union with Christ our Redeemer. Amen.
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