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Way of Light

with meditations by

Francis de Sales

2022

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graphic design by : Elena CRISTINO

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Contents

STATIONS I - IV

STATIONS V - VIII

STATIONS IX - XII

STATIONSXIII - XIV

Final prayer

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Jesus is raised

from the dead

Mt 28:5-7

The Risen Lord

appears to Mary

Magdalene

Jn 20:15-17

The disciples

nd the empty

sepulchre

Jn 20:4-8

Jesus appears

on the road to

Emmaus

Lk 24:18-19,25-27

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Jesus is known

in the breaking

of the bread

Lk 24:29-33

Jesus gives the

disciples the

authority to

forgive sins

Jn 20:19-23

Jesus appears

to the disciples

in Jerusalem

Lk 24:38-43

Jesus

strengthens the

faith of Thomas

Jn 20:25-29

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Jesus appears

by the Sea of

Tiberias

Jn 21:5-6,11

Jesus

commissions

his disciples

Mt 28:18-20

Jesus tells

Peter to feed

his sheep

Jn 21:15-17

Jesus ascends

into heaven

Acts 1:9-11

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Mary and the

disciples wait

in prayer

Acts 1:13-14

The Holy Spirit

descends at

Pentecost

Acts 2:1-4

Victimae paschali laudes

immolent Christiani.

Agnus redemit oves:

Christus innocens Patri

reconciliavit peccatores.

Mors et vita duello

con ixere mirando:

dux vitae mortuus,

regnat vivus.

Dic nobis Maria,

quid vidisti in via?

Sepulcrum Christi viventis,

et gloriam vidi resurgentis

Angelicos testes,

sudarium, et vestes.

Surrexit Christus spes mea:

praecedet suos in Galilaeam.

Scimus Christum surrexisse

a mortuis vere:

tu nobis, victor Rex, miserere.

Resurrezione di Cristo - Rubens - Palazzo Pitti -

Firenze

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Jesus is raised from the

dead

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

Anastasis, chiesa di San Salvatore,

Chora (Turchia), inizi del secolo XIV.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that

you are looking for Jesus, who was cruci ed. He is not here; he

has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the

dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see

him.’ Now I have told you.”

(Mt 28:5-7)

Devotion [= making the Risen Jesus present in our lives!]

in no way spoils anything if it be true, rather it makes

everything perfect. When it con icts with any person's

legitimate occupation, it is without doubt false. “The bee”

says Aristotle, “sucks honey from owers without

damaging them,” leaving them as whole and as fresh as it

found them. But true devotion does even better. Not only

does it not spoil any sort of life-situation or occupation,

but on the contrary enriches it and makes it attractive...

Devotion makes the care of the family peaceful, the love

of husband and wife more sincere, the service of the ruler

more loyal, and every sort of occupation more pleasant

and more loveable... It is an error, or rather, a heresy,

to try to exclude the devout life from the soldiers' regiment,

the workmen's shop, the court of rulers or the home of the

married.

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The disciples nd

the empty sepulchre

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and

reached the tomb rst; 5 and stooping to look in, he saw the

linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon

Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw

the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his

head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place

by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb rst,

also went in, and he saw and believed

(Jn 20:4-8)

Eugène Burnand. La

corsa dei discepoli

Pietro a Giovanni al

sepolcro (1898)

Blind persons do not see a prince who is among them.

If they are told of his presence, they behave with

respect. But, in fact, since they do not see him, they

easily forget his presence. Having forgotten it, they

more easily lose respect and reverence. Alas,

Philothea, we do not see God who is present with us.

Though faith reminds us of his presence, since we do

not see him with our eyes, we very o en forget and

behave as though God was very far from us.

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The Risen Lord appears

to Mary Magdalene

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

"Noli me tangere", Giotto,

Cappella degli Scrovegni,

Padova, 1303-1305.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are

you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to

him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have

laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned and said to him in Aramaic,[b] “Rabboni!” (which

means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I

have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and

say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to

my God and your God.’”

(Jn 20:15-17)

What are the owers of our heart, Philothea? Our Good

desires, certainly. As soon as they appear, we should get

hold of a pruning knife to cut o from our conscience

every deed that is useless and irrelevant. In order to

marry an Israelite, a girl who was a foreigner had to take

o the garment she was wearing as a captive, trim her

nails and shave her head. So whoever seeks the honour of

being a spouse of Christ has to strip o the old self and

be clothed in the new, giving up sin and then trimming

and cutting away all sorts of obstructions which lead away

from the love of God.... The usual puri cation and

healing, of the body as well as of the spirit, takes place

only little by little, by gradual progress, by constant

improvement, with e ort and over a period of time.

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Jesus appears on the

road to Emmaus

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know

the things that have happened there in these days?” And

he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him,

“Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet

mighty in deed and word before God and all the people”

[…] And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of

heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it

not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things

and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and

all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the

Scriptures the things concerning himself.

(Lk 24:18-19,25-27)

Duccio di Buoninsegna,

Cristo ad Emmaus, (1308-

1311), Museo dell'Opera

Metropolitana del Duomo

(Siena).

Devotion [= God’s love received and given] is to be

practised di erently by the nobleman, the workman,

the servant, the prince, the widow, the young girl, the

wife. Even more than this, the practice of devotion has

to be adapted to the strength, life-situation and duties

of each individual... No matter where we are, we can

and we should seek a life of perfection.

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Jesus is known in the

breaking of the bread

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day

is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread,

blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their

eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he

vanished from their sight. They said to each other,

‘Were not our hearts burning within us[k] while he was

talking to us on the road, while he was opening the

scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and

returned to Jerusalem.

(Lk 24:29-33)

Cena in Emmaus (1648),

Rembrandt (Musée du

Louvre).

The glass of a mirror would not catch our re ection if its

back were not covered with tin or lead. Similarly, we could

not easily contemplate God in this world if the Divinity

were not united to the sacred humanity of the Saviour. His

life and death are the most suitable, appealing, delightful

and fruitful subjects that we can take for our ordinary

meditation.

The Saviour calls himself, not without reason, the bread

come down from heaven. As bread should be eaten with

all sorts of food, so also the Saviour should be meditated

on, considered and searched for in all our prayers and

actions.

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Jesus appears to the

disciples in Jerusalem

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

Cristo risorto nel

Cenacolo, circa 1670.

Mattia Pretti, Museo

de Bellas Artes,

Siviglia.

‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your

hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I

myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have esh

and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said

this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their

joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to

them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a

piece of broiled sh, and he took it and ate in their

presence.

(Lk 24:29-33)

In the same way, my dear Philothea, the world

defames holy devotion as much as it can. It

represents devout persons with faces that are

dissatis ed, sad and sulky. It proclaims that devotion

makes people depressed and unbearable. But Joshua

and Caleb insisted that the Promised Land was good

and beautiful, and also that possessing it would be

delightful and pleasant. So also the Holy Spirit

assures us, through the words of all the Saints, and

our Lord by his own teaching, that the devout life is

pleasant, happy and lovable.

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Jesus gives the disciples

the authority to forgive

sins

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

L’Apparizione di Cristo

durante la cena degli

apostoli. Duccio di

Buoninsegna (1308-1311).

Museo dell'Opera

Metropolitana del Duomo

(Siena).

Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be

with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands

and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw

the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As

the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said

this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the

Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are

forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are

retained.’

(Jn 20:19-23)

Another considers himself devout because of the very

great number of prayers he recites every day, even

though soon a er this he speaks words that are

annoying, full of pride and hurtful to those in his

house and to his neighbours. Another very gladly

opens his purse to give alms to the poor but cannot

take any gentleness from his heart to forgive his

enemies. Yet another will forgive his enemies but will

not pay what he owes unless he is legally forced to do

so.

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Jesus strengthens the

faith of Thomas

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

Incredulità di san

Tommaso, Caravaggio

(1600-1601 ),

Bildergalerie de Potsdam.

‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put

my nger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his

side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and

Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut,

Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be

with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your nger here

and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in

my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered

him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have

you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are

those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

(Jn 20:25-29)

What good do we have that we have not received? If

we have received then why are we proud (1 Cor.

4:7)? On the contrary, a lively consideration of the

graces received makes us humble, for recognition

of them begets gratitude [...]

Let us never lower our eyes without humbling our

hearts. Let us not make a show of wanting to be the

last unless we really wih it.

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Jesus appears by the Sea

of Tiberias

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

Cristo sul mare di Galilea

Tintoretto (1575-1580),

National Gallery of Art,

Washington.

“Children, do you have any sh?” They answered him,

“No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of

the boat, and you will nd some.” So they cast it, and now

they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity

of sh. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to

Peter, “It is the Lord!” […]Simon Peter went aboard and

hauled the net ashore, full of large sh, 153 of them. And

although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus

said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”

(Jn 21:5-6,11)

Which of the two I pray you loved God more, the theologian

Occam, held by some to be the most subtle of mortals, or S.

Catherine of Genoa, an unlearned woman? He knew God

better by science, she by experience; and her experience

conducted her deep into seraphic love, while he with his

knowledge remained far remote from this excellent

perfection.

knowledge is not of itself contrary, but very useful to

devotion, and meeting together they marvellously assist one

another; though it o en happens through our misery that

knowledge hinders the birth of devotion, because knowledge

pu s up (1 Cor 8:1) and makes us proud, and pride, which is

contrary to every virtue, is the total ruin of devotion.

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Jesus tells Peter to feed

his sheep

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you

love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord;

you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my

lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of

John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you

know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do

you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him

the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him,

“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep”.

(Jn 21:15-17)

Consegna delle chiavi

- Pietro Perugino

(1481-1482),

Cappella Sistina.

Francis, Pastor and Bishop of Geneva 1602-1622.

Now the Diocese is in his hands and it is up to him to

lead it. He feels the weight and e ort of this new task:

“That day God had taken me from myself

and thus give me to the people,

meaning that he had transformed me

from what I was for myself into what I had to be for

them.”

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Jesus commissions his

disciples

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

Duccio di Buoninsegna,

L'Apparizione di Cristo sul

monte della Galilea,

Museo dell'Opera

Metropolitana del Duomo

(Siena).

Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven

and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and

make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy

Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have

commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the

close of the age.”

(Mt 28:18-20)

The Risen One entrusts the universal mission.

What shall we do, then, Canons of Geneva? With charity we

must tear down the walls of Geneva, with charity we must

invade it, with charity we must reconquer it. It is with

hunger and thirst endured by ourselves that we must repel

the enemy. How to reconquer it? As Holofernes did with the

city of Bethulia: by cutting o the springs, by cutting o the

aqueducts!

There is an aqueduct that nourishes and refreshes, so to

speak, every category of heretic, and this can be identi ed as

the bad example of perverse priests, the actions, words and

the wickedness of everyone, but especially of the clergy

We must live as children of God. not only in name, but also

in fact.

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Jesus ascends

into heaven

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

Duccio di Buoninsegna,

L'Apparizione di Cristo sul

monte della Galilea,

Museo dell'Opera

Metropolitana del Duomo

(Siena).

As they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud

took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing

into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by

them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do

you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was

taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same

way as you saw him go into heaven.”

( Acts 1:9-11)

Have you ever seen, Philothea, a large replace covered with

ashes? When you come ten or twelve hours later in search of

re, you will nd only a little at the centre and even that

with di culty. Yet it is there, and since you nd it, you can

rekindle with it all other coals that had already gone out.

It is the same with charity, which is our spiritual life, amidst

great and violent temptations. In fact, the temptation

casting its delight into the inferior part of the soul seems

to cover the whole soul with ashes and to reduce the love

of God to a spark. For it appears only in the very centre

of the heart, in the very depths of the spirit. It seems so

imperceptible that it is di cult to discover it at all.

Yet it is really there. Even though all may be troubled

in our soul and our body, yet we have the resolution never

to consent to the sin or to the temptation.

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Mary and the disciples

wait in prayer

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

They went to the room upstairs where they were

staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew,

Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,

James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and

Judas son of[c] James. All these were constantly

devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain

women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well

as his brothers.

(Acts 1:13-14)

Pentecoste, Messale

secolo XIV, in pergamena

(Anglia orientale).

You should say them [your prayers] xing your

attention earnestly on the words, and allowing

their meaning to stir up good movements in your

will. Do not hurry in order to say many prayers

but take care to say those that you do say from

the heart. One Our Father said earnestly is of

greater value than many recited quickly

and in a hurry.

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The Holy Spirit

descends at Pentecost

Queen of Heaven, rejoice,

For He whom you did merit to bear,

Has risen, as he said,

Pray for us to God,

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary,

For the Lord has truly risen.

Pentecoste - El Greco

(1597-1600), Museo

Nacional del Prado,

Madrid.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were

all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came

from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it lled

all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared to them tongues as of re,

distributed and resting on each one of them.

And they were all lled with the Holy Spirit and began

to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave

them utterance.

(Acts 2:1-4)

As for myself, if I had, for example, taken great care not to

fall into the vice of vanity and yet fell deeply into it,

I would not like to correct my heart in the following

manner: “Are you not wretched and abominable that a er

so many resolutions you allowed yourself to be carried

away by vanity? Die of shame, do not raise your eyes to

heaven, you blind, shameless, traitor disloyal to your God';

and similar expressions.” But I would like to correct it

reasonably by means of compassion: “Alas! my poor heart,

here we are fallen again into the ditch which we had so

rmly decided to avoid. Let us get up and leave it for ever.

Let us entreat the mercy of God and hope that henceforth

it will help us to be rm; let us return to the path

of humility.”

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Jesus Christ is risen! Love has triumphed over hatred, life has conquered death, light has dispelled the

darkness!

On Easter morning, alerted by the women, Peter and John ran to the tomb. They found it open and empty.

Then they drew near and “bent down” in order to enter it. To enter into the mystery, we need to “bend

down”, to abase ourselves. Only those who abase themselves understand the glori cation of Jesus and are

able to follow him on his way. Those who bear within them God’s power, his love and his justice, do not

need to employ violence; they speak and act with the power of truth, beauty and love. From the risen

Lord we ask today the grace not to succumb to the pride which fuels violence and war, but to have the

humble courage of pardon and peace. We ask Jesus, the Victor over death, to lighten the sufferings of our

many brothers and sisters who are persecuted for his name, and of all those who suffer injustice as a

result of ongoing con icts and violence. There are so many of them!

“Ubi et Orbi” message – Easter 2015

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He’s alive

and he’s

here!