Walking with Christ towards the Renewal of Our Life; is the motto of the Via Crucis, the Stations of the Cross that members of the Parish of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, Mother of the Church, have been carrying out for the last 15 years as they commemorate the Passion of Christ.
“What we do is to relive what Jesus suffered to redeem us from sin. It reminds us of what He endured to obtain forgiveness and Redemption for us.” Juan Juarez, together with his wife Sandra, and with the support of the parish community, organized one of the events attended by hundreds of people, not only from the Diocese of Corpus Christi but from other cities and countries, since it is a community formed mostly by Latin-American families.
They prepare themselves spiritually since the beginning of the year and intensify their work from Ash Wednesday on. All the parish groups and ministries are involved. The children of the catechism classes become angels or participants of the people.
Daniela and Arnulfo López, two children who participated as angels, said, “It means to accompany Jesus on his way and to be with Him. I think that Jesus did something very great for us: to die and rise again!” Daniela added, “I want to help him with everything that happened so that he knows that we are God’s messengers and he doesn’t feel so bad.”
One of the most important roles is that of the Virgin Mary, which over the years has been played by four mothers and this year by Monica Gomez Torres: “I have lived the Stations of the Cross several times in this parish, and it has always impacted me, but on this occasion, I felt especially blessed and very surprised because I do not know why God chose me to represent Mary. It is a great happiness and also a great commitment. As a mother, I can feel her pain and I hope to be able to transmit it. In the silence of the Virgin, I feel her acceptance and I feel the need to let people know everything that she lived and suffered because, for me, there is no greater pain than to see a child suffer.”
Jesus of Nazareth was played by Salvador Velazquez who once again expressed his joy and happiness at being chosen to represent Our Lord Jesus Christ: “I prepare myself by meditating on his Passion, I pray and reflect. In my daily life, I try to carry my cross with joy, compassion, and gratitude and accompany Jesus in His martyrdom. My strength is in His forgiveness. His falls remind me of my falls and that with Him I can rise.” Salvador has portrayed Jesus ten times.
José Pacheco, who enacted the apostle Peter, said, “It has been my turn to be Peter for the second time and although I do not speak or say much, it has deeply touched my heart to live this conversion to the Lord. This role provokes me daily to reflect so as not to deny the Lord with my actions. It has helped me to deepen my understanding of the human struggle and certain trials that we have to go through.”
Luis Lopez participated for the first time in the Via Crucis of the parish of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, Mother of the Church. He played one of the soldiers, and he was very excited to be able to participate in the recreation of what Jesus Christ did to redeem humanity from sin, “which means that He conquered death. As a soldier, I hope not to be one of those who scourged Our Lord, or put the crown of thorns on Him, but it is part of what Jesus lived to redeem us to give us the hope for eternal life. I thank Our Lord for bringing us together, and the Holy Spirit for enlightening us.”
Year after year the personified narration of the Passion of Christ starts from the moment Judas sells Him for 20 coins to the Sanhedrin until His crucifixion and death. All of this is based on the Gospels.
Father Juan Fernando Gamez encourages and supports his parishioners: “The Way of the Cross means to walk with Christ to renew our faith. It is to realize that Jesus’ sacrifice was not in vain. This Good Friday presentation is an expression of the faith of the Hispanic community.”