Via Lucis – The Way of Light

The Via Lucis, or The Way of Light, or The Stations of the Resurrection, is a prayer ritual that is much lesser known than the more traditional practice known as The Stations of The Cross. The Via Lucis is far more contemporary having been initially presented in 1988 and formally adopted by the Vatican in 2001.

This prayer devotion focuses more on the light and hope that is the direct result of the Resurrection of Our Lord on Easter Sunday. The Via Lucis is observed by some parishes on Friday evenings during the Easter season, and in other parishes on Sunday afternoons or evenings from Easter through to Pentecost Sunday.

The ritual commemorates fourteen events from The Gospels and The New Testament that are attributed to the period of time after The Resurrection of Jesus. The Way of Light has no traditional format, it typically resembles The Stations of The Cross, where at each station a reflection and a prayer are observed to bring the participants fully into contemplation of the Risen Lord Jesus.

The Via Crucis or Way of Light are generally recognized as the following:

1. Jesus Rises from the Dead
2. The disciples find the Empty Tomb
3. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
4. Jesus Walks with the Disciples to Emmaus
5. Jesus Reveals Himself in the Breaking of the Bread
6. Jesus appears to the Disciples
7. Jesus Confers on His Disciples the Power to Forgive Sins
8. Jesus Confirms Thomas in Faith
9. Jesus Appears to His Disciples on the Shore of the Sea of Galilee
10. Jesus Confers Primacy on Peter
11. Jesus Entrusts His Disciples with a Universal Mission
12. Jesus Ascends Into Heaven
13. Mary and the Disciples Await the Coming of the Holy Spirit                                                                                                       
14. Jesus Sends the Spirit Promised by The Father to His Disciples

These stations remind us, as Catholics, that our God is a Living God, and that Jesus is patient with us as He reveals Himself to us in our everyday situations. We all can be dense, stuck in our individual situations, or slow to understand the enormity of God and His love for us.

The series of events in the Via Lucis around Jesus appearing to the disciples and the corresponding Gospel accounts are proof of our common human propensity to be slow to believe or change our thoughts about something. These events are also proof of the loving kindness and merciful love that Jesus has for us in that Our Lord comes in peace and forgiveness for those times when we have neglected Him.

In the seventh station of the Via Lucis, Jesus gives the disciples, and by extension those who believe in Him, the ability to forgive. We can, through prayer to the Holy Spirit, ask for those wrongs that have happened to us to be forgiven. This is an incredibly liberating concept.

Many of us are also people who require proof or evidence, many of us also are judgmental or have judged someone at some point. This is evident when Jesus confirms Thomas in faith, as we are all aware of the expression “doubting Thomas”, because of his failure to believe the other disciples account of seeing Jesus alive. Jesus appears to Thomas and provides proof to confirm his faith. It is a reminder that faith is a belief without proof, it is a feeling, it is a relationship, and it is a commitment to encounter Jesus daily in prayer as well as in service to others.

When, in the tenth station of the Via Lucis, Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves Him, the mercy of Our Savior is on full display. Jesus could have been upset with Peter for denying Him and deserting Him during The Passion, but Our Lord shows Peter mercy and understands why Peter reacted the way he did. This is an example to us as to how to show mercy to others that may have hurt us or rejected us, it is a call to be merciful.

The Via Lucis remind us that if we live according to the way Jesus demonstrated to us in the Gospels, then we will have a place with Our Savior in Heaven, and that is certainly a message of light and hope amidst a dark and desperate world. Our society can tend to focus on the darkness and the loss associated with the death and loss of a relative or friend. The Via Lucis is a reminder of the light and hope that comes from the Resurrection, from Jesus and His victory over sin and death provides for all who believe.

In our preparation for The Ascension and for Pentecost, it is critical that we reflect and ask the Holy Spirit for help, for renewal, and to be advocates of peace in a world that is increasingly trapped in violence, division, and hatred. It is my prayer that we accept the Holy Spirit into our lives and into our Church to guide us and sustain us on this Way of Light. It is my prayer that many more Catholics are called to observe the Via Lucis, and to grow closer to Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

May God Bless you all and may the Risen Lord Jesus be with all of you always.