Jesus falls three times on the way to the crucifixion

Jesus falls three times on the way to the crucifixion
Question from on 04-21-2007:
Dear Matthew,

I've searched the gospels many times but am unable to locate any biblical references to Jesus stumbling even once on the way to the mountain where he is crucified. The 12 stations in the way of the cross has Him down three times, along with a woman named Veronica who wipes His face and it is imprinted on the cloth. Can you please tell me where these beliefs originated from if not the gospels?

Thank you and God bless.

Marc Lariviere
Answer by Matthew Bunson on 04-29-2007:
The road taken by Our Lord to Calvary is called the Via Dolorosa (the Sorrowful Way). The events that took place while Jesus journeyed that agonizing road were remembered by the faithful in the earliest days of the Church. Gradually, there developed a tradition among even the first of the pilgrims to the Holy Land in the first centuries of retracing Jesus’ steps, event by event – or, as they came to be called, station by station. The act of piety in retracing these events was given the name of the Stations of the Cross. As noted, the origins of the Stations can be traced to a fairly early time in Christian history, perhaps even to the 4th century among the pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem. The stations were then reproduced analogously at home in their own native countries. In this way, the devotion was translated to Europe where it became increasingly popular throughout the Middle Ages.

Some of the stations are mentioned explicitly in the Gospels, while others are known according to the attestation of ancient tradition. Consequently, not every station has a direct equivalent in the Gospel narratives. In answering your specific question pertaining to Jesus falling three times, this is not specifically mentioned in the Gospel, but there is excellent reason to accept them as likely given the consistent testimony of ancient witnesses as well as the writings of mystics.

The first person to refer to the devotions as stations was an English pilgrim named William Wey in 1428. By that time, the stations were already very popular, and the Holy See had already attached an indulgence to this pilgrimage; later, an indulgence was available to those who could not travel to Jerusalem but who made the pilgrimage in spirit.

In 1505, Peter Sterchx, a Flemish writer, published the highly influential work Cruysgang (“Way of the Cross”), a guide book to the stations that did even more to popularize them and that provided much of the structure for the Stations of the Cross as we know the devotion today. The first twelve stations were placed in their current order by a Dutch writer, Adrichomius in 1584 in his well-read manual, Via Crucis (“Way of the Cross”). The number of stations subsequently varied from 11 to 37 until 1731 when Pope Clement XII fixed the official number at 14.

Modern devotion to the Stations of the Cross is attributed generally to the Franciscan St. Leonard of Port Maurice (d. 1751). Through his labors, there were established stations in at least 571 places throughout Italy. The renewed practice of the devotion then spread to the New World and across Europe. I hope this answers your question. If not, please feel free to re-post.