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Via Crucis :: The Way of the Cross :: Intro

This web-site is Team-space for those at Vineyard Central who are creating this expression of The Stations of the Cross. Email Aaron if you have questions.

What is the Via Crucis and Why are we doing it?

Known by many names throughout history, Via Dolorosa, Stations of the Cross, or the Way of the Cross, this act of devotion and worship represents the journey of Christ to the Cross. This is commonly known as the Passion of Christ. Entering into the Stations of the Cross is a way to enter into and identify with the suffering of Christ. Participation in the Stations likewise has the effect of entering into our own suffering and the pain of those around us.

"The most important reason for reviving the practice of making the Stations of the Cross is that it is a powerful way to contemplate, and enter into, the mystery of Jesus' gift of himself to us. It takes the reflection on the passion out of my head, and makes it an imaginative exercise. It involves my senses, my experience and my emotions. To the extent I come to experience the love of Jesus for me, to that extent the gratitude I feel will be deep. Deep gratitude leads to real generosity and a desire to love as I have been loved" (from Why do the Stations of the Cross? ).

The Via Crucis is also a pilgrimage. As much as it is a journey of remembrance for what Christ has done; it is also a journey into the heart of God and what the Spirit is doing today. We enter the Via Crucis in many ways - some in arrogance and self-assurance, some with deep wounds and pain, some with malaise and distraction - but hopefully in the midst of it we all discover our brokenness and our blessedness. We identify our pain with the suffering of Christ and we also realize our place as the beloved of God.