Feb 4 2014

The Twelfth Station

Jesus Dies Upon The Cross

In all four gospels the description of the crucifixion is brief and stark but that of Luke is particularly so –
“And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him”. [Luke 23:33]

The four evangelists inform us that many women were present at the crucifixion and they each name a few, but who they were is not perfectly clear. Mary Magdalene is named and so is Mary the mother of James the younger and Joseph. There are also the mother of the sons of Zebedee [i.e., James and John], Salome, and Mary the wife of Clopas. However, it is probable that two of the names refer to the same person. Strangely, only John’s gospel names Jesus’ mother. In the tableau we can easily identify Jesus’ mother but who are the other two?

Pilate’s inscription is now seen affixed to the cross. It bore the title “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews” and was written in Greek, Latin, and Aramaic (or Hebrew) and not, of course, in English. The inscription in the tableau simply bears the letters INRI which is the abbreviation of the Latin Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum –
“Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek”. [John 19:19-20]

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

PRAY FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE PURGATORIAN SOCIETY.

The use of the word purgatorian here is unusual. It is rarely used as an adjective and the society is always called the Purgatorial Society as, for example, on the fourth nave window in Fenor church.

Feb 4 2014

The Eleventh Station

Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross

Jesus was probably nailed through the wrists rather than the palms as that was the practice among the Romans. The feet were nailed through the ankles, just in front of the Achilles tendons.

This is a crowded tableau with seven people in it – more than in any other tableau. In the background on the right is Our Lady. The man with her is, probably, “the disciple whom he loved” – all the others had run away. This disciple was with Our Lady at the foot of the cross in John’s gospel, although we do not see him in any of the remaining tableaux.

The other two men in the background are probably Pharisees. One of them is holding a scroll that may well be Pilate’s inscription.

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

IN MEMORY OF ELLEN FLYNN, DAUGHTER
OF MARGARET FLYNN, BALLYGARRON

Feb 4 2014

The Tenth Station

Jesus Is Stripped Of His Garments

In the twelfth station we see Jesus almost naked on the cross, but it was the practice to crucify men completely naked to add shame to their other torments. So, in the tenth station, Jesus would have been stripped of all his garments –
“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.’ This was to fulfil the Scripture which says, ‘They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.’” [John 19:23-24]

The soldier who was with us at the first, third, and sixth stations is back with us.

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

IN MEMORY OF MICHAEL McNAMARA, CAHIR

Feb 4 2014

The Ninth Station

Jesus Falls A Third Time

We see again the man in blue whom we saw in the fifth station and whom we identified as Simon of Cyrene – the man wearing brown boots who was aiding Jesus.

We also see two more onlookers. They are wearing richer garments than the two at the third station and may be Pharisees. One of them appears to be pointing at the other who is brandishing a scroll. What is written in the scroll? Perhaps it is the inscription that Pilate wrote in the second station.

In Fenor church, one day long ago, during the Stations of the Cross, after the priest read out, “Jesus falls a third time”, a small boy with a piercing voice cried out, “How the ***** could he fall three times?” The small boy is a man now and, assuredly, knows the answer.

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

IN MEMORY OF JAMES BERESFORD,
WOODSTOWN, AND HIS SON HENRY.

Feb 4 2014

The Eighth Station

Jesus Consoles The Women

Perhaps the title of this station is a little strange for Jesus gives the women anything but consolation. The meeting is recorded in Luke’s gospel –
“And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us,” and to the hills, “Cover us.” For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?'” [Luke 23:27-31]

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

IN MEMORY OF ELLEN,
WIFE OF PATRICK FORAN, WHITEFIELD

Feb 4 2014

The Sixth Station

St. Veronica Wipes Our Lord’s Face

There is no mention of Veronica in the gospels but devotion to Veronica has existed since the middle ages. You can read a little more about her in connection with the second stained-glass windowof the north nave in Dunhill church.

The soldier, who has been most attentive to his duty so far, is shown in the tableau looking through a doorway with his back to Jesus, giving Veronica the chance to approach Jesus. The soldier will not be seen again until the tenth station.

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

IN MEMORY OF JAMES GOUGH, BALLYGARRON,
AND HIS WIFE MARY.

Feb 4 2014

The Fifth Station

Jesus Is Aided By Simon

Simon wasn’t given the chance to volunteer for this task –
“And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.” [Mark 15:21]

The tableau shows two men who are both holding the cross. Which one of them is Simon? There may be two clues that suggest that the man in blue is Simon. First, in all of the fourteen stations only two people are not barefoot – so far as we can see. The man in blue is one of the two and is wearing brown boots. That makes him different from almost all of the rest. Second, Luke tells us that Simon was behind Jesus –
“And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.” [Luke 23:26]

We will meet Simon again at the eighth station.

The words, “As they led him away” suggest that this should be the second or third station, rather than the fifth.

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

IN MEMORY OF JOHN PHELAN, CAHIR, AND HIS CHILDREN.

Feb 4 2014

The Fourth Station

Jesus Meets His Mother

This is another event that is not recorded in the gospels. In fact, there is no mention of Jesus’ mother in any of the gospel passion narratives except for the occasion when, in John’s gospel, she stood at the foot of the cross as Jesus was dying.

There is another woman present at the meeting. She is one of the women who accompanied Jesus on his journey from Galilee –
“There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” [Matthew 26:55-56]

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

IN MEMORY OF JAMES CURRAN,
BALLYSCANLON, AND HIS WIFE MARGARET

Feb 4 2014

The Third Station

Jesus Falls The First Time

This event is not recorded in the gospels, but it is likely to have occurred because Jesus had already been beaten and scourged and was, therefore, very weak.

In the background are the walls of Jerusalem. The place of crucifixion was just outside the walls so it wasn’t a long walk – but long enough when carrying such a weight.

Notice the two men in yellow and blue garb observing Jesus. They represent the onlookers – followers of Jesus, opponents, curious people, passers by, you and me.

The Roman (?) soldier stands in the background, too, unconcerned and uninvolved – it’s just another crucifixion.

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

PRAY FOR THE MULCAHY FAMILY, FENOR

Feb 4 2014

The Second Station

Jesus Is Laden With His Cross

It is unlikely that Jesus would have carried a complete cross. Rather, he would have carried only the horizontal cross-piece. The vertical shaft of the cross was usually left in situ after the previous crucifixion and ready for the next.

Pontius Pilate is still in the background of the tableau holding what looks like a tablet with writing on it. Perhaps it is the inscription that was affixed to the cross –

“Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.'” [John 19:19]

Of course, that is an English translation. It was actually written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

The dedication at the bottom of the tableau is:

IN MEMORY OF THE RELATIONS
OF ROBERT PHELAN OF ISLANDIKEANE

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The Twelfth Station