March 15, 2025 - Saturday of the First Week of Lent

Artist Sister Mary of the Compassion, OP (1908-1977)

Just before the start of Lent I was in Rome on a pilgrimage. One of the churches I visited was the Pontificio Santuario della Scala Santa. It is more commonly known as Scala Santa or, in English, the Holy Stairs. Tradition tells us the staircase in the church is from Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem and likely stepped on by Jesus on his way to his trial and Passion. It was relocated to Rome in the early fourth century by St. Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great. For centuries, pilgrims have climbed these twenty-eight stairs on their knees as a spiritual exercise of penance and transformation, opening their hearts to the mercy of God’s forgiveness.  

I began my journey up the steps on my knees believing I could go up them quickly, but the group in front of me moved slowly. At first, I was annoyed; my knees hurt a lot, especially because of my extensive arthritis. But as I slowly moved up each step, I could feel a change; I felt a transformation happening within me as I ascended the stairs. The hardness and annoyance in my heart softened, torn in the humble act of walking on my knees as I contemplated God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness, won for us by Jesus’s victory over death on the Cross. 

In my mind’s eye, I began to picture Jesus walking up these very steps to meet Pilate knowing he was facing certain death—a humiliating death—yet he accepted the Father’s will for him to save a fallen humanity. My long painful journey up those stairs in a certain sense allowed me to spiritually accompany our Lord on his journey to Pilate. His was a journey of radical love, even for his enemies in the face of death. 

As I approached the top of the stairs, I asked myself, could I drink from the same bitter cup? Could I love others in the face of persecution, insult, or by being ignored as a beloved child of God? Lent is a time to spiritually walk the Sacred Steps with Jesus, journeying with him step by step, opening our hearts to enter the mystery of God’s love for us, and our love for God and each other.  

Turn our hearts to you, eternal Father, and grant that, seeking always the one thing necessary and carrying out works of charity, we may be dedicated to your worship. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. (Roman Missal)

Deacon Andrew Saunders, Co-Director, 4:12 Pathway for Pastoral Leadership Grant

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