Station to Station

Book excerpt: An imaginative way to pray the Stations of the Cross every day of the year. “As Jansen walks with us from station to station, he points us from pain toward love and hope, toward strength and endurance, toward transformation.” —Jessica Mesman Griffith, from the introduction Throughout the centuries, Christians have asked, “Why is there suffering?” or, on a more personal level, “Why am I suffering?” Answers abound, but none are likely to suffice or satisfy. A far more helpful question might be, “How should I respond to suffering?” And the answer to that question, believes Gary Jansen, can be found by looking closely at the Passion of Jesus. In Station to Station, Jansen uses the scriptural Way of the Cross to focus our minds and hearts on Jesus’ anguish and death. Walking through each station, we see the unique ways in which Jesus responded to suffering, and we are challenged to react similarly in our own struggles. Furthermore, through various Ignatian exercises, Jansen encourages us to imaginatively pray our way through the stations and to gradually respond more as Jesus would when we are weighed down by life’s burdens. Whether you are bearing your own cross or helping someone else carry theirs, Station to Station will show you how Christ’s character in the midst of suffering can, with time and prayer, become your character too.