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More from Father Seth about Our Lenten Journey
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The Stations of the Cross are a tradition of the Church which traces back to the 4th century – once Christianity became legal in the Roman empire – with pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem to walk the path of Jesus beginning with his being condemned to death at the home of Pontius Pilate all the way to the site of the Lord’s crucifixion and burial.
Many such pilgrimages continued throughout the centuries and even to this day.
By the 16th century there began to be prayer books with Stations of the Cross that had depictions of each station as well as prayers to go along with them, so that most anyone could have a devotion to the passion and death of Jesus without making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Towards the end of the 17Th century, Stations of the Cross began to be erected in many churches all over the world. Pope Benedict XIV in the late 18th century exhorted all churches throughout the world to have Stations of the Cross in their parishes.
Obtaining a Plenary IndulgenceWe continue in the venerable tradition of praying the Stations of the Cross that Christians have prayed for so many centuries. You can obtain a plenary indulgence by praying the Stations of the Cross. The specific norms for obtaining the indulgence are as follows:
- Praying in front of Stations of the Cross that have been lawfully erected (a bishop has approved)
- 14 crosses are required
- Reception of the Eucharist (both of these within 20 days before or after)
- Prayers for the Holy Father (One Our Father and one Hail Mary suffices.)
If a person is not fully disposed (still has attachment to sin), a partial indulgence is still obtained.
You can reference my bulletin article when I wrote on the year of St. Joseph to remind you what the purpose and need of indulgences are to our lives. In case you didn’t know that you can look up past bulletins, please go to our website: www.saintjohnsduluth.org, and click on the link for bulletins. Then click on the bulletin for December 27th.
Audio of my homilies are posted on our site as well. If you haven’t been on our website in a while, please check them out.