1. The Nativity
“While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:6-7)
✙ 4th Station of the Cross: Christ meets his mother
As Christ made his way through the city, tradition has it that he briefly met his mother along the way. Her presence at his Passion had been prophesied by Simeon.
✙ 10th Station of the Cross: Christ is stripped of his clothes
Christ went out through the city gate to the hill of Golgotha, which we know in English as ‘Calvary’. When he reached the summit, the soldiers stripped him of his clothes, leaving him naked and defenceless.
✙ 11th Station of the Cross: Christ is nailed to the cross
The 11th station pictures the crucifixion. At Golgotha, with arms and feet outstretched, Christ was brutally nailed to the cross by the Roman soldiers.
The Crucifixion (Psalm 22:1-18)
Psalm 22 is a prayer for relief from suffering. It was traditionally attributed to King David and also understood as a reference to the crucifixion of Christ.
The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
The Song of the Suffering Servant in the Book of Isaiah tells the story of a servant of God who suffers death for the sins of others. It was later interpreted by Jesus himself as referring to his death on the cross.
The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)
The story of how the Risen Christ talked anonymously with two of his mourning disciples on the Road to Emmaus is found in St Luke’s gospel.
The Multiplication of the Loaves (John 6:1-15)
The gospels describe how Christ blessed some loaves and fishes and then miraculously used them to feed more than five thousand people.
The Childhood of Christ (Luke 2:39-40; 51-52)
Although it’s a favourite subject in art, little is actually known of the childhood of Christ. St Luke's gospel says that after his birth in Bethlehem, he grew up in Nazareth, living in obedience to his parents.