Stations of the Cross with Pope John Paul II

Audience: young adults

A review of the resource: The Stations of the Cross with Pope John Paul II, Joseph M. Champlin. Liguori, 1994.

During Lent praying the Stations of the Cross is a devotion that takes one through the events of Jesus’ suffering and death. There are fourteen traditional Stations of the Cross beginning with Jesus being condemned to death and the fourteenth station Jesus is laid in the tomb. Contemporary versions have a fifteenth station; The Resurrection. Pope John Paul II officially added the fifteenth station according to Joseph M. Champlin on Good Friday, 1991. On that Good Friday in 1991, Pope John Paul II also adapted some of the other traditional stations. This booklet takes the adaptation that the Pope created and provides a rich pilgrimage to follow Jesus’ steps. The format is a balance of traditional and contemporary. There are illustrations that are deliberately focused on the adapted stations of John Paul II, along with psalms and reflections that enrich the image of each station. The booklet serves as an enriching variation on an age-old devotion as one is reflecting on the self-giving love that Christ suffered for us.

Pope John Paul II had a connection with the youth, he established world youth days, and his global travels provided a sense of belonging to young adults. In section four of In Passing on the Faith: Transforming Traditions for the Next Generation of Jews, Christians and Muslims, James L. Heft provides the reader with insights from Brother John of Taizé in understanding youth and prayer traditions. Prayer and community in Taizé along with a searching for a deepening of their faith has been the constant strong hold for decades. Young adults responded to the authenticity of the Taizé community. John Paul II was authentic in his connection and commitment to young adults and his Stations of the Cross has a wide appeal to the meditation dimension of the prayer. Reflections focus on what is essential in accepting the love and passion of Christ. The Passion of Christ is the ultimate of witnessing. Brother John said, “Our community’s deepest aspiration is to make accessible the sources of trust, so that people, especially the young, can live their lives rooted in this trust.” (Heft, 160). The Stations of the Cross is a rooted and trusted devotional prayer. This resource that is based on the adaptation of the Good Friday pilgrimage of 1991 by John Paul II serves a young adult audience well, because of the trusted relationship the Pope had established with this group and the contemporary fresh version it presents of the Stations of the Cross.