Dear Parent/Carer,
You may already be aware of the great resources that are being produced across our Diocese to help you and your children stay connected with our faith at home; particularly those being created by our Youth Service at www.youtube.com/NDCYSLive We would like to invite you and your child/children to join in with Diocese of Nottingham Shared Stations.
It is traditional on Good Friday for us to pray the Stations of the Cross; these are 14 stops (or stations) on Jesus’ journey from Pilate, to the cross, and then to the tomb. This liturgy involves images, Bible readings, reflections and prayers helping us to imagine we are walking with Jesus.
At 12 noon on Good Friday we will be inviting everyone in the Diocese of Nottingham to join us in a shared liturgy with all four CMATs and the Nottingham Diocesan Catholic Youth Service praying the Stations of the Cross streamed on: www.youtube.com/NDCYSLive We are calling it a shared liturgy as we are inviting you to help create it!
There are three ways you can get involved, pick a station and then:
Create an image of one of the stations – this could be a drawing, a collage, a sculpture, a photo or video of it being acted out
Write a reflection about a station – this could be helping us to understand what happened in the Bible reading or helping us think about what this moment means for us now.
Write a prayer about the station – this could be a prayer thanking Jesus, asking him to help people in a similar situation, or a sorry prayer.
If you wanted to you could do all three! Please send your work to tshannon@aquinas-cmat.org by Wednesday 5th April at 5pm. An example is given below:
The 12th Station Jesus dies on the Cross
Bible Reading:
‘Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father! In your hands I place my spirit!” He said this and died.’ (Luke 23:46)
Reflection:
Jesus didn’t have to die, he died so that our sins would be forgiven. Who is someone we can forgive?
Prayer:
Jesus thank you for dying and forgiving my sins. Give me the courage to forgive others too. Amen
The 14 stations with Bible verses are given below thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing what you send in!
Yours faithfully,
Tom Shannon
Lead Lay Chaplain, St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi-Academy Trust
The 14 Stations with Bible Verses
Jesus is sentenced to death – ‘The crowd kept on shouting at the top of their voices that Jesus should be crucified, and finally their shouting succeeded. So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.’ (Luke 23:23-24)
Jesus takes up his Cross – ‘Jesus told the crowd and his disciples: “If any of you want to come with me,” he told them, “you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.’ (Mark 8:34)
Jesus falls the first time – ‘But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne.’ (Isaiah 53:4)
Jesus meets his mother – ‘Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God which many people will speak against and so reveal their secret thoughts. And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart.”’ (Luke 2:34-35)
Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene – ‘On the way they met a man named Simon, who was coming into the city from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross. Simon was from Cyrene and was the father of Alexander and Rufus.’ (Mark 15:21)
Veronica Wipes the face of Jesus – ‘The King will reply, “I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!”’ (Matthew 25:40)
Jesus falls the second time – ‘We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.’ (Isaiah 53:5)
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem – ‘A large crowd of people followed him; among them were some women who were weeping and wailing for him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Women of Jerusalem! Don't cry for me, but for yourselves and your children.”’ (Luke 23:27-28)
Jesus falls the third time – ‘The Lord guides us in the way we should go and protects those who please him. If they fall, they will not stay down, because the Lord will help them up.’ (Psalm 37:23-24)
Jesus is stripped of his garments – ‘After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took the robe, which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it.’ (John 19:23)
Jesus is nailed to the Cross – ‘When they came to the place called “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, and the two criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said, “Forgive them, Father! They don't know what they are doing.”’ (Luke 23:33-34)
Jesus Dies on the Cross– ‘Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father! In your hands I place my spirit!” He said this and died.’ (Luke 23:46)
Jesus is taken down from the Cross – ‘When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea arrived; his name was Joseph, and he also was a disciple of Jesus. He went into the presence of Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be given to Joseph.’ (Matthew 27:57-58)
Jesus is laid in the tomb – ‘Joseph took Jesus’ body, wrapped it in a new linen sheet, and placed it in his own tomb, which he had just recently dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.’ (Matthew 27:59-60)