The
Vol. 8, Issue No. 2
“Lord,
let your last breath be my first.”
PARACLETE Parish of the Holy Spirit, BF Homes, Quezon City
March 2015
Our Way of the Cross Garden
The First Station: Jesus on the Mount of Olives ON MARCH 21, 2015, the Parish launched the Way of the Cross Garden. Located on the Pelayo St. side of the Church grounds (at the back of the Ruah Parish Center), it uses the traditional Way of the Cross and incorporates a new monument to the Risen Christ. All these are welcome additions to the image of Mary of the Poor which for a time solely adorned this section of the Church grounds. It is hoped that parishioners and their guests will frequently use the Way of the Cross Garden for private prayers and devotion, not just during the Lenten season but during other seasons at well. To celebrate this launching, and to aid everyone beginning this Lent, The Paraclete is publishing this Edition as a guide for the parishioners’ reflection on the Traditional Way of the Cross. Because of its length, it is recommended that these reflections be completed over several days. However, this is the modern version of the Traditional Stations of the Cross. Known as the Scriptural Stations of the Cross or the Scriptural Way of the Cross, it was inaugurated as a devotion by St. John Paul II on Good Friday, 1991. Thereafter St. John Paul II performed the scriptural version many times at the Colosseum in Rome on Good Fridays during his reign. The scriptural version was not intended to invalidate the traditional version, rather it was meant to add nuance to an understanding of the Passion. As a suggestion, one can do the reflections on the Scriptural Stations of the Cross (SS) while doing the Traditional (TS) as follows: SC 1–5 (TS 1); SC 6–7 (TS 2–3); SC 8 (TS 4–7); SC 9 (TS 8–10); SC 10-12 (TS 11); SC 13 (TS 12); SC 14 (TS 13-14).