Lombardi editorial: The Way of the Cross of the Family

Thanks be to God for the Way of the Cross! Among the different events and celebrations of Holy Week, probably the most touching, the one that most fascinates people’s hearts, is the Way of the Cross. There’s nothing to be amazed at. Jesus has come to everyone, to men and women of every time, in their stories of suffering, whether it be free of guilt or the result of sin. And suffering is a fundamental, sometimes dominant part, of the experience of life. Being able to bring it close to, and even to join it to the suffering of Christ, is an immense gift for everyone; being able to place it within a mystery open to hope and resurrection is a divine gift for believers.

This year, the idea of entrusting the meditations of the Pope’s Way of the Cross at the Colosseum to an elderly married couple is a wonderful and inspired one, and a significant step in the preparation for the next world meeting of families in Milan at the beginning of June.

The Church is constantly committed to defending the family, at a time when the contemporary mindset tends rather to belittle its value or even ridicule its loyalty and stability. But we must also help the family by proposing a strong spirituality that can accompany it in times of difficulty, not only in material trouble or illness but also in those difficulties – sometimes profound and painful – between husband and wife, or when there are misunderstandings and rifts between parents and children, or when facing the solitude that comes at the death of a spouse. Helping those who have had the courage to form a family to continue to always believe in the power of Love: this is the reason for making the Way of the Cross of the family, together with Christ, towards Easter.

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