Walking the Passion

Read by Caroline WarburtonThank you for your time, your pilgrimage, and your prayers. Walking the Passion was made by the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s Young Adult Network. You can learn more about our ministry at www.episcopal20s30s.org.Thank you to the Reverend Megan Sanders, the chaplain of our ministry, for overseeing this project, and to Dr. Kathy Bozutti-Jones for reviewing the meditations in this script. This program drew on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and on the meditations in Gary Jansen’s book Station to Station. Thank you to Winston Nguyen for helping us publish this audio, and to Blue Dot Sessions for providing the music.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.—Matthew 27: 57-60 Read by Laura Taylor Music by Blue Dot Sessions

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.—Luke 23: 44-46 Read by Duncan Logie Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.—John 19: 25-27 Read by Laura Betz Music by Blue Dot Sessions

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”—Luke 23: 39-43Read by Molly WaltersMusic by Blue Dot Sessions

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”—Luke 23: 33-34 Read by Chelsey Masterson Music by Blue Dot Sessions

A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”—Luke 23: 27-31Read by Luke PetrinovicMusic by Blue Dot Sessions

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. —Mark 15: 21Read by Schuyler Rowe Music by Blue Dot Sessions

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.—John 19: 6, 15-17 Read by Laura Taylor Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.—John 19: 1-3 Read by Duncan Logie Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.—Mark 15: 1-5, 15 Read by Laura Betz Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.—Matthew 26: 69-75 Read by Matt Prest Music by Blue Dot Sessions

At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”—Luke 22:66-71 Read by Chelsey Masterson Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him.—Mark 14: 43-46 Read by Kayleigh Stewart Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”—Matthew 26:36-41 Read by Schuyler Rowe Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Walking the Passion recreates the Stations of the Cross experience as a guided walking meditation that can be performed on your own—at home, in your neighborhood, or during a local nature walk. The project combines traditional liturgy, Ignation imaginative prayer, and guided meditation.Each station—or short piece of audio—is a stop, a point in the journey from Jesus’ trial, to the cross, right until he was laid in the tomb. At each stop, you’ll hear scripture, pray, visualize, and reflect on how we respond to suffering in ourselves, in the people we love, and in the world around us. Read by Caroline Warburton