We begin each Station of the Cross with the prayer “We adore thee O Christ and we praise thee, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the World”. The Stations of the Cross can be a very important devotional prayer in our lives, but especially during Lent. Our human story, the journey of life. A memory in my life is from the beginning of Lent in my first year at the seminary. The president decided that he would give us a good introduction to Lent by leading us on the Stations of the Cross. He began by giving us a lecture on their great importance, and that as seminarians this devotion should be at the centre of our lives. Then he began “oops” he went to the last station first, the 14th …… of course there must be someone to blame…… ok yes the acolytes.
So for us to begin. The first station “We adore thee O Christ and we praise thee, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world”. Jesus is condemned to death. This is part of a great reality. We are all condemned to death. A reality. Here at St Wilfrid’s we had a great shock with the tragic sudden death of Hannah Hoad, a young parishioner. It is honest and sincere she was “a real treasure”, obviously for her family and especially her parents David and Anne. In spite of her handicaps she was a bundle of life with attitude, able to stand up for herself, full of life, mischief and fun. Some of our elderly parishioners had lovely things to say about her over the years.
Then at St George’s Church we had a very special funeral celebration for Ronald and Monica Williams who died together in Eastbourne Hospital from the coronavirus. Their son Ed gave us a heartfelt story of their life, and as we streamed the service we will place their story on our website. Summed up in the words of their son “Ron and Moni were inseparable for 60 years, they devoted their lives to their 3 children, David, Edward and Anna, and they were just as in love on their last day together as they were on their wedding day. They did everything together, they cared and loved and fought for their children together, they grieved together, found the strength to go on together, and finally they died together, and they will be together forever”. So, as we place our lives at the foot of the cross, preparing to make the stations of the cross as part of the journey of life this Lent. We make it our great desire that the journey of our lives will bare much fruit, fruit that will last. Then one our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory to be it Father.