Many Christians walk the Stations of the Cross as a way of expressing their devotion and participating in the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. In this excellent resource, church journalist Katerina Katsarka Whitley has written monologues tied to each one of the fourteen stations on the Way of Sorrows. These include Jesus Being Condemned to death as seen by the arresting soldier, Jesus Falls the First Time as seen by John bar-Zebedee, a Woman Wipes the Face of Jesus as told by Veronica, and Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments as told by the gambling soldier. Biblical references and liturgical snippets with prayers accompany the monologues.
Whitley's goal here is to draw out our empathy and compassion for all those involved in the terrifying events of Jesus' last day. She concludes: "May God have mercy on us all as we enter into these stories allowing them to cause us to feel pain, hope, love, and gratitude. Assume the persona of each one of them on the way of sorrows as you walk with them. Read these monologues aloud to yourself or to each other. Use them for personal or group meditation. Take the time needed to become a part of the story. Don't rush through Lent and Holy Week. Enter into the darkness of the crucifixion. It is only be fully entering into and living in the darkness that you can truly recognize the Light of Easter."
The visually powerful block woodcuts of the fourteen Stations of the Cross by artist Noyes Capehart add immeasurably to the impact of these devotional exercises.
