DO IT YOURSELF
STATIONS
OF THE CROSS

[Here are 15 spiritual exercises. You can do them one at a time this Lent or at any time. See where these exercises take you. You can do this with another – or by yourself. Your move!]

1) Walk into any Catholic Church and walk around looking at all 14 Stations of the Cross. Then walk around again and pick one station – just one station – that is you – where you were or where you’re at in your life right now. Then sit in a church bench under that station or where you can see that station and be there with Christ in prayer for 15 minutes.

2) Take a blank piece of paper and write down the year of your birth on the left hand side of the page. Then write down on the far right side of the paper – just opposite the date on the far right – the year of your death. Give it an outside year – make it 2075 if you wish. Then draw a straight line across the page from your birthday to your death year. That’s the proverbial “dash” of life – the line ____________ in between your two key numbers. Next jot down along that time line key moments in your life. After doing that, re-write that straight line between your two numbers, this time with twists and turns, ups and downs, but get across the page to your death day.

3) Name a moment in your life – with details when you were condemned falsely.

4) What was the biggest cross your mom and/or dad had to carry?

5) Get a clean piece of paper or use your computer to jot down three falls you had so far in your life.

6) Picture your mom’s face the first time she saw your face.

7) Who has been the person who has helped you most in this life?

8) Name a moment in your life – tell of an experience – when and where a complete stranger has reached out and did something for you.

9) Name a moment in your life – tell of an experience – when and where you just stood there – as you saw a person in deep hurt – and you cried.

10) Name a moment in your life – when you felt totally stripped of everything – embarrassed – ridiculed – rejected - completely de-personalized.

11) Name a moment in your life – when you felt nailed down – and you were just stuck there – unable to get off your cross?

12) Draw the scene at Calvary when Jesus died. Put in figures of different people in your life standing there that Good Friday. Do a series of pictures – putting yourself or others on the cross – or under the cross. Use stick figures if you can’t draw. One picture can have people saying things – use those cartoon bubbles for words one sees in newspaper cartoons. When you place yourself on the cross, what will be your dying words?

13) Picture yourself in a casket – at a funeral home – and you see different people coming in – standing there looking at you in your casket. What are they saying?

14) Where will your remains or cremains be buried? If you have a saying or a scripture text on your tombstone or marker, what will it be? Sketch the scene of your burial place.

15) What will it be like on the other side of your death? Picture the scene. Picture the people waiting for you? Use your imagination. Remember the words of Saint Paul, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has the human heart ever figured out, what God has prepared for those who love Him” [1 Corinthians 2: 9]


[I also have a series of Stations of the Cross I wrote years ago. You can also say and pray them while on your computer. They can be found on this blog – from way back in March 6, 2009. It’s entitled, “Sitting Under the Stations of the Cross.”]