As a priest, I have led parishioners in prayer at the Stations of the Cross during Lent. In one parish where I served as a seminarian, people gathered in church every week for stations. The dedication of the believers was impressive. Another parish I served in was very passionate about stations. On weekdays when there was no mass in the parish, the faithful led them. Thanks to my previous assignment, I was used to presenting the station several times a week, so in my new assignment, in addition to the traditional Friday night station, I will be introducing the station several times each week, after Mass twice daily. We are now introducing stations. I was overjoyed when I learned that my current assignment included a large collection of tracts of the writings of St. Alphonsus Ligoli. way of the cross.
Over the years, this has become one of my favorite versions. I also love the version from the Temple of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. God’s mercy in my soul In reflections and prayers by St. Faustina. I personally pray various station devotionals and arrive at new insights with newly published ones like Marge Fenelon’s. Behold Your Mother: Mary’s Journey to the Stations of the Cross. Her reflections on the deprivation of Jesus made me think about the station in a way I had never thought about before.
When it comes to St. Alphonsus Ligoli’s version, what’s not to love? He is a spiritual master. People have been reading his books for centuries. For hundreds of years, people have read, prayed, and meditated on the station reflections that Liguori wrote and preached during his lifetime. Ligoli’s Station has four movements of his, and his four movements are what I love so much.
consider
At each Station of the Cross you attend, the priest announces the station number and name, leads the verse and response, “We worship you, O Christ,” and reads a portion on the priest’s behalf. And then people respond by text. St. Alphonsus Ligoli tells us what to consider at each station. This simply means thinking about what happened at that station. It would be great if someone could elaborate on it for us. Because he might offer insights we hadn’t thought of before. Or, considering his arguments and looking at images of train stations, you might arrive at new and different thoughts worth meditating on. Sometimes I like being told what to do. Thank you St. Alphonsus for recommending my considerations during the Stations of the Cross.
call to jesus
After consideration, the people will agree to it. Each response begins to speak to Jesus in a different way. My dear Jesus. My dear Jesus. My Jesus who grieves. My sweetest Jesus. My Jesus, full of sorrows. I infuriated Jesus. My sinless Jesus. The Jesus I despised. My dying Jesus. My buried Jesus. All of these little ways that we address Jesus in prayer during the Adoration of St. Alphonsus Rigoli are so sweet. We are children of God, and we draw near to the Lord and speak to Him in our pain and suffering. It is as if we knew what he was going through, and our words of appeal are meant to comfort and console Him. Each address comes from my heart as I pray. When I call out to Jesus in prayer, I hope that I will get His attention and that He will listen to me.
Petitions and requests
What St. Alphonsus Ligoli does in response to each person’s response is to formulate a petition to the Lord for grace. My favorite is the fifth station. “I especially accept death, which is destined for me, with all the pain that may accompany it.” Currently, I am 34 years old. Death is probably years away. But with the help of St. Alphonsus Rigoli, I am already praying for that time when the Lord will call me home. I accept whatever death God has in store for me. Is it martyrdom? It’s possible, probably not, but who knows. Is it caused by cancer or diabetes? Will it be a quick death or a long drawn out process? The good Lord knows, and by praying here I am telling Him that whatever His will is, I am open and ready to receive it and offer my death in union with Him. I am telling you that there is.
There are several other inspirational petitions. Second Station: Help me to take up my cross with perfect peace and resignation. Third, keep me from falling into mortal sin. The fourth is the grace of true devotion to the Most Holy Mother. 11th: May my heart always remain on the cross and love you and never leave you again. As you pray at the stations of the Cross of St. Alphonsus Rigoli, pay attention to what you are asking of God at each station. There are reprieves, petitions, and requests. Our wishes will not be in vain. God hears us, answers us, and gives us grace when we plead and ask.
Iteration and recommitment
After Jesus’ speech, following God’s pleas and requests, the people’s prayers end with a refrain that is repeated at almost every station: One or two may be slightly different. People pray like this. Dear Jesus, I love you. I love you more than I love myself. I sincerely regret hurting you. May I always love you. And treat me as you please. In our prayers, we repeat certain words over and over again, not in the pagan monotone babbling, but as the earnest desires of our hearts. This prayer included in each station tells Jesus, “I love you because of what you have endured.” And as I am reflecting on it now, reflecting on it, pondering it, this is my resolution. I repent of my sins and ask You to let me love you always. I also want to follow your will. If we keep repeating these words over and over again, we really mean what we’re saying and believe that God will do what we ask, that He will do to us whatever He wants. Hope is born. The fruit of praying this prayer is that when I am tempted to sin, the grace of the station reminds me that I never want to offend the Lord. Also, the beauty is that each station becomes a recommitment on our part as we say, “Lord, I recommit to your love and shun sin.” Liguori’s Stations unleash the power of repetition.
conclusion
I hope that during this season of Lent you will have the opportunity to pray along the Stations of the Cross. I would appreciate the opportunity to go from station to station, look at the plaques at each station, and meditate on what is there. I would appreciate it if you would pray the scripture written by St. Alphonsus Rigoli. The stations are perfect for Lenten meditation. I think it is healthy and holy to pray to them throughout the year. When we think of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, our souls are filled with heavenly sentiment and grace. Our meditation and supplications change our hearts and move us to acknowledge our sins and love God with all our hearts.
Image: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, christ carrying the cross1738, via Wikimedia Commons.
