Stations of the Cross be conducted personally by the faithful, making their way from one station to another and saying the prayers, or by having an officiating celebrant move from cross to cross while the faithful make the responses. The stations themselves must consist of, at the very least, fourteen wooden crosses, pictures alone do not suffice, and they must be blessed by someone with the authority to erect stations. Pope John Paul II led an annual public prayer of the Stations of the Cross at the Roman Colosseum on Good Friday. Originally, the pope himself carried the cross from station to station, but
Themes of The Lord of the Rings foreshadowed that of Christ. The fall of Gandalf, who fell to save his companions, thus parallels the crucifixion of Christ to save the human race. One of the most obvious Christian themes in Tolkien's writings is the resurrection of Gandalf, who had to sacrifice everything—even his years of plans, efforts, and his very hopes that the Dark Lord might be defeated—in order to secure the safety of the Fellowship. Like Jesus who carried his cross for the sins of mankind, Frodo carried a burden of evil on behalf of the whole world. Frodo walks his "Via Dolorosa" to Mount Doom