Gethsemane Garden Stones, Stations of the Cross

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you could not keep watch with Me for one hour?”

Saturday

Could you not keep watch with me?

36Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed.

38Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

40And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41”Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:36-41)

5 comments:

katherine blonsky said...: Janet - this blog is simply beautiful - and so is your art.

Thanks for sharing your devotion, your thoughts and your work. Kathy; 9:27 AM
Kent Peters said...: Hi Janet, What an incredible blog. I'm used to political sites.

How much is a full set of Stations?

Keep up the great spiritual work.

Blessings,

Kent; 6:29 AM
Anonymous said...: Hi Janet, I hope you're doing well with your garden stones. They are definitely works of art. Love Sugar; 7:37 PM
David Bruce Hughes said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 11:04 AM
Anonymous said...: What a brilliant idea, and your work is really lovely. I wish I could get them -ah, finances :( - and I hope many do. Peace to you, and enjoy your Easter.; 3:35 AM

What are the Stations of the Cross?

The Stations of the Cross or Way of the Cross; in Latin, Via Crucis; also called the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrows, or simply, The Way refers to the depiction of the final hours or Passion of Jesus Christ, and the devotion commemorating the Passion.

Tradition asserts that the Blessed Virgin used to visit daily the scenes of Christ’s Passion. After Christ Jesus died and rose from the dead, many people reflected upon His Passion and death. They began to make visits to Jerusalem and walk in Jesus’ footsteps. The street Christ Jesus walked is still called Via Dolorosa, which means the way of pain.

St. Jerome speaks of the crowds of pilgrims from all countries who used to visit the holy places in his day. As Christianity spread throughout the known world, distance made it nearly impossible for people to make the trip to Jerusalem. That didn’t stop their need to know and remember. By the twelfth century the fervor of the Crusades and a heightened devotion to the Passion of Christ created a demand in Europe for representations of the last events in Christ Jesus’ life. When the Franciscans took over the custody of the shrines in the Holy Land in 1342, they saw it as their mission to encourage devotion to these places.

In western Europe a series of shrines erected to help the faithful remember Christ’s Passion became commonplace. They were erected outside Churches and monasteries and in other places as well. They are usually arranged at intervals around the walls of a church, though sometimes they are to be found in the open air, especially on roads leading to a church or shrine. In monasteries they are often placed in the cloisters.

The use of the Stations did not become at all general before the end of the seventeenth century, but they are now to be found in almost every church. For many years there was a considerable variety in the number and title of these “stations.” The current number of fourteen first appeared in the Low Countries in the sixteenth century and became standard in the eighteenth century with a series of papal pronouncements.

The chief promoter of this devotion was the Franciscan Leonard of Port Maurice [died 1751], who set up more than five hundred sets of stations, the best known being the one in the Coliseum of Rome. Modern liturgists have emphasized that devotion to the Passion is incomplete without reference to the Resurrection and have thus fostered the addition of a “fifteenth station,” the Resurrection of Christ Jesus or the “Divine Mercy” image.

The Season of Lent is a natural time for this devotion. “Pilgrims” can come to Church any time, pray and move from station to station. We tell our children that the Stations of the Cross are like railroad stations because we stop at every one. The Church may have books available too, to help us reflect on these Stations. Sometimes parishes schedule a time for people to gather and pray the stations together. The Stations themselves are a series of 14 images or sculptures depicting the following scenes:

I. Jesus is condemned to death

II. Jesus accepts the cross

III. The first fall

IV. Jesus meets His Mother

V. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross

VI. Veronica wipes Jesus’ face with her veil

VII. The second fall

VIII. Jesus comforts the weeping women

IX. The third fall

X. Jesus is stripped of His garments

XI. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross

XII. Jesus dies on the cross

XIII. Jesus’ body is laid in His mother’s arms (Pieta)

XIV. Jesus is placed in the tomb (Sepulchre)

*source* The Catholic Encyclopedia - Newadvent.org

The Stabat Mater Dolorosa

Stabat Mater Dolorosa - Original Latin lyrics

Stabat mater dolorosa

juxta Crucem lacrimosa,

dum pendebat Filius.

Cuyus animam gementem,

contristatam et dolentem,

pertransivit gladius.

O quam tristis et afflicta

fuit illa benedicta

Mater Unigeniti.

Quae moerebat et dolebat,

Pia Mater cum videbat

Nati poenas incliti.

Quis est homo qui non fleret,

Matrem Christi si videre

tin tanto supplicio?

Quis non posset contristari,

Christi Matrem contemplari

dolentem cum Filio?

Pro peccatis suae gentis

vidit Jesum in tormentis

et flagellis subditum.

Vidit suum dulcem natum

moriendo desolatum,

dum emisit spiritum.

Eia Mater, fons amoris,

me sentire vim doloris

fac, ut tecum lugeam.

Fac ut ardeat cor meum

in amando Christum Deum,

ut sibi complaceam.

Sancta mater, istud agas,

crucifixi fige plagas

cordi meo valide.

Tui nati vulnerati,

tam dignati pro me pati,

poenas mecum divide.

Fac me tecum pie flere,

crucifixo condolere,

donec ego vixero.

Iuxta crucem tecum stare,

et me tibi sociare

in planctu desidero.

Virgo virginum praeclara,

mihi iam non sis amara:

fac me tecum plangere.

Fac ut portem Christi mortem,

passionis fac consortem,

et plagas recolere.

Fac me plagis vulnerari,

Fac me cruce inebriari,

et cruore Filii.

Flammis ne urar succensus

per te Virgo, sim defensus

in die judicii

Christe, cum sit hinc exire,

da per matrem me venire

ad palmam victoriae.

Quando corpus morietur,

fac ut animae donetur

Paradisi gloria. Amen

Stabat Mater Dolorosa - English lyrics

At the cross her station keeping,

Stood the mournful Mother weeping,

Close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,

All His bitter anguish bearing,

Now at length the sword had pass’d.

Oh, how sad and sore distress’d

Was that Mother highly blest

Of the sole-begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs;

She beneath beholds the pangs

Of her dying glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,

Whelm’d in miseries so deep

Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

Can the human heart refrain

From partaking in her pain,

In that Mother’s pain untold?

Bruis’d, derided, curs’d, defil’d,

She beheld her tender child

All with bloody scourges rent.

For the sins of His own nation,

Saw Him hang in desolation,

Till His spirit forth He sent.

O thou Mother! fount of love!

Touch my spirit from above;

Make my heart with thine accord.

Make me feel as thou hast felt;

Make my soul to glow and melt

With the love of Christ our Lord.

Holy Mother! pierce me through;

In my heart each wound renew

Of my Saviour crucified.

Let me share with thee His pain,

Who for all my sins was slain,

Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with thee,

Mourning Him who mourn’d for me,

All the days that I may live.

By the cross with thee to stay,

There with thee to weep and pray,

Is all I ask of thee to give.

Virgin of all virgins best,

Listen to my fond request

Let me share thy grief divine.

Let me, to my latest breath,

In my body bear the death

Of that dying Son of thine.

Wounded with His every wound,

Steep my soul till it hath swoon’d

In His very blood away.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,

Lest in flames I burn and die,

In His awful Judgment day.

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,

Be Thy Mother my defence,

Be Thy cross my victory.

While my body here decays,

May my soul Thy goodness praise,

Safe in Paradise with Thee. Amen.

The Crown of Thorns

27 Then the soldiers of the governor taking Jesus into the hall, gathered together unto him the whole band; 28 And stripping him, they put a scarlet cloak about him. 29 And platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand. And bowing the knee before him, they mocked him, saying: Hail, king of the Jews. 30 And spitting upon him, they took the reed, and struck his head. (Matthew 27) ...and they gave him blows. 4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith to them: Behold, I bring him forth unto you, that you may know that I find no cause in him. 5 (Jesus therefore came forth, bearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment.) And he saith to them: Behold the Man. (John 19)

"Though those cruel men press a Crown of Thorns on the head of Jesus in derision and mockery, yet contrary to their intention and in spite of their malice, they proclaim him their crowned Sovereign. For upon bended knees they salute him, King of the Jews. Hence, in their harsh and cruel treatment of our Lord, their words and actions proclaim him to be their King" (St. Bernard)

The crowning with thorns as prophesied in the book of Genesis 22:13

6 And he took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon Isaac his son: and he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword. And as they two went on together, 7 Isaac said to his father: My father. And he answered: What wilt thou, son? Behold, saith he, fire and wood: where is the victim for the holocaust? 8 And Abraham said: God will provide himself a victim for an holocaust, my son. So they went on together. 9 And they came to the place which God had shown him, where he built an altar, and laid the wood in order upon it: and when he had bound Isaac his son, he laid him on the altar upon the pile of wood. 10 And he put forth his hand and took the sword, to sacrifice his son.
11 And behold an angel of the Lord from heaven called to him, saying: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am. 12 And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him: now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake. 13 Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram amongst the briers sticking fast by the horns, which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son.

Mary’s House in Ephesus

“Mary’s house was the only one built of stone...

Behind the house, Mary had built a Way of the Cross soon after her arrival...

Mary paced out the measurements herself...

It had twelve Stations...

At each Station she set up memorial stones - eight smooth stones with many sides, each resting on a base of the same stone...

The stones and their bases were all inscribed with Hebrew letters...

These Stations were all in little hollows, except the Station of Calvary which was on a hill...

The Station of the Holy Sepulcher was in a little cave over this hill...”

The visions of St. Catherine Emmerich as recorded by Brentano

In The Arms of Mary Quotes:

Pilgrimage of Faith

When we ponder the attitude of the one who leads us in the "pilgrimage of faith," a question comes to mind: of what does the mystery of such great entrustment of Mary and of such perfect submission to the will of God consist? In looking for the answer, we may meditate on the attitude of Mary...and try to look at her life in the light of one of the indications of Christ: "unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 18:3). (In the Arms of Mary, by S.C. Biela pg. 125)

_______ †________

Shedding Your False Self-Image

Only when you follow the Love that unceasingly knocks on the human heart, can you experience the freedom that liberates you from a false image of yourself. When a person who is under the influence of a perverted desire for freedom turns his gaze from God and tramples on His will, he denies the truth that he is created in the image and likeness of God. Instead of striving after union with the Lord and becoming more like Him, the person chases after the illusion reflected in human eyes. (Behold; I Stand at the Door and Knock, S.C. Biela pg. 52)

_______ †________

Are You Chasing After False Love?

We are so preoccupied with finding acceptance and understanding among humans. So often we resemble moths that fly blindly toward the delusory flame of false love. It is from this attitude that most of our dramatic experiences come. (God Alone Suffices, S.C. Biela pg. 46)

_______ †________ Reliance Only On God, Our Life’s Goal

Is it possible for a human being - this creature who fabricates illusions, which then in turn help him to function and to live - to find true reliance? Our faith proclaims that God is the only One to guarantee this. Before a human heart leans totally on God, however, it has to experience the anguish connected to illusions falling apart. It also has to undertake the difficult task of avoiding human reliances. The goal of our lives is to allow Christ to possess us completely for Himself so that He will become everything for us. (God Alone Suffices, S.C. Biela pg. 44)

_______ †________

Difficult Trials = Increase In Faith

When God wants you to reach the depths of faith, He can give you very difficult trials; He can take much away from you and even strip you of many supports. God may want you to become uprooted so that, not having any human securities, you can look for redemptive help to come from Him alone. (The Gift of Faith, by Fr. Tadeusz Dajczer pg. 105)

_______ †________

Meeting God In Your Daily Life

You constantly meet God in your daily life. He is present to you through everything that He creates. You encounter God in people and events. In a special way, you also come across Him through His will. Through His will, God comes to you as if in His Own Person. God’s will is not only something, it is also Somebody. God Himself comes to you with a concrete call. God reveals to you all that is salvific and, simultaneously, the best for you. (Open Wide the Door To Christ, S.C. Biela pg. 146)

_______ †________

Jesus Shows Special Love To The Helpless Sheep

Those who recognize their own weakness and helplessness and trustfully await everything from God are likened to, in the Gospel, the "sheep without a shepherd." The relationship of Jesus to such persons is very special - since going out of His way in meeting their expectations, the Good Shepherd is disposed to make for them an additional effort, and even to perform miracles. (In the Arms of Mary, S.C. Biela pg. 59)

_______ †________

Trying to Remain In The Attitude Of The Helpless Sheep

Try to remain in the attitude of the helpless sheep, otherwise, when God would give you His most precious gifts in a special way, you will consider that the ‘pearls’ received are yours. And by attributing and appropriating the gifts of God to yourself, you convert yourself into the attitude of the evangelical pigs. And so the attitude of the sheep without the shepherd should become the master plan of your entire life. (In the Arms of Mary, S.C. Biela pg. 68)

_______ †________

Spiritual Benefits That Come From Standing In The Truth

The attitude of the sheep without the shepherd opens the treasury of the Divine Mercy. Thanks to this attitude, God can give you more valuable graces - you will receive the ‘pearls’ that will enable you to fully benefit from the Holy Mass, the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and prayer. (In the Arms of Mary, S.C. Biela pg. 66)

Gethsemane Garden Stones, Stations of the Cross

Saturday

Could you not keep watch with me?

5 comments:

What are the Stations of the Cross?

The Stabat Mater Dolorosa

Stabat Mater Dolorosa - Original Latin lyrics

Stabat Mater Dolorosa - English lyrics

The Poetry of Pavel Chichikov; The Stations of the Cross

The Mary Garden's Way of the Cross

The Crown of Thorns

The Holy Spear

Map of Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem

Mary’s House in Ephesus

Our Lady of Ephesus

In The Arms of Mary Quotes:

Papa Bento

praying with style

It's not... About Me

Followers

Search This Blog

Copyright statement: