I heard someone ask a friend the other day, “Don’t you think Lent gets a bit long after a while?” And the other replied that it is a challenge to get through all 40 days keeping up a spirit of penance.

Most likely many of us feel that way. Lent often gets off to a good start with ashes and a bit of fasting, but after the first fish fry, how do we keep up our resolve to do penance? That is especially important because, as I’ve noted before, we simply must make going to confession, at least once during Lent, a high point of our practice of penance.

(By the way, don’t forget our effort throughout the Diocese of Rockford on Wednesday, March 25 called “Be Reconciled.” Our parishes will hear confessions from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check with your parish for local details or visit http://www.bereconciled.rockforddiocese.org).

One way to prepare for your Lenten confession is by meditating on what Jesus suffered for us, for each of us. And there is no better way to do that than by attending the Stations of the Cross. That wonderful meditation on Jesus’ suffering is offered in most parish churches during Lent, typically on Friday.

The Stations of the Cross had their origin in the Middle Ages. At that time, it was a goal of many of the faithful to make, at least once, the arduous trip to the Holy Land and then to walk the streets of Jerusalem as Jesus did. The idea was to accompany Him, retracing His steps leading to Calvary.

However, with the Muslim occupation of Jerusalem, it became impossible for Christians to carry out that dream. So, artists began to create images of Jesus’ Way of the Cross. And over time, the 14 stations developed along with the practice of walking the steps of Jesus, wherever you are.

What is remarkable is that generation after generation, the stations remain not just a popular devotion but a spiritually moving practice as well. While there is no “one way” that the stations must be celebrated, most often each station begins with a moment of kneeling or genuflection before we rise again to pray about one element of Jesus’ passion.

That up and down accompanied by the walk to the station images by the celebrant serves to engage us physically. It spiritually unites us not only to Jesus but also to the crowds who witnessed the event in Jesus’ day.

Several of the stations come from the Gospel accounts: Jesus’ condemnation by Pilate and His meeting with the women of Jerusalem, for example. But others, not mentioned in the Scriptures, come from the accumulated faith of Christian piety. Examples here would be the three falls of Jesus and the wiping of His face by Veronica.

The cumulative effect is that we recall vividly the physical and emotional pains that Jesus endured for us. That helps to remind us of the very cost of the encounter between sin, the sin of the world and our own personal sin, and the infinite love of God. It helps to strengthen us in our own trials and troubles because the Son of God really shared our humanity and our sufferings.

I often hear it asked how we can get our young people more engaged in their faith. Parents, bringing your children to the Stations of the Cross in your parish church not only teaches them about the meaning of Lent but it engages their imagination.

It does that for us as adults as well, but what a welcome venue it is to show our young people how it is possible to get closer to Christ.

And for those who have been away from the Church for a while, why not come to the stations and feel the invitation of Christ and the Church to come back to the family of faith?

Forty days of Lent may seem like a long time to do penance. But the readings at Mass, daily and each Sunday, and prayers like the Stations of the Cross help to inspire us and keep us going. And they are excellent preparations for our Lenten confession.