The Stations of the Resurrection (the Via Lucis)

A more recent devotion and counterpart to the Via Crucis, the Via Lucis, or Way of Light, also known as the Stations of the Resurrection, commemorates the many appearances of Jesus to His disciples following His Resurrection and including His Ascension and Pentecost. This devotion began in 1988 in the Salesian Family Movement Witnesses of the Risen Lord and it invites us to participate in the life and joy of the Risen Lord. It is made up of fourteen stations, just like the Via Crucis, and there are prayers and a reflection for each station. During the Easter season, we can meditate on these stations and reflect on their impact on the disciples and on our lives as well. Christ truly has risen, and the joy that this brings is the backbone of our Easter celebration.

·       The 1st Station: Jesus Rises from the Dead. Reading: Matthew 28:5b-6a

·       The 2nd Station: The Disciples Discover the Empty Tomb. Reading: John 20:8

·       The 3rd Station: The Risen Lord Appears to Mary Magdalene. Reading: John 20:14b-18

·       The 4th Station: The Risen Lord Appears on the Road to Emmaus. Reading: Luke 24:15, 25-27

·       The 5th Station: The Risen Lord is recognized in the Breaking of the Bread. Reading: Luke 24:29-32

·       The 6th Station: The Risen Lord Appears to the Community of Disciples. Reading: Luke 24:38-40

·       The 7th Station: The Risen Lord Breathes Peace and Gives the Power to Forgive. Reading: John 20:19b, 20b-23

·       The 8th Station: The Risen Lord Strengthens the Faith of Thomas. Reading: John 20:24-29

·       The 9th Station: The Risen Lord Eats with the Disciples on the Shore of Tiberias. Reading: John 21:10-12

·       The 10th Station: The Risen Lord Forgives Peter and Entrusts Him to Feed His Sheep. Reading: John 21:15, 17b, 19b

·       The 11th Station: The Risen Lord Sends the Disciples into the World. Reading: Matthew 28:19-20

·       The 12th Station: The Risen Lord Ascends into Heaven. Reading: Mark 16:19-20

·       The 13th Station: Mary and the Apostles Keep Vigil in the Upper Room for the Holy Spirit’s Advent. Reading: Acts 1:13a, 14

·       The 14th Station: The Holy Spirit Descends Upon Mary and the Apostles. Reading: Acts 2:2-4

Praying with these stations and reflecting on the events just like we do during the Stations of the Cross, putting ourselves in the position of Mary and the apostles, gives us the opportunity to experience the Resurrection in perhaps a way that we never have before. How do we feel when the Risen Lord appears and speaks to and eats with us, showing us that He really has risen in bodily form? How do we feel when he appears to us in our own lives in ways unique to us? And how do we carry this testimony of the Risen Christ to others in our daily lives?

To see the full version of the Via Lucis with the reflections and prayers, you can click here.