14 Stations of the Cross

The 14 Stations of the Cross is a beautiful and ancient devotion, in which the faithful can walk with Jesus on the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Suffering. The Stations are commonly found in Catholic churches, but can also be in cemeteries, hospitals, or on mountainsides. It can be prayed at any time, privately or with a priest leading the prayers, but it is commonly prayed on the Fridays in Lent in memory of the Lord’s Passion and death.  

The 14 Stations of the Cross are: 

1. Jesus is condemned to death 
2. Jesus accepts His Cross 
3. Jesus falls the first time 
4. Jesus meets His Mother 
5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His Cross 
6. Veronica wipes the Face of Jesus 
7. Jesus falls the second time 
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem 
9. Jesus falls the third time 
10. Jesus is stripped of His garments 
11. Jesus is nailed to the Cross 
12. Jesus dies on the Cross 
13. Jesus is taken down from the cross 
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb

Do the Stations Come from Scripture?

Some of these Stations are straight from Scripture, while others come from tradition. The condemnation of Jesus can be found in all four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As the crowds were calling for Jesus’ Crucifixion, Pontius Pilate caved to the public pressure and feared political pushback. He washed his hands, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just man; look you to it” (Matthew 27:24). And so, Jesus was condemned to die. 

Jesus accepting His Cross is implied in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but John says, “Then therefore he delivered him to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him forth. And bearing his own cross, he went forth to that place which is called Calvary, but in Hebrew Golgotha” (John 19:16-17). This beautiful but simple passage gives us an example for our own lives – merely carrying our crosses with God’s grace and using it to die to self and rise again in Christ. 

The falls of Jesus are not explicitly recorded in Scripture – but one can imagine the immense fatigue He must have felt after being scourged and crowned with thorns, then forced to walk to Calvary under a heavy cross. Likewise, His encounter with His Mother is not recorded, nor is Veronica wiping His Face – the latter of which is an old tradition. 

There is no reason to think Mary would not have been present as her Son was carrying His Cross. Their meeting on the way to Calvary is commonly believed to have occurred, and this is also Mary’s fourth of seven sorrows.  

Regarding the story of Veronica and her veil, there is a relic in Rome which is believed to be a cloth with the true Image of Christ’s Face, and it is referred to as vera icon. This cloth is believed to have been wiped on Christ’s Face during His Passion. It is possible that the name of Veronica came from the term vera icon, while the true name of the person who wiped His Face is forgotten.  

Jesus meeting the women of Jerusalem is recorded in the Gospel of Luke. He comes across women who are weeping for Him, and He tells them not to weep for Him, but for their children. 

All four Gospels speak about the soldiers dividing Jesus’ garments and casting lots. The Scriptures do not explicitly state that Jesus was crucified with nails, but the Gospel of John recounts how St. Thomas doubted the Risen Christ, saying, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Jesus later appeared to St. Thomas, inviting him to place his fingers in His Wounds so that he may believe. 

Jesus’ death and burial are recorded in all four Gospels, as is Joseph of Arimathea taking Jesus’ Body after His death. 

This devotion originated with early Christian pilgrims who walked the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, walking from Pontius Pilate’s house to Calvary. Christians who lived far away from Jerusalem could not make the journey but still wished to participate in this devotion. So, the 14 Stations devotion as we know it today eventually came about. 

St. Francis of Assisi and St. Alphonsus Liguori both wrote methods of praying the Stations that remain popular today. Both of these methods include a short reflection on the individual Station, which is followed by praying an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

The Stations of the Resurrection

After the somber tone of Lent, a beautiful way to celebrate the radiant Easter season is to follow the Via Lucis, the Way of Light, after walking the Via Dolorosa during Lent. The Stations of the Resurrection complement the Stations of the Cross and follow the events immediately after Jesus’ Resurrection. The Stations of the Resurrection are: 

1. Jesus rises from death 
2. The disciples find the empty tomb 
3. The Risen Christ appears to Mary Magdalene 
4. The Risen Christ on the road to Emmaus 
5. Christ reveals Himself in the breaking of the bread 
6. The Risen Christ shows Himself to the Disciples 
7. The Risen Christ gives power to forgive sins 
8. The Risen Christ strengthens the faith of Thomas 
9. The Risen Christ meets His Disciples by the Sea of Tiberias 
10. The Risen Christ confers the supremacy upon Peter 
11. The Risen Christ entrusts to the Disciples the universal mission 
12. The Risen Christ ascends into Heaven 
13. Waiting with Mary for the Holy Ghost 
14. The Risen Christ sends the promised Spirit (Pentecost) 

The Vatican has written in support of the Via Lucis, saying:

The Via Lucis is potentially an excellent pedagogy of the faith, since “per crucem ad lucem”. Using the metaphor of a journey, the Via Lucis moves from the experience of suffering, which in God’s plan is part of life, to the hope of arriving at man’s true end: liberation, joy and peace which are essentially paschal values. The Via Lucis is a potential stimulus for the restoration of a “culture of life” which is open to the hope and certitude offered by faith, in a society often characterized by a “culture of death”, despair and nihilism.

There are a few ways to pray the Stations, which you can find here. 

These Stations continue the story of Christ defeating sin and death, and they set the tone for the long, joyous Easter season. They show the hope that Christ’s Resurrection brings to mankind, and they heal the grief felt during the Via Dolorosa. As God says: “Behold, I make all things new” (Apocalypse 21:5). 

May God bless you all this Lenten season, and renew you in the Risen Christ with hope, joy, and grace.