Customer Reviews

Everyone's Way of the Cross

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This is the edition I have been using for years. It was originally published as `everyman's way of the cross' and has sold over 2 million copies. The photo's accompanying each meditation are black and white photo's of everyday life; an apartment building someone in a library, an old man sitting in a park. These down to earth pictures help bring the meditations home to today and now.

It seems to be Clarance Ensler's style to be able to speak well taking the point of view of Christ speaking to us. He did so well in "My Other Self", and that's the tone of this Way of the Cross.

At the begining, he states "My Mass wasn't finished until I crowned it with my death. Your Mass isn't finished until you crown it with your life."

In each station, he draws out some area, some idea in our life that we can offer as a sacarafice to God, from accepting the suffering of our loved ones, to accepting our own death. How the bordom and trials of work can be a fitting offering to God. In this prayer, our lives become tied intimately to Christ's.

Everyone's way of the cross is a version that works very well as an individual devotion - in contrast to forms that require a leader/everyone else diachotomy. However, it can be used by a group in a two voice manner - one voice of Jesus, the other the voice of human response.

This version is based upon the 14 traditional stations. Each station's text is accompanied by a photo that in some manner reflects the common suffering of mankind - age, loneliness, brokenness .... This is a very simple, poetic, meditative version of the Way of the Cross. An example of the human response at the 4th station (Jesus meets his Mother): "To carry my cross after you, / I, too, must stand and watch / the sufferings of my dear ones - / the heartaches, sicknesses and grief / of those I love."

These meditations are written in a conversational format, with a gentle and fluid sort of writing style. They lend themselves particularly well to everyday life application. Read slowly, with accompanying meditation, the chances of them making a personal and lasting impression on the reader are high.
It's with a great deal of conviction then that I most heartily recommend this book.

In all honesty, this small book offers real deep insight into the Stations of the Cross. Stations of the Cross is a very moving service in itself, but this devotion takes it a step further. We are exposed to a closer look at each station. Also, we are given an oppurtunity to see how each of the individual stations applies to everyday life. This belongs in the library of any Roman Catholic or Anglo Catholic. In my opinion, Edward the Confessor and the blessed Anglican Martyr Charles Stuart would have loved this dearly.

This book is an excellent resource for Lent as it combines historic events with a response for today. Although some explanation may be helpful when used by Protestants, it can deepen the understanding of the worshippers while calling them to a greater commitment to living a Christ directed life. The photography heightens the impact of the words.

In The Gospel Accoding to Luke, Jesus says: "...If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). As Catholics, Anglo Catholics, Methodists, or any kind of Christians, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking about Jesus only for an hour or so at church on Sunday. (Most of us are often guilty of this. Myself included.) This short but profound book emphasizes that in a way, each of the 14 Stations of the Cross is applicable to the way we live our lives. My first advice is to NOT let the thin length of this book fool you. It packs a lot of profound material. The book begins with 'Jesus' explaining that his life was not complete until it was crowned with the 14 stations of the cross. The author has 'Jesus' give a small comment about each of the 14 stations, and then he allows us to see how each of the 14 stations apply to our own life. Without going through all the 14 stations, one of the standouts is accepting our hardships as well as our human weaknesses. He also reminds us that as much as we might suffer, it is more painful for someone who is watching us suffer. Another standout is reminding us that we have our "Simon of Cyrenes" to help us carry our cross and that we can be "Simon of Cyrenes" to others. (For those of you who do not know this, Simon of Cyrene was the man who helped Jesus carry his cross on the way to the crucifixion.) Another standout is how ends lead to new beginnings. Another standout chapter emphasizes how a desire for prestige or wealth can often distance us from God or even moral values. (Jen Garner's character learned this in her "13 Going On 30.") One of the strongest chapters is 13 where 'Jesus' explains that life is full of meetings and partings. We've all heard this before, but it has is a bit more impact here. The book concludes with 'Jesus' telling us to take up our crosses and follow him. Overall it's a profound book that focuses Christian values in 14 easy to read chapters. If you are Catholic or Protestant there is no excuse for not reading this. Even a not so fast reader would only have to invest 30 minutes (if that)! My only complaint about this book is that I myself would have had each chapter preceeded by the official printed station of the cross. (What we hear at Good Friday.) But this situation can easily be fixed if you have a copy of "The Way of the Cross" to read along side with it. This is a compact but powerful book that no Christian should be without.

This simple little book catches you from the first page and never lets go through to the last page.Enzler writes beautifully, powerfully and movingly. A completely different way of looking at the Way of the Cross,because of how it makes the various steps personal. I have used it many times on a Way of The Cross and it has never failed to move me or provide an insight I needed. I have also used it as a spiritual guide to meditation and it has been perfect for that purpose.

Everyone's Way of The Cross offers powerful reflections on the 14 stations in a way that makes them relevant to every person in every circumstance of life. I use them with my parish and receive very positive and moving comments about them.

This is a beautiful reflection on the stations. I remember using it in Catholic grade school. How very sad that it was neutered by the feminists at Notre Dame and who so maliciously try to destroy any reference to MAN in the Church today!