By Lakhram Bhagirat
The afternoon sun was shining brightly into the halls of the church illuminating the stained glass that formed part of the pulpit. The feeling of witnessing such serenity is incomparable but I was transported to a place where I felt at peace, not only with myself but also with the world. I got goosebumps on my arms as Father Randolph Reynolds of the St Sidwell’s Anglican Church began with the opening prayer. I was there to witness something I had never heard of until a few days before April 12, 2019. At first, I was sceptical of going to Church to witness the Stations of the Cross since I was under the impression that it would be long, drawn out and boring but I would be the first to say it was completely opposite.
We got to the Church a few minutes before the actual staging of the Stations of the Cross and I just took my seat at one of the pews and awaited the arrival of Father Reynolds whom we had passed in the yard as he was greeting worshippers. When he took his position at the Pulpit and declared “let us pray” and began uttering the opening prayers, I immediately felt a calmness wash over me.
It was the first time I was experiencing the Stations of the Cross as well as the first time in an Anglican Church. I was taken aback by the beautiful stained glass as well as the images of Jesus Christ-Son of God, that I saw lining the walls of the Church. It was the first time I saw images in a Church and would later learn the reason for those images.
Stations of the Cross is a reenactment of what happened on the first Good Friday when Jesus was condemned to death. Father Reynolds later told me that the Church in its history has taken on board the actions and things that occurred along the path to Golgotha where Jesus subsequently was nailed to the cross.
This enactment serves to remind the Church year after year and to help the church understand the depths of Christ’s suffering and death and to take us to the point where he rose from death, conquering death at Easter.
“During the period of Lent, Churches across Guyana engage in this practice to remind generation after generations that as Christians we must not only be au fait but become stronger believers in the faith, serving God through Christ, living lovingly among ourselves, caring for each other, using our bodies and talents and gifts to do what God created us to do and that is to live in union with him,” Father Reynolds said.
The message the Church is trying to send with Stations of the Cross is that the actions of everyone should be influenced by Jesus Chris. Stations of the Cross’s climax is usually on Good Friday-the day when Jesus was crucified. Believers would spend hours in deep meditation and stories of the cross is being retold in various forms. 
“We are happy to find the following growing and I trust that even our young people who are Church-oriented and those who are not, to come on board and to follow the path of Christ. Remembering the struggles, the pain he bore, the insult he took just for our sins and we will find glory in the long run. Let us trust God and trust his love and embrace his love in our day to day walk with Jesus Christ,” Father Reynolds said.
Stations of the Cross is a series of 14 pictures depicting the events outlined in the Passion of Christ. The arrangement of the 14 pictures follows a series with the first being the CONDEMNATION of Jesus Christ to death. It is followed by Jesus BEARING the cross, THE FIRST FALL –Jesus falls the first time under the cross, HIS MOTHER- Jesus meets his blessed mother, SIMON OF CYRENE – the cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene, VERONICA – the face of Jesus is wiped by St Veronica; THE SECOND FALL – Jesus falls the second time, DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM – the women of Jerusalem mourn for our Lord, THE THIRD FALL – Jesus falls for a third time, STRIPPED – Jesus is stripped of his garments, NAILED – Jesus is nailed to the cross, CRUCIFIED – Jesus dies on the cross, DEAD – the body of Jesus is taken down from the cross, and BURIED – the body of Jesus is laid in the tomb.
The images are usually mounted on the inside walls of a church but may also be erected in such places as cemeteries, corridors of hospitals and religious houses. The exercise of visiting and praying in front of each of the stations stems from the early practice of Christian pilgrims. It is believed that the pilgrims visited the scenes of the events that happened in Jerusalem on the first Good Friday and took the same route as Jesus did on that fateful day.
In Guyana, the churches install the 14 images to depict the Stations of the Cross to trace the events of the first Good Friday. They stop at every station, meditate and pray for forgiveness and blessings. The entire experience is one that is humbling and serves as a reminder of the reason for Christ’s presence on earth.
