1st Scriptural Station of the Cross

Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-41)

Prepare your setting. Are you in a distraction-free place? Do you have a timer? What about a prayer journal and pen? Where can you sit or kneel comfortably? Take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly. Set your timer if you have to end your prayer at a certain time. You may want to use the timer only on the contemplation step to be sure you don’t short-change it.

Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Then pray: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Invite Jesus to visit with you. Tell Him of any concerns on your mind.

“Read” the image. Look from top to bottom, left and right. Look over it a second or third time. What strikes you? What people and objects do you notice? What symbols do you recognize? Ponder the message of the artist. Ponder what God is saying. I’ll share my thoughts as an example [in brackets], but your thoughts are what matter.

[Jesus looks so tired. He’s bleeding all over the rocks. They are huge and they get higher as they go up the hill. They are white so they might symbolize the heavenly challenge in front of Him. His halo is one of those reserved for a member of the Trinity so He is God. But He’s bleeding all over so He is man. He hasn’t been arrested yet or scourged so where is the blood coming from? Oh, he had so much anxiety, He sweated blood! I can’t imagine the pain.

His halo is bright white and gold, pure and of God. I’ve read that God’s light is so bright that we wouldn’t be able to handle it right away–like being in a cave and not being able to see in the sunlight afterwards until our eyes adjust. The halo says fiat voluntas tua. It means Thy will be done. Wow, I didn’t expect that. I thought it would mean I love you or something like that. Hmm. My thought was ‘self’ focused “I”. His thought was ‘God’ focused ‘thy’. After all these years of knowing what He said, my first thought still went back to “I”.

The cup is really big compared to other pictures I’ve seen of this scene. And it has a cross inside it which I have not seen pictured in that way before. The painter is really emphasizing the cup by making it so big. The cup is the challenge, the sacrifice Jesus made by suffering and dying–especially the way He died. The message might be “what Jesus did for you is really, really, huge.”

Jesus is usually dressed in bright red in the Stations of the Cross and in white. White for pureness and innocence and red for sacrifice. This gown is more pink, like Advent, the “something’s coming” meaning. His ultimate sacrifice is just a day away, not even that, so that makes sense. It actually makes my stomach twist to think about it. I couldn’t have done it. My holy card pictures as a kid were mild as far as blood and scars and such. And that’s how it should have been. Kids can’t handle what adults can handle so I’m glad the nuns only gave us cards in “kid’s maturity” size. But after seeing Mel Gibson’s movie, and some of the religious art, I know the physical suffering was the worst. It couldn’t have been more horrendous. I can’t even talk about it.

I also see a green plant off to the side on the bottom left: ivy, which symbolizes everlasting life. I guess that’s to remind us that Jesus, as God, is everlasting. He will live after this earthly death. Of course, so will we if we accept Him. How can we not love someone like Jesus? So kind. Forgiving. So giving. He gave everything. His mom had to have suffered too. I sure do when my children hurt and are misunderstood/lied about. I’d hate that so much.

Oh, I see a black smudge or something surrounded by gray in the rock above Jesus’ back. I can only think that is the devil (black; evil in the world). The sins of everyone painted literally on His back. Sin is why You sent the flood in Noah’s day. It’s why You had to sacrifice Yourself. Maybe the evil splotch is small because You are squelching evil with your sacrifice. You are the victor over sins. Of course, in this scene, your major suffering hasn’t even happened yet.]

Note: the “reading” the art step turned into the talking to God step. That’s okay as long as you do both steps: read the art and talk with God about it.

Meditate. Take time now to talk to God about the holy image. Tell Him how you feel and why. Talk to Him as you would a friend. Respond to the messages that come to mind. They may not be just about the image itself, but life situations the image made you think about.

[Jesus, you look so weak. You’re bent over and it makes me think You want to give up. Maybe that’s because I want to give up sometimes. And sweating blood! That detail of anxiousness really gets to me. I’m actually embarrassed that I didn’t think of the usual quote, ‘Thy will be done.” I need to think about that more….] Continue talking to Jesus until you’ve said all that you have to say.

Pray. Lord Jesus, help me walk in your steps. Use your prayer experience to add a sentence or two if you’d like.

Contemplate. Now relax. Breathe deeply and exhale slowly. Close your eyes or gaze upon the image. Your work is done. God is working now. Lose yourself in the moment. Listen with your senses. Sights, sounds, emotions, thoughts and images that just pop into your head. Enjoy God’s presence. The timer will tell you when you need to end your contemplation and get back to your usual activities of the day.

Save. When the timer sounds, write something to keep in your heart until your next prayer session. Or just commit it to memory. It may be something you promise to do or simply a feeling you don’t want to forget. An answer. An insight. A hope. Remember, you might hear God best in an unguarded moment after your prayer has ended. If so, make note of what God says then.

Thank Jesus for visiting. End with the Sign of the Cross. Amen.

Thank you for joining us for this meditation. I look forward to praying with you again at the next Station.