The Stations of the Cross in Slow Motion: A Daily Devotion for Lent
ISBN 9798889110682
eISBN 9798889110699
ASIN B0CSVZP4GC
I was greatly looking forward to reading this volume from the first moment I heard that it was soon to be available. I have enjoyed Suzan’s advice and presence on social media for a few years. The hardest part about reading this book was sticking to the one devotion a day.
Description of this book is:
“Often, when we recall Our Lord's Passion, the scenes flash by so quickly that deeper recollection is difficult. This forty-day meditation on the fourteen Stations of the Cross, designed for use in your home, presents them for you and your family in slow motion, inviting you to dwell upon each event along the Way of the Cross for three or four days. Daily Scripture passages, prayers, and insights from the saints will help you pause, ponder, and contemplate each step of the way as you walk with Jesus on the road to Calvary.
Drawn from the writings of the Church Fathers and prayers of the saints, these Lenten meditations plumb the depths of meaning of each station to enliven your experience in praying this popular, long-standing devotion, seasonally or throughout the year. Classic illustrations appear throughout to help you behold your Savior and unite your sufferings more intimately with His in each scene. Penetrating yet practical daily questions are included for further reflection or discussion.
The meditations in this book are rooted in the treasury of the Church, interspersing traditions and methods that will sanctify your day and help you grow in holiness. Though perfect for private devotion, this book also serves as a tool for walking the whole family through the sacred season, with reflections written in a style that engages both youth and adults. As you proceed through Lent, these meditations will place in your heart a splinter of Christ's Cross. In His footsteps you will learn:
• The best interior response to rejection
• The one fruit of the vineyard we are called to gather
• Two spiritual weapons and two practical tips for overcoming temptation
• How Veronica's act shows us what we can do to alleviate others' sufferings
• A time-tested technique to strengthen your resolve to avoid falling into the same sins
How Confession can help you "stop the cycle" of sin, bitterness, and greater sin
This is a new kind of Stations of the Cross experience, given that the Stations are traditionally prayed all at once, in procession. But like no other, this book will deepen your family's experience of this devotion by exploring in richer detail the mystery of each event on our Lord's road to Calvary.”
About the author we are informed:
“Suzan Sammons is the mother of seven children and young adults and the author of The Jesse Tree: An Advent Devotion. She has published numerous articles in Catholic outlets on topics including child-rearing and education, holistic health, Catholic spirituality, and the dignity of the unborn. Her involvement in the pro-life movement over three decades included sidewalk counseling at abortion centers and running a nonprofit adoption foundation. She is a homeschooling mother and editor of several Catholic publications.”
The chapters and sections in the volume are:
Introduction
I. Jesus Is Condemned to Death: Rejection
Ash Wednesday
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
II. Jesus Carries His Cross: Suffering
First Sunday of Lent
Monday in the First Week of Lent
Tuesday in the First Week of Lent
III. Jesus Falls the First Time: Temptation
Wednesday in the First Week of Lent
Thursday in the First Week of Lent
Friday in the First Week of Lent
Saturday in the First Week of Lent
IV. Jesus Meets His Mother: Our Lady
Second Sunday of Lent
Monday in the Second Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent
V. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross: Acceptance of trials
Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent
Thursday in the Second Week of Lent
Friday in the Second Week of Lent
Saturday in the Second week of Lent
VI. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus: Image of God
The Third Sunday of Lent
Monday in the Third Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent
VII. Jesus Falls the Second Time: Sin
Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent
Thursday in the Third Week of Lent
Friday in the Third Week of Lent
Saturday in the Third Week of Lent
VIII. Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem: Sorrow
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Monday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
IX. Jesus Falls the Third Time: Repentance
Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Friday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Saturday in the Fourth Week of Lent
X. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments: Poverty
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Monday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
XI. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross: The Cross
Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Thursday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Friday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Saturday in the Fifth Week of Lent
XII. Jesus Dies on the Cross: It is finished
Palm Sunday
Monday of Holy Week
Tuesday of Holy Week
XIII. The Body of Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross: Total gift
Spy Wednesday
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
XIV. Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb: Darkness
Holy Saturday
XV. The Resurrection: Triumph
Easter Sunday
Appendix
Stabat Mater
I only highlighted a few passages when reading this volume they were:
“Our suffering has its roots in Original Sin or our own sins, but Our Lord’s did not. Christ’s suffering resulted only from His decision to suffer for love of us. We, too, can choose suffering, as we do with our Lenten sacrifices. Let us unite all our sacrifices to Christ’s on the Cross, where they can become part of His saving work.”
“As Jesus met Mary on the Way of the Cross, this Fiat was still ringing forth. There was no need for words, because Mary’s Fiat had not been just for the moment in Nazareth. It had been for all time. It had encompassed even this present anguish.”
“When our sins come to light—in our conscience or when they are pointed out to us—this is an opportunity. Will we choose the path of repentance for our sin, or will we resist God’s correction?”
“May Our Lady’s intercession make us worthy to hold within us the sacred Body and Blood of the Lord.”
A sample reflection is:
“Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Cain compounds sin with sin
Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time
Antiphon
℣. Adoramus Te, Christe,
et benedicimus Tibi,
℟. Quia per sanctam Crucem
Tuam redemisti mundum.
℣. We adore You, O Christ,
and we praise You,
℟. Because by Your holy Cross
You have redeemed the world.
Our Lord falls for the third time, on the slope leading up to Calvary, with only forty or fifty paces between Him and the summit. Jesus can no longer stay on His feet: His strength has failed Him, and He lies on the ground in utter exhaustion (St. Josemaría Escrivá).
Genesis 4:3–7
In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Meditation
The third fall of Our Lord on the Way of the Cross is a painful reminder that we tend toward sin again and again.
We think of Cain as the man who killed his own brother. But we must look back before that event to see how it happened. Cain’s sin did not begin with murdering Abel; he had already committed lesser sins (Origen). He had been careless in choosing an offering for God. Then, when he was corrected by God — gently! — He could have chosen to do better next time. But he chose to become bitter.
When God chided Cain for his poor offering, it was an opportunity. Cain had the chance to change his ways, but he did not choose that path. When our sins come to light — in our conscience or when they are pointed out to us — this is an opportunity. Will we choose the path of repentance for our sin, or will we resist God’s correction?
The evil one is attentive to see how we will choose, as he was attentive to Cain (St. Ephrem the Syrian). Your guardian angel is prompting you to resolve to do right rather than to become bitter about your error and its consequences.
Christ shows us what to do. He got up. He went on.
Will you fall again? Perhaps. But God will use even this to lead you on toward salvation, if you listen to Him and allow Him to work in you (Fr. Jacques Philippe).
Prayer
O Jesus, may I hate sin and unite myself to You, taking the holy Cross into my arms, so that I, in my turn, may fulfill Your will (St. Josemaría Escrivá). Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always, and then do with me as You will (St. Alphonsus Liguori).
Gloria Patri, et Filio,
et Spiritui Sancto,
sicut erat in principio,
et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
For further reflection
• Can you think of another incident in the Bible when bitterness about one’s wrongdoing led someone on to greater sin?
• How can Confession help “stop the cycle” of sin, bitterness, and greater sin?”
I hope that sample reflection and the few quotes give you a feel for this volume. I absolutely loved this book. I am already planning on rereading it next Lent and will ask my teenagers to join me in doing do. It was terribly hard to stop reading this and spread it out as the days are designed. There is so much great material I just wanted to keep reading. I love all the different saints that are quoted for prayers or other parts of the reflection.
This is an excellent volume and could easily become a Catholic classic for Lenten literature. I can easily recommend it. It would be great to work through by yourself, with a small group or your family. It would be an excellent addition to any home, school or church library!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by Susan Sammons:
The Jesse Tree: An Advent Devotion
…
Thank you very much, Steven, for taking the time to review my book and for your kind words. I am grateful that you found the book fruitful! My hope was just to pass on a bit of the deep Beauty of Our Lord’s Passion, to inspire each of us to give Him our hearts with greater and greater love. Blessings to you and your family!
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