Seven Ways of the Cross

Many devotional books present different ways to participate in the Mass, but relatively few present different ways of praying the Way of the Cross, for which there are no fixed prayers. An excellent help in this domain is a short work, Seven Ways of the Cross (1958), by Jesuit Father Jean (John) Galot (1919-2008), who was to become a prolific writer and professor of theology, first at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, then at the Angelicum in Rome, where he regularly contributed to the Vatican newspaper l'Osservatore Romano. Father Galot was a man of great erudition and profound spirituality who knew how to make his message accessible to the general public.

Depending on how our hearts and minds are attuned on any given day, we will find ourselves inclined to adopt different ways in prayer, and so Father Galot offers the reader various pathways along which to accompany Christ to Golgotha: a Short Way of the Cross, a Marian Way of the Cross, a Contemplative Way of the Cross, a Reparatory Way of the Cross, an Apostolic Way of the Cross, an Ecclesial Way of the Cross, and a Way of the Cross for the Souls in Purgatory. Also included is a Pictorial Way of the Cross, illustrated with paintings by Caryll Houselander. This book is a perfect companion for meditation and devotion during Lent and indeed throughout the liturgical year. May it draw souls closer to the Heart of Christ.