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Walking in the Way of the Cross

April 14, 2025

Isaiah 42:1-9 | Hebrews 9:11-15 | John 12:1-11 | Psalm 36:5-11

Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace. Collect for Monday in Holy Week

It has begun. The holiest week of the year begins with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and concludes with Jesus’ body being placed in a borrowed tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, the council of the Jews who condemned him.

The passion narratives, which are the Gospel readings recounting the time between those two events, are filled with drama – betrayal, denial, political maneuverings, abandonment, torture, and death. As the reading of the Gospel is concluded on Palm Sunday, we are left with dread and loss which is certainly not the way of life and peace.

How do we walk in the way of the cross?

For Christians, walking in the way of the cross has many pathways. But it begins for each of us as a commitment to follow the teachings of Jesus, even when doing so leads us outside our comfort zone into situations we cannot imagine. With Christ as our model, it means listening to others, even if we don’t agree with them. It means caring for those we do not know simply because they are hungry, homeless or sick. It means welcoming strangers even when they are not like us. It means speaking up for those who have no voice and standing with those who are afraid. It means putting the needs of others above our own. In other words, it means loving others as God loves us.

Walking in the way of the cross takes practice. While our intention to follow Jesus may be clear to us at times, it is easy enough to allow it to fall away as we face the daily challenges of our own lives. We know this can happen, and we need something to remind us to return to our commitment to walk with Jesus.

Holy Week presents us with a unique opportunity to experience the way of the cross. Following the accounts of the Gospels, our worship services encourage us to be active participants. We meditate and pray at the stations of the cross. We serve one another as we wash each other’s feet on Maundy Thursday. We gather to light candles and pray at the foot of the cross on Good Friday. We depart in silence to await the kindling of the first fire of Easter at the Vigil.

Each of us is invited to participate in the work of Holy Week as a way to walk with Jesus and each other in the way of the cross. As we do so, may the cross lead us to the way of life and peace.

Betsy Fornal