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The Stations of the Cross with Dr. Ron Thomas

Home > Podcast > The Stations of the Cross with Dr. Ron Thomas

The Stations of the Cross with Dr. Ron Thomas

Season 6, Episode 7

Details

The Stations of the Cross is a devotion and reflection in which we walk alongside Jesus on His way to Calvary. By prayerfully participating in this meditation, we are able to clearly see through His passion and death the depths of God’s love for mankind and the price He paid for our salvation. This presentation includes powerful meditations by Dr. Ronald Thomas, Associate Professor of Theology at Belmont Abbey College, with prayer responses by students from the college. Listen now!

Transcript

00:00:00:00 – 00:00:30:14

Unknown

Meditations on the stations of the cross with Doctor Ron Thomas and the students of Belmont Abbey College from the Basilica of Mary help of Christians on the campus of Belmont Abbey. 

 

Dr. Ron Thomas

In the name of the father and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Almighty and everlasting God, who of your tender love towards mankind have sent your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon himself our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross, that all should follow the example of his great humility.

 

00:00:30:16 – 00:00:52:11

Dr. Ron Thomas

Mercifully grant that we may both follow the example of his patience, and also be made partakers of his resurrection through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. The first station, Jesus, is condemned to death. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Pilate said to Jesus, where are you from?

 

00:00:52:13 – 00:01:19:01

Dr. Ron Thomas

But Jesus gave no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, you will not speak to me. Do you not know that I have power to release you and power to crucify you? Jesus answered him, you would have no power at all over me unless it had been given you from above. What sort of answer is possible to someone holy, subject to the confused stratagems of power and position, who washes his hands of his cowardice?

 

00:01:19:03 – 00:01:46:03

Dr. Ron Thomas

Jesus answers with silence. His reference point is not of this world, and his admiration and reverence reserved only for his father. The power of God had kept him safe from the days of his infancy. When Herod and his henchmen sought him out among the innocents they killed, the power of the father would once again hold him fast and guard and fulfill the mission for which he was born the salvation of mankind.

 

00:01:46:05 – 00:02:11:11

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee.

 

00:02:11:13 – 00:02:33:10

Students

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

 

00:02:33:12 – 00:03:00:00

Dr. Ron Thomas

The second station, Jesus receives the cross. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Jesus is made to bear his cross to the bitter end of his grim pilgrimage to Golgotha, falling three times under its weight, weak from his torture, exhausted by his ordeal, he is compelled by a cruel soldiery with kicks and blows to aid them in his crucifixion.

 

00:03:00:02 – 00:03:30:05

Dr. Ron Thomas

All this, he knew, would happen. We see Jesus embrace the word upon which he will die, feeling its grain, weight, and cut. The carpenter touches the last earthly elements of a life poured out to the will of God, poured not into oblivion, but into an awful abyss of love, a dark and severe mercy which Pilate, the soldiers, and the jeering crowds can in no way either know or appreciate, but which is for them nonetheless.

 

00:03:30:07 – 00:03:56:10

Dr. Ron Thomas

How bitter, on top of blows and insults, is the pain of love unrequited, unnoticed and unwanted. 

 

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

 

00:03:56:12 – 00:04:19:04

Students

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father, the son, and to the Holy Spirit.

 

00:04:19:06 – 00:04:42:07

Students

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, a world without end. Amen. 

 

Dr. Ron Thomas

The third station, Jesus falls the first time. We adore you, oh, Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. There is no shame in human weakness. There is only shame before God in the refusal of his will.

 

00:04:42:09 – 00:05:07:01

Dr. Ron Thomas

The strength of this world is weak for it refuses the good inheritance of God’s power. It can only lash out and destroy and drive the purposes of God and His very self into the dust. Destroy their plans, O Lord. Confuse their tongues. For I see violence and strife in the city. God will conquer their violence with his love and undo their plans with his redemptive suffering.

 

00:05:07:03 – 00:05:31:06

Dr. Ron Thomas

Nothing that they can do will frustrate God’s designs. The blood they spilled will drown their hatred for those marked with the sign of faith. This redemptive suffering will prove the portal of life even in the midst of their hardships. For as Saint Paul says, for the sake of Christ, then I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.

 

00:05:31:08 – 00:05:55:15

Dr. Ron Thomas

For when I am weak, I am strong. 

 

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

 

00:05:55:21 – 00:06:19:12

Students

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

 

00:06:19:13 – 00:06:45:08

Dr. Ron Thomas

The fourth station Jesus meets His Blessed Mother. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Mary was not only bound to Jesus as his mother, but also bound to him by her commitment to God. Moreover, consenting to bear the God child, she consents to having all of her prerogative as a mother given over to God.

 

00:06:45:10 – 00:07:08:08

Dr. Ron Thomas

It is a pilgrimage of sacrifice. But there is another mystery here: the intimacy between Jesus and his mother. Each maternal action assumed for the sake of Jesus, was a direct service of the eternal and all glorious God. Each glance upon her child was a glance cast upon the eternal glory of the father, veiled in the flesh of her son.

 

00:07:08:10 – 00:07:32:20

Dr. Ron Thomas

Mary, unlike any other mother, though just as truly one of their number enjoyed at one in the same time, the growth of love for her son, and the growth of love for the eternal Godhead. This is why she is the most highly favored mother of the church and help of Christians. 

 

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

 

00:07:32:22 – 00:07:58:20

Students

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

 

00:07:58:22 – 00:08:22:08

Students

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father and the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning. Is now and ever shall be, a world without end. Amen. 

 

Dr. Ron Thomas

The fifth station, the cross, is laid on Simon of Cyrene. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

 

00:08:22:12 – 00:08:51:16

Dr. Ron Thomas

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus with his cross for a little while, but Jesus must take it up again alone, and fall beneath it. Still, Simon of Cyrene is our forefather in the faith. We learn to love the cross by embracing it, kissing it as on Good Friday, in the form of the difficulties inherent in other people, in our unfulfilled longings and yearnings, and in every pain and agony, the cause.

 

00:08:51:16 – 00:09:14:13

Dr. Ron Thomas

We only learn to love the cross. It means that we do not or should not love it. Naturally, we come to love it because of Christ and the love in which he bore the original. His falling once, twice, three times. For the people who watched him march toward death, we embraced the cross also, because it means the removal of all our dead wood.

 

00:09:14:15 – 00:09:39:01

Dr. Ron Thomas

All of the accretions of self-centered fantasy and contorted desire. We indulge loving the cross where we meet it and falling under its weight. We embrace the new life beyond the cross, prepared for those who die to themselves. 

 

Students

Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

 

00:09:39:03 – 00:10:05:19

Students

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the field of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

 

00:10:05:20 – 00:10:39:09

Students

Glory be to the father and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World. Amen. 

 

Dr. Ron Thomas

The sixth station, Saint Veronica, wipes the face of Jesus. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Veronica. So history has named her wipes Jesus’s face, his bloody sweat imprinting upon her cloth the true image of his suffering and sacrifice.

 

00:10:39:11 – 00:11:03:00

Dr. Ron Thomas

The face of Jesus is ultimately inseparable from the image of his crown of thorns, and the injury inflicted by the blows of his tormentors. It was as the prophet Isaiah foretold of him, as many were astonished at him, his appearance so marred beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of man, so shall he startle many nations.

 

00:11:03:02 – 00:11:31:15

Dr. Ron Thomas

Despised. Rejected. It appears as if he is God forsaken, but the Lord has not forsaken him. Jesus moves with his face set like flint to the accomplishment of the great salvation. God’s will shall be done and his purpose is fulfilled. For Jesus is our Lord and God. The face of suffering will soon be the face of glory. And in Jesus’s face the words of ancient Aaron, the High Priest are remade and fulfilled.

 

00:11:31:16 – 00:11:54:04

Dr. Ron Thomas

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 

 

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

 

00:11:54:06 – 00:12:18:12

Students

And forgive us our trespasses, as as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

 

00:12:18:13 – 00:12:30:18

Students

Glory be to the father and the son, and to the Holy Spirit. As I was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, a world without end. Amen.

 

00:12:30:20 – 00:12:59:09

Dr. Ron Thomas

The seventh station, Jesus falls the second time. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Pilate was not the only person complicit in Jesus’s condemnation. The chief priests had stirred up the crowds to accuse Jesus in response, and to show his contempt of these people. Pilate writes a sign to be posted above the cross A blasphemy.

 

00:12:59:11 – 00:13:25:17

Dr. Ron Thomas

Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. A man bears the paper along the road to the place of crucifixion. The saying happens to be true, and none of Jesus’s accusers know he is also the true King of heaven. How hard it is to recognize the truth of God, be it ever so visible and living. It is seen with the eye of the heart and obeyed with the limbs of the soul.

 

00:13:25:19 – 00:13:52:21

Dr. Ron Thomas

The poet T.S. Eliot called it a condition of complete simplicity, costing not less than everything, and how hard it is to turn from sin and contempt of the ways of God. Once these have become a habit, a lifestyle out of mercy, Jesus would pray from the cross. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 

 

Students

Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

 

00:13:52:22 – 00:14:19:05

Students

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

 

00:14:19:07 – 00:14:37:17

Students

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father and the son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, a world without end. Amen.

 

00:14:37:19 – 00:15:04:06

Dr. Ron Thomas

The eighth station. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. But Jesus, turning to them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. Jesus predicts the harsh future that his people will have because of their rejection of God’s works of mercy and grace.

 

00:15:04:08 – 00:15:27:20

Dr. Ron Thomas

Jerusalem ultimately falls to the Romans. A modern poem by the Cornish poet Charles Causley puts the same word to us, who need to hear it every bit as much as the women of Jerusalem. I am the great son. I am the great son. But you do not see me. I am your husband. But you turn away. I am the captive.

 

00:15:27:20 – 00:15:47:15

Dr. Ron Thomas

But you do not free me. I am the captain. You will not obey. I am the truth. But you will not believe me. I am the city where you will not stay. I am your wife, your child. But you will leave me. I am that God to whom you will not pray. I am your counsel. But you do not hear me.

 

00:15:47:17 – 00:16:10:03

Dr. Ron Thomas

I am the lover whom you will betray. I am the victor. But you do not cheer me. I am the holy dove whom you will slay. I am your life. But if you will not name me. Seal up your soul with tears. And never blame me. 

 

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.

 

00:16:10:05 – 00:16:34:20

Students

Thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

 

00:16:34:21 – 00:17:00:14

Students

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father and the son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, a world without end. Amen. 

 

Dr. Ron Thomas

The ninth station, Jesus falls a third time. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

 

00:17:00:16 – 00:17:29:13

Dr. Ron Thomas

Jesus fell once the first time. For those who set the murderous wheels in motion, the inhabitants of palace and court and temple, shielded from weakness by their power, blinded by power to their weakness, he fell that they might know the power of weakness. When that power and weakness are called love. Jesus fell twice. The second time for those who followed and watched, dulled to life through their guilt and blindness.

 

00:17:29:17 – 00:17:55:06

Dr. Ron Thomas

Caught in spiritual paralysis and numb nervous energy, he fell that they might run to their merciful God. Jesus fell three times, the third time for us that we might not fall, or that falling. We might love him whose battered brow and eyes cast the look of love our way. And who picks us up because he fell, bearing a cross of love.

 

00:17:55:08 – 00:18:20:21

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee.

 

00:18:20:23 – 00:18:44:05

Students

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father. It’s a sign to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

 

Dr. Ron Thomas

The 10th station.

 

00:18:44:07 – 00:19:13:16

Dr. Ron Thomas

Jesus is stripped of his garments. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus is subjected to the humiliation of nakedness. His tormentors cannot know. However, that in removing his earthly clothes they are preparing him for his glorification, his heavenly triumph, and an everlasting exaltation for as the prophet Isaiah says, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.

 

00:19:13:21 – 00:19:35:12

Dr. Ron Thomas

My soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a Garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Not since Adam and Eve clothed themselves with the skins God gave to them as he cast them out of the garden.

 

00:19:35:14 – 00:20:10:12

Dr. Ron Thomas

Has man’s nakedness been anything other than a mark of his shame? Christ’s nakedness will reverse that curse, and to all who believe will be given robes of white washed in the blood of the lamb. 

 

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

 

00:20:10:14 – 00:20:37:02

Students

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father and the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

 

00:20:37:04 – 00:21:01:19

Dr. Ron Thomas

The 11th station, Jesus is nailed to the cross. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Sometimes the crucifixion of our will comes through other people whom we must bear, or whom we must serve, or whom we must obey. Sometimes the crucifixion of our will comes through sickness and disease past our ability to do anything about it.

 

00:21:01:21 – 00:21:32:10

Dr. Ron Thomas

Sometimes circumstances serve to crucify our will. As they crushed the dreams, plans, and ambitions that we hold so closely, like idols which resist the touch of the living God. That suffering, dying, and the daily crucifixion of our will can lead to the deepest level of divine life, is a mystery we scarcely fathom. But here we see it in Jesus enveloped by torment and opposition, going willingly to death for the redemption of all creation.

 

00:21:32:12 – 00:21:57:22

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace, Lord, with thee.

 

00:21:58:00 – 00:22:23:04

Students

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father and the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

 

Dr. Ron Thomas

The 12th station, Jesus dies upon the cross.

 

00:22:23:06 – 00:22:43:05

Dr. Ron Thomas

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. In Dorothy Sayers play, the Man Born to Be King, Mary says this when he was small, I washed and fed him. I dressed him in his little garments and combed the rings of his hair. When he cried, I comforted him.

 

00:22:43:07 – 00:23:04:17

Dr. Ron Thomas

When he was hurt, I kissed away the pain. And when the darkness fell, I sang him to sleep. Now he goes faint and fasting in the dust. And his hair is tangled with thorns. They will strip him naked to the sun and hammer nails into his living flesh. And the great darkness will cover him. And there is nothing I can do.

 

00:23:04:19 – 00:23:30:23

Dr. Ron Thomas

Nothing at all, though Mary can do nothing. Her inactivity is not paralysis. It is an inward churning of love and wonder and sorrow. If this is where her son leads her, then he or she will stay. She will want nothing else. If this is the appointed end of the son whom she loves, the son who, far from being the beneficiary of her ministrations, has become the captain of her soul.

 

00:23:31:02 – 00:23:56:09

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

 

00:23:56:11 – 00:24:22:07

Students

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father and the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

 

Dr. Ron Thomas

The 13th station, Jesus is taken down from the cross.

 

00:24:22:09 – 00:24:50:12

Dr. Ron Thomas

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Contrast the stillness of Mary, says the Dominican Gerald Van, with the hubbub earlier of the crowd and the Roman soldiery. Mary is intent, and still those who love Jesus stay with him in stillness. Those who hate, betray or deny him separate themselves from him, not least with many words and motions.

 

00:24:50:14 – 00:25:18:06

Dr. Ron Thomas

So it always has been, and so it always will be. Waiting with Christ in stillness, like Mary means union with him. It means knowing the tragedy and the victory of his love. It is called contemplation. Mary is still she has always been, still pondering the ways of God in the son she bore by the Holy Spirit. The sword has pierced her soul, as the ancient Simeon said it would, but she will continue to wait.

 

00:25:18:08 – 00:25:43:15

Dr. Ron Thomas

The son will answer her stillness with the gift of resurrection. 

 

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

 

00:25:43:18 – 00:26:07:07

Students

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father and of the son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

 

00:26:07:07 – 00:26:38:19

Students

Amen. 

 

Dr. Ron Thomas

The 14th station, Jesus, is laid in the sepulcher. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Remember my affliction in my misery, the wormwood and the gall that is the bitterness of death. However, it affects us. Human life consists of two parts: living and dying. And after we have spread ourselves in achievement, after we have grown and flourished like the flower of the field.

 

00:26:39:01 – 00:27:01:09

Dr. Ron Thomas

Death indeed does come. Then the only remaining question is not how well do I live? But rather how well do I die? The scriptures take the view that in living and dying, the best thing available to us is the knowledge of God. As to knowing ourselves, that will surely come in knowing God. The cross of Christ reveals God.

 

00:27:01:09 – 00:27:24:22

Dr. Ron Thomas

Most truly, the church has said, because that is where he redeems the human beings whom he has made, incorporating them fully, finally, into his purposes. That God lets us embrace his cross, living it ourselves and for the sake of others is also a great mystery. For then we can die well and live from a loving power beyond our own.

 

00:27:25:00 – 00:27:52:10

Dr. Ron Thomas

When the crucified comes to live with us, we die into his glorious resurrection.

 

Students

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. I will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

 

00:27:52:12 – 00:28:14:20

Students

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Glory be to the father, the son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be.

 

00:28:14:22 – 00:28:44:14

Students

A World without end. Amen. 

 

Unknown

Meditations on the stations of the cross with Doctor Ron Thomas and the students of Belmont Abbey College from the Basilica of Mary. Help of Christians. To find out more about Belmont Abbey, or to order a copy of these meditations on CD or its companion booklet, visit Belmont Abbey college.edu.

Additional Resources

  • Station of the Cross Meditations Ebook

About the Host

Dr. Ronald Thomas, Jr.

Dr. Ronald Thomas
Associate Professor of Theology

Professor Ronald Thomas holds his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Cambridge, England, and his Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Memphis, Tennessee. He was also a student of Theology at the University of Goettingen, Germany. Dr. Thomas has taught at Christian Brothers University, Crichton College, the University of Mississippi, and Rhodes College and currently teaches Theology at Belmont Abbey College. Dr. Thomas is a convert to the Catholic faith after having served for five years as a Methodist minister and 13 years as an Episcopal priest.

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100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Road
Belmont, NC 28012

ADMISSIONS: 1-888-222-0110
MAIN NUMBER: 1-704-461-6700
FAX: 704-461-6220

info@bac.edu

Copyright ©2025 Belmont Abbey College | Minutes from Charlotte, we are ranked one of the top comprehensive colleges in the South by US News and World Report. Since 1876, the mission of Belmont Abbey College is the education of students from diverse religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds in the liberal arts tradition as guided by our catholic intellectual heritage and inspired by the 1500-year-old Benedictine monastic tradition. | Privacy Policy | Designed by Fuzati
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Copyright ©2025 Belmont Abbey College | Minutes from Charlotte, we are ranked one of the top comprehensive colleges in the South by US News and World Report. Since 1876, the mission of Belmont Abbey College is the education of students from diverse religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds in the liberal arts tradition as guided by our catholic intellectual heritage and inspired by the 1500-year-old Benedictine monastic tradition. | Privacy Policy | Designed by Fuzati
Copyright ©2025 Belmont Abbey College | Privacy Policy | Designed by Fuzati
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Your Admissions Counselor is:

Caroline Hohensee, Graduate and Online CoordinatorCaroline Hohensee
Graduate and Online Coordinator

carolinehohensee@bac.edu
Office: 704-461-6838

Your Admissions Counselor is:

Angela LoyaAngela Loya
Admissions Counselor

angelaloya@bac.edu
Schedule a Conversation

Office: 704-461-5026
Mobile: 704-336-0265

Your Admissions Counselor is:

Elizabeth WelchElizabeth Welch
Transfer Admissions Counselor

elizabethwelch@bac.edu
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Office: 704-461-7216 Mobile: 704-544-7758

Your Admissions Counselor is:

Megan Walden, Assistant Director of Recruitment and Enrollment EventsMegan Walden
Assistant Director of Recruitment and Enrollment Events

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MeganWalden@bac.edu
Office: 704-461-7216 Mobile: 704-336-0289

Your Admissions Counselor is:

Theresa Peetz, Admissions CounselorTheresa Peetz
Admissions Counselor

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theresapeetz@bac.edu
Office: 704-461-6885 Mobile: 704-964-8837

Your Admissions Counselor is:

Julia Iseman, Admissions CounselorJulia Iseman
Admissions Counselor

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juliaiseman@bac.edu
Office: 704.461.6830 Mobile: 704.336.0289

Your Admissions Counselor is:

Kathryn Laughlin, Admissions CounselorKathryn Laughlin '20
Admissions Counselor

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kathrynlaughlin@bac.edu
Office: 704-461- 7216 Mobile: 704-248-6744

Your Admissions Counselor is:

Connor Jones '18
Admissions Counselor

Schedule a Conversation
connorjones@bac.edu
Office: 704-461-6667
Office: 704-200-9380

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