Kirksepiscatoid's Stations of the Cross

Now that I have completed my Lenten project, I wanted to create a file of the text only, that you are welcome to copy and share, as long as you attribute them to this page and credit me.Kirkepiscatoid's Stations of the Cross--A Journey into the Passion of the World as illustrated by the Passion of our Lord Jesus ChristOpening Prayers:Leader: ✠In the name of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and

Fourteenth Station--Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

(Stained glass panel from East Window, St. Andrew's church, Soham, Cambridgeshire, England)Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Laid in the TombLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: You were laid to rest in a borrowed tomb.As evening fell, those who remained looked around at the ground at Golgotha, and the littered bones and skulls haunted them. Surely this could not be

Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Arms of his Mother

(Michelangelo's Pietà, St. Peters Basilica, 1499)Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Placed in the Arms of his MotherLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: Your blessed mother wept over your lifeless frame for all of us.It must have been Mary's first inclination to want to hold Jesus as they took him down from the cross. Some of the people leaving the scene must have

A 21st Century Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

This morning, as I was working on my Lenten devotional book, we were asked to reflect on Joel 2:13: "Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord our God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relents of evil."As I sat and reflected, the iconic image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus popped in my head.I have to admit, I have always been

Twelfth Station--Jesus Dies on the Cross

("Jesus Dies on the Cross", by Mark Wolfe, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church 2007 Stations of the Cross Exhibit, Charleston, WV)Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the CrossLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: You displayed perfect obedience to God even unto death.What little Jesus said in his last hours spoke volumes. He cried out to God in his anguish, much as we

The video that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck

When I watched this, I cringed. I don't know or really don't care if the man sitting on the pavement has Parkinson's or not, (I think he does, judging from his head movements) or what created the situation that put him in the position to want to counter-protest the group of Tea Partiers. I don't care about what life choices he made to be without health insurance. I don't care about his

March 19--Feast Day of St. Joseph

O God, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the spouse of his virgin mother: Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.March 19 is the feast day of St. Joseph, and

Eleventh Station--Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

(From the Shrine of the Stations of the Cross, San Luis, Colorado)Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the CrossLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: You stretched out your loving arms upon the hard wood of the cross.The soldiers assigned to the crucifixion detail expected resistance, but Jesus willingly lay his arms upon the cross as they drove large square nails

Green growth in the desert

Many of you who connect with me on Facebook know that this week I am off on one of my "adventures in the blogosphere." I had no firm plans for my week off, so I used the time to connect with blog friends Kathy and Fran, and as an added bonus, met up once again with Laura, the first blog friend who came to life for me.Many of you know Fran works as a parish secretary, and I got the opportunity to

Eighth Station--Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

(From the Stations of the Cross by David O'Connell)Eighth Station: Jesus Meets the Women of JerusalemLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: You comforted the women of Jerusalem who wept for you.As Jesus continued on his path, some women of Jerusalem approached him, tears streaming down their faces. This man treated women differently than most men. To so many men in

Seventh Station--Jesus Falls a Second Time

(From the Stations of the Cross at St. John the Baptist Church, Bennington, VT)Seventh Station: Jesus Falls a Second TimeLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: Even with Simon assisting you in your burden you weakened and fell again.Although the burden of carrying his cross had been lifted from him, Jesus surely continued to weaken as he traveled the road to Golgotha.

The fig tree gets another chance My Tattoo My love

 Luke My Tattoo My loveLuke 13:1-9At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were

Sixth Station--Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

(The Road to Calvary, Peter Paul Reubens, 1632)Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of JesusLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: A woman from the crowd gave you comfort while throngs could not.We call her "Veronica," but in reality we don't know whether this woman is one woman or many. She is very likely an iconic figure because the story does not appear in

Fifth Station--The Cross is Laid on Simon of Cyrene

(From The Stations of the Cross, Duccio de Buonensegna, 1308-1311)Fifth Station: The Cross is Laid on Simon of CyreneLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: A stranger unwillingly came to your aid and his life was changed.Simon of Cyrene was merely a bystander in that rough crowd. As Jesus struggled, the soldiers knew he would need aid carrying his cross. Their eyes

Fourth Station--Jesus Meets his Afflicted Mother

(From the Stations of the Cross by Brother Mickey McGrath, OSFS)Fourth Station: Jesus Meets his Afflicted MotherLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: Your blessed Mother wept at the sight of your pain.As your mother saw your bruised, bloody and scourged body, she thought of an angel that spoke to her over three decades ago. "Greetings, favored one!" the angel had told

Lent and Love as illustrated by the Velveteen Rabbit

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?" "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get

Third Station--Jesus Falls a First Time

(From Chris Gollon's Stations of the Cross at St. John on Bethnal Green Church)Third Station: Jesus Falls a First TimeLeader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: You stumbled and fell while the unmoving crowd looked on, and soldiers jeered.Although Jesus, Son of the Living God, had the power to summon angels and archangels and all the company of Heaven to deliver him, instead

A season of curvy roads

Make sure you watch the video before you read on. This was the object of our Theological Reflection in EFM last night.Many things struck me about this video, but the big thing was all the "curvy roads," especially the one at the end. The last frames show a curving road through a rocky, barren desert, with a road sign showing curves ahead and a 20 mph speed limit.This is going to sound strange,

Second Station--Jesus Takes Up His Cross

(From the Stations of the Cross in Lodwar Cathedral, Kenya)Leader: O holy Christ, we worship you, we adore you;People: You carried the instrument of your death through the crowded streets.Jesus left the place called "The Pavement," carrying his cross up to the hill of Golgotha, known as "The Skull," as if God's Son were a common criminal. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not

"How did it feel to be on the other side of the ashes?"

That was the question posed of me by our Priest Associate, and I have to confess I had to ponder her question a while before thinking.This year, since I was also acolyte and chalice bearer for our Ash Wednesday service, she also asked me to help impose ashes. As I thought about it, I realized the answer to her question is actually a three part answer, and it actually starts a day or so before