Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Transcription

1 STATIONS OF THE CROSS: YEAR OF MERCY This Stations of the Cross may be your personal reflection or if shared with a faith community, invite people in your community, that represent the themes portrayed in each station, to read that portion and share their personal story. So the Stations of the Cross becomes a living Stations of the Cross highlighting opportunities for your faith community to become visible signs showing and living God s mercy in the world (10). Incorporating quotes and thoughts from the Year of Mercy declaration, numbers in ( ) refer to paragraphs in the Misericordiae Vultus: Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy April 11, 2015 by Pope Francis. The document is available on the Vatican website: w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papafrancesco_bolla_ _misericordiae-vultus.html Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Opening Prayer: Jesus you are the face of the Father s mercy (1). As we reflect on each step you took to the cross, console, inspire and give us courage to carry our crosses and reach out in mercy to others carrying their crosses. Let us never be trapped in the tomb of selfabsorption, for only by being engaged in the world can we transcend voids of mercy with reconciliation, understanding, forgiveness and healing. Amen First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death Jesus, disenfranchised from the religious, political and economic power structures of His day, treaded on the margins of society, challenging the status quo. He embraced the

2 outcast, poor, sinners, marginalized, sick and suffering. Providing signs and healing, all His actions were meant to teach mercy (8). Ultimately, His response to people s deepest needs led the ruling elite to feel an impending loss of control from their imposition of legislative religiosity, lancing judgment on humanity. So they sought to silence the messenger and preserve their power. Today, are we cognizant of the many people broken by economic injustice, viewed as factors of production, harmed by pollution, maimed from workplace safety issues and left without a voice? Their human dignity muffled (15), to live lives void of mercy. As the Body of Christ, we are all condemned to death when the least among us is marginalized, victimized or ostracized. How can the Church take up the joyful call to mercy and bear witness to our brothers and sisters struggles with courage and hope (10)? Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross Beaten and bruised, Jesus placed the cross on His shoulders, in His hands. A journey to Golgotha, along familiar paths, but lined with new imperatives. A journey shattering the law, ultimately offering pardon. How many people in our community carry crosses of injustice, betrayal, insults and hate? Straining their hearts to see mercy, emotionally and physically challenging their daily journeys to survive. They see the stares or people quickly turning away from the painful sight of seeing the anguish from them carrying their cross. Like the

3 parchedness of a desert, support evaporates, hope lingers out of focus like a vanishing mirage on the distant horizon. Who do we see carrying crosses in our community, our world? Are we too busy to notice, absorbed in selfish pursuits, numb with indifference or will we be visible, tangible, concrete instruments of mercy in our daily living (9)? Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time The physical weight of the cross pushes Jesus to the ground, to show His humanity. Evidence of the toil while watchful centurions berate Him on. In our community, across our nation and our world employees suffer wage theft. Working countless hours beyond a normal shift, many times off the clock without pay. Suffering the physical toil from excessive hours stressing physical endurance, famished from denied lunch breaks, fracturing of family life from the wedge of excessive hours spent trying to survive economically. All the while under the watchful eye of managers and executives threatening loss of employment if a complaint is lodged, objections voiced. How can we show mercy, the fundamental law that dwells in our hearts as we sincerely look into the eyes of our brothers and sisters (2) exploited by wage theft?

4 Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother In the humanity, Jesus meets His sorrowful mother. Horrified by the anguish, knowing the injustice, seeing the lack of resolve of people along the path to stop the persecution and unwilling to challenge domineering leadership, Mary openly expresses her sorrow, a visible sign of dismay. In our community, across our nation and our world violence ravages families, communities and cultures. Internal implosion or external aggression void of mercy. Mothers, not just women that have physically born a child, but all people that have birthed a cause, nurtured justice, supported unity in the human family, mourn when seeing the wounds of painful situations in our world today that lapse into cynicism (15). How can sorrowful mothers, people of all genders, that seek peace and say Yes to the heart of the Gospels expression of mercy, break down barriers of indifference and egoism (15)?

5 Fifth Station: Simone of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross Simone of Cyrene had journeyed for many days from northern Africa to the Holy City. He was thrown into the throes of a crucifixion, not asked but taken hold of by authorities to assist in their endeavors. Following behind Christ, did he fathom the injustice or even know the facts. Did the experience ultimately make him a disciple of Christ from seeing the senseless torment? By how we spend our money, do we perpetuate and support those crucified by harvesting and producing commodities we eat and making items we purchase. Are the clothes we wear sewn in sweat shops a few miles from our homes or hidden in factories half a world away where garment workers repetitively work like machines. How can we draw near to their stories and support justice in our world by being educated, socially responsible consumers? Only by asking these demanding questions can our world be rich in mercy, joy and peace, instead of absorbed by profits and our pocketbook (13) Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus Jesus face was not hid from Veronica, as blood and sweat she wiped from his brow imprinted an indelible image on the cloth. Do we see the sweat on the brow of those

6 impacted by rising temperatures, parched days dampened by only humid nights? Faces of the elderly and afflicted relegated to prisons of their homes, at times even unable to open their windows and free themselves from suffocating heat due to crime in the neighborhood or the high cost of utilities to cool their living quarters. And how many people are faceless to the world as they merge into society outside their native homes, flooded by rising tides or left parched, cracked and broken by drought. A broken earth breaking lives into migration for survival. Where will we encounter these people s faces, so they can genuinely be offered mercy? People maybe of different cultures and faith traditions, that we might know and understand them better to eliminate disrespect and discrimination (23). Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time The weight of the cross continues to stress Jesus physical endurance. How will and perseverance unravels under the weight of reality to sap strength. For many carrying the cross of homelessness, the challenge to achieve economic stability, address mental illness or hone sobriety can be wrought with fall from bureaucratic paperwork, lack of supportive care or the process of shedding addictions. People may stare, condemn their life style choices or fail to grasp the complex magnitude of homelessness. Who will offer a hand of compassion to sooth the parchedness of indifference? Who will offer a meal ladled with mercy? Who will offer welcome and support in the human family, so the homeless will not fall again and gain stability in their lives? By offering the

7 homeless mercy, may they experience the love of God who consoles, pardons and instills hope (3). Eighth Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem Jesus meets the women along the road to Calvary. As they mourned and lamented, their sorrow and dismay over injustice welled up in their hearts. In questioning the system, they came to observe first-hand the sheer brutality, attempts to manifest fear, far from the message of mercy Jesus spoke in all regions, the plains, mountaintops and towns. How often do we shy away from looking at the reality of injustice or even denying it happens? Do we lack the courage to see with our eyes through the lens of immediacy instead of the lens of a camera recording happenings broadcast through the pixels of a TV, as we recline on the comfort of a sofa removed from vivid sights, sounds and emotions played out in tactile reality? Not defused by gender, all humanity must not remain silent in the face of injustice, but express their feelings, the depth of dismay, so as not to give credence to the status quo. May the message of mercy we receive from God allow us to be messengers of mercy in our world, so no one may be indifferent to the call of experiencing mercy (18)?

8 Ninth Station: Jesus Falls a Third Time Inching closer to Calvary, Jesus falls a third time. How many people have fallen today in the sands of the Arizona desert? Migrants looking for dignity, a job, desiring to support their family, but lacking a piece of paper disparaging labels condemn them to struggle step by step, falling from dehydration, hunger, exhaustion or hypothermia. Will they rise to walk again or will their cross be left in the desert? The beatings by centurions of authority upholding inhumane regulations never physically strike their backs, but inflict the trauma of the unknown that only faith and hope can dispel. It is time to listen to the cry of innocent people who are deprived of their property, dignity, feelings and even their very lives (19). Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Clothes A psychological mocking preceded the humiliating stripping of Jesus clothes. The nakedness of betrayal, the nakedness of presenting peace in a culture cloaked in war.

9 As we expose precepts of peace, unjust atrocities, the throes of poverty, vulnerability to humiliation challenges our resolve, our courage realizing the number of people crucified by bullets or character assignations for speaking truth to earthly power structures. Turning the world upside down from experiencing God s justice, they express the liberating force of His mercy (20). Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross Nailed to the cross, they thought they would silence Jesus and His followers. Authorities thinking they had the last word. In the act of torture, mercy appeared to vanish with each blow to the nails piercing His hands and feet. Each day children living in poverty take blows to their future. Twenty percent live in poverty. Food insecurity stunts their growth, inhibits their ability to learn and future ability to earn a living. Economically challenged neighborhoods are more likely impacted by toxic air pollution contributing to childhood asthma and long-term health concerns. The cross of childhood poverty must not have the last word. May we sense the responsibility to be a living sign of mercy by caring for the most vulnerable, the children among us (4)?

10 Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross Jesus human life extinguished on the cross did not happen until He offered mercy. Forgiveness granted to the thief on the adjoining cross and all those who ask receive mercy freely given. The women huddled at the foot of the cross seeking solace, had the resolve to stay and not run in fear for their own security. The centurion seeing the reality experienced conversion. Racial injustice, cultural hatred extinguishes many lives in violent ways fueling more animosity, decrying the dignity of all human life. It may appear an ending of one life, a name, a picture, hands stretched out in innocence, but people will not let the name be forgotten to spark a movement intent on fostering healing and hope. Harboring a world more secure, reckoning to dispel violence and injustice, seeking to bring the Kingdom of God s mercy to fruition. With a sense of responsibility to nurture reconciliation, daily crossing the threshold of the Holy Door of Mercy, confidence in the Lord s forgiveness guides our steps in cooperating with the work of salvation wrought by Christ (4).

11 Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross and Placed in the Arms of His Mother As Mary held her newborn son, she now holds His lifeless body. Her fiat of Yes to a Divine call appears a sorrowful ending. But she would not let tears leave the fire of faith smoldering. She was given companions, faith and trust in God s mercy to become a disciple. Today, where must we be a disciple? At our parishes to enliven a commitment to justice rooted in cross and dignity of life across the web of human experiences. Our communities were crevasses of pain need the soothing balm of mercy. Our nation fractionalized by economic divides and exclusions rooted in judgment. Our world, will we be witnesses of peace, when a culture of violence attempts to prevail? As a disciple, we may feel anguish. Our causes left to die from apathy. Who is holding the lifeless remains of a cause that appears finished, uprooted, mocked by the status quo? How can they be consoled, given hope, supported by companions for the resurrection of ideals infusing mercy into a world lacking solace, those extinguished by authorities fearful of change? May our liturgical and personal prayers enfold us in communion with the intercession of the saints, named and unnamed, with the grace to live and walk according to the mercy of God, with an unwavering trust in His love (24). Fourteenth Station: Jesus Laid in the Tomb A lifeless body, beaten, mocked, tortured. Cruel, unjust treatment inflicted on innocence appeared to have no voice. Silence from nails coated in blood of violence.

12 But friends offered mercy. With a burial shroud and aromatic embalming spices, they honored a life rich in meaning, filled with hope. They depart. Soldiers stood guard as the stone was rolled into place at the tomb to prevent shanigans and resurrection of Jesus mission by loyal followers. All the planning by human endeavors would soon come unraveled to birth a two thousand year unfolding expression of faith. Today, how will we exemplify our Savior and offer mercy in a world of indifference, greed, hate and injustice, strained by rhetorical violence and power grabs? Where do we see opportunities to roll away the stone to free people entombed by lack of education, employment opportunities and the pressure of glass ceilings? We cannot walk away from the tombs of our world trapping people from standing in solidarity, bound in shrouds inhibiting their inclusion in the common good. May we partake in the inexhaustible spring of God s mercy realizing it is not just for me, us, but for everyone by living as credible witnesses professing and living the message proclaimed on the cross (25). Closing Prayer: We thank you Lord for helping us carry our crosses, our individual burdens and collective struggles. As you died on the cross, a symbol of justice, help us to see justice issues acting as a shield against the wellspring of the Father s limitless mercy (3). May we always be a conduit of mercy, serving in gratitude, fostering your peace and infusing your hope in our world with enthusiasm and conviction (4). We acknowledge our humanity, living as your Body, sustaining by our loving Father who gives us our daily bread, mercifully for our daily needs, so we are not lead into the temptation of indifference and we can say Our Father, who art in heaven Barb Born January 2016

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