The Climb

***For the next two weeks, I will be steering my Lenten Blog Challenge into the direction of The Way of the Cross, also known as The Stations of the Cross, Via Crucis, and Via Dolorosa. These names are used to signify either a series of pictures or tableaux representing certain scenes in the Passion of Christ, each corresponding to a particular incident, or the special form of devotion connected with such representations. I will be posting a Station each day, then reflecting on that Station. To read more about the Way of the Cross, click HERE.

STATION II: JESUS IS GIVEN HIS CROSS

The journey that began in a lonely garden has now thrust Jesus into the overcrowded streets. Thousands of people in town for Passover watch as the convicted man marches to His death. He had told His apostles of the suffering that awaited Him and Jesus now bears the weight of that Cross upon Himself. The splintered crossbeam digs into His shoulders. The wood is stained with the blood of the Lamb. Though His suffering would bring life, His walk was one of death. Jesus embraces more than the physical pain in this moment, with each step forward Christ takes on our sin - He takes our death sentence as His own.


REFLECTION:

  Our Lord not only carried his cross, but ours. He knows our deepest pains, fears, and struggles. If you frequent my blog, you already know that some of my struggles are public, but others are not. It helps me to write about my cross, because it allows my mind to rid the stress. Other crosses I bear, only my closest family members really know about, and that's okay. I think what we have to remember in carrying our cross, is that our cross changes shape and size throughout our lifetime. Also, each of our crosses may look similar, but everyone carries their cross differently. God already knows that we each have a cross, so we don't have to tell him. I think that is what I like most about going to Eucharistic Adoration-- I can just sit and be still. I know, that he knows, what I need and how I feel, since he has already carried all of our crosses before we could. Sometimes, we help others with their cross, and other times, we are are someone else's cross. Whatever your cross--infertility, weight loss, depression, disease-- invite Him into it. We do not climb this mountain alone, we climb it next to Him. I sometimes forget this myself, but going through The Way of the Cross reminds me that someone does understand. My reflections stem from another Way of the Cross idea that I am making more personal. When I read this today, I just couldn't skip over this powerful sentence in the reflection notes: "Prayer is where the cross changes shoulders." That is so very true! Prayer helps us with the load of our cross, even when our prayers are silent. As we climb through our struggle, we are reminded, that everyone's cross isn't physical or visible. As our cross digs into us, we receive our own battle scars that mold us to be more like Christ-- it is only in the tough climb of our mountain-- the mountain that looks so large we could never climb, that we can be shaped-- one way or another we will be shaped-- like the potter and the clay, it is in our struggle that we become like Christ.  


Like Miley Cyrus or not, this song seemed so fitting for this blog post! Enjoy!