Faith News
A message from St George parish church
St George’s Church Beckenham – Stations of the Cross (2022)
On Tuesday 12 April at 7pm in St George’s – We shall follow the way of the cross – all welcome
Were you there?
The Stations of the Cross is an ancient devotion which has taken many forms over the years. In the early centuries pilgrims, including a woman named Egeria, made their way to Jerusalem and visited places of significance in the life and death of Jesus. This route developed into the “Via Dolorosa”, the Sorrowful Way, with set stopping points to contemplate events and places where it is thought that certain encounters or incidents on the last journey of Jesus, the journey to the cross, took place. Most of these are documented in the Gospels but some arise from tradition. There are a variety of sequences or progressions which may be used according to need and tradition.
At St George’s there are fourteen Stations carved from wood. These were made in Oberammergau and installed into the church between 1925 and 1930. The sequence begins near the choir vestry door and continues round the church finishing outside the Lady Chapel.
In this meditation we follow Jesus on his last journey using the Stations in St George’s Church and we try to engage with his passion using our imagination, creativity and senses to gain inspiration, encouragement and hope as we travel through Holy Week.
Each stop includes a Bible reference, prayer and meditation.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Use either of these websites to listen to the hymn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpSScICWJ9M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0w19GcYhUQ
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At The First Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The First Station
Jesus is condemned to death
[Matthew 27. 20 – 26; Mark 15.1 – 5; Luke 23. 1 – 5; John 18. 28 – 19. 16]
We had known this man for at least three years. He came to Jerusalem for the feasts and there was trouble with him and his followers at Passover and Tabernacles. My friend Nicodemus had followed him quietly as he travelled around the country.
Exhausted after a night of the interrogation of this man, I, a member of the Sanhedrin, followed as he was taken before Pilate, the governor. The prisoner had often alluded to us in a denigrating way, suggesting that we are more interested in purity and the law than compassion. So he should not have been surprised at the antagonism he experienced. As the smell of incense pervaded the Temple the problem of how to silence him was discussed. Now we are in front of Pilate.
Watching from the side-lines I observed Pilate. He was not often in Jerusalem but he had the reputation of being decisive. Here he seemed ambivalent, unable to decide just how to handle this prisoner. Perhaps he was torn between his reputation and his conscience. Was he hedging his bets, did he feel cornered? Did he stop to consider the requirements of justice or was keeping the peace his priority. His own career was at risk.
It would have been easier if Pilate had made the decision. We did not want to have to be responsible. We had passed the buck and now, with his procrastination, we had an opportunity to force his hand. We could make ourselves heard: “He has to die”. Our way to punish blasphemy was by stoning to death but with this man we had, in the past, not managed to carry out the penalty. The Roman method is crucifixion.
Even now I do not know how I would have acted if Pilate had released the man.
I do not want to confront this situation.
I was there. I had my chance to do the right thing: to act for justice. Did I take the easy way out? Did I just agree with my superiors who made their position clear and condemned on little and inconclusive evidence?
Have you been there? What would you advise?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Second Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Second Station
Jesus takes up his cross
[Mat 27. 27 – 31; Mark 15. 16 – 20; John 19. 1 – 2]
I stand here holding the crown made from the stems of a nearby ziziphus thorn tree with its jagged spiteful thorns. It cuts into my fingers drawing blood as I wait.
Following orders, I am obliged to watch the flogging and torture. The others seem to enjoy this inhuman behaviour. How can I avoid joining in? I do not want to be a part of this so I back off using the injuries to my hands made by thorns as an excuse. As they finish the mocking, violence and degradation, he stands and waits for me to force this crown onto his head and to increase the agony he already suffers. I can almost feel the acute pain as he winces and the drops of blood begin to drip from the wounds.
As we prepare to leave we pack up the box of tools. We will need them later to nail him to the cross.
Did he really deserve this harsh abuse? Could I have made my own decision about this unnecessary, shameful and humiliating punishment and stepped aside? Even that would have been cowardice.
Can you understand how I feel and why I am confused?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Third Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Third Station
Jesus falls the first time
[Mark 15. 6 – 15; Luke 23. 25]
Hiding in the crowd I watch as he passes by laden with his cross or is it my cross? It should have been mine. My life has been one storm after another: embroiled in all kinds of robbery, violence, even murder. I am guilty, sentence had been passed and I expected to be carrying the cross on the way to my crucifixion. He falls. The soldiers strike him with a club to make him get up. The crowd shouted for him to be crucified and I am released. He, the innocent, will die and I will live.
As he rises he looks at me as if to say, ‘I can calm the turmoil of your life’. His face shows such mercy, compassion and forgiveness. I have never experienced much sympathy in my life. Usually I just get the blame.
And so I ask, how did this happen, who is this man that is dying in my place and why is he doing it?
Has he come to bring God’s message of forgiveness and salvation even to me? This is my chance. Will I let him transfigure me?
Is this what we must each ask?
Meanwhile I must keep a low profile in case someone recognises me and decides that I should receive the punishment I deserve for my misdemeanours.
Will you hide me?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Fourth Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Fourth Station
Jesus meets his mother
[Lam 1.12; John 19. 26 – 27; Luke 2. 34 – 35]
I see the spear in the hand of the soldier and I remember that time in the Temple when we gave our first born son to the Lord and the Lord gave him back to us for a while. As a baby I managed to save him but now there is nothing I can do. I feel helpless
.
As he grew up we began to lose him to his work for the Lord. He travelled around teaching and healing, gradually becoming more and more estranged from the family. His disciples became his family but I could not let him go. And so here I am at the end. The noise of the crowd deafens me. It is so hot, stuffy and smelly: bodies pressed up against me. I feel faint. Is it my distress or just that I am so weary? I long for some silence and a shady place where I can retreat into my own thoughts. Am I alone in wishing for some solitude?
John has been with me through much of these last few days. He always takes care of me. He is like a son to me and I trust him.
But I am this condemned man’s mother and I must go on to the end. Will you walk beside me and give me the comfort of your calm and quiet presence?
What can we talk about? What can you say to me?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Fifth Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Fifth Station
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross
[Mark 15. 21; Luke 23. 26; Mat 27. 32]
We were in Jerusalem for Passover and we were not expecting a crucifixion so close to the festival. Then we discovered that it was someone we had heard teaching. My father was very impressed by what he said and how he had tried to explain to us why these ideas were important: how they shed light on our law and could change our way of life.
It was exciting at first, being part of an agitated crowd all shouting and pushing. We could not keep still: we were being pulled along in the throng. But then a soldier came towards us and we backed off in fear. Alexander and I watched as suddenly our father was ordered to give a hand when this well respected teacher could not cope with his cross. We had to keep up with the crowd so that we did not lose sight of our father.
Some years later we realised what a privilege for our father this incident had been. He had told us about the rough feel of the wood and its weight but he did not talk about it much. When I asked him he just said, “Rufus, it was a dreadful, fearful experience”. I wondered why he would not tell me more of how he felt. The whole event made a deep impression on me as a young man.
Then, when I was in Rome and greetings came in a letter from Paul, I thought back on this event. At the wrong place and at the wrong time perhaps but maybe not since we followed and saw and heard all that happened and now we are part of a new community of believers.
That episode in Jerusalem comes back to me in dreams. It has become a burden and I cannot get it out of my head. But I remember that my father told me that one of the things that this man promised was: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest’. My father is dead now. He helped to carry that man’s burden and now I must trust in this promise.
Will I be able to follow and trust?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Sixth Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Sixth Station
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
[Mat 25. 35 – 40]
He looked completely exhausted. Perspiring, the drops of sweat mingled with blood from the injuries inflicted by the crown of thorns drizzled down from his brow, through his straggling hair into his eyes. He could not see the way ahead.
What could I do?
As I moved forward the soldiers pushed me back into the crowd that lined the route. But I could not let him go on like that: degraded, with his head bowed. So I went ahead and got through and was able to confront him as he approached. He raised his head. I stood before him and placed my scarf gently over his weary face. I hoped it would absorb the sweat and blood and cool his face. As I lifted my scarf away, his eyes met mine.
The soldiers pushed me back roughly and I followed on, weeping.
In the evening when it was all over, I spread my scarf to dry over a stool and then I saw it.
This precious cloth is all I have left of him. What a gift. I treasure this icon made by his sacred blood, holy sweat and my poor tears. It was such a small gesture but what more could I have done? Like so many in that crowd I felt helpless.
Do you have a scarf ready?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
At The Seventh Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Seventh Station
Jesus falls the second time
[Is 53. 4 – 5; Luke 18.14; Matthew 18:1-11; Mark 9:38-42]
It is my first time at Passover in Jerusalem. Now that I am a man, although still quite young, I am allowed to travel down for the festival. But I am left with the women while the older men are at the Temple for the slaughter of the sacrificial animals. They say the steps run with blood. I wish I could see it.
But I am to stay with the women this year and we are all following the ragged procession. Now I catch sight of one of the condemned. I recognise him. He was in our village a year ago and we all went up onto the nearby hillside to hear him speak. He was so easy to listen to and the younger children loved him. Later that day his disciples came round the crowd asking if anyone had brought food. My mother knows that I always get hungry so she had given me snack of small loaves and a couple of dried fish. I offered my snack and soon everyone was fed: there was plenty for all.
Now when I saw him I wondered what I could do. His mouth was parched but I did not even have any water to offer him. The soldiers made me hold the board with the inscription. I looked for my mother but she and the women had disappeared so I followed on wondering how such a loving, kind and generous person could get into this position.
As he stumbled I wondered would it have been better, less painful for him, if they had let him drop and die on the spot. Now I see the running blood but not at the Temple. It is dripping down his face. I want to look away. Does God want this sacrifice?
Because he managed to get up again, he was forced to go forward to the greater pain of the cross. He seemed determined to complete the journey.
Stuck in the crowd, not really ready to be an adult, I feel like a little child: powerless against those in authority.
What can I do to make it better for him? How can I help?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Eighth Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Eighth Station
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
[Luke 23. 27 – 31]
The crowd presses forward, shouting, aggressive, hurling abuse.
I did not know him well. We women who live in and around Jerusalem have not seen much of this man but now we follow the procession, weeping.
Other women from the north who followed him during the past three years have told us how he was always so gentle, so welcoming. He did not send any woman away and never treated us as if we were incapable of understanding. They said that he spoke to them and used the experiences of their daily life to help them to know of the love of God. He taught that when I sweep a room, prepare a meal, or wash a visitor’s feet, I am valuable and worthy in God’s eyes. This man, they said, took notice of our problems and acknowledged our care of him. He came to their homes for some rest away from the crowds. One of them told how he even allowed her precocious sister to sit at his feet and listen when the men would not usually countenance such behaviour. He showed our men the way.
Now he gives us women here in Jerusalem a warning. We are to accept what he is doing for us and respond but not with empty tears. He wants us to face up to the fact that we, like those who have rejected him and shouted ‘crucify him’, are lost if we do nothing but weep. But he has noticed us.
We were in the crowd that said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children’. Do I now regret that outburst? How could I hope for the destruction of my own children? Now I understand that my weeping should be for myself. I should repent and follow his way. Perhaps I will be able to find one of his women followers and find out more about him and his teaching.
I will stay here now and watch this disgraceful spectacle. I will follow and wait in case there is anything I can do to ease his pain.
Will you stay?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Ninth Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Ninth Station
Jesus falls the third time
[Luke 23. 40 – 43]
I have been disappointed with the way my son has conducted his life. True, times have been hard but he was not brought up to steal. He got into bad company and his behaviour has gone from bad to worse and just look at where this has led him. I think he now understands why I was so worried and upset by his behaviour. I am sure he is beginning to realise where he went wrong. It is too late now: or is it?
Reading his thoughts, I think he is coming to terms with his life and death. I can sense what is going through his mind. Let me relate to you his thoughts as he passes me on his way to death. He thinks:
I have been a disappointment to my family. My mother is particularly hurt by the way I have ruined my life. I now regret the way I have behaved and how I have hurt the ones who love me.
Going to my death, I carry my cross alongside two others. The soldiers need us to get to the site because there will be trouble if we die on the way.
The three of us are on the way to crucifixion. I am a convicted thief and ready for my just punishment. The other robber, a violent man, has been making fun of the silent one. This cruel and arrogant bandit seems to have no idea that the quiet one does not deserve to die. All he did was speak the truth, which, of course, annoyed the authorities. But that is not a reason to give the death sentence.
I deserve my punishment. I am in pain but my mouth is so dry that I cannot cry out. My skin is sore from the beating I have taken, and every step is agony. The stench of the sweating crowd makes me retch but they have no mercy. They shout at us and spit on us and I am forced to keep going. When will this be over?
The blameless one is very weak now and has fallen again and they drag him to his feet. We must keep going. The crowd are expecting a show. Perhaps I will be able to exchange a few words with him. I know he is innocent. He is a good man. How I wish things could have been different.
If I speak to him, will he respond?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
At The Tenth Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Tenth Station
Jesus is stripped of his clothes
[John 19. 23 – 25]
Back in Nazareth, I work in an area of the town where there are many trades and occupations. Jesus came through the street and engaged with all of us. Although he knew about the construction trade, he was also interested in how we conducted our businesses. He included everyone in his conversations, even chatting to Zacchaeus, the local tax collector, low in stature, morals and standing in the community. This extraordinary man encouraged us to use our gifts and to be generous.
As an experienced weaver, I was able to make a special robe for him. It was woven all of a piece in fine soft linen so that it would just slip easily over his head. There was no seam or construction in it at all. I had never tried this before but it felt right for a man who was complete and whole in himself. It is a beautiful garment for a beautiful person.
It was so lovely that these soldiers did not want to destroy it but threw dice to see who would have it. Now that he no longer needs it, it means nothing to me. It adorned him when he was alive but the garment took its sanctity from his wearing of it. Nothing can destroy its meaning to me.
I was proud to have made something worthy of him.
Can you make something beautiful of your life to glorify him?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Eleventh Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Eleventh Station
Jesus is nailed to the cross
[Luke 23. 33, 38; Mat 27. 39 – 4; Mark 15. 26; John 19. 19 – 20]
The hammer is in my hand and I have the rope ready to bind his feet. This cross is an object of disgrace and degradation. The centurion checks that everything is in order: that he is fixed firmly.
The inscription board must also be fixed in place. This attachment is unusual since nobody cares about the identity of those to be executed. I do not really understand what this label is about. It says ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews’ and it is written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So I suppose everyone who can will be able to read it. We know that he was brought up in Nazareth and, as a Jew, he would be here in Jerusalem for the festival but the Jews have had no king for many years. What would he, a simple man from the north, have hoped to achieve?
I am not required to understand merely to do my job but he does seem very innocuous especially compared with some of the villains I have had to deal with before. So now I tie his feet and arms with the rope and I lift the hammer to knock the nails through his ankles and wrists.
His mother and some other women stand around weeping and, as they hear the thump of the hammer, their cries increase. A young man is nearby but the others who were supposed to be supporters of the condemned man have vanished. One of the women comes forward to try to touch his feet. She seems to have a special relationship with him. But I push her back. It is not allowed. An older woman prays.
They are all very quiet now. The young man is consoling the older woman. Standing apart from the crowd and those at the foot of the cross, I wait for him to die.
Can we console each other?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Twelfth Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Twelfth Station
Jesus dies on the cross
[John 19. 28 – 34; Mark 15. 37 – 39; Mat 27. 50; Luke 23. 44 – 47]
The crowd begins to disperse, they have seen enough. We just have to wait a little while longer. I hold a stick and my spear just in case I need it.
As a centurion I am in charge of the procedure now. It gets near to sundown and it is my responsibility to break the legs of those on the crosses to ensure they suffocate quickly and do not hang on to life into the evening which now becomes Passover. One of the thieves has been a nuisance shouting and struggling. The other quietened down after he spoke to the third, who has been calm throughout. He is very quiet and I can see that I will not need to break his legs. He is dead so I just thrust the spear into his side to make certain.
During the afternoon I watched as he cried out to God. Not in despair but as if everything had come to a completion. He was certain that God had taken him to Gods-self. I have never seen the like. He behaved in a unique way. The officials had condemned him for calling himself God’s son but I am convinced that he was innocent, a good Jew, and, in their phrase, a son of God.
All the others standing by were left in amazement at how he had died.
What words can we use to describe what we had seen?
How can we try to understand what has happened?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Thirteenth Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Thirteenth Station
Jesus is taken down from the cross
[Luke 23. 49; Mark 15. 40 – 41]
Too afraid to get close, I watched at a distance the three on the crosses as they weakened. It was almost sundown when the soldiers checked that they were dead. Our master’s body was lifted down and placed in his mother’s arms. We had very little time to decide what to do. We had not believed what he had told us about his fate.
After he was arrested in the garden, we had hidden, lurking in the olive grove, and then run away. Watching in the Temple precincts had become too dangerous so we just crept back to the hill avoiding the main streets as the shadows lengthened.
What cowards we men had been. But it would have been foolish to remain and be caught as well.
Now here we are as he lies dead in the arms of the women, who had been more courageous than we. They held the body. The soldiers had taken no notice of the women, silly women they thought. But we knew that they had been the backbone of the followers.
Someone needs to do something. It is almost sun-set and we cannot leave a dead body unburied.
So, stunned and frightened, we looked around and dithered. Because we could not contemplate this event, we had made no preparations.
What action should we take?
Who will get us out of this dilemma?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
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At The Fourteenth Station
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The Fourteenth Station
Jesus is laid in the tomb
[Mat 27. 59 – 60; Luke 23. 50- 53; Mark 15. 42 – 46; John 19. 38 – 42]
I first met Jesus in Jerusalem during a Passover three years ago. Since then I have followed his journeys and teaching but at a distance. As a Pharisee I am not a member of the Council but I have trusted friends there.
Talking to them they relayed what had happened over night and at Jesus’ interview with Pilate. I and my friend Joseph thought it best to keep clear of the crowd and the spectacle of the crucifixion but we arrived in time to see the soldiers preparing to break the legs of the victims. Joseph hurried off to Pilate to beg for the body while I kept watch with my spices and a plain cloth shroud ready to prepare the body for burial. Permission was given and, with the help of some of the disciples who had sneaked back, we carefully carried the body to the garden where Joseph had a tomb prepared to receive his body when the time came. It was to be his resting place
In the Jewish faith, while we will try to save life whenever we can, we also have a special responsibility to care for a dead body and to bury it as soon as possible: a duty which takes precedence over all others. In addition we had to make the body safe before Passover began. It was all very hurried and I would have like to sit outside the tomb and observe the other rituals but I could not. I had to get back to my family for Passover and anyway soldiers were posted at the tomb as soon as we had closed it with the stone. It was too dangerous to stay.
Just one day ago he had asked his friends to watch and they fell asleep. Here I kept awake but did not dare stay very long: the sun was setting.
What is left for us now? Should we all go back to our homes or stay together?
What will the future bring?
As we follow the journey we pray:
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen.
Concluding Prayers
Trusting in the compassion of God,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Almighty God,
whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, 
and entered not into glory before he was crucified:
mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,
may find it none other than the way of life and peace;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen. (Collect – Third Sunday of Lent)
