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Message from the Provincial
Good Friday and the Way of the Cross - The Franciscan Contribution
FRANCISCAN FOOTPRINTS
Newsletter
Easter 2011, Volume 3, Number 1
The
Way of the Cross has its beginnings, of course, in Jerusalem. Since
the days of the early Church, Christians have prayed along the route
followed by Jesus on Good Friday. This route took Jesus all the way
from the Garden of Gethsemane, where He was arrested, to Golgotha,
where He died on the cross and was entombed.
The Franciscans first arrived in the Holy Land in 1220. The mission
of the Franciscans was to serve at the holy places venerated by
Christians since the time of Jesus – including the holy places in
Jerusalem. It was the Franciscans who first brought the Way of the
Cross to Western Europe. By praying before representations of what
took place in Jerusalem, Christians were able to enter into Jesus’
final walk through Jerusalem.
The Way of the Cross was not supposed to be a way for Christians to
participate in the sufferings of Jesus. Rather, the Way of the Cross
was a prayerful means to situate Good Friday – the abandonment,
suffering and death of Jesus – in the wider context of Easter. For
Christians remember that on Easter Sunday, the love of God the
Father for His Son, Jesus, was too great to leave Him among the
dead; and so God raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him new life.
Furthermore, Christians believe that, because of who Jesus is,
because of what He did and taught, and because of His death and
resurrection – this same love offered by God the Father to His Son,
Jesus, is also offered to each of us.
The first outdoor Way of the Cross in Edmonton - organized by the
Franciscan Friars, Social Justice Commission for the Archdiocese of
Edmonton and Edmonton Catholic Schools – was prayed on Good Friday,
1980. It was, in part, a prayerful response to social difficulties,
unemployment, poverty, homelessness and a shortage of services to
help those in need that the Franciscans, together with other
Christian communities, decided to “walk” the outdoor Way of the
Cross through the inner city of Edmonton. The Way of the Cross is
really a witness to our faith in God’s love for us - especially for
the poor, the suffering and the dying. And this witness of hope
gives us the conviction and courage to work with, and to work for,
the needy in our communities.
May our Risen Lord fill
you with His Graces and keep you in His loving care, during this
Easter time and through the whole year.
Fr. Dennis Vavrek,
ofm
Provincial Minister |
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Fr. Dennis Vavrek, OFM
Provincial Minister
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