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On Good Friday, the P4 - P7 pupils from St. Colman's Bann P.S. performed the Stations of the Cross in Laurencetown Chapel
Their story began on Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem and the crowds waved palms and sang 'Hosanna!'
The mob want Barrabas released and Jesus crucified
1st Station - Jesus is Condemned to Death
I sometimes wonder is it ever good when the mob has its way? But it is very hard to resist when everybody seems to be going the one way, it is difficult to set yourself apart, to do the thing you know to be right.
Jesus, I often get angry at injustice, at the hypocrisy around me, at the failure of leaders to be honest and fair. But I also know that there are times when I just do what suits me and I don't think too much about the consequences. I need your help to be true to myself. Please let me follow your way and not the way of Pilate or the mob.
Pilate washes his hands.
2nd Station - Jesus takes up his Cross
Sometimes life does not make sense, especially when people are asked to carry burdens that are not of their own making and to live with things over which they have no control. Where is the fairness in that?
Jesus, I don't understand why life is sometimes so hard. At times it seems as if God just doesn't care. But you trusted your Father and never lost faith in his goodness. Help me when I have to face my cross. Let me know that you carry it with me and to trust that somehow good can come from it.
3rd Station - Jesus falls the First Time
It's not hard to imagine how people can feel completely overwhelmed by the problems that come their way: no job, family breakdown, ill health. Then young people have other pressures, school, exams, bullying, alcohol and drug abuse.
Jesus, I am sometimes concerned about some of my friends and the people I know who find it really hard to go on. In your love and compassion reach out to them and help them to take each day as it comes.
4th Station - Jesus meets his Mother
Parents are amazing! They do so much, they are there for you, and they just get on with the business of treating you as if you are all that matters in the world. It is very easy to take them for granted.
Mary, you loved Jesus with a mother's love and your suffering on his way of the cross is unspeakable. Open our eyes to see your son as you see him and give us the courage to share him with world just as you did.
5th Station - Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry his Cross
Opportunities to help others come our way all the time. Often we don't choose them and sometimes we would prefer if we could just be left alone. But we all know how good it is to be helped and how grateful we feel when someone is there for us.
Simon, we don't know anything about you except that on this day you found yourself helping a poor, beaten and abused prisoner. There is a lesson here for us about what it means to be a hero and it has nothing to do with fanfares and admirers. It is just about being there for others. Saint Simon pray for us that we might follow your example.
6th Station - Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Veronica is not mentioned in the Scriptures but her story is one of the many that appear in the tradition of the church. It is a story of tender hearted love and compassion and it is repeated because we need to know that in the face of human cruelty and violence there are brave, good people to remind us that one simple gesture of love means that God is still in the world.
Veronica, thank you for being there and for having a heart to do something rather than nothing when faced with this scene of sadness and sorrow. Pray for us to the Lord that we too will always have the generosity and courage to do what we can to show our concern for those who suffer.
7th Station - Jesus falls the Second Time
As we imagine Jesus falling again we remember that we are all children of God and that it is good to pray in union with all those who are in need.
Jesus, I fall on my journey. Lots of things trip me up. At times it is my pride, other times it is self doubt and lack of trust in you. The worst is when I feel I have been pushed and I am overcome with anger. Help me when I am down to get back up, to leave aside my hurt and anxiety and to move ahead, knowing you will always hear me when I call.
8th Station - Jesus comforts the Women of Jerusalem
When Jesus meets the women who are weeping for him he speaks words of comfort to them. He reminds them that their grief must not distract them from paying attention to what matters in their own lives.
Jesus, it is very easy to lose my way; there is so much going on, so many people wanting me to go different paths, to try different things. When I become confused or uncertain and am troubled by doubts remind me that you are the Way, the Truth and the Life.
9th Station - Jesus falls the Third Time
As Jesus draws near to the end it seems that he simply cannot continue. Why should he go on? What's the point? What good can come of this?
Jesus, there are times when I just want to run away, when I can't be bothered any more. I feel hassled and want to give up. At those times I need you to speak quietly to me about the value of seeing things through to the end and trusting that even when my efforts appear to fail, you are there to lift me up.
10th Station - Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
The people who want to kill Jesus think that having the ability to humiliate another human being means they are powerful. They are wrong. It simply means they are foolish and blind. Jesus in his life of loving service to the weak and the needy shows that the power of God is at work in ways we do not expect.
Jesus, every day all over the world there are people who suffer humiliation, torture, false imprisonment and even death simply because of their beliefs, their gender, their race or religion. As your followers may we always work to uphold the dignity of every person and may we never abuse the power we have over others.
11th Station - Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
John Lennon wrote a great song called Imagine. Maybe we could add a verse: Imagine a world where people forgive each other and never seek revenge. For many, that is just wishful thinking. For Jesus it was how he lived and died.
Jesus, forgiveness is hard work and at times it seems impossible. So we need you to help us understand that it is, in the first place, not something we do but something we receive; it is a gift from God who loves us totally. Maybe then we will be able to forgive others as you have forgiven us.
12th Station - Jesus Dies on the Cross
Why was it dark when Jesus died, after all it was only three in the afternoon?
And what does it mean when the temple was torn in two?
The symbols around the death of Jesus helps us to think about it not just as an event in history but as something that spells the end of darkness as Jesus, the light of the world, returns to his Father and opens the way to God for everyone.
Jesus, you know what it is to feel abandoned, you have been through the deepest darkness we can imagine. When we are feeling lost and alone let your light shine upon us so that we can find our way back to you.
13th Station - Jesus is taken down from the Cross
Joseph of Arimathea is a respectable man who risks his good reputation by asking for permission to bury Jesus. Everyday, ordinary people show extraordinary courage and kindness in ways that never grab the headlines.
Joseph, you appear suddenly in the story and we find out that you are a person of great goodness who is brave enough to do the decent thing. Sometimes we know what we should do but don't because it mightn't be 'cool'. Pray to the Lord for us that we will always have the courage of our convictions.
14th Station - Jesus is Buried in the Tomb
Now the broken and bruised body of Jesus who gave hope to everyone who came his way, is being quickly buried in a borrowed tomb by the friends he has left. Our faith tells us this is not the end - no tomb will ever hold the one who came that we might have life in its fullness.
The women make their way to the tomb.
The angel tells the women that Jesus is not in the tomb.
HE IS RISEN!
Jesus, as we come to the end of this journey make us understand that it is really only the beginning. Your rising from the dead on Easter Sunday teaches us that love never ends. You give us hope and Joy through the power of your Holy Spirit that lives in us. By that same Spirit deepen our faith in you so that we may become the people you want us to be.
Congratulations and thanks to Mrs. Neeson and the pupils who gave such a magnificent performance.
The singing was superb and there are a few budding actors there!
Apologies for those who couldn't hear some of the readings - the micorphone was at fault and not the children.
Thanks to Mrs. Neeson who kindly provided us with the script so we can read the reflections in our own time - some of these were written by the children themselves.
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