The Origin of the Way of the Cross.
During the whole of the scene which we have just described, the
Mother of Jesus, with Magdalen and John, had stood in a recess in the
forum: they were overwhelmed with the most bitter sorrow, which was but
increased by all they heard and saw. When Jesus was taken before Herod,
John led the Blessed Virgin and Magdalen over the parts which had been
sanctified by his footsteps. They again looked at the house of Caiphas,
that of Annas, Ophel, Gethsemani, and the Garden of Olives; they
stopped and contemplated each spot where he had fallen, or where he had
suffered particularly; and they wept silently at the thought of all he
had undergone. The Blessed Virgin knelt down frequently and kissed the
ground where her Son had fallen, while Magdalen wrung her hands in
bitter grief, and John, although he could not restrain his own tears,
endeavoured to console his companions, supported and led them on. Thus
was the holy devotion of the 'Way of the Cross' first practised; thus were
the Mysteries of the Passion of Jesus first honoured, even before that
Passion was accomplished, and the Blessed Virgin, that model of
spotless purity, was the first to show forth the deep veneration felt
by the Church for our dear Lord. How sweet and consoling to follow this
Immaculate Mother, passing to and fro, and bedewing the sacred spots
with her tears. But, ah! Who can describe the sharp, sharp sword of
grief which then transfixed her tender soul? She who had once borne the
Saviour of the world in her chaste womb, and suckled him for so long,--she
who had truly conceived him who was the Word of God, in God from all
eternity, and truly God,--she beneath whose heart, full of grace, he had
deigned to dwell nine months, who had felt him living within her before
he appeared among men to impart the blessing of salvation and teach
them his heavenly doctrines; she suffered with Jesus, sharing with him
not only the sufferings of his bitter Passion, but likewise that ardent
desire of redeeming fallen man by an ignominious death, which consumed
him.
In this touching manner did the most pure and holy Virgin lay the
foundation of the devotion called the Way of the Cross; thus at each
station, marked by the sufferings of her Son, did she lay up in her
heart the inexhaustible merits of his Passion, and gather them up as
precious stones or sweet-scented flowers to be presented as a choice
offering to the Eternal Father in behalf of all true believers. The
grief of Magdalen was so intense as to make her almost like an insane
person. The holy and boundless love she felt for our Lord prompted her
to cast herself at his feet, and there pour forth the feelings of her
heart (as she once poured the precious ointment on his head as he sat
at table); but when on the point of following this impulse, a dark gulf
appeared to intervene between herself and him. The repentance she felt
for her faults was immense, and not less intense was her gratitude for
their pardon; but when she longed to offer acts of love and
thanksgiving as precious incense at the feet of Jesus, she beheld him
betrayed, suffering, and about to die for the expiation of her offences
which he had taken upon himself, and this sight filled her with horror,
and almost rent her soul asunder with feelings of love, repentance, and
gratitude. The sight of the ingratitude of those for whom he was about
to die increased the bitterness of these feelings tenfold, and every
step, word, or movement demonstrated the agony of her soul. The heart
of John was filled with love, and he suffered intensely, but he uttered
not a word. He supported the Mother of his beloved Master in this her
first pilgrimage through the stations of the Way of the Cross, and
assisted her in giving the example of that devotion which has since
been practised with so much fervour by the members of the Christian
Church.