Q : 
Do Catholics have the obligation to go to Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent? What if some Fridays were skipped?
【 Question from 】 Canada 加拿大

Fr. Francis : 

No, Catholics have no obligation to go to the Stations of the Cross, just as we have no obligation to pray the Rosary or fasting except Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

These and many other forms of devotions and prayers are tools given to us, to be freely chosen to assist us in our discipleship with Jesus. Jesus wants us to pray and meditate on the Gospel, but He also wants us to choose it freely, and to exercise our intelligence and discipline to use the tools most helpful for our growth.

Of course, the devotion of the Stations of the Cross is a beautiful meditation, especially during Lent but also for anytime of the year. We should make use of it frequently, not under obligation or fear, but out of love and desire to walk with Jesus, and to console Jesus’ thirst for souls, for us.