On Good Friday, the traditional Way of the Cross stretched out in Berčiūnai, presented as perhaps the most meaningful interpretation of the commemoration of the suffering of the Lord Jesus. Linas Vodopjanovas, the pastor of the Panevėžys diocese, invited those who walked through it to think about peace and pray for it.
“Good Friday is the day when we turn our thoughts and lift our hearts to the Crucified One. We think about Christ, who carried the cross to the hill of Golgotha”, – Bishop L. Vodopjanovas addressed those gathered to walk the Way of the Cross in Berčiūnai.
The shepherd emphasized that on this symbolic day, Christ went to death, stepped to the place of execution. At that time, the biggest criminals were hanged on the cross and hammered to it. The most innocent Man and God – Jesus Christ, who died a martyr’s death – also took on such a part by putting all our crimes and sins on the cross.
Bishop L. Vodopjanovas invited those walking the Way of the Cross of Berčiūnai to unite with the Christians of the Holy Land and ask that the war in that land finally cease.
“Let us pray for those in power to stop this terrible war,” urged the bishop.
He also called for prayers for those ruling Lithuania, for the upcoming elections. In addition, the shepherd urged not to give in to the promises of the candidates for power, not to be lulled by their beautiful words.
“Let’s look at their works first,” urged the shepherd.
Make peace with yourself
Algirdas Dauknys, pastor of Berčiūnai Lithuanian Martyrs’ Church, added to the bishop’s words by stating that it is appropriate to pray not only for peace in the world, but also in the hearts and lives of all of us.
“We are often angry not only with others, but also with ourselves,” said the pastor.
He himself prepared the reflections for this year’s Way of the Cross stopping at the 14th Stations of the Way.
The Good Friday procession does not stop at the fifteenth station, which symbolizes the resurrection of Christ.
That station is remembered when, every year on June 13, this road is walked in memory of the Soviet aggression and the deportation of the Lithuanian people to the depths of Russia.
Priest A. Dauknys said that he chose the thoughts of priest Bronius Bulika, who suffered in the Soviet camps, for reflection. They were read by Albinas Kėleris, actor of the Juozos Miltinis Drama Theater.
Three decades
This year, the Way of the Cross will be held on Good Friday for the 30th time.
The first walk of this road, which attracted many pilgrims, took place in 1994. Bishop emeritus Jonas Kauneckas, who also walked the Way of the Cross, added that he also walked this way a year earlier, although folk artists had not yet carved all its stations.
The beginning of the road is the sentencing of Jesus Christ to death. Condemned, He takes up the cross and goes to the place of Golgotha. Several times the Savior falls under the cross. On that road He meets His Mother. Simon from Cyrene helps Him carry the cross, Veronica wipes Jesus’ face, which is dripping with sweat and blood. In order to further humiliate God and Man, His clothes are torn off. Finally, He is nailed to the cross, dies on it, and is buried.
Maturity requires truth
And now, after Christ’s resurrection, there are still many who believe that the heavy earth will cover everything. But God’s judgment will still await, giving eternal love to those who loved, and judging for the lack of love. On the Way of the Cross, we are reminded that both Christ’s death and His burial are by no means the end, because His resurrection awaits at the Mass on Easter Eve or Sunday morning.
The passers-by thought about the fact that the world of today, as, by the way, and of all times, lives if not in lies, then at least in partial truth. But the fullness of life requires the whole truth. It is the way to freedom.
The executioner cannot be given freedom
In the Way of the Cross for peace, it was also thought that it would seem that surviving wars and hardships will teach people to seek peace, to live in it. But new generations are rising, and they fail to learn from others’ experiences. So everything starts again.
“Until we let God into our lives, nothing will change, we will continue to fight,” was the wisdom of priest B. Bulika.
The Way of the Cross reminds us that God has gifted everyone with talents, but there are those who, according to the Gospel, bury their talents in the ground. So, according to the martyr priest B. Bulika, the eyes see work even when not working, they desire, and then they stare at someone else who works and therefore has it.
“It’s not us who do evil, hired killers do it,” – according to the author of thoughts, not one can think like that.
So on the road, the question was asked, who gives birth to those hired killers, who raises them, finally, who hires them?
“You can’t give the steering wheel to a fool, you can’t give freedom to the executioner,” was the thought.
And it was emphasized that we suffer not because God punishes us, but because people themselves create hell.
Feels closer to Christ
Antanas Dubauskas from Panevezys said that he has been following this road for twenty years in a row.
“At first I went out of curiosity, now out of curiosity,” said the Panevėžys resident.
The man says that he doesn’t know pottery well, he doesn’t go to church, but the way of the Berčiūnai Cross attracts him.
A. Dubauskas notices that over the past two decades, the number of people coming to walk this route has decreased not even a few, but a dozen times.
Gediminas, father of a large family from Panevėžys, who walked the Way of the Cross, feels that he is closer to Christ.
And for Zita Tručioniene, the path of Christ’s suffering is also the path of her faith. In it, the woman claims to be reflecting on Christ’s suffering and thus prepares for his resurrection – Easter.
Jūratė Šaumanienė emphasized that Christians are called to the community, so walking the Way of the Cross is a testimony to that community.
“I have been following the Way of the Cross of Berčiūnai for many years. I regretted it when few people had started to choose it. However, this year we have increased and I am happy about that,” said J. Šaumanienė.
