Walking the Way of Sorrows: Stations of the Cross

Rating:
Summary: Walking the Way of Sorrows
Review: Before reading this book, I was only vaguely familiar with the Stations of the Cross. Though the illustrations are powerful enough to tell the story of each station on their own, the author has done an excellent job of placing the reader inside each station. The writing style the author uses enables the reader to be witness to the stations as they happen ~ as if you were actually there. The reader is moved to tears as the author sheds light on the gravity of the reality of Christ's crucifixion.
I read this book before seeing "The Passion of the Christ" recently.... had I not read the book, the movie would have been profound enough on its own, but the knowledge and perspective I gained from reading it added to the power of the movie and I am very thankful that I had the chance to read the book first.
If you have seen the movie, you will remember each scene distinctly as you read the book... If you haven't seen the movie, read the book first and the movie will be so much more powerful... Either way, I think anyone who reads this book will be so thankful that they did. For both the monologues as well as the illustrations. The artist is incredible ~ you will LOVE the pictures. They are so real and heartbreaking... you just have to see for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Look for Yourself
Review: Walking the Way of Sorrows, Katerina Whitley's third book of biblical storytelling is both similar to and quite different from her previous books. In her earlier books the characters are all women. Each women's story stands alone, connected only by their mutual connection to God. In Walking the Way of Sorrows Whitley chose the linked narrative of the Stations of the Cross. The major change is that the presence of numerous men along the Via Dolorosa necessarily expanded her exploration to include men's reaction to meeting the divine. She speaks, in the introduction, of her trepidation at entering the unfamiliar territory of the male reaction to Jesus. But she needn't have worried. The men all come across as thoroughly masculine and as individual all any of the women she has written about.

The first narrative is of the soldier who escorted Jesus back to Pilate after his examination by Herod during the long night after his capture. He makes sure we understand he is a Roman soldier, not some barbarian riffraff, and that he is tough enough to do his job. But, "I looked into his eyes!" he cries, sorrowing for the good man who must go to underserved punishment because Pilate is afraid of political repercussions.

After a quick read I am looking forward to exploring each story in depth. I read through it in an afternoon, hoping to find material for a family Lenten study. The difficult part is not in deciding to use this book in my education ministry this Lent, but in finding the best way to present it to a group. With each monologue conducted by a different actor the book could lie at the heart an excellent Good Friday liturgy. On the other hand, read and discussed week by week, the narrations in Walking the Way of Sorrows would expand to fill the whole season with Whitley's vision of humanity's response to God.

This book is beautifully illustrated by Noyes Capehart's woodcuts. These illuminations enhance the reader's understanding of the people in the stories. Rather, since the woodcuts were the inspiration for the monologues, the stories enhance the illustrations. Whichever way you see them they also make admirable meditation pieces on their own.