“Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.”1
At 4,675 feet, Mt. Cristo Rey stands high above the borders of Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. The trail winds up the rocky sides of the mountain, clinging to granite cliffs. From the interstate, the statue on top of the mountain looks small, but it actually towers over the desiccated landscape at the peak. During the next two hours, we will gain almost 1,000 vertical feet as we climb the 2.5 miles to top of the mountain.
At the base of the mountain, teens pour from the cars as the first slivers of dawn creep over the mountains to the east. The youth drag a wooden cross from the bed of a truck. One of the teens shoulders the cross, and we begin to climb.
“Almighty God…Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.”2
Every year, the youth in our area come together on Good Friday to climb Mt. Cristo Rey, while observing the Stations of the Cross. It is an adventure, a rite of passage. As many as 40,000 pilgrims will be climbing the mountain, so we get an early start to beat the crowds. As we climb, we stop at each of 14 crosses along the way and pray the Stations of the Cross.
The Stations of the Cross originally were developed as a way to meditate on the experiences of Jesus without traveling to Jerusalem. They provide, in effect, a local version of a bigger adventure. The traditional meditations include eight stations based on actual Scripture, and another six stations either implied through Scripture or part of the early tradition of the church. More recent versions of the Stations of the Cross have reworked the stations so that all 14 are scriptural. Many liturgical churches include small plaques around their sanctuaries, illustrating each of the stations. However, sometimes the stations are done outside as a group, progresses along a series of crosses representing the events of Jesus’ last day.
In the early morning darkness, the lights of news trucks brightly light the head of the trail. Reporters clutch their microphones and stare into the depths of their cameras’ lenses. Our teens often are called on to witness to their faith as they are interviewed for regional newscasts. Videos of them hauling the cross will be on the evening news. For some of our teens, being interviewed in such a public setting provokes considerable anxiety, sometimes fear.
“Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us courage to take up our cross and follow Him; who lives and reigns for ever and ever.”3
What is an adventure? Dictionary.com defines adventure as “an exciting or very unusual experience.” While we tend to assume adventure involves risk, the risk may be psychological rather than physical…or not exist at all. Adventure is often associated with excitement and novelty.
Adventure offers an increased sense of being alive. Furman and Sibthorp4 report an increase in self-esteem for those who participate in adventure-based activities, as well as an increase in pro-social behavior. An adventure can heighten the senses. Our own experiences indicate adventure can encourage greater spiritual awareness and a greater connection with God.
For our teens, doing the Stations of the Cross as we climb Mt. Cristo Rey is an adventure. Outside their normal milieu and their comfort zone, the climb up the mountain becomes a way to experience Jesus’ final day as He faced death and to identify with Him. As they climb, they take turns carrying the wooden cross, sometimes carrying it together, sometimes alone; and they lead the prayers and the Scripture readings at each station.
“Almighty and everliving God…Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of His suffering, and also share in His resurrection…”5
What makes a good adventure? Glass and Meyers6 describe both a “break with the familiar” and an “element of risk.” Adventures often offer a connection with nature, although this is not absolutely necessary. Paquette7 describes adventure as involving both a perception of challenge and a sense of uncertainty.
It is important to realize, however, what an adventure does not require. An adventure does not require travel. An adventure does not require a physical challenge. Indeed, the challenge may be emotional or spiritual rather than physical. An adventure does not require risk.
Our adventure on Mt. Cristo Rey takes us out of the familiar. Beyond the four walls of the church and outside our comfortable neighborhoods, we are faced with the unknown. On the mountain, we are outside of our comfort zone: The weather in early spring often is unpredictable, and the mountain can be whipped by piercing winds. The trails lack guardrails, and the terrain below is steep. Although not any more dangerous than other mountainous trails in our area, the path still is rough and daunting.
More than physically challenging, this trek is emotionally and spiritually challenging. Why climb a mountain, starting before the sun has risen, when one could be safe at home and in bed? What does it mean to have faith? How are we to live out that faith in a postmodern culture? All these questions challenge our youth as they ascend Mt. Cristo Rey.
An adventure gives us the opportunity to ponder our impermanence. For teens who often fail to recognize their own mortality, this can be especially important. An adventure allows us to recognize our humanity and our limitations, while also providing the opportunity to recognize something greater than ourselves and to rely on God.
One year, we climbed shortly after my 14-year-old daughter, Asia, had suffered her second grand mal seizure, bringing with it a diagnosis of epilepsy. I wanted to protect her, to stand between Asia and the cliffs off of which she might fall. After we started to climb, she looked me in the eye and said, “Mom, I am in God’s hands.” I was humbled by her faith.
For the past two years, Asia has chosen to climb the mountain barefoot. The rocky trail is not easy on bare feet, but a few choose to climb without shoes. Going barefoot increases the challenge. When asked why she walked without shoes, Asia said, “I wanted to be closer to Jesus’ experience.”
“O God, You know us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: Grant us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations…”8
The trail winds around the top of the mountain, leading to the 14th station. Near the peak, this station looks south over the colonia in Juarez, Mexico. These shantytowns have born much of the brunt of the Mexican drug war violence, wracking Juarez and that country. Murders are common, and violence expected. At the edge of the colonia stands an orphanage. Each year, after reading the prayers for the 14th station, we stop and raise our hands out over the colonia, and pray for protection, for peace, for an end to the murders and death. It is moment of power, of God’s presence.
“Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served but to serve: Bless all who, following in His steps, give themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience, and courage, they may minister in His name to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy…”9
At the top of the mountain stands a 30-foot sculpture of Jesus on the cross. What appears small from the highway dwarfs us from the summit. In its shadow, we say the final prayers and then spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation of Jesus before we start our descent back down from the peak. The desert spreads out around us, bathed in sunlight.
For our youth, climbing the mountain, carrying the cross, and doing the stations have become part of an annual adventure. Many of our teens describe their adventure as a time of spirit growth.
“To Christ our Lord who loves us, and washed us in His own blood, and made us a kingdom of priests to serve His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.”10
Adventure does not require travel, money or great risk. All it asks is that we step out of our day-to-day lives and be open to new possibilities, to the possibility that God is speaking to us, wooing us, inviting us to full life in Him.
Look for experiences outside the norm. Certainly being in nature can intensify the sense of adventure, but adventures just as easily can happen inside. For instance, the 30-Hour Famine serves as an adventure for many, as teens challenge themselves to fast from food for 30 hours.
Know Your Kids: Different youth need different types of adventures. A group comprised of mostly seniors will be ready for a bigger adventure than a group of freshmen. Some teens never may have left the county, while others have been halfway around the world. Knowing your youth will help you determine the best ways to challenge them.
Know Your Adventure: Always test drive an adventure before taking a van full of youth with you. What sounds as if it would be the perfect adventure actually may be inappropriate for your teens. Know what to expect.
Manage the Risk: Look for activities that heighten and intensify awareness of the world around them. This intensification can happen through challenge or through appropriate risk. For instance, climbing the mountain or fasting for 30 hours provides challenge with minimal risk. Ideally, any risk should be carefully controlled and effectively minimized. High ropes courses provide a practical example of minimizing physical risk while allowing and encouraging psychological risk: The risk of high ropes is not the possibility of falling, which is quite low, but the fear of falling, which many be quite high. High ropes provide a challenge and an intense physical and emotional experience.
Involve Church Leadership: Once you have identified a potential adventure and assessed the risk, it’s time to speak with your church leadership. Provide a description of the possible risks, and develop a plan to ensure everyone’s safety.
Keep Parents in the Loop: Keep parents informed. Over-communicate. Send letters. Call a parent meeting. Speak to parents one-on-one. Make sure you accurately (and calmly) are able to communicate the risks, as well as what you will be doing to keep their children safe. When appropriate, invite parents to join your adventure.
Be Prepared: A little preparation can go a long way in keeping everyone safe. Make sure kids are dressed appropriately. (This has been one of our biggest challenges.) Bring snacks, water bottles and a first-aid kit. Clearly communicate expectations. Require partners. Make sure adults have cell phones and know how to contact you and each other. Identify a rendezvous point in case you get separated.
Draw Out the Deeper Meaning: Adventures require framing. Why are we doing this? What does it mean? Appropriate framing and explanation can expand and intensify an adventure. A leader can deepen the sense of adventure by helping teens understand the challenges they face, and by giving context and shape to the event. A leader can provide perspective, assisting youth in recognizing what has been revealed in the midst of their experience. A leader can help youth understand the importance of this event within the narrative of a student’s own life. A good leader not only provides guidance, but also meaning.
Take Time for Reflection: It’s important to provide opportunities for reflection. Offer times to pray, ponder and process; especially when these times of reflection are interwoven throughout the adventure, they can intensify and deepen the experience. Contemplation provides opportunities to own the experience and incorporate it into one’s own narrative. Reflection makes the experience mine.
1 “The Way of the Cross,” The Book of Occasional Services, Church Publishing, 2004, pg. 57.
2 “The Way of the Cross,” The Book of Occasional Services, Church Publishing, 2004, pg. 59.
3 “The Way of the Cross,” The Book of Occasional Services, Church Publishing, 2004, pg. 60.
4 Furman, Nate, and Jim Subthorp. “The Development of Prosocial Behavior in Adolescents: A Mixed Methods Study from NOLS.” Journal of Experiential Education, 2014(37): 160-175.
5 “The Way of the Cross,” The Book of Occasional Services, Church Publishing, 2004, pg. 65.
6 Glass, J. Scott and Jane E. Myers. “Combining the Old and the New to Help Adolescents: Individual Psychology and Adventure-Based Counseling.” Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 2001(23): 104-114.
7 Paquette, Linda, Audrey Brassard, Audrey Guérin, Justine Fortin-Chevalier, and Laurenace Tanguay-Beaudoin. “Effects of a Developmental Adventure on the Self-Esteem of College Students.” Journal of Experiential Education, 2014(37): 216-231.
8 “The Way of the Cross,” The Book of Occasional Services, Church Publishing, 2004, pg. 61.
9 “The Way of the Cross,” The Book of Occasional Services, Church Publishing, 2004, pg. 63.
10 “The Way of the Cross,” The Book of Occasional Services, Church Publishing, 2004, pg. 73.
