Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross is another good Holy Week practice. It can be done any day for those who'd want to meditate on the passion and death of Christ, but most appropriately for the Holy Week especially on Good Friday. It's a very good way of meditating upon the last few hours Jesus spent on earth. There are many versions, so far, for this devotion. Many still keep the Traditional Stations of the Cross. Pope John Paul II introduced changes by going back to what was written in the Gospels. He tried to do away with Stations not found in the Gospels like Veronica wipes the face of Jesus as is shown in the picture above. The Scriptural Version was introduced by Pope John Paul II in 1991 and approved by Pope Benedict XVI for public celebrations in 2007. 

What are the differences and similarities between the two Stations of the Cross? I've put them side by side for comparison. 

Traditional Form                                                       Scriptural Form

1. Jesus is condemned to death                                 1. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

2. Jesus carries His cross                                          2. Jesus is betrayed by Judas and
                                                                                      arrested   

3. Jesus falls the first time                                          3. Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin

4. Jesus meets his mother                                          4. Jesus is denied by Peter

5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry His              5. Jesus is judged by Pilate

    Cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus                           6. Jesus is scourged and crowned with
                                                                                    thorns

7. Jesus falls the second time                                     7. Jesus takes up his cross

8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem                     8. Jesus is helped by Simon to carry his
                                                                                    cross

9. Jesus falls a third time                                        9. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem                       10. Jesus is stripped of His clothes                            10. Jesus is crucified

11. Jesus is nailed to the cross                                  11. Jesus promises his kingdom to the
                                                                                      repentant thief

12. Jesus dies on the cross                                       12. Jesus entrusts Mary and John to each
                                                                                      other.

13.. Jesus is taken down from the cross                    13. Jesus dies on the cross 

14. Jesus is laid in the tomb.                                     14. Jesus is laid in the tomb

Read more about the Stations of the Cross by clicking the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stations_of_the_cross