Extreme Way of the Cross DP Wexford
27th of march 2026
25 km is a long distance.
Train so it won’t hurt. Yet it must be far, at night. In silence and focus. You have to step out of your comfort zone.
Weather? There will be some.
It can vary. Be prepared. There may be rain, and sometimes it can be very cold. Bring food and drink.
The most important is prayer.
Therefore, seek solitude and focus. Do not talk. Speak with God. The reflections are the key. Think a lot, speak little.
Safety.
You set out at your own responsibility. Take a phone with a power bank. Make sure you have internet access. For safety, print the route description. Equip yourself with a reflective vest and a flashlight. Stay mindful.
EDK is solitude, hardship, and silence. It is a night when you are alone with your life, with yourself, with God. It is a time when there are no excuses. It is not a sport, it is not a marathon. Time, pace, and results do not matter. You are not running for a medal. You don’t have to be an athlete. But you must be ready for change.
Holy Mass
8PM (Mass in Polish)
Way of the Cross
Start around 9PM
Agape
Finish around 2am
Want to join? Sign up!
This is only a provisional list for better organization; the final list will be compiled before the start of EDKDP Wexford.
The list of participants is recorded for safety reasons, to ensure that everyone completes the route safely and returns safely.
The individual Stations and reflections of the Extreme Way of the Cross.
Station I
Station location
The cross in the parking area at the Franciscan Friary
Station I — Jesus Is Condemned to Death
«What is truth?» Pilate declared. Jesus did not fit into his patterns. Pilate questioned Him, yes — but only with questions that confirmed his own view. And the crowd and authority demanded a verdict, so he gave them what they wanted. No more thinking. No searching. No wrestling with truth. He could rest. Pilate did not want to complicate his life. Yet simplifying reality leads not to simplicity, but to shallowness.
A lively mind of a child, the restless heart of a teenager, can — through compromise and laziness — turn into a closed, stubborn head. Just one glance at another person and a judgment is ready: he is this, he is that. A labeling mind labels people.
But what about curiosity toward the world and toward others? No two people are the same. No two moments repeat. A shallow person judges — because he does not understand sensitivity, attentiveness, openness. Anything to avoid thinking. Anything to stay comfortable. As long as nothing happens. Nothing much.
« My thoughts are not your thoughts, » says God. If you believe you know what God thinks — you are a fool. You can only try to understand God — try being the key word. We cannot grasp Him fully with our mind. And God? God does not rush to judge man — He seeks to understand. He respects that we think differently. God is love — and love means dialogue between two different persons. Only mutual understanding leads to love.
Inner Confession
My inner Pilate wakes early. Quick, clever, logical — seeing, judging, commenting. Always right. Always someone to blame. No silence in him. No wonder. Only noise. I hear my thoughts — and I am ashamed. Jesus says: « Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks » (Mt 12:34). Lord, I want to change my heart.
Repeat to yourself
Meeting God breaks your patterns. God does not judge — He understands. Love listens before it speaks. Simplifying reality leads not to innocence, but to shallowness. You dislike being put in a box — do not put others in one. Thinking hurts. Seeing into a person requires courage.
Prayer
Lord, break the concrete of certainty in me.
Shatter my schemes. Teach me to listen. Teach me to understand.
Amen.
Resolution
Look within yourself. Whom did you last try to understand — and whom did you judge? See the truth.
What can people expect from you — Pilate, a critic, or a sensitive heart?
Station II
Station location
The statue of Jesus in the parking area at the Sisters of St. John of God Monastery. As you make your way to Station No. 2, walk on the sidewalk on the right-hand side of the road.
Station II — Jesus Takes Up His Cross
Jesus sets out on the way. He knows it is not about suffering for its own sake, but about transformation — from mortal man to the Risen One.
Step Two on the Way to God: Stop preserving yourself. Start creating yourself.
Manifesto of Extremeness
Jesus said, „Go into all the world.” In the EWC we take these words literally. We go. On this path, it is not about how far you walk, but about how deeply you change. Every step is a decision: remain as you are — or become someone new. You stop being someone when you stop changing. Stay, step off the route, if you want to remain who you are. If you are satisfied with what you have. If you do not plan to change. But if you seek transformation, a change of life, if there is an infinite longing in you — go on. Walk, walk until you forget who you were. You will never return from this road the same. Your greatest prison is not suffering — your prison is comfort. A warm bed, a hot coffee, a predictable day. Such living slowly kills your soul. A hopeless life, day after day — only because you fear change. A ship in harbor is safe — but ships are not made to stay in harbor. Neither are you. You were made to grow. Imagine a child who refuses to grow — at most he will remain a dwarfed adult. If you want to truly live, you must set sail on the open ocean. Life does not ask whether you are ready to change. You either take the challenge — or you become mediocre. Mediocrity is a person who wasted his life.
Testimony
I was afraid of this path. Not of the distance — but of what I would see inside myself. On the second kilometer I already wanted to turn back. Then it hit me: I do this all my life.
I quit when it starts to hurt. The greatest sin of my life is that I protected myself for too long. Repeat silently: God is the God of the road. Your prison is comfort. If you do not change — you waste your life. It is not about how far you go, but how you change.
A Parable of the Man Who Never Made a Mistake He never made a mistake.
He never took a risk.
He never stepped into the unknown.
When he was dying, God asked him:
— What did you learn?
— Nothing, he replied. I was afraid to try.
God nodded:
— Then you never truly lived.
Prayer
Lord, I preserved myself for too long. For too long I was a coward.
For too long I pretended to live.
Lord, break the prison of comfort within me. Burn my excuses.
Place me on a path from which I will no longer want to turn back.
Amen.
EWC — a road from which you never return the same.
Stop preserving yourself. Start creating yourself.
Resolution
3:48 a.m. Dark. Cold. People are silent. No one talks anymore. At the beginning someone still joked, someone commented on the route — but now there is only the sound of footsteps and breathing. As if something inside each person calmed — and broke open at the same time. Someone beside me walks and cries. Not loudly. Just tears falling. No one asks why. Everyone knows — each has their own why. Someone ahead kneels, adjusts a backpack, sits for a moment, staring at the ground. He does not pray. He simply sits — as if resting from himself. At night one becomes real. No longer pretending to be strong, or warm, or put together. Only the body remains, the breath, and a strange peace. I don’t know if it is God — or just exhaustion. But it is the first moment in a long time when no one needs to say anything.
Ewa, 36
So — stop talking. Keep silence.
Station III
Station location
The back of the church in Barntown. To reach Station 3, pass through the cemetery via the narrow pathway.
Station III — Jesus Falls the First Time
Jesus began His journey — and immediately fell. Was this how God intended it to be?
Step Three on the Way to God: Discover His plan for your life.
God has a plan for your life — not to impose it on you, but to work it out with you. Many believe that God already decided everything for us, and our task is simply to guess His will — like solving a riddle. But who is God? How does He approach a meeting with a human being? God is important — but so are you. He is attentive — and you too are invited to be attentive. If God only revealed His greatness, power and dominance, the encounter would lose its meaning. The human before Him also has a voice, a will, a thought. They can meet — and understand one another. Everything in the universe is under God’s control, yet the outcome of dialogue between God and man is not predetermined. It is always new — always unique. This is not a script in which you are a puppet. It is a space where God meets you face to face. He does not decide instead of you — He wants you to decide with Him.
The God of Jesus does not control — He converses. When you pray — speak little, listen much. Do not come to God with a plan for what He should do. Tell Him what you think — then listen. Do not fear that God may think differently than you. Do not reject what He whispers. Hold it in your heart like Mary. Learning to accept a different perspective is part of love. This station is about a God who does not plan for you — but plans with you.
God created you — now He invites you to co-create your life with Him.
He does not write ready-made scripts. He does not place you like a pawn on a board.
He does not commandeer your choices. He wants to come to an agreement — a shared decision. Do not fear that God thinks differently. Do not fear that His way might not be yours — yet.
Repeat quietly within: God has a plan. His plan is that we meet and understand one another. We think differently — what might come from our conversation? Maybe we will create something beautiful together. How I long to live a beautiful life — not alone, but with God.
Prayer
Lord, I deeply want to win my life.
I do not want to be a puppet.
I want to create my life together with You.
Amen.
Resolution
As you walk — start planning your life. A year ahead. Five years. Ten. Decide with whom you will discuss it. Whom you will listen to. And who will listen to you. Pray inwardly for the grace to plan with God. You will fulfill this resolution if you create a plan for one, five and ten years, choose with whom you will discuss it, and pray for the ability to listen to God.
Station IV
Station location
Three Rocks Car Park, on the left side along the L30181 road in Barntown. From the church in Barntown, head left toward Station 4, not the way you came.
Station IV — Jesus Meets His Mother
Mary gave birth to Jesus — and He grew, lived, and unfolded His life.
Step Four on the Way to God: One must be born again — and often through pain.
The Mother’s Mirror — an image of motherhood and rebirth What is the mother’s mirror? It is the reflection of motherhood itself. A mother gives birth in pain — and that is how we came into the world. But that is not enough. Not nearly enough. We must be born again. Saint Gregory of Nazianzus wrote that through our decisions we in a way give birth to ourselves. Being born once does not finish the story. At birth our mother suffered — now it is our turn to labor. Turn to be born again, in Spirit, through choice, through courage. Once, we lived in the womb. We drew life from her strength. We were sheltered inside her. She nourished us, carried us, even breathed for us. Then childhood came — short or long. But eventually we must grow up. Take responsibility. Take ownership of our life. Life will not build itself. Jesus says: « You must be born again. »
Saint John Paul II wrote:
« The task of every person is to become the creator of his own life —
to make of it a work of art. »
A Letter to My Mother — « Thank you for giving birth to me — but now I must be born myself. »
Mom,
thank you for bringing me into this world.
But today I know — that is not enough.
Then — you breathed for me. Now — I must learn to breathe on my own.
Then — you carried me inside you. Now — I must be born in the pain of decisions.
I want to tell you: I no longer need protection — I need courage.
You gave me life in the body. Give me today your blessing so that I may be born of the Spirit.
A Message from God
Contact Me when you are ready to be born.
Put This in Order in Your Mind
Many people hide behind the phrase «That’s just who I am.» As if they cannot change — what a lie. Your life depends on you — only you. You cannot control everything, but through your decisions you can become a parent to your own soul. The Extreme Way of the Cross begins not with kilometers, but with choosing to change. Dreams are needed — Who could I become if I began to work on myself? The EWC speaks to you in God’s name: You must be born again.
Questions Without Answers
— Tired of your old self?
— Bored with your own excuses?
— Do you long for a better version of you?
Then it is time for a total restart. Life will not rebuild itself!
Resolution
Pray for your mother. Plan your rebirth. Ask God what you must do to begin again — from the very beginning.
Station V
Station Location
New station: Coolstuff Graveyard. To reach Station 5, leave the parking area and turn left, then continue straight along the road. About 300 meters before the station, at a crossroads, there will be an orange arrow with the station number pointing to the right. **Note:** at this junction there will also be arrows pointing toward Station No. 6.
Station V — Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
Simon appears as a helper. We do not know whether he volunteered or was forced, but we know he became remembered among the first Christians — as did his sons, Alexander and Rufus. Their names remained as testimony — of goodness.
Step Five on the Way to God: Good fruit is the sign of meeting God.
The Bitter Truth About «Religious People»
We often meet people who consider themselves religious — they pray, attend Mass, say the rosary, even walk the EWC. Yet some remain unworked inside, disordered, even dishonest. It is difficult to befriend them, sometimes even to be near them. Trust does not grow, and those who meet them may leave discouraged — sometimes even wounded.
Good Fruits
The true fruit of meeting God is not what you do, but who you become. It is not about a good deed — but about a good person. As the Letter to the Galatians says:
«The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things
there is no law. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.»
(Gal 5:22–23, 25)
These qualities are the fruit of a good heart. Even a bad person can sometimes perform a good act — but that does not make them good.
Step Five: Do not measure yourself by good deeds, but by the goodness that grows within you. Saint Brother Albert said :
« One should be good like bread. » When is bread good? When it nourishes.
You will be a good person when people can « taste » you.
— when after meeting you, they feel joy, when they have reasons to speak well of you.
How to Become Good
The point is not that Simon helped — but that he changed. He did not return home the same. It is not about the act — but about the person you become when God touches your soul. When do you know you are changing for the better? When others notice — when it becomes good to be near you.
Carry These Thoughts With You
The good fruit of encountering God is not what you accomplish but who you become. It was not about Simon carrying the cross — but that he returned from the road transformed. This is the heart of the EWC — not the kilometers, but the decision to become new. If you return the same, you only took a walk.
Resolution
Eat. Drink. So that you have strength to bear good fruit. Set three measurable goals for the coming month — concrete ones. Fruit is concrete: you act — and it blossoms. Then you are bearing fruit.
Station VI
Station location
New Station, Trinity Church, Church at the Crossroads
Station VI — Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Veronica touched the face of Jesus. In that gesture there was intimacy — closeness at the point of what is fragile and sacred.
Step Six on the Way to God: Learn encounter — closeness with people and with God.
Closeness between you and God. In what is important and tender to you. In what is important and tender to Him.
The image of marriage comes naturally — a place for intimacy, for conversations about the deep and vulnerable, for cooperation in what matters most. We long for a love filled with an ocean of selflessness. We dream of it.
Testimony
I remember one evening.
We sat with my husband in the kitchen — the children were asleep.
We talked for a long time until he finally told me something he had never told anyone — about an old fear, a mistake that still brought him shame.
It was the moment I felt he truly trusted me.
No grand words.
Only this — he gave me a part of himself no one else had seen.
We dream of meeting someone who looks at us without judgment, without prejudice — someone who loves us as we are. We sense that if such love happens, we will be able to move mountains — we will gain strength to grow, change, flourish, become beautiful. We long for this because we are created in God’s image. God dreams of this kind of love as well. In that desire — we resemble Him.
Testimony
We sat together in silence.
He did not need to speak — I knew he was hurting.
I simply touched his hand.
In that one gesture there was more prayer than in a thousand words.
From that day we began speaking again.
Not about things, but about the heart.
Time for Conclusions
First: If you want to pray and cooperate with God — open yourself to meeting Him, not trading with Him. He opens Himself to you when you come with sincerity and selflessness.
Second: Speak less about religion — meet God more. A person of God is known by fruit, not by talk.
Third: Are you married? In a relationship? Care for conversations about what is tender and important. Return to the first selfless love. Care for intimacy. Do not live in routine — seek encounter. We change — so our meetings must change as well.
Fourth: Learn friendship — whether you are in a relationship or not. Friendship grows through proven fidelity — through being there in joy and in struggle. Trust appears when we face difficulty together.
Prayer
Lord,
teach me to touch others gently —
not to wound, but to heal.
May my gestures speak louder than my words.
May I see Your face in every face.
Let my heart be like Veronica’s cloth —
bearing the imprint of Your love.
Amen.
Resolution
Do you have family? Friends? Care for them — deliberately. Plan it. Do not be surprised how much planning returns — after the EWC, you are to begin a new life, and you must know how you want to live it.
Station VII
Station location
Figure of Our Lady of the Cross on a rock, it is important to follow the yellow arrows painted on the right side of the road on the asphalt, Google Maps in this case is partially inaccurate, if there is no arrow we keep to the asphalt part of the road
Station VII — Jesus Falls the Second Time
Jesus stood up — and rose again. He changed — for the better.
Step Seven on the Way to God: A Praise of Extremeness.
Extremeness pulls you out of patterns and opens the door to another world. You can be different — and your world can be different. Extremeness is a fresh way of seeing. It is not worth living easily — it is worth living truly. Stop preserving yourself. Start creating yourself. Extremeness is not madness — it is a step toward change. The EWC is the spirituality of those who refuse to be average. You never forget this pain — because it is the pain of a true beginning. Life overwhelms us — we cannot control it anyway — but we can learn to face it. We learn when we leave comfort and start a new life.
A Letter to Myself
Hello — it’s me from a year ago.
I thought I would never rise again —that there was no reason.
But now I know — every fall is a chance for resurrection.
When you fall again, remember: it is only a reminder that you can still begin.
Testimony
I fell a second time — not on the route, but in life.
After the divorce. After losing my job. After everything.
Then I heard a voice within: «EWC is not a route — it is life.»
I stood up. And I am still walking.
You Can Always Begin Again
The second fall looks like the end — as if everything has collapsed. As if this were the final station of life. But God says: This is only the beginning. It is not true that you have lost. It is not true that it is too late. You can start again — even when you believe that there is nothing left to gather.
Imagine It Is You
Fallen again. In the same place.
People look at you, shaking their heads: «Again?»
You do not even want to rise.
And beside you — God kneels. Not to judge — but to lift you.
Imagine Your Life Is Ending
On the edge — the last breath. Everything you hoped would work — failed.
You feel defeated.
And then you discover that even now — you can begin. Like the thief on the cross.
Even dying, you can win what matters most.
Imagine God Is Not Waiting at the Finish Line
He does not stand there with a medal for those who made it.
He steps onto the road, sits beside you when you fall.
And asks: «Do you want to try again? Because I will walk with you.»
Imagine Your Greatest Failures
The ones you hide in the closet of memory.
The ones you hope no one sees.
Look there — for that is where Jesus arrives.
He begins where you end.
Declaration of the Imperfect
We — who fall —
declare that this is not the end.
Our hands are dirty,
but our hearts still beat.
We are not defeated —
we are on the way.
Prayer for a New Beginning in the Heart
God, Restorer,
in my life everything has already happened —
and still You say, «This is only the beginning.»
Teach me to start from zero —
without pride, without plan, without certainty.
May light grow from my lowest place —
like dawn after the longest night.
Amen.
Resolution
Find a place for five intimate minutes of prayer — on your knees. A prayer for a new beginning. Kneel — because you are imperfect. Thankfully.
Station VIII
Station location
Forth Mountain Pennylands Car Park
Station VIII — Jesus Comforts the Weeping Women
Not everything must be spoken. Some words are whispered.
Step Eight on the Way to God: Silence is the most intimate form of prayer.
It requires no wisdom, no books, no theology. It requires courage — to stop talking and begin listening. This is the secret of the soul.
The Secret of the Soul
Stop.
Not to speak — but finally to say nothing.
Jesus turns to the women. They weep, and He says something they do not understand:
«Do not weep for Me.» As if He were shouting in a whisper: Silence!
Because there — in silence — in the space between one breath and the next, God appears.
A Whisper
Inside the mind flows constant city traffic — horns of plans, traffic jams of emotions, chaos of beliefs.
And there — among the noise of thoughts — you try to find God.
But God does not shout. God whispers.
Solitude
Solitude is not distance. It is a space where we can finally meet — another person,
ourselves, God.
When you fall silent — you learn to listen.
When you listen — you begin to understand.
When you understand — you begin to love.
Paradoxically: solitude brings us closer.
For true encounter is born in silence not in noise
Walk alone into the night to quiet the clamor of the world and step off noisy life. Slow down. Let your mind settle. Remember: If your head is filled only with your own thoughts, you will not hear the One who thinks differently than you. Solitude is a necessary condition for meeting God. God thinks differently than we do. He wants to hear you — but He also wants to be heard.
Silence is inviting God into the mind — creating space between thoughts, distance from everyday life, problems, chaos. Only into such a cleared, intimate space can God enter.
Stop Going in Circles
EWC is a decision to step off the carousel of mediocrity.
It is a night when you are silent, and God speaks.
A moment when tears turn into listening.
Silent Prayer
Let my words fall silent
before they become noise.
God, teach me the silence
that is not emptiness,
but fullness of presence.
May my peace become Your voice.
May my solitude become an encounter.
Amen.
Resolution
This will sound foolish — do it anyway. Start walking in circles — like a carousel. Laugh if you must — let others laugh too. Only fools walk this way at night. Maybe this little exercise will let you jump off the carousel of mediocrity. A decision in the spirit of St. Francis — they called him mad. St. Thérèse likely would have done the same. He was small. And the small dare more.
Station IX
Station location
Entrance gate, on the left side of the road, the station number is hung on the gate.
Station IX — Jesus Falls the Third Time
The third fall of Jesus says: your limits are real. And you respond: It can’t be done. But Jesus answers: There is no «can’t.»
Step Nine on the Way to God: Be an idealist — in good times and in bad.
God is an idealist. He did not create a perfect world — but an opportunity to live according to what is highest and true.
Your limitations are real.
But equally real is this: inside every limitation hides a space of possibility.
Jesus does not give up — not because He has strength, but because His dream is greater than His pain. Do not measure your life by exhaustion, by failures, by limits.
Measure it by dreams.
The EWC is the spirituality of those who keep walking, even when the body wants to stop — who believe
that every step in darkness can become a step toward light.
EWC is the spirituality of people who measure life not by limits, but by dreams.
From an EWC Participant’s Journal
My legs refuse to obey.
In the beam of my headlamp I see only mud and my own shadow.
I think I can’t go further.
And then I remember why I walk — to learn how to rise.
So I take one step. Only one.
And that is enough for God to do the rest.
Because only the one who rises can see farther.
Do not measure life by fatigue —
for then you will see only pain.
Measure it by dreams.
Dreams are not luxury for the naive — they are the language in which God whispers: Go on.
The Dream Map of a Better
World In your hand you hold a dream — small, wrinkled like an old map.
It does not lead along a smooth highway, but through mud, stones, night.
Yet if you do not lose this map — you will arrive.
Because God always draws the hardest roads to the most beautiful places.
Monologue of the Weary
I do not want to die in the place where I stopped believing.
Jesus replies:
I saw you fall. But do you know what I see now?
I see a person who does not give up.
Life
Life does not end when strength runs out.
Life ends when we stop dreaming.
Stand. Once more. Not for others —
but for the dream God planted in you.
Write This in Your Mind
God is an idealist — walk in His footsteps.
Stand — not because you must, but because you still can.
EWC: the spirituality of those who rise the third time.
Do not fear your limits — God meets you there.
In silence you hear that He still believes in you.
If you rise, do not feel weak — you are on the way.
God does not want you perfect — He wants you faithful.
Jesus has not stopped dreaming of you — so do not stop dreaming either.
«My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.» (2 Cor 12:9)
Resolution
The idealist stands at attention and salutes — not an empty head, but a purpose. At the command: Attention!!!
Station X
Station location
Crossroads, Station 10 on the left side
Station X: Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
They tear His clothes away. But they cannot strip Him of who He is.
Step Ten on the Way to God: Before God you do not need — and cannot — pretend. God meets only what is real, valuable and vulnerable.
EWC is a decision: I will not be just anybody.
Either you go deep within yourself,
or you drift on the surface pretending that this is enough to live.
Do not hope the road itself will change you.
It is not the kilometers, not the path.
It is you who change — when you allow God to take from you what is unnecessary.
When you are not afraid to stand naked before yourself and before Him.
Manifest of the Heart
I am not made for comfort.
I am not made for appearances.
I am made for truth.
I am made for love.
I am made to meet God.
Invitation
Stop. Take a breath. Close your eyes.
Imagine that everything you have disappears.
You remain — and God.
And then you hear His whisper:
«You are not ordinary. You are Mine.»
Define yourself anew —
not by what you have,
but by who you can become.
Instruction of Stripping
Step by step — a true stripping away of appearances.
Take off titles, likes, reels and image.
Take off the need for admiration.
Take off the urge to control.
Take off the smile behind which you hide pain.
Leave only idealism tested on the road.
Ask yourself:
«Do I still matter if no one sees?»
And God found a way to tell me:
«You are not ordinary. You are Mine.»
And from that moment I know —
I do not need to have in order to be (an idealist).
Parable of Loss One day a man lost everything.
People turned away, the world became silent.
And then for the first time he saw himself — without garments, without titles.
He saw a heart still beating.
He understood:
As long as it beats, God is inside me.
And if He is there, I am not insignificant.
Jesus teaches us:
you can lose everything — and still remain yourself.
Do not store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. Store up treasures in heaven instead.
Stripping away appearances is a spiritual process.
Silent Prayer
Let Your gaze pierce my shame.
Let Your light pass through my wounds.
Strip from me, Lord, everything that lies.
And when nothing remains — remain You.
Amen.
Resolution
Find a small coin in your pocket and toss it behind your back. Let others have luck if they find it.
Station XI
Station location
A lay-by on the right side of the road
Station XI: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
The nailed hands of Jesus say: It is not worth living normally.
Step Eleven on the Way to God: Whoever wants to save their life will lose it.
Manifest of Blood and Nails
Maybe you must know darkness to truly value light.
Maybe you must reach your limits to go beyond yourself.
Maybe you must die — to begin to live.
Get lost.
Precisely when you no longer know where to go.
Get lost.
Because as long as you hold control,
as long as everything is planned, you remain only a prisoner of your own safety nets.
Get lost.
Only then do you have a chance to find yourself for real.
A Short Prayer
Lord,
teach me to lose what is small,
so I may find what is great.
Teach me to lose for You,
so that I may win myself.
Amen.
Prayer of Silence
I say nothing, Lord.
You already know.
Jesus says: Whoever wants to save their life will lose it.
Whoever gives it away — will find it.
The cross is the way. There is no Gospel life without extremeness. The word extreme is simply a shortcut to the Gospel: Take up your cross and follow Me. Extremeness exists so you may break the pattern, change your life, face yourself, discover truth about yourself, and meet God.
Prayer for the Nailed and Powerless
Lord,
for those who no longer know how to stand —
we pray.
For those stuck in a place
they were meant to pass through only briefly.
For those who loved too deeply
and were left with wounds no one sees.
For those whose hands are nailed
to duties, to fear, to the past.
For those who see no tomorrow
and think You forgot their name.
Lord, teach us to be with them —
not with words, but with presence.
Teach us not to fix their pain,
but to remain with them in the darkness,
until light rises.
For You, Lord,
know best
what it means to be nailed,
unable to do anything —
except love.
Amen.
Resolution
It simply asks for kneeling. This time, decide yourself how and for how long.
Station XII
Station location
Front of Clonard Church of the Annunciation
Station XII: Jesus Dies on the Cross
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Step Twelve on the Way to God: A poem of the dark night.
The Mystery of the Dark
Night Two people love each other. They are close — and then one disappears.
And there remains silence. Longing.
This is what the dark night looks like — God disappears so that a person may truly find Him.
A soul in love with God suddenly experiences absence.
It is this way in every relationship. Separation teaches what love really is.
The EWC is also a dark night.
You walk, it hurts, your shoes are soaked, you are tired.
You wonder why.
You feel as if God is silent.
And it is then that He speaks most.
He speaks in silence. He speaks through darkness.
Heaven is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of eternity in God. There is no full stop after God —
but people sometimes try to put one. Fortunately, He keeps writing.
Life is the line God continues when we stop.
When a person releases the last breath, God breathes it in.
When night ends, a person is no longer the same — because they stopped looking for endings and began to see beginnings.
Every ending is only a sentence broken in half. God will write the rest.
Whisper of the Heart
I want to be a person of dawn,
born from night.
Night is the moment when God breathes the softest.
In darkness you cannot see who is rich or poor. Everyone has only their
steps.
Night does not lie.
If you fear yourself — it will show you yourself.
If you seek God — you will hear Him in silence.
Darkness is not the opposite of light.
Darkness is where light is born.
Dictionary of the Night
Silence — when the world stops its sentences and God begins to whisper.
Stars — holes in the darkness through which heaven shows.
Shadow — proof that light exists.
Road — a line between fear and hope.
Night — the most honest mirror.
Parable of the Night
A man feared the dark.
All his life he lit lamps wherever he went.
Until one night the power went out.
He sat down, wrapped himself in a blanket and cried.
And then, for the first time, he saw the stars.
Silence After Everything
Not to frighten —
but to let one finally hear.
On the other side of silence
there are no words — only presence.
And everything in you that faded
begins to shine with new light.
Prayer for My Small Death
God,
teach me to die piece by piece.
A little each day for pride,
a little for anger,
a little for fear.
Do not let me die only when it is too late
to be born.
Let me die in what is false.
And in what is true —
let me live.
After everything, there is nothing.
Only silence.
And in that silence — presence.
Amen.
Resolution
Lie down on the ground in the form of a cross. If it is wet, use your poncho or jacket. It is not about getting dirty, but about touching the earth with your whole self. Like St. Francis, who often lay like a cross upon the earth, and when he was dying asked to be laid naked on the earth so that before death he owned nothing. And so he died — and soon after they called him a saint.
Station XIII
Station location
Side wall altar of Bride Street Church (the one next to TESCO), the altar is visible from the car park entrance at the small roundabout
Station XIII: Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross
Beloved, today they took Me down from the cross.
Step Thirteen on the Way to God: Walk until you forget who you used to be.
A Letter from Jesus That He Didn’t Have Time to Send
Beloved,
today they took Me down from the cross.
But I want you to know: this is not the end.
Go — even if you do not know why. The soul knows.
Go — until you forget who you were.
For then you will meet your true self.
Listen to your soul whisper: Hey, your life must be about something more.
Leave the world you know. Discover the self you haven’t met yet.
Life does not ask whether you are ready. And you do not know who you are until you become.
Remember — your heart will remain restless until it rests in God.
Maybe
Maybe what died in you was not an ending.
Maybe what died was only a role, a habit, a fear.
Maybe in that very moment God touches you most — not when you feel you hear Him, but when you no longer have strength to speak.
Maybe what hurts is not punishment — maybe it is an invitation to stop living on the surface.
For only in pain does something in you stop pretending.
Maybe God did not take your peace —
only your plan. Because He wanted to show you life is not about control, but about trust.
Maybe in this hopelessness hope is ripening — not the light one from holy cards, but the kind with scars, the kind that already knows what life costs.
Maybe this night is not to reach the destination.
Sometimes it is enough to understand.
Maybe everything had to fall apart —
because only in ruins can you see what was truly your home.
Maybe it is not God who is silent.
Maybe for the first time0 He is so close that He does not need to say anything more.
Restless is our heart until it rests in God.
Maybe God waits exactly where you stopped looking.
It is not a sin to be afraid — the sin would be not to try.
You may not know. You may hesitate. You may cry. You do not need to understand.
You may let God find you — even if you yourself do not know where you are.
Maybe this night is your resurrection.
The Road
Hopelessness. The future ended before it began.
Courage does not shout — it walks on when others turn back.
For after every night comes a moment when the wind smells like hope.
And then you know — it is not the end. It is only the beginning.
Prayer of a Heart That Longs
I long for You, God,
though I do not know where You have gone.
You left in me an emptiness
that hurts like a wound — and heals like a wound,
for it makes me search for You.
For long I thought You left me.
Thank You that night does not last forever.
Amen.
Resolution
Better stay silent now. Begin to summarize what has happened within you on the way. Walk — yes — walk until you forget who you were.
Station XIV
Station location
Figure of Our Lady at the rear of the Franciscan Church, entrance through the large green gate
Station XIV: The Body of Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb
As if the world held its breath — not to disturb God at His work.
Step Fourteen on the Way to God: If you’ve come this far, it’s time to rise.
Report from the Morning of Resurrection
They say the tomb was empty.
But no one said that emptiness can also be full.
In that emptiness one could hear His name.
Instruction for Resurrection
Step one: put down the old name.
Step two: do not fear the darkness.
Step three: open your eyes in silence.
Step four: breathe God.
Step five: keep walking.
Do not return to who you were.
For He is already waiting — not at the finish, but in every step.
On the Other Side of Silence
Human: Lord, the silence is so dense I don’t know if I’m alive.
God: You don’t need to know. It’s enough that you are.
Human: So this is it?
God: This is only the beginning.
Diary After Death – an Intimate Record of the Night
Day 1: I thought I would die.
Day 2: I died.
Day 3: I don’t know who I am, but I feel that I live.
Epitaph for the Old Self – A Farewell Prayer
Here lies a man who wanted to be right.
Who feared to dream. Who lived half-alive.
May he rest in peace.
For I — finally — begin to live.
I did not walk to finish. I walked to begin.
Amen.
Parables
First
— What are you looking for here?
— The end — he replied. — I wanted to know what all this was for.
The prophet nodded.
— You came to the right place. Here everything ends.
And that is exactly why everything begins here.
Second
The man looked around.
The sky was gray.
The ground was hard.
The tomb open. — But this is where one dies — he said.
— Yes — the prophet agreed. — But not to disappear.
— Then why?
— So that you finally stop pretending you live.
Third
The prophet lifted a handful of earth and let it flow through his fingers.
— This is your «yesterday.»
From each grain something small, green, barely visible sprouted.
— And this? — the man asked.
— This is your «tomorrow.» — the prophet smiled. — Dying is only the way God makes space for new life.
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Change
Thank You, Lord,
for this night that taught me to live.
For every step that hurt,
for the darkness in which I learned to trust.
Thank You for the moment
when I wanted to turn back
and You were silent —
so that I could choose to go on.
Thank You for the people I passed
though I did not know them.
For those who walked beside me —
silent, yet close.
Thank You for the darkness — for there I learned trust.
For silence — for in it I heard I am not alone.
Thank You
that You allowed me to arrive —
not to rest,
but to be born anew.
And now I ask You, Lord:
do not let me return the same.
Let what died in me
remain in the tomb.
And what was born in me —
let it live, in You
and in every step I take.
Amen.
Resolution
Thank someone by offering your hand. Perhaps a fellow pilgrim from the EWC — or someone else. Gratitude usually makes a good mark. Keep it alive within you.
