I Climbed the Holy Stairs with Martin Luther

The Scala Sancta are the steps that Jesus supposedly climbed on his way to Pontius Pilate that Friday morning. The 28 steps are nearby one of the most sacred Chatolic church, St. John Lateran in Rome. The steps were supposedly brought from Jerusalem by Helen, the mother of the emperor Constantine. A forgery…

I stood at the bottom, wondering; was there any reason to believe someone would bring a staircase here all the way from Jerusalem? Until today, thousands are going up in their knees, mumbling prayers and hoping to be forgiven.

The Scala Sancta made me feel revolted and angry. Even my daughter, Ingrid (15 years old) exclaimed in surprise: I kan’t believe they still doing this!”... I remembered that Luther, the devout pilgrim, had climbed these steps on his knees, feeling ever more hopeless and confused as he climbed.
He should have been going up to freedom; instead, his feelings went into the depths of self-doubt. As he hobbled up the steps, he was praying to get his grandparents out of purgatory. And all the while wondering to himself: does this work? Does this make sense? Why am I doing this?
Afterward, Luther broke from the Catholic Church. Standing there, I felt like I was seeing the Holy Stairs - Scala Sancta, through his own eyes.

The casual dress of the visitors contrasted with the formality of the place. Backpacks among Renaissance frescoes. Laptops on marble floors. Some time ago the steps were covered with wood, “either to shield the marble below from profane knees or protect devout knees from a more rigorous bruising”, as E. Shurman once wrote.

The steps lead up to the doors of an empty chapel called… take a guess… Sancta Sanctorum - The Holy of Holies. You cannot go into the chapel, it’s the personal chapel of the popes. If you are not one of them… sorry. You go then around, pray some more if you are there to get the maximum bang from it (or just catch your breath), and then you’re done.

I watched the people climbing on their knees. Some had rosaries. Some kissed the steps.
By the way, for those who are Protestants, infidels, heathen or just in a hurry, they have unsanctified stairs, too, off to the side. That’s where I went. Standing upright, I climbed those un-holy ordinary stairs. At the top, I gazed at the closed doors of the chapel. And I almost heard a voice whispering with German accent: "The Righteous Will Live by Faith" (Romans 1:17).

Praise the Lord! And thank you, Herr Martin!