The Way of The Cross:
Meditate on The Passion of Christ
Inspirativa Editora
ASIN B0DKJFFL77
I picked up this volume as soon as I saw it. Two Fridays’ later I chose it as my Stations of the Cross to work through that Friday. It will be one I use often. This is the third volume I have read by Costa and I wish all her works were available in English. But I am getting ahead of myself..
The description of this volume is:
““Whoever wants to grow from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, should always meditate on Jesus in His Passion.” (St. Bonaventure)
The Way of the Cross is a pious exercise of prayer and meditation on the mystery of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. A practice that has been present in the Church for centuries, it invites us to follow and lovingly contemplate the journey that the Savior made for us until His death on the Cross.
The suffering of Jesus, who took upon Himself the weight of our sins to free us from eternal death, is the ultimate expression of the love with which God loves us, a love that went to the last consequences, because “no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15, 13)..”
About the author we are informed:
“Maria Alinne Costa is a writer and master in Philosophy. She loves researching, meditating and writing on topics related to Theology, Philosophy, Catholic Spirituality and Simplicity. She believes that each human being carries within them a unique message to be shared with the world, and decided to spread hers through writing.”
The chapters and sections in this volume are:
Presentation
The Way of the Cross
The fruits of meditating on the Passion of Jesus Christ
The value of Christ's blood
Opening prayer
1st station - Jesus is condemned to death
2nd station - Jesus carries His cross
3rd station – Jesus falls the first time
4th station – Jesus meets His Mother
5th station – Jesus is helped to carry the cross by the cyrenian
6th station – Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7th station – Jesus falls the second time
8th station – Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem
9th station – Jesus falls a third time
10th station – Jesus clothes are taken away
11th station – Jesus is nailed to the cross
12th station – Jesus dies on the cross
13th station – Jesus is taken down from the cross and given to His Mother
14th station – Jesus is laid in the tomb
Final prayer to Jesus crucified
Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows
About the author
I only highlighted a few of passages while reading this little volume. They are:
“Saint Francis of Assisi had a great love for the Lord's Passion and the order he founded was dedicated to spreading the veneration of the Lord's Way of the Cross. Custody of various holy places was granted to the Franciscans in the 14th century, and they played a crucial role in spreading the practice of the Stations of the Cross, even establishing most of the stations that are observed today.”
“The Way of the Cross is therefore an act of piety that gives us a fruitful spiritual life based on Christ's total self-giving for us. Praying and meditating on each station of the sacred road traveled by God made man, while He bore the weight of our sins, makes us understand the great dimension of the love of God for us, who did not spare His most precious possession, His only Son, so that we might be saved and have access to the Heaven He has always prepared for us.”
“For this reason, Scripture, speaking of the first man, uses the expression flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone, which St. Paul refers to, alluding to Christ's side. For just as God formed woman from Adam's side, so Christ gave us water and blood from His side to form the Church. And just as God opened Adam's side while he slept, so Christ gave us the water and the blood during the sleep of His death.”
A Sample station is:
“9TH STATION – JESUS FALLS A THIRD TIME
℣. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
℟. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
From St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 5, 19-21
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
MEDITATION
Jesus falls again. Our Lord's falls remind us of our own falls, which happen when we become weak because of our sins and fall to the ground. Without the help of divine grace, which came to us through Our Lord's sacrifice on the cross, we are condemned to live fallen lives, without the dignity of children of God, which was given to us at a very high price, the price of Jesus' most precious blood. He who " though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2, 6-8). Our Lord's obedience cured our disobedience and opened the gates of heaven for us.
PRAYER
My sweetest Jesus, forgive my sins and strengthen me in moments of weakness. I adore You and thank You for all that You have suffered for me. My soul thirsts for You. My Lord, do not allow me to give up the fight against sin and give me the strength to flee from the occasions when I fall. I wish to remain close to You now and forever.
OUR FATHER
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
JACULATORY
Standing at the foot of the cross, the Sorrowful Mother tearfully looked at her Son, who was hanging down.”
I hope those few quotes and sample devotion give you a feel for this volume. I try to pray a stations of the cross every Friday throughout the year and each day through Lent. I am always willing to try a new version, but do have a few favourites. This one could easily end up on that favourite list.
I loved this little volume, it is an excellent version of this devotion. I can easily recommend this for personal, group, or corporate worship. I which there was a physical edition as I have a few friends who do not do eBooks who I believe would love it. I plan on picking up the only other volume from Costa that is available in English. And hope that the other three that are available in Portuguese are eventually released in English! I great devotion I can easily recommend!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
For all other reviews of Stations of the Cross click here.
Books by Maria Alinne Costa:
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In Portuguese:
25 Orações de Poder para Vencer a Ansiedade
31 Dias com Maria
Via Sacra: Meditar a Paixão de Cristo
Santo Agostinho: A Interioridade como caminho para a verdadeira Felicidade
São Miguel Arcanjo: História, Quaresma e Orações
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In French:
Le Chemin De Croix: Méditer sur la Passion du Christ
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In Spanish:
El Vía Crucis: Meditación de La Pasion de Cristo
…
