Why We Walk to Calvary: The Meaning Behind the Stations of the Cross

To understand why Christians walk the Stations of the Cross, why we choose to meditate on suffering and death, we must first acknowledge how strange this path appears to those outside the faith. I’m

currently reading a book by Bishop Robert Barron for the second time. "Why do you read it twice?" you might ask. Well, if you are an amateur theologian like me, you need to read Bishop Barron twice to fully grasp it all. The book is titled “The Strangest Way” with the subtitle of “Walking the Christian Path.” Bishop Barron is trying to help Christians to see how we are often perceived by those who don’t understand us. I chose to use the concept for this book to lead us to the cross on Calvary. 

Let’s explore the basics of our Lenten journey. We walk with Jesus on a desert journey as he shows us how to resist temptation and to shoulder the sacrificial nature of following God. To turn away from evil and walk toward good. He accompanies and supports us through the difficult journey. Do we arrive at an oasis after the desert leg of our Lenten journey? No, we emerge from the hardship of that journey and start walking toward Calvary to experience the tragedy and ultimate suffering of our Lord crucified. All this might seem a little strange, yet we choose to walk the Christian path anyhow. 

What isn’t strange is that these 14 steps toward the cross aren’t fiction. Yes, we all need faith to better understand the mystical nature of things, but these 14 accounts are part of a true story. This isn’t prophecy but rather prophecy fulfilled. While we do foresee the suffering servant in scripture, such as Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, those events foreseen of Jesus’ passion actually happened. The difference between us and those who view it as strange is that we understand why it happened. 

 “Jesus did not experience reprobation as if he himself had sinned. But in the redeeming love that always united him to the Father, he assumed us in the state of our waywardness of sin, to the point that he could say in our name from the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Having thus established him in solidarity with us sinners, God "did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all", so that we might be "reconciled to God by the death of his Son". (CCC 603)

For us, there is a bit of a role reversal when praying with the Stations of the Cross. As we accompany Him, we find the depth of love, compassion, and strength that humanity is truly capable of. We see this best in the human interactions we witness on the path to the cross. 

Jesus’ and His Mother lock eyes, a tragic scene when Mary watches her dying son suffer. The profound grief helps us understand the depth of maternal love. Throughout the course of human history, the depth of Mary’s love manifests again and again in the hearts of billions of earthly mothers. 

We experience the heart of Simon of Cyrene. He helps Jesus carry his cross by bearing the weight of His burdens. Simone of Cyrene is known as the patron saint of the passerby. His example then manifests again in the heart of someone like St. Vincent DePaul, who dedicated his life to serving the poor, sick, and marginalized. All Christians should notice the needs of others we pass by. 

We discover the empathetic heart of a woman named Veronica, moved by compassion, she forces her way through the crowd to wipe the blood and sweat from Jesus’ face with her veil. 2000 years later, the heart of Veronica manifests again in the heart of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She sought the most desperate of the human race and dried their tears. 

Mary, the Mother of God, St. Vincent DePaul, and St. Teresa would all humble themselves and point to Jesus for the reason they do what they do. They all lead others to Christ.

Something amazing happened that day, something surreal. There is a profound truth to be found in the events of that day in Calvary. Anyone who believes or doesn’t believe has to admit to something. The events that took place on the way to the cross profoundly reshaped the course of human history. The Stations of the Cross do tell a true story and yet there is a strangeness to it all. How could something so awful and tragic inspire so much love and compassion? 

To conclude I will directly quote the final paragraph of Bishop Barron’s book “The Strangest Way.”  

“Dietrich Bonhoeffer commented that when the Lord summons a person to discipleship, he calls him to come and die. When the blind Bartimaeus received his sight, at midpoint in the Gospel of Mark, he followed Jesus up the road that would lead to Calvary. The way that is the Christian life begins and ends with the man who is God dying on the cross. 

Strange, isn’t it?