The Stations of the Cross etch a story of pain and humiliation in the life of Jesus. There are parallels closer to home as well as across our world, be it in Ukraine, Nicaragua, Iraq or Pakistan that are ‘twinned’ with Gethsemane and Golgotha. This book invites us on a journey as we discern and dialogue for new horizons of gospel service as a church on a Synod path. We are part of a body that is greater than our own individual bodies. We have hearts and souls. Through Baptism, the Eucharist, the shared commitment of our resources, the living out of radical forgiveness, the inclusive service of compassion to all and the willingness to make sacrifices with the lowest, the least and the lost will lead us to be called the ‘body of Christ.’

This book invites you to consider, if as a church, we are part of the un-noticed, the un-recognised and the forgotten that makes us feel their pain and humiliation. This book helps us to discover the paschal (‘pass over’) significance of the cross as a response to the suffering that sears many lives today. Here we can embody the words of Jesus: ‘This is my body given for you.’ Through this proclamation, we can call ourselves the Church. This book sees Jesus as the guardian of the wounded and the tortured. It invites us, like Simon of Cyrene and Veronica to embrace and caress the open wounds that scar innocent lives. The Stations of the Cross lead us, like the Centurion who pierces the side of Christ, to recognise divinity at the heart of humanity.