Via Lucis (Stations of the Resurrection)

One of the benefits of the "stay at home order" during this pandemic, is that it allows me to keep in touch & remember those close to me via phone and social media but as well "web surf" for any topic  such as: crafty ideas, good reads, prayer practices, etc. Yes, I know. I'm dating myself by using the term "web surf." It's still think it's a cool term! LOL. 

Here are some thoughts that came to mind while web surfing...The 40 days of Lent is a period of spiritual growth & remembering that Christ died on the cross for our sins. The 50 days of Easter is also a period of spiritual growth through our actions of spreading with joy the Good News! Christ has Risen!

But during the Coronavirus pandemic a question remains; “How?” How do I spread the Good News for my love of God and for my love of others. Share! Share what you Love, to whom you Love, for the sake of your Love of Christ! Share something new that you have just learned; via phone, social media or when we shop for our essential needs 🙂

So here it is, one topic that I’ve just learned is the ancient practice of Via Lucis. How many of us have actually heard of Via Lucis or Stations of Light (Resurrection)? This practice is post-Lenten season. It mirrors the Via Crucis, remembering Christ's passion & death. The Via Lucis depicts Christ's Resurrection to  Pentecost. According to article I found on the Catholic News Agency, this practice is an ancient one: The Way of Light (Via Lucis) celebrates the most joyful time in the Christian liturgical year, the fifty days from Easter (the resurrection) to Pentecost (descent of the Holy Spirit). The idea for depicting the Way of Light was inspired by an ancient inscription found on a wall of the San Callisto Catacombs on the Appian Way in Rome. St. Callitus lived in the 3rd century, during time of Christian persecution. ... This devotion has received formal recognition by the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The Via Lucis was listed (#153) in its Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (December 2001).

I won't go into it too much, but it is good to know that the images found in the catacombs depicts the following 14 Stations:

1.     Jesus Rises From the Dead (Matthew 28:1-10)

2.     The Finding of the Empty Tomb (John 20:1-10)

3.     The Risen Lord Appears to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18)

4.     Jesus Appears on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-27)

5.     Jesus is Known at the Breaking of Bread (Luke 24:28-35)

6.     Jesus Appears to His Disciples in Jerusalem (Luke 24:36-43)

7.     Jesus Gives the Disciples the Power to Forgive Sins (John 20:19-23)

8.     Jesus Strengthens the Faith of Thomas (John 20:24-29)

9.     Jesus Appears by the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-14)

10.  Jesus Tell Peter to Feed His Sheep (Primacy of Peter) (John 21:15-17, 19b)

11.  Jesus Commissions the Disciples on the Mountain (Matthew 28:16-20)

12.  Jesus Ascends into Heaven (Acts 1:6-12a)

13.  Mary and the Disciples Wait in Prayer (Acts 1:12-14)

14.  The Holy Spirit Descends at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13)

I thought this was a great article and very inspiring. Here are some additional resources and worth reading:

1.    For children  and here

2.    For adults

3.    Para adultos

4.  Additional articles  and here 

5. YouTube video by EWTN