The Stations of the Cross is a school of life: here we encounter trials, problems, hardship, doubts, fears, falls, suffering, abandonment, betrayal…
Here we learn patient, silent, concrete love, obedience, loyalty, solidarity, self-offering, and hope. 
In the Stations of the Cross, we experience what Love is: the greatest and most definitive Love, stronger than death.

Is it still relevant today?

It is one of the most beautiful prayers to have sprung from the hearts of the faithful and one of the most extraordinary and fruitful devotions. 
The Stations of the Cross commemorates the Passion and death of Jesus, leading us to retrace the final part of his earthly life. 
Through this form of prayer, together with the faithful around the world, we are virtually led to Jerusalem, along the Via Dolorosa, to follow step by step the journey Jesus made more than two thousand years ago to Golgotha. 
The journey is marked by 14 stations and, to recall those moments, passages from Sacred Scripture that prophesy or recount the Passion are used, along with comments and meditations by the saints, the Supreme Pontiffs, and spiritual writers, as well as prayers and hymns.
The Stations of the Cross is the typical prayer of Good Friday, the season of Lent, and, more generally, every Friday (except those during the Easter Season), since it is the day on which the Passion and death of Christ are commemorated in a particular way.

Read also: Why Jesus Takes Up the Cross

Is it a sad devotion?

The Stations of the Cross is not a sad devotion; above all, it is a journey of love, hope, and victory. This is the meaning of the Stations of the Cross: to walk together with Christ along a path that, even though it passes through suffering, leads to the resurrection. 
It is a journey that each of us is called to undertake, accompanied by the awareness that at the end of the ascent, the Father's merciful embrace awaits us. 
With every step, every breath, and every gesture we make, we are no longer alone. Every pain we experience is an open door through which we can place ourselves in the Father's care and listen to his voice saying: «Do not be afraid, I am with you, even to the end of the world».

Are we willing to let ourselves be touched by this love?

Christ's cross also invites us to let ourselves be touched by this love, teaching us to look upon others with mercy and love, especially those who suffer, those who need help, those waiting for a word or a gesture, those who are persecuted and defenseless, those in difficulty, and those weighed down by burdens and unbearable situations… The cross invites us to step outside ourselves, go out to meet our brothers and sisters, and reach out to them.

Do you want to be like Simon of Cyrene?

Along the way, Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene, a stranger who happened to be passing by. He did not voluntarily choose to carry the cross for a while, but that encounter and walking alongside Christ became a gift of conversion.
From then on, Simon of Cyrene has been the disciple who «carries the cross behind Jesus», following in his footsteps.

Do you want to be like Simon of Cyrene? Do you want to help Jesus carry the cross?
Opportunities are not lacking, especially today; we must be like Simon of Cyrene who, without being forced by circumstances, show ourselves to be true companions on the journey by supporting our brothers and sisters along their difficult path.
The Way of the Cross is an opportunity for each of us and for our families to follow the example Jesus Christ gave us: from him we receive the strength to walk our daily way of the cross, grow in faith, and become men and women of true charity and solidarity.