Who is the author of the “Stations of the Cross” devotion? It was none other than St. Francis of Assisi. The Franciscans are a Roman Catholic religious order, and they reveal the origins of the “Stations of the Cross” devotion:
“St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan order, authored Stations of the Cross that popularized the devotion throughout the world. Today, you’ll find Stations of the Cross in almost every Catholic Church, particularly prayed on Lenten Fridays, but available throughout the year for meditation and reflection.” [1]
The “Stations of the Cross” is a Catholic devotion that commemorates the last day of the life of Jesus. Worshippers meditate on 14 devotions or stations that took place during Christ’s passion. Roman Catholics around the world will be offering prayers, meditations, and devotions, which, according to Catholic tradition, follow Mary the Mother of Jesus, “who set up stone markers at her home outside Jerusalem to prayerfully retrace the steps of her son’s Passion.” [2]
In fact, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is honored at one of the “Stations of the Cross.” According to Catholic tradition, Station #4 commemorates Jesus’ alleged meeting with His mother Mary on the way to His crucifixion. Catholics offer prayers and devotions to the Virgin Mary at this particular station. [3] [4]
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But it will not just be Roman Catholics and Protestants joining in this Catholic tradition codified into the Easter celebration by St. Francis of Assisi. Seventh-day Adventists will be joining in the “Stations of the Cross” celebrations as well. According to the Instagram post above, the “Stations of the Cross” celebration will be hosted on Good Friday, April 15, 2022 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the AdventHealth University campus. This is helping to heal the divisions with Rome. The more we lower our standard of truth and send our leaders and members to these Catholic celebrations, the more we will abandon God’s commandments, deny the distinguishing truths of the faith, and return to Babylon with them.
It will be argued that the “Stations of the Cross” do teach some things that are good. The issue is that it also contains some teachings and meditations that are contrary to the Bible and should be rejected by Seventh-day Adventists. Our leaders, on the other hand, extol these Catholic traditions and ecumenical devotions. This isn’t just a problem in the United States. Too many Seventh-day Adventist churches and leaders around the world are conferring their blessings and joining the ecumenical revolution that is sweeping the world under the current administration.
Instead of embracing the Three Angels’ Messages, we are promoting the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi. Those who support and promote Rome’s agenda will ultimately be lost. And church leaders are either complicit in this ungodly scheme or too afraid to speak out against it. In any case, it appears that there are far too few voices speaking out to defend our faith against the agents of Rome who have made themselves comfortable in the church today.
All of these developments are designed to neutralize the unique messages of our faith. Let us rejoice that, despite all of the forces of evil working to destroy our historic Adventist message, God will always have a faithful minority who refuse to compromise His truth. We have been entrusted with earth’s last and greatest message, and everywhere people are looking to heaven for light and truth.
At this very moment, Jesus is calling you and I today to be the light of the world. We are to make visible the marvelous truth from heaven before the eyes of men and women, so that when the world sees the power of God both in the message and in the life of the Remnant people, they will worship and glorify our Father who is in heaven. Notice that only those who hold fast to the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3), the Three Angels’ Message, in context of the everlasting gospel, will ultimately triumph:
“The despised remnant are clothed in glorious apparel, nevermore to be defiled by the corruptions of the world. Their names are retained in the Lamb’s book of life, enrolled among the faithful of all ages. They have resisted the wiles of the deceiver; they have not been turned from their loyalty by the dragon’s roar. Now they are eternally secure from the tempter’s devices” (Prophets and Kings, p. 591
Sources
[1] https://www.atonementfriars.org/stations-cross/
[2] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Stations-of-the-Cross
[3] https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/187417/fourth-station-jesus-meets-his-mother
[4] https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/s/stations-of-the-cross-and-mary.php
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Total apostasy. If I hadn’t already removed my membership from the SDA corporate nominal system I would do so right now.
This is heartbreaking to witness. We were warned that the Omega would appear, and that it would be shocking. If this isn’t it, then I’m not sure what is.
Traditions are dangerous for sure… Mark 7:13 King James Bible
Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Dear Brother in Christ, It saddens me to know how quick you are to pass judgment without factual support. I would encourage you in the future to address a concern directly with the Chaplains or Mission Office of our University. If you had done so, you might have learned that the Stations of the Cross that were utilized during our Good Friday service, were in fact Biblical reflections that were in line with our Adventist faith. In fact, you may recall this passage by Spirit of Prophecy:
“It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour each day reviewing the life of Christ from the manger to Calvary. We should take it point by point and let the imagination vividly grasp each scene, especially the closing ones of His earthly life. By thus contemplating His teachings and sufferings, and the infinite sacrifice made by Him for the redemption of the race, we may strengthen our faith, quicken our love, and become more deeply imbued with the spirit which sustained our Saviour. If we would be saved at last we must all learn the lesson of penitence and faith at the foot of the cross…. Everything noble and generous in man will respond to the contemplation of Christ upon the cross.”19Testimonies for the Church 4:374.
The chaplain team, in collaboration with our student leaders, try to create diverse and engaging experiences for our students that are grounded in the Bible, which may include a speaker, a Bible study, a small group discussion etc. For Good Friday, we wanted to create an opportunity to reflect on the incredible sacrifice that Christ made for us in living the perfect life and dying the death we deserved. We prayerfully do what we feel led to, and trust the Holy Spirit to make up for our shortcomings.
I would invite you to consider the spirit in which you write articles such as these, whether an honest defense of the Truth, Jesus Christ, or the desire to be right? May God guide us all.