Book Reviews and More: Praying the Stations For Today's Disciples

Praying the Stations For Today's Disciples

Sr Christine Kresho

Twenty-Third Publications

ISBN 9781585959105

Praying the Stations For Today's Disciples - Sr Christine Kresho

Prior to Lent in 2026 I went through the collection of Stations I had and found I had about 10 I have never read or reviewed and have made the commitment to try and make it through them this Lent, and I added 2 as I have been reading, praying, and reviewing my way through the collection. Of the 10 I started with 6 were from Twenty-Third Publications, and while researching the first review I found a few others I am interested in.

This is the sixth of the Stations of the Cross I have read from Twenty-Third Publications in this series, I have read a few not part of this series from them as well. I really loved Praying the Stations Mary’s Way of the Cross, by Richard G. Furey CSsR and picked up several others in this series. But I was fairly disappointed in Praying the Stations with Saint John XXIII by Bill Huebsch; so had sort of ignored them the past few years. This year I will try and get through the 6 I have and then see about tracking down some others that piqued my interest. It appears versions of this devotion in this series have come in and out of print for years. I believe I have found 20 titles in this series, some out of print long enough I cannot find good cover images.

This version of this devotion has been through a number of editions, I believed first published in 2011 and I see further printings in 2011 and 2012. Though it is not currently available on the Twenty-Third Publications site other retailers show it as unavailable, which is a pity it is an excellent version of this devotion.

The opening prayer in this book is:

“Jesus is the message that sustains us on our journey of redemption. We reflect on his extraordinary vision of the mystery of God as the Source of all life. In spite of failure, condemnation, and death, Jesus remained faithful. We pray that we will grow in understanding how we are to be the body of Christ in our world.”

A sample Station for this edition:

“Station Three

Jesus Falls the First Time

Jesus Speaks

I tried so hard to continue, but I could not go on. My heart is broken; I had failed to convince people that God loved them. I understand when disappointment and frustration disturb your soul. I understand why you feel like quitting.

Remember that you live and move in God; whenever you feel defeated, I am with you. I will raise you up and we will continue our journey together.

We Pray

Inspired by Jesus who trusted in God even when he was crushed by misunderstanding and disbelief, we commit ourselves to remain faithful to the dreams and hopes of the Spirit for our world.

(In silence, pray for those who are suffering failure, defeat, misunderstanding, or disappointment.)”

The volume ends with:

“Final Prayer

We remember Jesus who gave such remarkable witness to the Presence of the Divine which he saw everywhere. We thank him for showing us how to live as vessels of the Sacred, connected to all of creation. His living, loving, and dying with such deep faith and hope teach us how to live in love, free from fear of the unknown. We pray that we will be open to the Spirit in our life; we pray that we will follow the example of Jesus; we rejoice in the mystery of God with us. Amen.”

Overall am impressed with the series, and more so as I read each new title. I regret having let one volume I disagreed with putting me off the series for a few years. I relay enjoyed this sixth volume, and will continue to give others in the series a try. This is a good stations of the cross. I have a few stations I return to again and again. I am always willing to give another version of this devotion a try. I wish the other in the series were available digitally. With my dual form of dyslexia I greatly prefer eBooks so I can change the font, font and page colour to make reading easier. For this specific Stations I really appreciated the pausing for silent prayer at the end of each station. There are no opening payers, Stabet Mater, or Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be at the end of the stations, but it can easily be added. There is a recommendation at the beginning to use a hymn while moving from station to station.

I will read and review the others from the series I have tracked down and try to find the reaming few of the other volumes in the ‘Praying The Stations Series’ from Twenty-Third Publications. I try and pray a Stations each Friday throughout the year, and every day during Lent. I do not see myself returning to this one often, if a digital edition because available it would be one I used more often. But I did benefit from praying through it and believe it would be great for personal or corporate use.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan! For all Stations of the Cross review click here.