Mission San Diego De Alcala

San Diego, California.  Today begins our tour of the California Missions with Mission San Diego De Alcala which was founded by Father Junipero Serra on July 16, 1769.  Standing in the portico, the walkway along the mission buildings, I noticed a white cross at the far end.  This cross marks the spot where Father Luis Jayme, California’s first Christian martyr, was killed during an Indian attack on the Mission in 1775.  As we walked through the mission grounds, we were struck by visual representations of the suffering of Jesus.  In particular, the Pieta Garden displays a mosaic representation of the Stations of the Cross, depicting fourteen of Jesus’ experiences on the day of His crucifixion.  It seems a stark contrast to the Protestant emphasis on Jesus’ Resurrection Day as symbolized by the empty cross.  Yet both Catholic and Protestant understand the importance of both the suffering servant and the resurrected Christ.

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