What is the Stations of the Cross? Introduction to the Stations of the Cross
The term "Stations of the Cross" is not only used to commemorate the time Jesus carried the cross from the Governor's Palace to Golgottha (Golgotha) on Mount Calvary outside the city wall when he was sentenced In addition to the road, it is also used to represent the crucifixion symbols displayed by the Catholic Church inside or outside the church to commemorate the important events that happened to Jesus on this road. Because during this journey, Christians believe that what happened there is extremely important and symbolic for their faith, so through hanging in the church (usually hanging on the wall), Hang or display symbols of the Passion of Christ that are carved from materials such as wood or metal, or presented in paintings, outside (displayed in a certain space).
The Stations of the Cross originated in the early days of the Christian church. At that time, Christians followed the footsteps of Jesus to Golgotha ??as a way to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. In the 13th century, the Franciscans, a Catholic religious order, were entrusted by the Pope to become guardians of Jerusalem. These Franciscans lead believers in religious services, prayer ceremonies, etc. every Friday afternoon to actually experience the feelings of Jesus in his final journey of life from the Last Supper to his death on the cross. However, the name "Way of the Cross" did not appear until the spread of this ritual in the sixteenth century.
The Christians at that time expressed their remembrance of the suffering of Jesus in a simple and touching way. They especially venerate various relics that remind them of the last moments of Jesus' life, such as standing before the pillar where Jesus was scourged or praying heartily on Mount Zion. These special commemorations use these related relics to commemorate different special events during the crucifixion of Jesus.
In the fifteenth century, the pilgrimage road to Jerusalem was interrupted due to war, causing inconvenience for pilgrims going to Palestine for pilgrimage. Bernardino Caini (date of birth and death unknown), who served in Palestine, built a pilgrimage site after returning to his country, with multiple chapels and many icons expressing the life of Jesus. It also includes some icons of the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem, thus allowing people to participate in the "Way of the Cross" ceremony even if they are unable to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in person. These icons he installed became the prototype for the entire set of symbols of the Stations of the Cross.
The form of the Stations of the Cross and the number of commemorative events were not consistent during the development of the Stations of the Cross liturgy. Although since the first half of the seventeenth century, the "Fourteen Stations" of the Stations of the Cross have been quite popular in the West. However, there are many places that still faithfully retain the original "seven stations" of the Stations of the Cross, and some places use the "twelve stations" of the Stations of the Cross, plus one where Jesus was buried; some retain the "nineteen stations", such as Poland's Christians are more accepting of the "eighteen" Stations of the Cross; in 1659 AD, a "twenty-seven" Stations of the Cross was even established in Peru. Later, due to the acceptance of successive popes and the vigorous promotion of the above-mentioned Franciscan Friar Saint Virtue (1676 AD - 1751 AD), the Stations of the Cross in the "Fourteen Stations" were recognized by the majority and became today's *** The same form of the Stations of the Cross. Therefore, most of the symbols of the Stations of the Cross currently displayed inside or outside the church are mainly fourteen places, and they are commonly known as the "Ways of the Cross". Therefore, the term "Way of the Cross" is used not only to describe the path that Jesus walked before being crucified, but also to refer to the religious symbols in this religious commemoration ceremony.
Later, in order to conform to the biblical records, the Congregation for the Sacraments of the Holy See and Pope John Paul II (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) established the In 1975 and 1991 AD, we compiled fourteen Stations of the Cross that were different from the traditional ones, in order to commemorate the events that Jesus experienced on the way to his crucifixion through slightly different content from the traditional Stations of the Cross. The fourteen places commonly used today were authorized by Catholic Pope Clement XII (April 7, 1652 AD - February 6, 1740 AD) in the seventeenth century, and Catholic Pope Benedict The fourteenth generation (March 31, 1675 AD - May 3, 1758 AD) was verified in 1742 AD. The fourteen stations of the Stations of the Cross and their contents have experienced different interpretations in history, which include the descriptions of Jesus before his sufferings in the biblical gospels: from the trial to the crucifixion, death and burial. But there are also scenes not recorded in the Bible, such as Jesus falling three times and a woman wiping his face.
After the 17th century, the fourteen Stations of the Cross mainly have the following three contents:
Tradition (after the 17th century) The Catholic Sacraments Ministry promulgated the decree of Pope John Paul in 1975 II (used in 1991, 1992 and 1994)
The first place where Jesus was tried and entered the Last Supper Garden to pray
The second place where Jesus carried the cross Prayer was betrayed and arrested
The third place where he fell for the first time was convicted by the Sanhedrin and the Sanhedrin
The fourth place where he met his mother on the road was convicted by Pilate and was convicted by Peter St. Peter denies
In the 5th scene, Simon Simon assisted the soldiers and was whipped by the soldiers and was interrogated by Pilate
In the 6th scene, the woman wiped her face, shouldered a heavy cross, was humiliated and stabbed Crown
The 7th place fell again and the passerby Simon Simon helped him to bear the heavy burden
The 8th place women mourned in Jerusalem (Jerusalem) the women mourned the passerby Simon and Simon helped
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Stage 9: He fell down three times and was crucified. The women of Jerusalem (Jerusalem) wept
Stage 10: He took off his clothes and promised the Kingdom of Heaven to the right thief and was crucified< /p>
The 11th person was crucified and left a message for his mother and disciples. Xu Tianguo gave it to the right thief
The 12th person died on the cross and died of his breath. He left a message for his mother and disciples
In the 13th place, the body was removed and buried in a tomb and he died on a rack.
In the 14th tomb, Jesus was resurrected in glory and was buried in a tomb
These contents , as mentioned above, are usually carved from materials such as wood or metal, or expressed in the form of paintings, so that believers can use them as visualization materials when performing this ritual.