Way of the Cross
Introduction and Opening Prayer
One popular tradition holds that the first Way of the Cross was prayed by Jesus’s mother, Mary, as she followed his long walk to Calvary. For years after, it is said, she would retrace those steps — praying as she remembered how he suffered, reliving his Passion at every point. What must it have been like? What went through her mind? We can only imagine. But in that imagining, we find a way to pray more deeply the most important journey in human history: Christ’s agonizing walk to his death.
The Way of the Cross is a way of a wrenching heartbreak, but it is also a way of hope, of darkness leading to light, for it leads inevitably toward Easter and the miracle of our redemption.
Dear Friend of Maryknoll,
What can we do to make a difference this Lent? How can we change our hearts and change our lives to get ready for Easter?
A time-honored practice is to pray the Way of the Cross, following in the footsteps of Jesus as he walks his last steps to Calvary. It is my privilege this Lent to share with you an especially meaningful way of praying this devotion — the Way of the Cross with Mary.
This short book of meditations takes us to each of the traditional stops along the way to Calvary and helps us to see it through Mary’s eyes. It reminds us that the epic tragedy of the Crucifixion was also the story of a mother agonizing over the death of her son. It speaks to us in a deeply personal, human way.
Mary, of course, holds a special place in our hearts here at Maryknoll, and I believe this devotion honors her unique role in this singular event. Seeing Christ’s passion through her eyes can help us appreciate more deeply what his sacrifice entailed — and how she shared in it.
My prayer this Lent is that this devotion may help all of us think more deeply about what our Blessed Savior gave for us on that Friday we call “good.” May it lead us all to look with quiet hope to the joy of Easter!
Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Lance Nadeau, M.M.
Superior General
