Stations of Light

                                     Eastertide: Day 4

There is a fairly new way to prayerful and thoughtfully mark the passage of Eastertide. I say "fairly" because it is a new tradition, when taken with the history of the Church as a whole, but not that new to us individually. First used in Rome in 1994, this prayer method is called "The Stations of the Resurrection," or the Via Lucis. Just as we pray the Stations of the Cross during Lent, retracing Jesus' final path to the cross, the Via Lucis records several of the key events that take place AFTER the resurrection, like when Jesus meets doubting Thomas or when the risen Lord forgives Peter and entrusts to him his sheep. The 14 stations end on Pentecost, with the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Officially "approved" by the Vatican in the Jubilee 2000 year, there are now quite a few versions of the Via Lucis, just as there are many different Stations of the Cross. (In fact, check back to this blog soon, as I've got a couple more versions of the Via Lucis coming up!) I really like this one by poet, artist and theologian Nita Ng. This booklet contains her own poetry and art work for each of the stations, yet is short and to the point. If you have never heard of or prayed the Stations of the Resurrection, this booklet is a great way to begin. And reasonably priced at only $1.99, why not take a chance and pray in a new way this Easter?