Compassion: Stations of the Cross for Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse

By Tony Wright and Lya Vollering

This book describes the connection between recovery process of childhood abuse and the way of the cross. It offers an opportunity to be with God who knows what it is like to be innocent and abused. That was the reality of the way of the cross for Jesus of Nazareth.

This way of the cross offers a spiritual mirror in which to see one’s sufferings more and more clearly in order to heal from them: a safe way in which to invite God into the healing process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: May 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664114982

Tony Wright

Tony Wright is a consciousness researcher who studied horticulture and plant biochemistry at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. He lives in Cornwall, England.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by Tony Wright

Copyright © 2021 Artwork by Lya Vollering

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

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system, without permission in writing from the copyright owners.

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Photos by Scott Haddow

Mosaic of Sacred Heart on page 6 by Mary Chojnowski

Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES

VERSION (NKJV): Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES

VERSION®. Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6641-1497-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6641-1498-2 (e)

Rev. date: 23/04/2021

CONTENTS

Introduction

An opening and closing prayer

Approaching the first station

First station: Jesus before Pilate

Second station: Jesus receives his cross

Third station: Jesus falls for the first time

Fourth station: Jesus meets his mother

Fifth station: Simon helps carry the cross

Sixth station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Seventh station: Jesus falls for the second time

Eighth station: Jesus talks to the women of Jerusalem

Ninth station: Jesus falls a third time

Tenth station: Jesus is stripped of his clothing

Eleventh station: Jesus is nailed to the cross

Twelfth station: Jesus dies on the cross

Thirteenth station: Jesus is taken down from the cross

Fourteenth station: Jesus is placed in the tomb

Fifteenth station: Jesus lives new life

Artist’s notes

Author’s notes

INTRODUCTION

As our awareness of the horrors of abuse suffered in childhood continues to grow, hopefully our awareness of the effect on the innocent party or victim will also grow. Abuse comes in many forms. Abuse always damages, and when it comes to damage, there is no real difference between abuse that is physical, sexual, emotional, mental, or developmental, or of any other type. All that distinguishes one from another is the abuser’s choice of weapon.

It is not unusual for the victim of childhood abuse to suffer a combination of different types of abuse; all are interconnected. Abuse that occurs in childhood affects the victim from the moment it occurs and goes on affecting her or him as her or his life continues. It is hardly possible to overestimate the seriousness and the extent of the damage done to an innocent child who is the victim of abuse. What follows is for victims who survive; not all do!

A victim is affected in a variety of ways: physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, behaviourally, and spiritually. All victims of childhood abuse develop ways and means of surviving. Surviving abuse is a life-and-death reality, and it remains so for a long time after the abuse has ended.

Often the horrors of what has happened to a victim of childhood abuse only begin to surface much later in adult life, not unusually because of an event or happening which, now that one is an adult, brings back the forgotten buried memories and emotions from childhood. The victim then faces the reality of making the choice to engage in the healing process or not. There is really no choice when it comes to this choice!

In terms of recovery or healing from childhood abuse, all aspects of life need to be addressed by the victim, including the spiritual aspect. Abuse damages and distorts. It damages and distorts how God and love are understood, known or not known, and experienced. Why? Because at least