Thursday, March 03, 2005
The Fifteenth Station
I have a "The Catholic Prayer Book" that I like quite a lot. And I also have an "Order of the Mass" book that I enjoy. Both books have devotions for the fourteen stations of the cross as do most web sites regarding "The Stations." I was surprised, then, when our priest mentioned "The Fifteenth Station" at RCIA last Monday. My first thought was that perhaps it's like the 19th hole (the clubhouse) in golf. But in looking for "The Fifteenth Station" (which is Resurrection) I found there's much confusion and inconsistency in its application. I've been to some websites (like here) that claim the 2nd Vatican Council added the 15th Station. If that were true, why does the Vatican site still have only 14? Another site described Pope John Paul II adding the Fifteenth Station on Good Friday, 1991. But our church was built only recently & has only 14 stations on the walls.
Regardless, the 15th station adds a happy ending to "The Way of the Cross" and proclaims the worth of Christ's suffering. Perhaps I'll continue to think of it as "The Clubhouse" . . . "the 19th Hole" . . . The Resurrection of Christ . . . relief after a long and difficult path.
Regardless, the 15th station adds a happy ending to "The Way of the Cross" and proclaims the worth of Christ's suffering. Perhaps I'll continue to think of it as "The Clubhouse" . . . "the 19th Hole" . . . The Resurrection of Christ . . . relief after a long and difficult path.
