REFLECTIONS

The Second Station: Jesus takes up his cross

Location: Boutwell Auditorium, a city shelter during the coldest times

Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of the homeless and the poorly housed in this city. Draw near and comfort them in spirit and bless those who work to provide them with shelter, food and friendship. We pray this in the name of the one who had ‘no place to lay His head.’”

A memorable experience for Ginger Rueve, first time participant and member of St. Mary’s-on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church: “As we prayed for the homeless community, we were standing mere inches away from a half a dozen people who have made their impermanent “homes” on the sidewalk where we stood. That was VERY powerful for me.”

The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene carries the cross

Location: Bus Stop between 5th and 6th Ave.N

Liturgy highlight: So many cannot afford a reliable car to get to and from their jobs. The poor cannot gain independence without adequate public transportation. Lord, give public officials the wisdom and the courage to work together to solve the public transportation problem that plagues us. And give us the energy to advocate for the transportation needs of others.

A memorable experience for the Rev. Carolyn Foster, Faith in Community Coordinator for Greater Birmingham Ministries: “The bus stop where we prayed is overgrown with grass, weeds and anthills, yet people without dependable transportation have to wait there to get to work, go to the doctor or to buy their groceries. It is always very powerful and meaningful to really see for the first time the conditions like this, that poor and low-income people contend with on a daily basis.”

The Eighth Station: Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem

Location: Pathways (Birmingham’s oldest continuously operating agency serving women and children experiencing homelessness)

Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of children who have no one to care for them, in latch-key children who grow up too fast, in runaways and orphans who live in the streets, and in all children who are exploited in their innocence.Inflame the hearts of your people with a spirit of concern for their welfare.

A memorable experience for Robert McAdory, a first-time participant who carried the cross: “I remember how it was when parents were always there to encourage and teach you how to stay out of harm’s way and in your place. If you’re going to survive, don’t say much. Just be quiet.”

The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Location: The shuttered Cash Connection, 5th Ave. N. Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of those who struggle with debt and who are victims of the payday loan industry in our State. Help us to speak your gospel to those involved in this oppression.

A memorable experience for Mark LaGory, deacon of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: “It was meaningful to have a station that deals with that financial challenges people have, and this place is a failed financial institution. A downtown church worked to get it closed for a number of years now, which is the kind of thing that our faith can motivate. It’s not just thoughts and prayers.”

The Eleventh Station:

Jesus is nailed to the cross

Location: Kelly Ingram Park, the Snarling Police Dogs

Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of those who are the victims of prejudice and discrimination in all its forms, including racism, classism, sexism, ageism, and homophobia. May we see the face of God in each other and live in peace.

A memorable experience for Angela McGlothan, 68, a first-time participant who carried the cross and read at this station: “Envisioning the pain and suffering of so many during that dark era of the civil rights movement as I carried the cross was overwhelming. It’s disheartening to see that so many years later, however disguised, inequity still looms.”

The Thirteenth Station:

Jesus is taken down from the cross

Location: Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the Resurrection Window donated by the people of Wales

Liturgy highlight: We encounter the suffering Jesus in the faces of all those who care for the victims of hatred, violence, and oppression, for all those who advocate for the poor, the homeless, and the powerless, and all those who have the courage to speak the truth to power. Proclaim your truth in every age with many voices.

A memorable experience for Katy Smith, deacon affiliate, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: “There’s a twist here. When Jesus is taken down from the cross, we encounter all who have compassion—not just those who are marginalized but also those who can open their hearts and take people in.”

The Fourteenth Station:

Jesus is laid in the tomb

Location: Four Spirits Monument

Liturgy highlight: The worst things will not be the last things...Ours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Ours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Ours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.

A memorable experience for Mark LaGory, deacon of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: “From 16th Street Baptist Church and the window where girls were killed, going to the memorial to the girls is like a resurrection. You see them intentionally motioning to heaven.”

The next Stations of the Cross will be March 29, 2024. While Birmingham will always be 6552 miles from Jerusalem, this service closes the distance—as it opens hearts and minds to our collective participation in social inequities.

Michelle Hiskey is a freelance writer based in Georgia and a member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta.

Photography is by Andi Rice Mediaworks.