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Meditations on the Way of the Cross
Want to go deeper with Jesus? Follow the Way of the Cross. We know that the passion, death and resurrection of Christ is the climax of the Gospels and the very foundation of Christianity. But what does it mean for us? What does it mean for you and me, living our day-to-day lives in the twenty-first century? People tend to look at the Way of the Cross as a quaint devotion designed to make them feel guilty, rather than a living meditation which makes them feel closer to a loving God.
Mary Pezzulo's Meditations on the Way of the Cross is a different sort of Way of the Cross devotion. This is a book of meditations on how Christ in His passion came to embrace in our own lives, with all of our struggles and sufferings-- in our relationships with our family, in being the victim of discrimination in mental or physical illness, in disability, in loneliness. Christ is immanent, in His passion and death, in our own lives as human beings.
Meditations on the Way of the Cross began as a series of popular posts for the season of Lent on Mary Pezzulo's blog, Steel Magnificat. The individual meditations were shared by churches of different denominations to wide acclaim. Now they have been revised and compiled into a book you can bring with you to church, to the hospital or wherever you find yourself; to use for meditation prompts in a Bible study, a small group or by yourself, to help you in your own spiritual journey in Lent and throughout the year.
If you are looking for a way to call to mind the love of Christ in your everyday life this Lent, this book is for you.
Mary Pezzulo's Meditations on the Way of the Cross is a different sort of Way of the Cross devotion. This is a book of meditations on how Christ in His passion came to embrace in our own lives, with all of our struggles and sufferings-- in our relationships with our family, in being the victim of discrimination in mental or physical illness, in disability, in loneliness. Christ is immanent, in His passion and death, in our own lives as human beings.
Meditations on the Way of the Cross began as a series of popular posts for the season of Lent on Mary Pezzulo's blog, Steel Magnificat. The individual meditations were shared by churches of different denominations to wide acclaim. Now they have been revised and compiled into a book you can bring with you to church, to the hospital or wherever you find yourself; to use for meditation prompts in a Bible study, a small group or by yourself, to help you in your own spiritual journey in Lent and throughout the year.
If you are looking for a way to call to mind the love of Christ in your everyday life this Lent, this book is for you.
56 pages, Paperback
Published February 10, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 20, 2022
I loved this and found it to be great food for thought. It could be read in one sitting or used as a daily devotional over two weeks. Perfect meditation for lent.
March 7, 2020
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.--Adapted from the prayer of St. Francis
In this Lenten season, Christians prepare for the holy day of Easter by contemplating the ministry of Jesus Christ, with a special focus on his suffering, crucifixion and resurrection. In the Catholic Church, a devotional ritual called the Stations of the Cross, or the Way of the Cross, commemorate Jesus’ last day on Earth as a man, taking fourteen moments from that day from His condemnation to being laid in the tomb to meditate upon.
As this is such an important tradition, there have been numerous books on the subject, many with the same name. This most recent chapbook is by Mary Pezzulo, author of the blog Steel Magnificat. Her aim, as explained in the introduction, is to present the meditations in language that is less “stuffy” than other versions, and designed to reach those who are suffering, as Christ suffered with them.
I am not myself Catholic, so may have missed some subtle points of doctrine. However, I found these essays easy to understand, affecting, and sometimes powerful. Through Christ’s suffering and death, God gains the perspective of His creation; helplessness and sorrow. And He gives the greatest gift so that we might be redeemed.
Ms. Pezzulo speaks from the perspective of suffering, having endured much in her own life, including crippling fibromyalgia. This gives her words authenticity, while her religious studies provide understanding of the Scriptures.
There are portions that seem a bit repetitive; after all, Jesus falls three times on the road. As such, it took me a moment to realize an entire paragraph had accidentally been repeated. If there is a second edition, that’s easily fixed.
Non-Christians are likely to find little of use in this book. It’s written from the perspective of a believer for the sake of other believers who perhaps are having difficulty on their own Via Dolorosa. But Christians, and especially Catholics, should find this slim volume worthwhile.
There is a fifteenth essay on the book, on the Resurrection and the hope it brings.
If you have a Catholic relative or friend, this would make a good gift for Eastertide.
In this Lenten season, Christians prepare for the holy day of Easter by contemplating the ministry of Jesus Christ, with a special focus on his suffering, crucifixion and resurrection. In the Catholic Church, a devotional ritual called the Stations of the Cross, or the Way of the Cross, commemorate Jesus’ last day on Earth as a man, taking fourteen moments from that day from His condemnation to being laid in the tomb to meditate upon.
As this is such an important tradition, there have been numerous books on the subject, many with the same name. This most recent chapbook is by Mary Pezzulo, author of the blog Steel Magnificat. Her aim, as explained in the introduction, is to present the meditations in language that is less “stuffy” than other versions, and designed to reach those who are suffering, as Christ suffered with them.
I am not myself Catholic, so may have missed some subtle points of doctrine. However, I found these essays easy to understand, affecting, and sometimes powerful. Through Christ’s suffering and death, God gains the perspective of His creation; helplessness and sorrow. And He gives the greatest gift so that we might be redeemed.
Ms. Pezzulo speaks from the perspective of suffering, having endured much in her own life, including crippling fibromyalgia. This gives her words authenticity, while her religious studies provide understanding of the Scriptures.
There are portions that seem a bit repetitive; after all, Jesus falls three times on the road. As such, it took me a moment to realize an entire paragraph had accidentally been repeated. If there is a second edition, that’s easily fixed.
Non-Christians are likely to find little of use in this book. It’s written from the perspective of a believer for the sake of other believers who perhaps are having difficulty on their own Via Dolorosa. But Christians, and especially Catholics, should find this slim volume worthwhile.
There is a fifteenth essay on the book, on the Resurrection and the hope it brings.
If you have a Catholic relative or friend, this would make a good gift for Eastertide.
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May 6, 2020This gutted me. What beautful reflections.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews