GRAIL PUBLICATION

Indiana

A Short Way of the Cross

By Walter Sullivan,

O.S.B.

St. Meinrad



Imprimi potest:

p Ignatius Esser, O.S.B.

Abbot of St. Meinrad’s Abbey

Nihil obstat:

Joseph D. Brokhage, S.T.D.

Censor Ubrorum

Imprimatur:

p Paul C. Schulte, D.D.

Archbishop of Indianapolis

Price ten cents

Copyright 1952 by

St. Meinrad’s Abbey, Inc.



MEDITATION

The way of the cross was first

traveled by Christ the Son of God,

and then by His disciples in Jeru-

salem, and finally by those who

believe in Him during every century

and in every part of the world.

When I make the stations I must

remember that in a real but mystical

way Christ Jesus walks to His death

every day in me . . . and in others

too whose passion I witness.

As one of the baptized, I am, in-

deed, Christ walking again toward

Mt. Calvary. This is what it means

to be a Christian. It means to

redeem the world with Christ by

the redemptive use of pain. It also

means that this life is the Passion

lived again in each docile and gen-

erous member of Christ’s mystical

body.

Illustrations by Ade de Bethune. Text
edited by Walter Sullivan, O.S.B. Copy-

right 1952 by St. Meinrad’s Abbey.



Christ in me

Christ in every human being

is again condemned to death.

I am on the way to my death

every day of my life.

How am I preparing for it?

2



Christ in me

Christ in everyone

takes up His cross today

Do not let it be said

that Christ in me

refuses to carry the cross.

3



When a human being falls

info serious sin

or refuses the cross,

Christ falls again.

How many times does Christ in me

fall to the ground?

4



Mary is interested in Christ in me

and hence interested

in the cross I am carrying.

Her interest encourages me

to keep going;

let me not disappoint her.

5



I must see Christ in others

especially in those who suffer.

When anyone carries a cross

I should help him

as Simon helped Christ.

Then I am also helping Christ.

6



I must not let human respect

ever keep me from Christ on the

altar or Christ in suffering human

beings.

Veronica was rewarded by Christ

because she disregarded

human respect.

7



Christ is weak irs me.

But 8 cannot lose courage and

confidence because Christ in me

cannot lose courage and

confidence.

Physical weakness need not mean

spiritual surrender.

8



Sin is the only terrible thing.

When I see suffering in myself

or in others ... let me not weep

over the suffering, but weep

over the sin which caused it.

Christ in me hates

only one thing—SIN!

9



My body may be crushed.

But the Christ-Spirit in me

must never be crushed.

When I am most humbled, then

I am nearest to redeeming

the world with Christ.

10



Think of poverty and chastity.

The poor Christ in me

is deprived of earthly goods

and the lonely Christ in me

is deprived of earthly loves.

Christ in me is nakedly poor

and chastely rich.

11



Think of obedience.

Christ in me is nailed down

by laws and regulations.

Christ in me adores the will

of the Father by generous and

loving obedience.

12



The consecration of my life

is renewed at every Mass consecra-

tion.

I die with Christ . .

.

death to sinful and selfish self-love.

Death to the world . . . that a sinful

world be redeemed and live again!

I die for love.

13



Mary looks at Christ in my death.

In my scars she reads the words

of a lying world

which promises great things.

She gave the world a beautiful

Babe, and the world returns to her

a Crucified Christ.

14



My life of obscurity . .

.

hidden and buried with Christ . .

.

a failure perhaps in the eyes of

men

but a divine success.

15



Let us pray

Dear God the Father, when you

look upon me you see Christ, your

Divine Son . .
.
you see Him con-

demned, falling, sick, weary, dis-

couraged . . . crucified and finally

dying . . . you see my flesh laid

away in the grave, and marked

with a stone, and forgotten . . . but

you also see Him triumphant in me

in my last resurrection from the

dead. Help me, Dear Father, so to

live that I may rise again with

Christ. Amen.

Our Father

Hail Mary

Glory be to the Father . .

.

16



The cross is but half

a cross, for the love

of Jesus Christ sweetens

all. One doesn’t suffer

much except when one

loves little.

—Fenelon