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The Second Station (1024×768)

Image by jdwarrick
The Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus, as you accepted your cross, you knew you would carry it to your death on Calvary. You knew it wouldn’t be easy, but you accepted it and carried it just the same.

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New for Lent and Easter 2010: I have started converting these to the Personas format. If you use Firefox as a browser, check it out at http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/gallery/Designer/jdwarrick

Palm Sunday 2010:
New milestone with for this single image! Passed 2000 views! Great to be able to share this series with so many people!

About this image
• From the stations of the cross at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Sacramento, CA
• Reflection from www.catholic.org/clife/lent/station.php?id=2

Use
You are welcome to download and/or share this image. Please be sure to review the Creative Commons license. Please do not post elsewhere.

Enjoy!

• View On Black
• Visit my site at http://www.jdwarrick.com
• Visit St. Francis Church at www.stfrancisparish.com/index.htm

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Article: Stations of the Cross date back to the fourth century
Excerpt from Catholic News Service, March 11, 2009

Devotions to the Way of the Cross began in earnest after 1342, when the Franciscan friars were given custody of the holy sites in the Holy Land. The Franciscans have been closely identified with the devotion ever since; for years, Church regulations required a set of the stations to be blessed by a Franciscan when possible.

The number of stations varied widely, with some manuals of devotion listing as many as 37. The term "stations" in describing the Way of the Cross was first used in the narrative of an English pilgrim, William Wey, who visited the Holy Land twice in the 15th century.

Depictions of the events described in the Stations did not start becoming common in churches until Pope Innocent XI permitted the Franciscans in 1686 to erect such displays in all their churches. He also declared that all indulgences given for visiting the sacred sites in the Holy Land would apply to any Franciscan or Franciscan lay affiliate visiting a set of stations in a church.

Pope Benedict XIII extended that privilege to all the faithful in 1726. Five years later, Pope Clement XII allowed all churches to have stations and fixed the number at 14, where it has been ever since. In recent years, many churches have included the Resurrection as a 15th station. Benedict XIV specifically urged every church in 1742 to enrich its sanctuary with stations.

Two Franciscans of the era did much to spread the popes’ wishes. St. Leonard of Port-Maurice erected stations at more than 500 churches in Italy, and St. Alphonsus Ligouri in 1787 wrote the version of the Stations that most Americans recognize because it was used in most churches in the United States throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

It has become standard for Catholic churches in this country to recite the prayers related to the Stations on the Fridays of Lent. Many churches have two services, one in the afternoon, mainly for schoolchildren, and one in the evening. Some Protestant churches, especially those belonging to the Episcopal or Lutheran denominations, have made the devotion part of their Lenten activities, particularly on Good Friday.

The traditional 14 stations are as follows: Jesus is condemned to death; Jesus takes up his cross; Jesus falls the first time; Jesus meets his mother; Simon of Cyrene carries the cross; Veronica wipes the face of Jesus; Jesus falls the second time; Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem; Jesus falls the third time; Jesus is stripped of his garments; Jesus is nailed to the cross; Jesus is crucified; Jesus is taken down from the cross; Jesus’ body is laid in the tomb.

The third, fourth, sixth, seventh, and ninth stations are not specifically described in the Gospels, nor is St. Alphonsus’ depiction in the 13th station of Jesus’ body being laid in the arms of his mother.

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Catholic Lent Easter Religious Jesus Wallpaper

Pink Stars of David in Rainbow Feathers 12.2

Image by ? Crystal Writer ?
Another from the originals taken from inside my favorite jeweled kaleidoscope. The single Star of David is clearly defined and the outer disconnected Star of David is visible in the larger views.

In honor of my grandmother and aunt, let the pink in this picture remind you to click to give at http://www.thebreastcancersite.com and yes, it really works. All you have to do is click and it will add funds to give women free mammograms. While you’re there, you can also click to give at the other sites run by Greater Good Network: Animal Rescue, Hunger, Literacy, Rainforests, and Child Health.