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Chapel of the Holy Cross Hike[1]
Due to
the high volume of traffic and unavailability of parking at the chapel it is
suggested to park at the Little horse trail and hike into the chapel via little
horse trail to chapel trail.
Directions:
Location:
35 miles south of Flagstaff in scenic Red Rock Country.
Access:
From the junction of Routes 89A and 179 in Sedona, take 179 south 3.6 miles to
a paved turnout and trailhead parking on the left (east) at milepost 309.8, 0.2
miles south of the entrance to the United Methodist Church.
Little
Horse Trail begins as part of the Bell Rock Pathway.
Follow this wide trail southward for 0.25 mile. Here, at a signed fork, take
the old jeep road branching to the left and marked with basket cairns. The road
drops to cross a dry streambed, climbs a bit and ends at the 0.75 mile point.
The trail continues to the left and climbs moderately, topping out on a large,
flat expanse. Turn to the right here. The level trail leads into a stand of
Arizona cypress and intersects Chapel Trail on the left coming from the
Chapel of the Holy Cross as it nears the "Madonna and the Nuns" spire
rock formation. Beautiful views. At 1.4 miles, it passes through a gate to the
Chapel of the Holy Cross. Return by the same route. Trail is mostly unshaded
and hot in summer.
General Notes:
Rating:
Easy
Hiking Time: 2 hours roundtrip
Hiking from Little Horse it is suggested that
you begin the hiking meditation by reflecting on the Ten Commandments
and when you make the turn onto the chapel trail to begin a meditation on the Stations
of the cross ending the last stations when you enter the chapel and view
the new crucifix. Afterward on the return hike complete the Divine Mercy
reflection pg. 9 and the Rosary of the day.
Ten
Commandments[4]
1.
I am the
LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you
serve.
2.
You shall
not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3.
Remember to
keep holy the Sabbath day.
4.
Honor your
father and your mother.
5.
You shall
not kill.
6.
You shall
not commit adultery.
7.
You shall
not steal.
8.
You shall
not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9.
You shall
not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10.
You shall
not covet your neighbor’s goods.
“What
do they mean?” Again, the Ten Commandments are a description of the basic
freedom from sin that is necessary to live as a Christian. They are a minimum
level of living, below which we must not go. The Ten Commandments and
Catholicism have been bound together since the time of Christ. In fact, Jesus
refers to the Ten Commandments and assures their validity in his dialog with
the rich young man in Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 19:16-21). It’s important to note
that each Commandment is simply a summary of a whole category of actions. Don’t
be legalistic, searching for a way around them because their wording doesn’t
fit you perfectly! For example, “bearing false witness against your neighbor”
covers any kind of falsehood: perjury, lying, slander, detraction, rash
judgment, etc. The Catholic Ten Commandments are linked together to form a
coherent whole. If you break one of them, you’re guilty of breaking all of
them. The Commandments express man’s fundamental duties to God and neighbor. As
such, they represent grave obligations. To violate them knowingly &
willingly in a significant way is to commit mortal sin.
"Teacher, what must I do
. . .?" [5]
2052 "Teacher,
what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" To the young man who
asked this question, Jesus answers first by invoking the necessity to recognize
God as the "One there is who is good," as the supreme Good and the
source of all good. Then Jesus tells him: "If you would enter life, keep
the commandments." And he cites for his questioner the precepts that
concern love of neighbor: "You shall not kill, You shall not commit
adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your
father and mother." Finally Jesus sums up these commandments positively:
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
2053 To this first reply Jesus adds a second:
"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." This reply
does not do away with the first: following Jesus Christ involves keeping the
Commandments. The Law has not been abolished, but rather man is invited to
rediscover it in the person of his Master who is its perfect fulfillment. In
the three synoptic Gospels, Jesus' call to the rich young man to follow him, in
the obedience of a disciple and in the observance of the Commandments, is
joined to the call to poverty and chastity. The evangelical counsels are
inseparable from the Commandments.
2054 Jesus acknowledged the Ten Commandments, but
he also showed the power of the Spirit at work in their letter. He preached a
"righteousness [which] exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees" as
well as that of the Gentiles. He unfolded all the demands of the Commandments.
"You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill.'
. . . But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother
shall be liable to judgment."
2055 When someone asks him, "Which commandment
in the Law is the greatest?" Jesus replies: "You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall
love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and
the prophets." The Decalogue must be interpreted in light of this twofold
yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the Law:
The
commandments: "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You
shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are
summed up in this sentence: "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the
fulfilling of the law.
2056
The word "Decalogue" means literally "ten words." God
revealed these "ten words" to his people on the holy mountain. They
were written "with the finger of God," unlike the other commandments
written by Moses. They are pre-eminently the words of God. They are handed on
to us in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. Beginning with the Old Testament,
the sacred books refer to the "ten words," but it is in the New
Covenant in Jesus Christ that their full meaning will be revealed.
2057 The Decalogue must first be understood in the
context of the Exodus, God's great liberating event at the center of the Old
Covenant. Whether formulated as negative commandments, prohibitions, or as
positive precepts such as: "Honor your father and mother," the
"ten words" point out the conditions of a life freed from the slavery
of sin. The Decalogue is a path of life:
If
you love the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his
commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and
multiply.
This
liberating power of the Decalogue appears, for example, in the commandment
about the sabbath rest, directed also to foreigners and slaves:
You
shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your
God brought you out thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
2058 The "ten words" sum up and proclaim
God's law: "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the
mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with
a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them upon two tables of stone,
and gave them to me." For this reason these two tables are called
"the Testimony." In fact, they contain the terms of the covenant
concluded between God and his people. These "tables of the Testimony"
were to be deposited in "the ark."
2059 The "ten words" are pronounced by
God in the midst of a theophany ("The LORD spoke with you face to face at
the mountain, out of the midst of the fire."). They belong to God's
revelation of himself and his glory. The gift of the Commandments is the gift
of God himself and his holy will. In making his will known, God reveals himself
to his people.
2060
The gift of the commandments and of the Law is
part of the covenant God sealed with his own. In Exodus, the revelation of the
"ten words" is granted between the proposal of the covenant and its
conclusion - after the people had committed themselves to "do" all
that the Lord had said, and to "obey" it. The Decalogue is never
handed on without first recalling the covenant ("The LORD our God made a
covenant with us in Horeb.").
2061 The Commandments take on their full meaning
within the covenant. According to Scripture, man's moral life has all its
meaning in and through the covenant. The first of the "ten words"
recalls that God loved his people first:
Since
there was a passing from the paradise of freedom to the slavery of this world,
in punishment for sin, the first phrase of the Decalogue, the first word of
God's commandments, bears on freedom "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."
2062 The Commandments properly so-called come in the
second place: they express the implications of belonging to God through the
establishment of the covenant. Moral existence is a response to the Lord's
loving initiative. It is the acknowledgement and homage given to God and a
worship of thanksgiving. It is cooperation with the plan God pursues in
history.
2063 The covenant and dialogue between God and man
are also attested to by the fact that all the obligations are stated in the
first person ("I am the Lord.") and addressed by God to another
personal subject ("you"). In all God's commandments, the singular
personal pronoun designates the recipient. God makes his will known to each
person in particular, at the same time as he makes it known to the whole
people:
The
Lord prescribed love towards God and taught justice towards neighbor, so that
man would be neither unjust, nor unworthy of God. Thus, through the Decalogue,
God prepared man to become his friend and to live in harmony with his neighbor.
. . . The words of the Decalogue remain likewise for us Christians.
Far from being abolished, they have received amplification and development from
the fact of the coming of the Lord in the flesh.
2064 In fidelity to Scripture and in conformity
with the example of Jesus, the tradition of the Church has acknowledged the
primordial importance and significance of the Decalogue.
2067 The Ten Commandments state what is required in
the love of God and love of neighbor. The first three concern love of God, and
the other seven love of neighbor.
As
charity comprises the two commandments to which the Lord related the whole Law
and the prophets . . . so the Ten Commandments were themselves given
on two tablets. Three were written on one tablet and seven on the other.
2068 The Council of Trent teaches that the Ten
Commandments are obligatory for Christians and that the justified man is still
bound to keep them; the Second Vatican Council confirms: "The bishops,
successors of the apostles, receive from the Lord . . . the mission
of teaching all peoples, and of preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that
all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the
Commandments."
2069
The Decalogue forms a coherent whole. Each "word" refers to each of
the others and to all of them; they reciprocally condition one another. The two
tables shed light on one another; they form an organic unity. To transgress one
commandment is to infringe all the others. One cannot honor another person
without blessing God his Creator. One cannot adore God without loving all men,
his creatures. The Decalogue brings man's religious and social life into unity.
2070 The Ten Commandments belong to God's
revelation. At the same time they teach us the true humanity of man. They bring
to light the essential duties, and therefore, indirectly, the fundamental
rights inherent in the nature of the human person. The Decalogue contains a
privileged expression of the natural law:
From
the beginning, God had implanted in the heart of man the precepts of the
natural law. Then he was content to remind him of them. This was the Decalogue.
2071 The commandments of the Decalogue, although
accessible to reason alone, have been revealed. To attain a complete and
certain understanding of the requirements of the natural law, sinful humanity
needed this revelation:
A
full explanation of the commandments of the Decalogue became necessary in the
state of sin because the light of reason was obscured and the will had gone
astray.
We
know God's commandments through the divine revelation proposed to us in the
Church, and through the voice of moral conscience.
2072 Since they express man's fundamental duties
towards God and towards his neighbor, the Ten Commandments reveal, in their
primordial content, grave obligations. They are fundamentally immutable, and
they oblige always and everywhere. No one can dispense from them. The Ten
Commandments are engraved by God in the human heart.
2073 Obedience to the Commandments also implies
obligations in matter which is, in itself, light. Thus abusive language is
forbidden by the fifth commandment, but would be a grave offense only as a
result of circumstances or the offender's intention.
"Apart from me you can do nothing"
2074 Jesus
says: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in
him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
nothing." The fruit referred to in this saying is the holiness of a life
made fruitful by union with Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, partake of
his mysteries, and keep his commandments, the Savior himself comes to love, in
us, his Father and his brethren, our Father and our brethren. His person
becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our activity.
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you."
As you
turn onto the Chapel Trail reflect on the Stations of the Cross
Pope Benedict XVI Stations of the Cross[6]
FIRST STATION
Jesus in agony in the Garden of Olives
From
the Gospel according to Saint Luke. 22:41-44
Jesus withdrew from them about a
stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove
this cup from me; nevertheless not my will but yours be done.” And there
appeared to him an angel from heaven strengthening him. And being in agony he
prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling
down upon the ground.
MEDITATION Jesus was in agony. Grief and anguish came upon him. The sin of all mankind weighed on him heavily. But the greater his pain, the more fervently did he pray. Pain always remains a challenge to us. We feel left alone. We forget to pray, and break down. Some even take their lives. But if we turn to God, we grow spiritually strong and go out to help our fellow-beings in trouble. Jesus continues to suffer in his persecuted disciples. Pope Benedict XVI says that even in our times “the Church does not lack martyrs”. Christ is in agony among us, and in our times. We pray for those who suffer. The mystery of Christian suffering is that it has a redemptive value. May the harassments that believers undergo complete in them the sufferings of Christ that bring salvation.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, enable us to delve deeper into the great “mystery of evil” and our own contribution to it. As sufferings came into human life through sin, it was your plan that humanity be saved from sin through suffering. May none of the little annoyances, humiliations, and frustrations that we undergo in our daily lives and the great shocks that take us by surprise, go to waste. Linked with your own agony, may the agonies we endure be acceptable to you and bring us hope. Lord, teach us to be compassionate, not only to the hungry, thirsty, sick, or those in some special need, but also to those inclined to be rude, argumentative and hurtful. In this way, as you have helped us in all our troubles, we may in turn “comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort that we ourselves have received”.
SECOND
STATION
Jesus is betrayed by Judas, and restrains Peter from violence
From
the Gospel according to Saint Luke 22:47-50 and according to Saint Matthew
26:52.56
While Jesus was still speaking,
there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading
them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would
you betray the Son of man with a kiss?” And when those who were about him saw
what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one
of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. Then
Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the
sword will perish by the sword.” Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.
MEDITATION It is one of his trusted friends that betrays Jesus, and with a kiss. The way Jesus confronted violence has a message for our times. Violence is suicidal, he tells Peter: it is not defeated by more violence, but by a superior spiritual energy that reaches out in the form of healing love. Jesus touches the High Priest’s slave and heals him. The violent man today too may need a healing touch that comes from a love that transcends the immediate issues. In times of conflict between persons, ethnic and religious groups, nations, economic and political interests, Jesus says, confrontation and violence are not the answer, but love, persuasion and reconciliation. Even when we seem to fail in such efforts, we plant the seeds of peace which will bear fruit in due time. The rightness of our cause is our strength.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, you consider us your friends, yet we
notice traces of infidelity in ourselves. We acknowledge our transgressions. We
are presumptuous at times and over-confident. And we fall. Let not avarice,
lust or pride take us by surprise. How thoughtlessly do we fly after ephemeral
satisfactions and untested ideas! Grant that we may not be tossed to and fro
and carried about by every wind of doctrine… but speaking the truth in love,
grow up in every way into Christ the head. May truth and sincerity of purpose
be our strength. Restrain, Lord, our impetuosity in situations of violence, as
you restrained Peter’s impulsive character. Keep us unruffled in spirit before
opposition and unfair treatment. Convince us that “A gentle answer quiets
anger” in our families, and that “gentleness” combined with “wisdom” restores
tranquility in society. “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.”
THIRD STATION
Jesus is held guilty by the Sanhedrin
From
the Gospel according to Saint Matthew 26:62-66
And the High Priest stood up and
said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against
you? But Jesus was silent. And the High Priest said to him, “I adjure you by
the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to
him, “You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man
seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then
the High Priest tore his robes, and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What do we
still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgement?
They answered, “He deserves death.”
MEDITATION In every land, there have been innocent persons who suffered, people who died fighting for freedom, equality or justice. Those who struggle on behalf of God’s little ones are promoting God’s own work. For he presses for the rights of the weak and the oppressed. Whoever collaborates in this work, in the spirit of Jesus, brings hope to the oppressed and offers a corrective message to the evildoer himself. Jesus’ manner of struggling for justice is not to rouse the collective anger of people against the opponent, so that they are led into forms of greater injustice. On the contrary, it is to challenge the foe with the rightness of one’s cause and evoke the good will of the opponent in such a way that injustice is renounced through persuasion and a change of heart. Mahatma Gandhi brought this teaching of Jesus on non-violence into public life with amazing success.
PRAYER Lord, often we judge others in haste, indifferent to
actual realities and insensitive to people’s feelings! We develop stratagems of
self-justification and explain away the irresponsible manner in which we have
dealt with “the other”. Forgive us! When we are misjudged and ill-treated,
Lord, give us the inner serenity and self-confidence that your Son manifested
in the face of unjust treatment. Keep us from an aggressive response which goes
against your Spirit. On the contrary, help us to bring your powerful word of
forgiveness into situations of tension and anxiety, so that it may reveal its
dynamic power in history. “In His will is our peace.”
FOURTH STATION
Jesus
is denied by Peter
From
the Gospel according to Saint Luke. 22:54-62
Then they seized Jesus and led
him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. Peter followed at a
distance; and when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and
sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in
the light and gazing at him, said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it,
saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and
said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an
interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man
was also with him; for he is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know
what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock
crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word
of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will
deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
MEDITATION Peter claimed to be strong, but he broke down before
a servant girl. Human weakness takes us by surprise, and we collapse. That is
why Jesus asks us to watch and pray. He urges self-renunciation and closeness
to God. There is a rebellious “self” within us. We are often of “two minds”,
but we fail to recognize this inner inconsistency. Peter recognized it when his
eyes met the eyes of Jesus, and he wept. Later, Thomas, encountering the Risen
Lord, acknowledged his own faithlessness and believed. In the light of Christ,
Paul became aware of the inconsistency within himself, and he overcame it with
the Lord’s help. Going deeper still, he discovered: “It is no longer I who
live, but it is Christ who lives in me.”
PRAYER Lord, how easily do we allow a distance to grow between what we profess to be and what we really are! How often do we fail to carry out our own decisions, or even fulfil our most solemn promises! And as a result we often hesitate to make any permanent commitment, even to you! We confess that we have failed to bring into our life that inner discipline that is expected of any adult person and required for the success of any human endeavor. Give sturdiness to our inner determination; help us to bring every good work we have begun to a successful conclusion. Enable us to stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians, “in complete obedience to God’s will”.
FIFTH STATION
Jesus is judged by Pilate
A third time Pilate said to them,
“Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no crime deserving death; I
will therefore chastise him and release him”. But they were urgent, demanding
with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So
Pilate gave sentence that their demand should be granted. He released the man
who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked
for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.
MEDITATION It was not the rightness of an issue that mattered to Pilate, but his professional interests. Such an attitude did not help him, either in this case or in his later career. He was so unlike Jesus, whose inner rectitude made him fearless. Nor was Pilate interested in the truth. He walks away from Jesus exclaiming, “What is truth?” Such indifference to truth is not uncommon these days. People are often concerned about what gives immediate satisfaction. They are content with superficial answers. Decisions are made based not on principles of integrity, but on opportunistic considerations. Failing to make morally responsible options damages the vital interests of the human person, and of the human family. We pray that the “spiritual and ethical concepts” contained in the word of God will inspire the living norms of society in our times.
PRAYER Lord, give us the courage to make responsible
decisions when rendering a public service. Bring probity (correctness) into public life and assist us to be true to our
conscience. Lord, you are the source of all Truth. Guide us in our search
for ultimate answers. Going beyond mere partial and incomplete explanations,
may we search for what is permanently true, beautiful and good. Lord, keep us
fearless before the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”. When shadows
grow deep on life’s wearisome paths, and the dark night comes, enable us to
hearken to the teaching of your Apostle Paul: “Be watchful, stand firm in your
faith, be courageous, be strong.”
SIXTH STATION
Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
From
the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. 27:26-30
Then Pilate, having scourged
Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took
Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him.
And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of
thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling
before him they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spat
upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
MEDITATION Inhumanity reaches new heights. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns. History is full of hatred and wars. Even today we witness acts of violence beyond belief: murder, violence to women and children, kidnapping, extortion, ethnic conflict, urban violence, physical and mental torture, violations of human rights. Jesus continues to suffer when believers are persecuted, when justice is distorted in court, corruption gets rooted, unjust structures grind the poor, minorities are suppressed, refugees and migrants are ill-treated. Jesus’ garments are pulled away when the human person is put to shame on the screen, when women are compelled to humiliate themselves, when slum children go round the streets picking up crumbs. Who are the guilty? Let us not point a finger at others, for we ourselves may have contributed a share to these forms of inhumanity.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, we know that it is you who suffer when we cause pain to each other and we remain indifferent. Your heart went out in compassion when you saw the crowds “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”. Give me eyes that notice the needs of the poor and a heart that reaches out in love. “Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service.” Most of all, may we share with the indigent your “word” of hope, your assurance of care. May “zeal for your house” burn in us like a fire. Help us to bring the sunshine of your joy into the lives of those who are trudging the path of despair.
SEVENTH STATION
After Jesus is made an object of fun, he is led out to be crucified
From
the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. 27:31
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away
to be crucified.
MEDITATION Jesus, at whose name every knee in heaven and earth bends, is made an object of fun. We are shocked to see to what levels of brutality human beings can sink. Jesus is humiliated in new ways even today: when things that are most Holy and Profound in the Faith are being trivialized; the sense of the sacred is allowed to erode; the religious sentiment is classified among unwelcome leftovers of antiquity. Everything in public life risks being desacralized: persons, places, pledges, prayers, practices, words, sacred writings, religious formulae, symbols, ceremonies. Our life together is being increasingly secularized. Religious life grows diffident. Thus we see the most momentous matters placed among trifles, and trivialities glorified. Values and norms that held societies together and drew people to higher ideals are laughed at and thrown overboard. Jesus continues to be ridiculed!
PRAYER We have faith, Lord, but not enough. Help us to have more. May we never question or mock serious things in life like a cynic. Allow us not to drift into the desert of godlessness. Enable us to perceive you in the gentle breeze, see you in street corners, love you in the unborn child. God, enable us to understand that on Tabor or Calvary, your Son is the Lord. Robed or stripped of his garments, he is the Savior of the world. Make us attentive to his quiet presences: in his “word”, in tabernacles, shrines, humble places, simple persons, the life of the poor, laughter of children, whispering pines, rolling hills, the tiniest living cell, the smallest atom, and the distant galaxies. May we watch with wonder as he walks on the waters of the Rhine and the Nile and the Tanganyika.
EIGHTH STATION
Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross
From
the Gospel according to Saint Luke. 23:26
The soldiers led Jesus away, and
as they were going, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon who was coming into
the city from the country. They seized him, put the cross on him, and made him
carry it behind Jesus.
MEDITATION In Simon of Cyrene, we have the proto-type of a faithful disciple who takes up the Cross and follows Christ. He is not unlike millions of Christians from a humble background, with deep attachment to Christ. No glamour, no sophistication, but profound faith. Such believers keep rising on the soil of Africa, Asia and the distant islands. Vocations arise from their midst. Simon reminds us of small communities and tribes with their characteristic commitment to the common good, deep rootedness in ethical values and openness to the Gospel. They deserve attention and care. The Lord does not desire that “one of these little ones should perish”. In Simon we discover the sacredness of the ordinary and the greatness of what looks small. For the smallest has some mystic relationship with the greatest, and the ordinary with the most extraordinary!
PRAYER Lord, it is your wonderful plan to lift up the lowly
and sustain the poor. Strengthen your Church in her service to deprived
communities: the least privileged, the marginalized, slum dwellers, the rural
poor, the undernourished, untouchables, the handicapped, people given to
addictions. May the example of your servant, Mother Teresa of Kolkata, inspire
us to dedicate more of our energies and resources to the cause of the “poorest
of the poor”. May we one day hear these words from Jesus: “I was hungry and you
gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you
welcomed me; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me, I
was in prison and you came to me.”
NINTH STATION
Jesus
meets the women of Jerusalem
From
the Gospel according to Saint Luke. 23:27-28
And there followed him a great
multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus,
turning to them, said: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep
for yourselves and for your children.”
MEDITATION Before the weeping women, Jesus is self-forgetful. His anxiety is not about his pains, but about the tragic future that awaits them and their children. The destinies of societies are intimately linked to the wellbeing of their women. Wherever women are held in low esteem or their role remains diminished, societies fail to rise to their true potentiality. In the same way, wherever their responsibility to the rising generation is neglected, ignored, or marginalized, the future of that society becomes uncertain. There are many societies in the world where women fail to receive a fair deal. Christ must be weeping for them. There are societies too that are thoughtless about their future. Christ must be weeping for their children. Wherever there is unconcern for the future, through the overuse of resources, the degradation of the environment, the oppression of women, the neglect of family values, the ignoring of ethical norms, the abandonment of religious traditions, Jesus must be telling people: “Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”
PRAYER Lord, you are the Master of history. And yet you wanted our collaboration in realizing your plans. Help us to play a responsible role in society: leaders in their communities, parents in their families, educators and health-workers among those who need to be served, communicators in the world of information. Arouse in us a sense of mission in what we do, a deep sense of responsibility to each other, to society, to our common future and to you. For you have placed the destinies of our communities and of humanity itself into our hands. Lord, do not turn away from us when you see women humiliated or your image disfigured in the human person; when we interfere with life-systems, weaken the nurturing power of nature, pollute running streams or the deep blue seas or the Northern snows. Save us from cruel indifference to our common future, and do not let us drag our civilization down the path of decline.
Time your hike so you can reflect on stations 10-13
while sitting in the chapel with our crucified Lord!
TENTH STATION
Jesus is crucified
From
the Gospel according to Saint Luke 23:33-37 and according to Saint Matthew.
27:46
There they crucified him, and the
criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his
garments. And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him,
saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his
Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar,
and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” And about the
ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”, that
is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
MEDITATION The sufferings of Jesus reach a climax. He had stood
fearlessly before Pilate. He had endured the mistreatment of the Roman
soldiers. He had preserved his calm under the scourge and the crowning with
thorns. On the Cross itself, he seemed untouched by a shower of insults. He had
no word of complaint, no desire to retort. But then, finally, a moment comes
when he breaks down. His strength can stand no more. He feels abandoned even by
his Father! Experience tells us that even the sturdiest man can descend to the
depths of despair. Frustrations accumulate, anger and resentment pile up. Bad
health, bad news, bad luck, bad treatment – all can come together. It may have
happened to us. It is at such moments we need to remember that Jesus never
fails us. He cried to the Father. May we too cry out to the Father, who
unfailingly comes to our rescue in all our disress, whenever we call upon him!
ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus promises his Kingdom to the Good Thief
From
the Gospel according to Saint Luke. 23:39-43
One of the criminals who were
hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under
the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving
the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him,
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
MEDITATION It is not eloquence that convinces and converts. In the case of Peter, it is a look of love; in the case of the Good Thief, it is unresentful serenity in suffering. Conversion takes place like a miracle. God opens your eyes. You recognize his presence and action. You surrender! Opting for Christ is always a mystery. Why does one make a definitive choice for Christ, even in the face of trouble, or death? Why do Christians flourish in persecuted places? We shall never know. But it happens over and over again. If a person who has abandoned his faith comes across the real face of Christ, he will be stunned by what he actually sees, and may surrender like Thomas: “My Lord and my God!” It is a privilege to unveil the face of Christ to people. It is even a greater joy to discover – or rediscover -him. “Your face, O Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me.”
Theophilus of
Alexandria: 'Crucifixion and the Good Thief'.[7]
The sun of righteousness appeared in the east and gave light to those who were
in the darkness and in the shadow of death (Lk. 1:79) ...The powerful lion
sprang up out of the wood; all the wild beasts hid in their dens…This, if you
like, is the way of Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he saw the real enemy of the
whole human race, who is the devil. For the devil invaded the whole earth, and
afflicted everyone with many kinds of sins, which he spreads with these great
scourges, namely, idolatry, robbery, vanity, fornication, theft, murder,
slander, licentiousness, envy, hatred, contempt, anger, sorcery, pollution,
fraud, arrogance, perjury, falsehood, corruption, prostitution, deceit and
whatever is similar in them. These are the traps which the devil set for humanity,
until he brought it to perdition and dispersed it. Well now. Let us consider in
what way Christ the king made war against the devil until he released our souls
from him and set them free. Let us begin, then, to penetrate the great treasure
house full of the fruits of life.
·
This is the great holy mystery of the wood of
the cross, on which the True God, Jesus Christ, mounted out of love. When he
descended into this world, he came to the people of Israel and preached to them
saying: 'Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.' (Mt. 4:17)
·
But they paid no heed to his holy counsels.
After this he performed all the signs of his divinity in their presence,
miracles without number. He made the blind see, the lame walk and the deaf
hear. He healed lepers. He brought the dead back to life. He drove out demons.
He made paralytics stand on their feet and forgave their sins. He made tax
gatherers repent. He straightened vainglorious hands. He evangelized the poor.
He remitted the sins of adulteresses and purified them with his divinity,
restoring them to a virginal state. It was because an adulterous woman was made
worthy of this great grace that her hands anointed the feet of him who had
created her. (Lk. 7 37-8) From the moment she participated in the purity of his
divinity, the voice of God came to her. 'Your faith has saved you; go in
peace.' (Lk. 7:50)
·
In spite of all these things accomplished by
him in their presence, they did not give him credence, but seized him and
delivered him to be crucified. Having brought him into the court of the High
Priest, they treated him with contempt rather than honor. Then the word of
scripture was fulfilled. They brought evils upon me instead of blessings, and
hatred instead of my love.' (Ps. 108:5)
·
What then are the evils which the people he created, the people who
killed him, did to him? They are terrible to
describe or to hear. My tongue trembles, my eye weeps, my spirit groans, my
soul is distressed to utter them. It is God that they have seized, the Lord
that they have bound. They have pierced with nails the hands of them who
created them. They slapped the face of their Lord. They beat his head with
their fists. They placed a crown of thorns on his head. They dressed him in a
purple cloak. They gave him vinegar and gall. On this day they did all these
things to him. They crucified him with two thieves. One of them, who was
unworthy of the division of his divinity, said to the Lord, deriding him: 'If
you are the Christ, save yourself and us.' (Lk 23:39).
· The other replied rebuking him with indignation: 'Do you not fear God? We are receiving the reward of our sins which we have committed, but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he said, 'Jesus. remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And Jesus said to him with great joy: 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.' The gate of Paradise has been closed since the time when Adam transgressed, but I will open it today, and receive you in it. Because you have recognized the nobility of my head on the cross, you who have shared with me in the suffering of the cross will be my companion in the joy of my kingdom. You have glorified me in the presence of carnal men, in the presence of sinners. I will therefore glorify you in the presence of the angels. You were fixed with me on the cross, and you united yourself with me of your own free will. I will therefore love you, and my Father will love you, and the angels will serve you with my holy food. If you used once to be a companion of murderers, behold, I who am the life of all have now made you a companion with me. You used once to walk in the night with the sons of darkness; behold I who am the light of the whole world have now made you walk with me. You used once to take counsel with murderers; behold, I who am the Creator have made you a companion with me. 'All these things I will pardon you because you have confessed my divinity in the presence of those who have denied me. For they saw all the signs which I performed, but did not believe in me. You, then, a rapacious robber, a murderer, a brigand, a swindler, a plunderer have confessed that I am God. That is why I have pardoned your many sins, because you have loved much (Lk. 7:47). I will make you a citizen of Paradise. I will wash your body so that it will not see corruption before I resurrect it with me on the third day and take you up with me. The other who has denied me will see you enveloped in glory, but he will be enveloped in pain and same. He will see you surrounded by light, but he will be surrounded by darkness. He will see you in a state of joy and happiness, but he will be in a state of weeping and groaning. He will see you enjoying ease and benediction, but he will be suffering oppression and malediction. He will see you refreshed by the angels, but he will be troubled by the powers of darkness. And in the midst of intense cold the worm that never rests will consume him. Not only did he not confess me, but after having denied me he reviled me. 'For this reason all will receive according to their works. For as I have already said to them explicitly and in public: Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.' (Mt. 10:32-3).
So now, brethren, what torment the man who denied the Lord brought upon himself? We should therefore watch over ourselves that we should not be led astray, that for the sake of things of this life, we should not be made strangers to him who has created us. Perhaps there is someone today who is denying God for the sake of riches because the love of money closes the eyes of those who are given to it. Such a person takes the part of Judas, He has sold the Lord for thirty pieces of silver. It is therefore good for us to direct our concerns towards the Lord since it is he who takes care of us. Let us now turn to the goal proposed to us by the cross. For the ladder which Jacob contemplated that was fixed to the ground and reached up to heaven on which the angel of the Lord ascended and descended (Gen. 28:12), is Our Lord Jesus Christ raised up on the wood of the cross.
PRAYER My cry to you today, O Lord, in tears is this: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” It is for this Kingdom that I fondly long. It is the eternal home you have prepared for all those who seek you with sincere hearts. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”. Help me, Lord, as I struggle ahead on my way to my eternal destiny. Lift the darkness from my path, and keep my eyes raised to the heights!
“Lead,
kindly Light,
amid the encircling gloom.
Lead thou me on.
The night is dark, and I am far from home.
Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.”
TWELFTH
STATION
The
Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple at the foot of the Cross
Standing by the cross of Jesus
were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary
Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing
near, he said to his mother: “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the
disciple: “Behold your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his
own home.
MEDITATION In suffering we long for solidarity. Mother Mary reminds us of supportive love and solidarity within a family, John of loyalty within a community. Family cohesion, community bonds, ties of friendship – these are essential for the flourishing of human beings. In an anonymous society they grow weak. When they are missing, we become diminished persons. Again, in Mary we do not notice even the least sign of resentment; not a word of bitterness. The Virgin becomes an archetype of forgiveness in faith and hope. She shows us the way to the future. Even those who would like to respond to violent injustice with “violent justice” know that that is not the ultimate answer. Forgiveness prompts hope. There are also historic injuries that often rankle in the memories of societies for centuries. Unless we transmute our collective anger into new energies of love through forgiveness, we perish together. When healing comes through forgiveness, we light a lamp, announcing future possibilities for the “life and well-being” of humanity.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, your Mother stood silently at your side
in your final agony. She who was unseen on occasions when you were acclaimed a
great prophet, stands beside you in your humiliation. May I have the courage to
remain loyal even where you are least recognized. Let me never be embarrassed
to belong to the “little flock”. Lord, let me remember that even those whom I
consider my “enemies” belong to the human family. If they treat me unfairly,
let my prayer be only: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
It may be in such a context that someone will suddenly recognize the true face
of Christ and cry out like the centurion: “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
THIRTEENTH
STATION
Jesus
dies on the Cross
Then Jesus, crying with a loud
voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!” And having said
this, he breathed his last.
MEDITATION Jesus hands over his spirit to the Father in serene abandonment. What his persecutors thought to be a moment of defeat proves, in fact, to be a moment of triumph. When a prophet dies for the cause he stood for, he gives the final proof of all that he has said. Christ’s death is something more than that. It brings redemption. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.” With that begins for me a mystic journey: Christ draws me closer to him, until I shall fully belong to him.
“As
a deer longs for flowing streams,
So my soul longs for you, O God…
When shall I come and behold the face of God?”
PRAYER Lord Jesus, it is for my own sins that you were
nailed to the Cross. Help me to gain a deeper understanding of the grievousness
of my sins and the immensity of your love. For “while we were still weak,
Christ died for the ungodly.” I admit my faults as the prophets did long ago:
“We
have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly
and rebelled, turning aside
from your commandments and ordinances;
we have not listened to your servants the prophets….”
There was nothing in me to
deserve your kindness. Thank you for your immeasurable goodness to me. Help me
to live for you, to shape my life after you, to be joined to you and become a
new creation.
“Christ
be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.”
For the final station sit outside the chapel and
reflect how you are a tomb for our Lord
FOURTEENTH
STATION
Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the tomb
From the Gospel according to Saint Mark. 15:46
Joseph bought a linen shroud, and
taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which
had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the
tomb.
MEDITATION Tragedies make us ponder. A tsunami tells us that
life is serious. Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain pilgrim places. When death
strikes near, another world draws close. We then shed our illusions and have a
grasp of the deeper reality. People in ancient India prayed: “Lead me from the
unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.” After
Jesus left this world, Christians began to look back and interpret his life and
mission. They carried his message to the ends of the earth. And this message
itself is Jesus Christ, who is “the power of God and the wisdom of God”. It
says that the reality is Christ and that our ultimate destiny is to be with
him.
When
you are ready hike back to the Little Horse trailhead; reflect on the Divine
Mercy Prayer and the Rosary of the Day. Note: It is also interesting to reflect
on how on Palm Sunday our Lord sat on a Colt (Little Horse) entering the city
of His death.
[1]Extract
from my book, “Divine Mercy Hikes”
* In
the original text, Saint Faustina uses the pronoun "us" since she was
offering this prayer as a consecrated religious sister. The wording adapted
here is intended to make the prayer suitable for universal use.
[4]http://www.beginningcatholic.com/catholic-ten-commandments
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