We are grateful you are joining us for our “Journey of the Heart” today, on Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, a time set aside for the hearing of sacred story, for opening the heart, and for tending soul. The practice has its origins in the early Christian observance known as “The Stations of the Cross.” In this extraordinary moment in our collective experience, we need to create and claim the practices and ceremonies that can bring us together in spirit and in soul, and so strengthen us where we are and for whatever lies ahead. This is one of those ceremonies.
Over the years, our practice of this meditation has changed profoundly. While we honor its Christian beginning and use traditional language and scriptures, our meditation has become a time when we touch into our connection and relationship with the Earth and with one another. Now, this connection has become very real for all of us. As Lynn Unger wrote in her poem, Pandemic,
“…when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
In this journey we follow the steps of Jesus in the hours before his death, from Pilate’s palace, where he is condemned, to the moment his body is laid in the tomb. We will pause seven times, at waypoints, to hear a piece of the story, and to reflect, bringing together the cries of the time we inhabit with the ancient echoes of suffering and communion. Traditionally, the Stations of the Cross also offer opportunity for self-examination. The questions posed are adapted from an interpretation of the Stations by Joan Chittister called Gateway to Resurrection.
The meditation at each Waypoint is in four parts. First, a description of place and what it might be speaking. Second, the part of the story associated with the Waypoint, using scripture and oral tradition. Third, a reflection. Fourth, questions for self-examination.
Follow along at your own pace. Allow yourself to make generous use of silence. Enter the parts that call to you. Let the rest go.
May the journey we take together in this way bring you solace in these times and a deepening understanding of your place as a beloved one in the family of all beings.
The First Waypoint (Click Here)
The Second Waypoint (Click Here)
The Third Waypoint (Click Here)
The Fourth Waypoint (Click Here)
The Fifth Waypoint (Click Here)
The Sixth Waypoint (Click Here)
The Seventh Waypoint (Click Here)
Filming and editing by Katie Jones Pomeroy // Online design and social media coordination by Joy Houck Bauer
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If this event resonated with you you’d like to make a donation to Rolling Ridge Study Retreat, you can do so here. These gifts will enable us to continue to offer hospitality and retreats and further our work in sustainable living, community building and wilderness preservation.
𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮.