Stations of the Cross

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Greetings my Catholic friends 🙂 ,

I am a Southern Baptist that is currently exploring the Faith. (Reading Stephen Ray’s Crossing the Tiber and am finding it VERY enlightening).

Anyways, this coming Good Friday I will be setting foot in a Catholic Church for the first time with a good Catholic friend of mine who invited me to come and pray the Stations of the Cross.

I am slightly familiar with how this works and I know the prayers: Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

I was wondering though, since this is the first time I have ever set foot in a Catholic Church or participated in this devotion if you all would have any advice for me or can give me a good idea of what this will be like.

I sorta feel like I’m stepping my feet into the swimming pool but have never swam before. Thank you all and may you all have a blessed Holy Week!

~Josh
 
FromTheAshes777 said:
Greetings my Catholic friends 🙂 ,

I am a Southern Baptist that is currently exploring the Faith. (Reading Stephen Ray’s Crossing the Tiber and am finding it VERY enlightening).

Anyways, this coming Good Friday I will be setting foot in a Catholic Church for the first time with a good Catholic friend of mine who invited me to come and pray the Stations of the Cross.

I am slightly familiar with how this works and I know the prayers: Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

I was wondering though, since this is the first time I have ever set foot in a Catholic Church or participated in this devotion if you all would have any advice for me or can give me a good idea of what this will be like.

I sorta feel like I’m stepping my feet into the swimming pool but have never swam before. Thank you all and may you all have a blessed Holy Week!

~Josh
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I think my biggest advice is just to jump in and participate in as much as you are comfortable it. Enjoy the experience. Reflect on the last hours of Jesus’ life. And don’t worry too much about anything else! 😃

Also be prepared for lots of knelling, genuflecting (knelling on your right knee only), and standing. We Catholics like to do all of that! 😃

Enjoy the journey. I started going to Mass about a year ago, right before Easter, and now I’m Catholic! 😃 It has been a crazy ride, but incredibly fruitful! 😃
 
Are you truly going for Stations of the Cross and not for the Good Friday Service [Passion Reading, Venration of the Cross and a Communion Service]…

Usually on Good Friday [and there maybe exceptions] the Stations are celebrated around 3:00 PM [the hour of Mercy or the traditional time of His death on the cross]

Good Friday Service [the only day of the year where a Mass is not celebrated - part of the Triduum - Holy Thursday, Good friday and the Easter Vigil - really all parts of the same liturgy spread over the three days]

As for the Stations, if you watched Mel Gison’s the Passion of the Christ - that movie was a video presentation of the Stations of the Cross / Passion Narrative …

There are many different devotions, some very rooted in scriptures and some more reflective of the passion in context with our lives today … some geared to children etc …

Relax and editate on the greated gift to mankind … this reflective time crosses all denominational lines… Jesus died for us, it is important to remember it …

And if you are curious…consider experiencing the Triduum and attend the Services for all three days … 🙂
 
My only advice is that you try to be as open as possible to what is going on at the service. The more open of a mind you have towards the church, the more you will be able to get out of the service.

I hope that participating in the stations of the cross allows you the time to reflect on Jesus’ life and his death which became our salvation.🙂
 
Ditto all the above.

I would like to add this note…

Many of our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters cannot understand why Catholics seem to focus so much on the Passion, Suffering and Death of the Lord since He is now gloriously risen.

If this question arises in you, consider that in contemplating the sufferings, we contemplate the extraordinary love of God without which there would have been no Resurrection. Each nail-print, every drop of Blood pouring from His thorn-crowned Head, screams “I LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO DIE FOR YOU.”

The thought that the Creator God, Glorious King, the One who is above everything, became one like us - experienced everything we can experience… The One who is forever complete as Three, was left alone by His friends in the Garden. He was betrayed - by a friend, no less - and with a kiss… The One Who came to set us free was arrested. Truth itself was falsely accused and called a liar. The One Who knows the answer to anything that can be asked was interrogated by those whom He created. He Who never denies us was denied by one of His closest, most trusted, friends. The Hands which formed the mountains were bound as a common criminal’s. The Ruler of the universe was shuttled between two puppet rulers, one too jaded to seek truth, the other too bloated to care. The Just Judge was unjustly judged. The Creator Who thought out every detail of our creation down to giving us saliva so we would be able to swallow was spat upon. His Sacred Body, one cell of which is worth more than a boatload of diamonds or a mountain of gold, was tortured with whips. Upon the Head which should bear a crown of gold and precious jewels was forced a Crown of the sharpest thorns. The crowds jeering “Crucify Him!” should have been prostrate in worship at His feet. The One who spoke words of comfort was mocked by the words of His creatures. He from Whom one word could have summoned a complement of the heavenly host to hurl his persecutors to the ends of the galaxy chose instead to have his persecutors nail His Hands and Feet. The One whose birth was contemplated by shepherds in breathless awe, suffocated to Death for us with His Breathless Love.

Contemplation of even the least of His sufferings could take an entire lifetime.

That’s why Catholic Christians focus so intently on His Sorrowful Passion, most especially on Good Friday.

To get the full picture, however, I would suggest that you also attend the Easter Vigil Mass where Christ’s Resurrection is gloriously celebrated.

In any event, we welcome you, seeker, brother Christian, future Catholic (? 😃 ), and wish you a blessed Holy Week and Glorious Easter.
*“I wish that my heart could beat, that I could live and breathe only for Jesus, I wish that my tongue could utter no other name than that of Jesus; that my eye could see only Jesus; that my pen could write only about Jesus, and that my thoughts could soar to nothing but Jesus. I have often wondered where on earth there might be something on which I could center my love. But neither on earth nor in heaven do I find any such thing but only my beloved Jesus… I am the fruit of your passion, Jesus, born of your wounds. O Jesus, seek me in love; I no longer possess anything; you have stolen my heart…” *- St. Gemma Galgani
 
Gemma,

I may yet become Catholic. It has been a crazy journey so far, but I really am finding myself understanding and believing and having faith in a more and more orthodox manner. If this means I eventually become Catholic then so be it.

To all,

I definitely have found myself becoming very much in a love and fascinated with The Church and her many beautiful devotions, the Holy Mass, the very Biblical 7 Sacraments. It is all starting to come together for me.

I even am beginning to love Our Lady as the Mother that unknowingly she has been to me since I came to the faith in Christ that I have had for many years.

I am going to try to make the actual Good Friday service as well later that night after the Stations of the Cross, and then possibly the Easter Vigil on Saturday night at another Catholic Church with a different friend. 🙂

Please pray for me and my journey.
~Josh
 
Dearest Joshua, I will pray for you as you make your journey. God loves you always and will help your sincere effort to seek His Truth!
 
God bless you, Josh. Others have great advice, and I offer my prayer for you to God. May the Holy Spirit guide you on your faith journey to the Full Truth. You also mentioned about your love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. I say “Wow!” When time permits, you can read more about other saints and their love for the Mother Mary. You’ll be amazed how She leads the saints to Jesus.

God bless!
 
God bless you on your journey. My husband and my niece both converted to my great joy. I am currently sponsoring a wonderful woman friend through the RCIA process which culminates in the Easter vigil and her reception of the sacraments of Confimation and Eucharist. Her husband and son are also being baptized and receiving the Sacraments. What a joyful day that will be.🙂 🙂

Another book I’m sure you would enjoy is Scott & Kimberly Hahn’s “Rome Sweet Home”.

Keep us posted and we’ll all be praying for you.
 
Your Friendly Neighborhood Methodist, who once nearly :o :eek: turned an accidental cartwheel over the head of the poor [genuflecting] friend I was with, would like to repeat this:) very important advice:
Also be prepared for lots of knelling, genuflecting (knelling on your right knee only), and standing. We Catholics like to do all of that! 😃
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My own experience happened as Mary was entering the pew. (Who knew??🤷 )
This was:o after I nearly :eek: crashed into her, as she stopped to bless herself with holy water at the entrance to the sanctuary.

PS: Catholic Good Friday services are very moving; you will want to have some kleenex for when you (almost certainly) need to wipe your eyes.
The Stations are amazingly sad & touching. A beautiful devotion…
 
As others have said on here before me: Welcome, friend/brother!

Check and see if you get the EWTN channel on your local cable - it’s a very valuable and enlightening outlet for Catholics and those wanting to learn more about the Catholic faith.

Enjoy your Stations of the Cross! I have been starting those over the past week and will continue to meditate upon them regularly.

God bless!
 
Check and see if you get the EWTN channel on your local cable - it’s a very valuable and enlightening outlet for Catholics and those wanting to learn more about the Catholic faith.
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👍

It’s funny that you mention EWTN. This channel actually was a BIG part of what prompted me to begin to explore and study The Church and the Early Church Fathers more in depth.

God rest his soul, Arch Bishop Fulton Sheen, was my first real exposure to Catholic teaching. I watched him on Christmas Eve about a year ago for the first time on EWTN.

I have never forgotten that night and how God seemed to reach down and grab my heart in His mighty hand. I really feel like Sheen’s saintly soul is praying for me to God all the time :).

This channel was also my first viewing of Holy Mass and has helped me become familiar with each part of it.

I have done so much reading from many different online sources, Catholicism for Dummies, and my reading of Stephen Ray’s book. I plan to start on Scott Hahn’s Rome Sweet Home next (on it’s way from Amazon). Hopefully after that a follow up with G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy.

Thank you all for your prayers!
I know each of us will echo, we could use all the prayer we can get.

~Josh
 
Welcome Josh!

As a former Southern Baptist who “swam the Tiber” two years ago, I can tell you it’s an exhilarating journey. 😃 (Steve Ray’s book was one of the first books I read on my journey. Another one was “The Four Witnesses” by Rod Bennet. I tended to read the former Baptists first for some reason. :cool: ).

As others have said, expect alot of kneeling. 😃 And let it all soak in. The Tridiuum is a very moving and beautiful experience. Have a blessed Holy Week.
 
FromTheAshes777 said:
This channel was also my first viewing of Holy Mass and has helped me become familiar with each part of it.
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God bless you, Josh.

You seem to be already more advanced in Catholicism than many “Catholics” who don’t even go to Mass every Sunday, much less refer to it as “Holy Mass.” I can only imagine the size of the smile on Archbishop Sheen’s face over you.

Have a Blessed Easter.
*“I wish that my heart could beat, that I could live and breathe only for Jesus, I wish that my tongue could utter no other name than that of Jesus; that my eye could see only Jesus; that my pen could write only about Jesus, and that my thoughts could soar to nothing but Jesus. I have often wondered where on earth there might be something on which I could center my love. But neither on earth nor in heaven do I find any such thing but only my beloved Jesus… I am the fruit of your passion, Jesus, born of your wounds. O Jesus, seek me in love; I no longer possess anything; you have stolen my heart…” *- St. Gemma Galgani
 
God bless you, Josh!

If possible, also attend the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday as well as Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday and of course Easter Sunday Mass!

You are in my prayers.

Happy Easter!!
 
Cairisti said:
Welcome Josh!
As a former Southern Baptist who “swam the Tiber” two years ago, I can tell you it’s an exhilarating journey. 😃 (Steve Ray’s book was one of the first books I read on my journey. Another one was “The Four Witnesses” by Rod Bennet. I tended to read the former Baptists first for some reason. :cool: ).
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Hi Cairisti,

Not sure if this thread is the best place for this, but, how did people at your old church react to your conversion? I tried to PM you and it said I couldn’t.

I have spoken to a few people at my church regarding Catholic ideas and most of them are not as hostile as I expected. I would be interested to hear some more of your story though to see how it would relate to mine since we are from the same denomination. How about your family as well? Are they Southern Baptists still?

Thanks and God bless,
Josh
 
FromTheAshes777 said:
Hi Cairisti,

Not sure if this thread is the best place for this, but, how did people at your old church react to your conversion? I tried to PM you and it said I couldn’t.

I have spoken to a few people at my church regarding Catholic ideas and most of them are not as hostile as I expected. I would be interested to hear some more of your story though to see how it would relate to mine since we are from the same denomination. How about your family as well? Are they Southern Baptists still?

Thanks and God bless,
Josh
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Hi Josh, while waiting for reply from Cairisti, you may read this thread on family’s reactions:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=212839
 
FromTheAshes777 said:
Hi Cairisti,

Not sure if this thread is the best place for this, but, how did people at your old church react to your conversion? I tried to PM you and it said I couldn’t.

I have spoken to a few people at my church regarding Catholic ideas and most of them are not as hostile as I expected. I would be interested to hear some more of your story though to see how it would relate to mine since we are from the same denomination. How about your family as well? Are they Southern Baptists still?

Thanks and God bless,
Josh
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Hi Josh!

Don’t know why you couldn’t send a PM, but oh well. Well, to answer your first question, no I didn’t get any reaction from my old church. I had been away, due to moving to another city for the past 20-something years. So they didn’t “react” in any way. I did have to write to them when I first joined RCIA for a baptismal certificate. And of course the church secretary took it upon herself to call my parents. :eek: We were not happy at that.

My journey had started long ago. But when this incident happened was in 2004. I told my parents I had begun RCIA. Now, my dad’s cousin converted to the CC back in the early 1940’s when one took “instruction” by a priest, so of course they thought I would be somehow forced to become Catholic. (No thought that I might have a mind. :rolleyes: )Anyway, they freaked. (there’s a thread on here about it somewhere). You’d have thought I was joining a satanic cult or something. Sadly, I quit RCIA in frustration.

Months later I realized that to not follow where I was being lead was wrong and I had to follow where the HS was leading me no matter how it hurt.(There were a few eirry subjects on Catholic Radio that seemed to be addressed to the situation at the time.) During this time my parents were having some health issues, particulary my mom with high blood pressure. So, when I decided to re-enter RCIA the next year - I missed coming Home during the 2005 Vigil, I decided to not tell my elderly parents as it seemed to be too much for them and their health. I did tell my sister, who is married to a non-practicing Catholic, but his mom is a practicing Catholic. My two brothers are rather anti-Catholic, so I have decided to wait until I’m firmer in my Catholic faith to defend it. Though my brother who lives nearby gets some Catholic apologetics thrown at him when he least expects it. 😃 Little at a time. 😉

My parents are still Southern Baptist, but they are the only ones who are. My sister is a non-practicing Baptist and my brothers are a Methodist and a non-denominational “Bible doctrine” church member. That’s it in a small nutshell. There of course is a bit more. Funny thing is that I foolishly (?) thought my parents would have a better reaction as several of their dearest friends are Catholic. Oh, well. One thing I have learned is to reassure them that you are not regecting them or your heritage. It’s fullfilling it. (At least that’s been my experience)

Have a blessed Holy Week.
 
Cairisti,

Thank you for sharing some of your story. I really have no clue how my family will react if I do wind up converting. I know though that my relationship with God is more important than ANYTHING else in this world, even our family.

Thank you all for your responses, prayers, and encouragement.

Here is the church I will be visiting on Friday, I am very excited 🙂

allsaintsknoxville.org
 
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