La Via Dolorosa

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Do you know that there is a route through an old city in the Middle East known all over the world and is deeply venerated by different faiths?

"La Via Dolorosa" or Way of Suffering is the actual route in Jerusalem where Jesus carried the cross from the house of Pilate to Mount Calvary where he was crucified. This has become a popular and most revered pilgrimage destination of Christians from the west, east, and from all over the world.  



I did some research and found out that in the mid-4th century, Constantine the Roman emperor legalized Christianity, and pilgrimages to the famed route started. The Christians went there and felt it was safe and didn't worry that they might be impaled on the cross the same as Jesus. The Byzantine pilgrims walked the route from the actual events but did not stop along the way.  It was only in the 14th to the 16th century, where the 14 stations of the cross were introduced along the route because of the trend developing in Europe about the way of the cross.  


Through the centuries, the route has changed several times because of differences of opinions.  In fact in the middle ages, two rival routes surfaced because of the split between the Latin churches.  One route goes westward and the other goes eastward.  Today, most pilgrims follow the Byzantine route. So much for the debate on the route. I guess what's important is the significance of the place to our personal faith.  Maybe, if I were to visit the place, it would flood my mind with images of how Jesus suffered on that fateful day.

I did some further surfing on the internet and I chanced upon songs written about the Via Dolorosa.  I saw a version on YouTube sang by our very own Ms. Leah Salonga (watch this). The song was very moving and heart-rending.

Wish I could visit this place just once in my lifetime.  I'm going to add this to my bucket list of things to do before I'm too old to do it.

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