Station II: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

The soldiers had their sport in taunting him, "Hail to the King of the Jews." They mocked him with a purple cloak and the crown of thorns. Then when their fun waned, they laid the hard, dead wood on his shoulders. He accepted it willingly, eagerly.

Jesus had said, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it"(Lk. 14 / Mt. 10).

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Station I: Jesus Is Condemned to Death

The crowd, incited by their leaders kept shouting, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate spoke to them, wishing to release him, "Why? What evil has this man done? I find no crime in him deserving of death." They persisted with their cries, "Crucify him, crucify him!", and they prevailed.

We are not mere onlookers. As sinners, we, too, shout with the crowd, "Crucify him!" May our voice instead be hushed in a humble prayer for forgiveness: "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord hear my voice . . . for with you is forgiveness and plenteous redemption" (Ps. 130). "Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me of my guilt, and of sin cleanse me"(Ps. 51).

The Stations of the Cross

Update: I have added a link to a great Franciscan site, Via Crucis. It is filled with historical background info and beautiful pics from the actual station sites in Jerusalem.

I grew up in a family where dad was not the least bit interested in anything to do with God and mom was a part-time pentecostal - part-time because she did not drive and had no way to get to church. So although my religious education was very limited, I had the basics: Jesus was the Saviour and answered prayer, don't go outside on Good Friday between noon and 3 pm and if I ever have to go to the hospital, be sure to remember to tell those in charge that I am Protestant - not Catholic! That last part was very important!!

The Orthodox Church was not even on our radar - we knew no Orthodox - and the Catholic Church was ... uh ... idolatrous. Goodness, in my family, it was positively scandalous that JFK became President because he was a Catholic! I never questioned this; most kids don't, at least until they become adults. However, the churches I attended as an adult held the same attitude. Again, I did not question this until a few years ago, after I became completely disenchanted with the evangelical church and converted to Orthodoxy. Walls crumbled and a whole new world opened up to me. The Catholic Church moved from being idolatrous to being mysterious, a deep and ancient well from which I could draw deeply to water my faith. I saw it as complementary to Orthodoxy, even though there are major theological distinctions. I love the two-lung analogy, the Church breathing with both the western and eastern lungs - both necessary for robust health.

The Stations of the Cross are more readily associated with Catholicism, but are not unknown to the Eastern Orthodox. This year in my Lenten journey, they beckon me, so I will be spending some time at each station, contemplating the Way of the Cross and the Saviour of Love who willingly chose that Way out of His love for us. I hope you find these stations meaningful, too.

New Pics

Here's our Gabby girl at eleven days, still looking quite a bit like her daddy! That's mama holding her. My daughter is somewhat disappointed; she wants us to see her in her daughter. Not yet, I tell her - be patient. Babies change so fast and what we see today may be totally different in a month.

Welcome Gabriella Anne!

Gabriella Anne, not quite 24 hrs. old, held by her Aunt Annie.

Gabriella Anne finally made her entrance at 2:35 a.m. on February 15 by way of C-section. It was a long and difficult journey, but she's here, she's fine and all is well. My daughter is, as most women are, awed by the love she feels for this little one as well as the extraordinary processes of labor, delivery, post-partum changes, breastfeeding and the task of learning to care for a newborn. I feel overwhelmed for her, especially since I'm four hours away and cannot make anything easier for her.

This will change her, make her a mother, and the change will be good.

Baby's A Comin'

And we're off!!!! I hope she cranks this kid out by the end of the day. A Valentine Baby would be nice!

Protest-ant Wounds

Something that's been on my mind for a few weeks now. In my former life, I was a director of a crisis pregnancy center. Although the center was considered non-denominational and not affiliated with any particular church, it was well supported by many of the churches in town, including the Catholic and Orthodox. We rallied around the pro-life work that needed to be done and our common belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. That was enough.

Now I'm in a bigger town. I recently met with the local PCP recently to see about working with them. We were having a lovely getting-to-know-you time when I brought up the subject of church support. Before asking about their support system, I let it be known that I had the support of a diverse group of churches previously and did not get into petty theological differences that could derail us from the important goal we were all working towards: reducing the numbers of women who choose abortion, educating teens about abstinence, teaching new moms how to be good moms, offering healing to those who have been devastated by abortion and presenting Christ when the opportunity arose. I was promptly told that this CPC did not encourage support from a particular Church because they did not believe in receiving salvation in the same way as the CPC Statement of Faith. I didn't bother to tell the woman that I had just attended mass at this Church the Sunday before; that I had met Christ is a beautiful way and was ministered to by Him personally. No, that would have been inconceivable. And how sad - sad for them, for their clients, for the Church, for the world. Maybe for the first time, the Protest-ant reformation was very personal. The gaping tear in the Church that should have been repaired long ago was visible and ugly. Church reform was needed, of course, no argument there. But this separation? This wound that forced both parties to travel different paths, exposing them to attacks from a common enemy, leaving them vulnerable to weakness, deceptions and sin? I felt it keenly and mourned.

And I walked away, probably never to return.

Awaiting Birth

Such a long time ...

I sit here at my daughter's home in a small rural town waiting for her to go into labor. I wasn't planning on coming until labor began, but she thought it had on Monday, so here I am ... twiddling my thumbs and washing out her garbage cans for something to do. Add to that a winter storm that just doesn't want to let up, keeping us all somewhat stranded. And.I.miss.my.dog!!!!!! Hubby should be bringing her to me tomorrow evening. My other daughter is also here and kids are off from school due to the weather. We're pretty much all on top of one another, not a condition I relish.

I've resorted to making Miis to play on the Wii. That's fun! Until the tendons start screaming in my arm. I've always had some ambidextrous ability and find that I can bowl on the Wii quite well with my left arm, giving my right arm a needed break. The boxing is great and allows me to get some needed exercise. My daughter tells me that nursing homes are using Wii for the residents; gets them up and moving. A wonderful idea!