Stations of the Cross, a metaphor.
Notre Dame Cathedral, April 16th, 2019
Many films depict the crucifixion of Jesus and the torture he endured by the Romans before his execution at a well-traveled crossroads in Jerusalem. I have read various accounts about the Stations of his walk to the place of his crucifixion, yet I had not participated in the Stations personally either prayerfully or mindfully until this Holly Week, 2019. During the recent meditation at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Hailey, Idaho, with Mother Lea Colvill, the Stations were revealed personally to me, mindfully, as metaphors for life. The traditional Stations are:
- Jesus is condemned to death
- Jesus carries his cross
- Jesus falls the first time
- Jesus meets his mother
- Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross
- Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
- Jesus falls the second time
- Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
- Jesus falls a third time
- Jesus is stripped
- Jesus is nailed to the cross
- Jesus dies on the cross
- The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross
- Jesus is laid in the tomb
Consider…
- Resolved
- Road of life’s suffering
- In life we stumble
- Embracing our Earthly beginning
- Assistance from friendships and relationships
- Empathy ♡
- Will we stand again?
- ‘7 times down, 8 times up’ (Buddha) ?
- Matriarchy and suffering yet to come
- Can I endure this?
- Non-attachment…release from Earthly materialism
- Intense suffering and pain
- R E L E A S E
- Transition begins…”Resurrection is the moment of enlightenment.” [Elaine Pagels, 1979]
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin [a missing of the mark] that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. -Hebrews 12:1
“I am grateful to be surrounded with a great cloud of witnesses, past and present. I love that I am welcomed and encouraged to sit with those who will both comfort and challenge me. I want to hear sermons that cause discomfort and move me out of my comfort zone in faith. I want to see God’s power at work, where the gifts of the Spirit are ignited and shine brightly. I want to finish the race well, inspired by trailblazers with whom I have shared space during this life. I want to continuously pray for those behind me and for those in front of me, so that my life and witness might cheer others on to the finish line.” [Forward Day by Day]
Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. -Christopher Reeve
The Divine could only intend good and abundance for Its creation, and we need to know that Its nature is forever flowing into everything we do. -Ernest Holmes
“I choose peace. Then I make a conscious decision to lean into hope. In the dark times, hope gives me a reason to believe in the light. There’s a blessing somewhere in this problem. Hanging on to hope fosters optimism for a positive outcome, which feels lots better than fear and despair. So I look for what’s right instead of what’s wrong, gratitude instead of angst. As I think about the situation, the vibration of my new perspective is noticed and acted upon by a universe that is alive and attuned to my every choice. Hope is creative. My hope becomes a bridge to peace. I can walk in nature…watch the sunset…talk with a friend. Hope creates a space where solutions can appear and peace can return.” -Rev. Jane Beach
“…if ye shall say unto this mountain, be though removed, and be cast into the sea; it shall be done. -Matthew 21:21
Power, greed, patriarchy, decisiveness, ugliness, violence…these are are the mountain that will be cast to the sea.
“Our lives and experiences may well be likened to a river. If we stay on the bank of a river and watch it flow by, we become aware that the river never changes but that its content is always new. By analogy, we might say the purposeful dynamic quality of life within us never changes, but the content of our experience of living never remains the same.” -Ernest Holmes
“The need to step into what we fear and, in so doing, disperse its hold on us is powerfully brought to life by a moment in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. After searching everywhere within reason and memory for the Holy Grail, Jones stands on an enormous precipice, a deep chasm before him, the Grail waiting on the other side. His father, wounded and depending on the Grail to heal, cries out possible interpretations of the clues Jones has been given to reach the Grail.
After what seems all lifetime of inner debate and escalating fear, she dares, against everything she knows, to step into the void above the chasm, and as she does, an enormous stone foundation appears beneath her feet, a bridge that was there all along. This is a moment of risk and trust, a wisdom moment that repeats itself in our lives in both small and large ways.
Over and over, the cup we need to drink from, the ancient every healing cup of wholeness waits beyond some deep chasm we are afraid to cross. Often we are driven to the edge by the cries and clues of elders and loved ones, only to find that nothing makes sense, that there seems nowhere to go. And the the atom of the risk begins to replay itself in those brought to the edge. Beginning with risk and landing in trust reveals a foundation that was there all along, but which is only made visible by our risk to think and see in ways and our trust to step into what we fear.” -Mark Nepo
Then the Migdalah stood up, greeted them all and, raising her right hand, said to her brethren, ‘Only from the truth I tell you, do not weep and do not grieve or be irresolute, for his grace and that of the one who sent him will be entirely with you and will protect you. But rather, let us praise his greatness, for he has prepared us and made us truly human.’
-The Gospel of the Beloved Companion, p. 113
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