At the Cross: Reflections on the Stations of the Cross. By Justin D. Clemente. Anglican Compass, 2024. xxiii + 148 pp. $14.95 (paper).
A number of Lenten practices and observances—e.g., prayer, almsgiving, and fasting—are longstanding elements of the Christian tradition, yet may be unfamiliar for those who are newcomers to the Anglican way. One such observance, exposited by Justin D. Clemente in this book, is known as the Stations of the Cross.
As Clemente explains, the Stations of the Cross originate in what is known as the Via Dolorosa, or “sorrowful way” (xvii). This is the processional route Christ took when He was crucified, and for centuries Christian pilgrims have traveled to Jerusalem so they can literally follow in his footsteps, “beginning at the Antonia Fortress and concluding at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre” (xvii). Over the years, these pilgrims “took the practice back to their homelands, thus cultivating the devotion we now know as the Stations of the Cross” (xvii). Essentially, it is an extended contemplation of the crucifixion of Christ, divided into fourteen steps. At each step, “there is the accompanying reading from Scripture, followed by a time of silent and/or spoken reflection, which is then followed by a concluding prayer” (xvii). There are two forms of the Stations, the older, traditional form, and what is known as the “Biblical Stations of the Cross.” The latter was introduced by Pope John Paul II and has the advantage of hewing more closely to biblical accounts of the Crucifixion, so it is the form followed by this book (xviii–xix). This form consists of the following steps:
1. Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane
2. Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested
3. The Sanhedrin judges Jesus
4. Jesus is denied by Peter three times
5. Jesus is judged by Pilate
6. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
7. Jesus takes up his cross
8. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross
9. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
10. Jesus is crucified
11. Jesus promises his kingdom to the repentant thief
12. Jesus entrusts Mary and John to each other
13. Jesus dies on the cross
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb (xix)
The Stations of the Cross are typically followed in the context of a corporate church service, “especially in Lent or Holy Week” (xx). However, it is also possible to follow the Stations on one’s own, and to this end Clemente is especially helpful. For each step he offers extensive meditations, inviting readers to ponder at length the rich significance in every moment of Christ’s crucifixion. Without rehearsing everything Clemente says, there is one particular insight worth noting here. Throughout the course of his reflections, Clemente observes more than once that the Crucifixion is a seminal narrative, “the true story that all our other best stories point to” (52). We would do well to remember this, in Lent and out of it—the story of the Bible is God’s story, and the Crucifixion in particular is a great climax in that story, replete with arresting imagery and implications. Thus, in observing the Stations of the Cross, we devote ourselves to a story that can touch the heartstrings even of those outside the church, for everyone is a part of that story whether they know it or not—the only question is whether they will recognize the beauty of it and respond accordingly. For those already in the church, Clemente’s work can help us better appreciate that beauty which is ultimately, beneath a mask of unspeakable ugliness, God’s very own beauty revealed to us.
