The Stations of the Cross

In the Stations of the Cross, we contemplate Jesus’ last hours of suffering, as we join Him on His final journey to Calvary. When confronted with this suffering we have to face the fact that our redemption comes at a huge price – Jesus, true God and true man is put to death.

It might be tempting to close our minds to this fact. We might prefer just to enjoy Christ’s glorious resurrection without thinking about the intense agony He went through for our sake. However, we need to first come to terms with Jesus’ passion if we are to believe in His resurrection. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Sometimes it is necessary to suffer. Jesus chose to suffer because of His great love for us. So whilst the Stations of the Cross may make us feel great sorrow for the terrible consequences of our sins, we should not forget that Jesus loves us so much that He takes these consequences on Himself.

Today we will be holding an ecumenical Stations of the Cross, where members of different churches around Oxford have been invited to meditate on Christ’s passion. Tomorrow and on Wednesday, two Dominican brethren will be leading our own Stations of the Cross, and videos of their reflections will be posted on Godzdogz.