The Way of the Cross

Christians have often felt that a healthy manner in which to pattern their lives was to follow the “way” of Jesus as he lived his earthly life in perfect obedience to God and trusted God in death to raise him from the dead. We enact that story every time we have Eucharist and say the liturgy. The Book of Common Prayer in countless places encourages Christians to follow in the manner of life Jesus both lived and taught. It is easier said than done.

A group of our young people with their adult chaperones are going on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, a site of Christian visitation since the Middle Ages. The idea of pilgrimage is not one of aimlessly wandering about, but rather one of direct purpose. In the Christian pilgrimage the pilgrim has a goal and it is nothing less than the
realization of our desperate need for Christ’s mercy and offering up ourselves into Christ’s hands all the days of our lives.

This idea is wonderfully stated in a morning prayer of St. Benedict: “Father, we offer you this day all our thoughts, words, and actions, all our sufferings and disappointments, and all our joys. And we unite our lives with that of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. AMEN+”

Part of the duty of the pilgrim is to realize life is both wonderful and painful. In their long journey they learn to offer to God their own sufferings, and join them with the suffering of Christ. The learnings there are twofold: First, God is with them every step of the way, leading them through life and into heaven. Second, nothing we bear can be compared with the agonies of the Christ who loved us so. We live and die as debtors to God’s grace.

All this helps keep a good perspective of just who and what we are and of the most wonderful concept every announced to humanity; that God loves us so much that we too can be brought into eternal glory, not through our own works, but because of Christ’s sacrifice of self for a broken and sinful race. Through and in Christ, lies our only hope of glory.

Andrew +