“The Stations of the Cross in Slow Motion”
Suzan Sammons, Sophia Institute Press (2024)
160 pages, $10.00
Suzan Sammons’ latest book “The Stations of the Cross in Slow Motion,” led to a meaningful Lent for me and my whole family last year.
Everyone from my 6-year-old son to my 40-something, armchair philosopher husband got a lot out of its daily readings — they’re the perfect combination of short (two pages each), simple enough for a child to understand, and yet profoundly deep — based on Scripture, the writings of the early Fathers of the Church and the prayers of the saints.
Family time
Unlike experiencing the traditional devotion of the Stations of the Cross at our local parish — something we do each Lent and something I still highly recommend — Sammons’ new book helps you to slow down and meditate on each station for three to four days, rather than for a few minutes. But the commitment to this Lenten devotion is really doable, even for a busy family.
For us, it was a matter of gathering for about 10 to 15 minutes each evening after dinner. My younger kids took turns announcing the evening’s station and carrying the open book around the room for each person to reflect on that particular station’s artwork (all beautiful, classic paintings by 19th-century artist Theophile Lybaert). After that, my husband, teens or I read the short opening antiphon, Gospel reading/meditation and reflection questions aloud.
The book sparked a lot of enjoyable and meaningful family discussions. The creative reflection questions helped us talk about delicate subjects such as sin, temptation and the importance of confession in a laid-back, light-hearted manner.
Author’s thoughts
I recently reached out to Sammons to find out a little more about what she hopes this work will accomplish. She responded via email:
–Robsdottir: What motivated you to write this book?
–Sammons: I love that the Stations of the Cross devotion invites us to imagine ourselves on the road to Calvary, walking along with the Lord. There is really so much to ponder as we consider each one of these 14 events, but sometimes as we pray them together, they are over so quickly — we might not have the time to dig deeply into the meaning of each one.
So I wrote this book to help us slow down a little, not to take away from the corporate, indulgenced way of praying the stations as we do at our parishes, but to help Catholics see each station anew. The perspectives I include from the saints and the Fathers of the Church help us look deeply into the mystery surrounding each beautiful step our Lord took on the way to Calvary.
–Robsdottir: What’s the most important thing you hope your readers gain from it?
–Sammons: I hope readers gain a deeper love for our suffering Lord. I hope they fall more deeply in love with him as they consider his unquenchable love for us, which we see along his way to Calvary. And I hope that they come away from the book with a sense that each station holds a depth of meaning that speaks to us of his love.
–Robsdottir: Lastly, what did you learn from writing this book?
–Sammons: I learned that it’s not just what Christ suffered, but how he suffered that teaches us so profoundly how we then must live. I also learned concrete evidence for what my heart always suspected: the stations aren’t random events. They didn’t just happen and get recorded, like plays in a baseball game. They were intended to teach and form us. It would be a shame not to let them do so!
Sarah Robsdottir is a Catholic convert and a homeschooling mom to seven growing sons. Her debut novel “Brave Water” was released by Voyage Publishing in 2022, and her second novel “Joan of Arkansas” will be released by Voyage Publishing in the spring of 2025. Keep up with Sarah at www.sarahrobsdottir.com.
