ALMOST WITHOUT REALISING it, we have entered the Fourth Sunday of Lent. This season of grace allows us to purify our hearts and invites us to repentance and conversion in preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ. The faithful are encouraged to spend more time in prayer, fasting and doing corporal works of mercy. Taking part in the Stations of the Cross is a good act of prayer with significant traditional values.
At the time of writing, public Masses have yet resume as public liturgical life at parishes seems to have come to a halt. In spite of this, while still observing the preventive measure against Covid-19 and government regulations, church doors are open and the faithful are able to come and pray. Many churches have also prepared liturgical information to enable them to pray the Stations of the Cross.
In this a time without public Masses, praying the Stations of the Cross online, at home or in parishes can still provide spiritual sustenance. Through the years, Kevin Cotter, a parish pastoral worker overseas, compiled the talks of Pope Francis and summarised the reasons he gave for praying the Stations of the Cross. This Catholic tradition allows us to place our trust in God; puts us into Jesus’ story; reminds us that Jesus suffers with us; compels us to action; helps us make a decision for or against Christ; reveals God’s response to evil in the world; gives us the certainty of God’s love for us; and guides us from the Cross to the resurrection.
This traditional devotion comes from the practice of early Christians who visited the route in Jerusalem which Jesus walked and meditated on his suffering at the scenes of the events. Today, it is also not hard to see the suffering experienced by contemporary people in their lives.
For people in Hong Kong and around the world, the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has claimed many precious human lives, leaving countless medical staff burned out. The economy has been ravaged and many families have fallen into hardship.
In Iraq, visited by the pope in March, the Christian minority also faces many difficulties, or even oppression.
In Asia, Myanmar has experienced political unrest in recent months. During Lent, Charles Cardinal Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, proposed three major “spiritual nourishments of 40 days” at the most challenging time in the life of the country. The first is “human compassion, living in a community and caring for the weak and vulnerable.” The second is “self-purification through prayer, mortification and almsgiving” so that each of us can redeem ourselves from sin. The third is hope, because the local people desperately need to hold on to hope.
Lent is the time to return to God’s plan, and welcome peace and forgiveness through fasting. This is a valuable reference for us.
The Stations of the Cross are closely linked to Jesus’ Passion. Through his own suffering, Jesus enables us to receive salvation. Praying the Stations of the Cross helps us to remember the grace of God’s salvation.
This Lent, let us pray the Stations of the Cross together regardless of where we are: This allows us to follow Christ and also helps us to walk our own life’s journey. SE
