May 12- Ascension Sunday - Via Lucis

Via Lucis – Way of Light - Stations of the Resurrection:

1.            Jesus is raised from the dead

2.            The finding of the empty tomb

3.            Mary Magdalene meets the risen Jesus

4.            Jesus appears on the road to Emmaus

5.            Jesus is known in the breaking of bread

6.            Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem

7.            Jesus gives the disciples his peace and the power to forgive sins

8.            Jesus strengthens the faith of Thomas

9.            Jesus appears by the Sea of Tiberias

10.          Jesus forgives Peter and commands him to feed his sheep

11.          Jesus commissions the disciples upon the mountain

12.          The Ascension of Jesus

13.          Mary and the disciples wait in prayer

14.          The Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost

In the summer of 1988, Father Sabino Palumbieri, Professor of Anthropology at the Salesian University in Rome, proposed the creation of a new set of stations, centered upon the Resurrection and the events following from it, so as to emphasize the positive, hopeful aspect of the Christian story which, though not absent from the Stations of the Cross, is obscured by their emphasis upon suffering. The first major public celebration of this devotion was in 1990, after which it gained greater currency.

In December 2001, the Holy See promulgated a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, which commended the Via Lucis as follows:

A pious exercise called the Via Lucis (Way of the Light) has developed and spread to many regions in recent years. Following the model of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross), the faithful process while meditating on the various appearances of Jesus – from his Resurrection to his Ascension – in which he showed his glory to the disciples who awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit, strengthened their faith, brought to completion his teaching on the Kingdom and more closely defined the sacramental and hierarchical structure of the Church.

Through the Via Lucis, the faithful recall the central event of the faith – the resurrection of Christ – and their discipleship in virtue of Baptism, the paschal sacrament by which they have passed from the darkness of sin to the bright radiance of the light of grace.

Just as Friday is the special day for the Via Crucis, Sunday is the day for the Via Lucis.