Way of the Cross for Justice for Immigrants

Transcription

1 Way of the Cross for Justice for Immigrants Rev. Michael J. Boehm Priests for Justice for Immigrants Archdiocese of Chicago Introduction: English: In this season of Lent, we publicly profess our faith in the Kingdom of God. We gather as one people who today on Good Friday recall and make present what Jesus did to save the world. He died on the cross to forgive the sins of all men and women. We reflect on his passion, death, and resurrection. Today we realize that our society still needs to be redeemed from the slavery and violence of sin. We respond to that challenge by trying to see where his passion, death, and resurrection are taking place in the reality where we live. According to the Second Vatican Council, the Church in modern society is called to be the sign and instrument of the intimate union with God for the entire human race. Pope Francis has written in his pastoral statement, The Joy of the Gospel, Goodness always tends to spread. Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has experienced liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of others. (9) As we walk and make present the sufferings of our Savior Jesus Christ, let us pray for peace in the world, that all world powers realize that war and terrorism are not the solution to political conflicts. Let us ask the Lord to protect and watch over our sons and daughters in the Armed Forces, but also all people who suffer the deadly consequences of war and terrorism. Let us also remember the 11 million undocumented people who live in our country. We will be using the pastoral letter of Pope Francis: The Joy of the Gospel for our reflection. Let us walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ praying from our hearts: Lord, have mercy on the whole world. Everyone: Lord, have mercy on the whole world. Second Station: Jesus carries his cross. John 19: After the trial, Pilate handed Jesus over to be nailed to the cross. Jesus was taken away, and carried his cross to a place known as The Skull. In Aramaic this place is called Golgotha. Word of the Lord. 1

2 The Joy of the Gospel: Pope Francis: Evangelization takes place in obedience to the missionary mandate of Jesus: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Mt 28: 19-20). In these verses we see how the risen Christ sent his followers to preach the Gospel in every time and place, so that faith in him might be spread to every corner of the earth. (19) We pray: Lord, have mercy on the world. Everyone: Lord, have mercy on the world. Fourth Station: Jesus meets his mother. Luke 2: Jesus parents were surprised at what Simeon had said. Then he blessed them and told Mary, This child of yours will cause many to fall and others to rise. This child will be like a warning sign. Many people will reject him, and you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been stabbed by a dagger. But this will show what people are really thinking. Word of the Lord. The Joy of the Gospel: Pope Francis: With the Holy Spirit, Mary is always present in the midst of the people. She joined the disciples in praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 14) and thus made possible the missionary outburst which took place at Pentecost. She is the Mother of the Church which evangelizes, and without her we could never understand truly the spirit of the new evangelization. (284) We pray: Lord have mercy on the world. Sixth Station: Verónica wipes the face of Jesus. We adore you, O Christ and we praise you. Isaiah 52:

3 See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals. So he startled many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; for those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it. Word of the Lord. The Joy of the Gospel: Pope Francis: From the heart of the Gospel we see the profound connection between human advancement, which must necessarily find expression and develop in every work of evangelization. Accepting the first proclamation, which invites us to receive God s love and in return with the very love which is his gift, brings forth in our lives and actions a primary and fundamental response: to desire, seek and protect the good of others. (178) We pray: Everyone: Glory to the Father Lord have mercy on the world. Lord have mercy on the world. Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem. We adore you, O Christ and we praise you. Luke 23: A large crowd was following Jesus, and in the crowd a lot of women were crying and weeping for him. Jesus turned to the women and said: Women of Jerusalem don t cry for me! Cry for yourselves and your children. Someday people will say: Women who never had children are really fortunate! At that time everyone will say to the mountains, fall on us! If this can happen to an innocent person, what do you think will happen to one who is guilty? Word of the Lord. The Joy of the Gospel: Pope Francis: Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are disciples and missionaries, but that we are missionary disciples. If we are not convinced, let us look at those first disciples, who, immediately after encountering the gaze of Jesus, went forth to proclaim him joyfully: We have found the Messiah! (Jn. 1: 41). (120) We pray: Lord have mercy on the world. Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments. 3

4 John 19: After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross, they divided up his clothes into four parts, each for one of them. But his outer garment was made from a single piece of cloth, and it did not have any seams. The soldiers said to each other: Let s not rip it apart. We ll throw dice to see who gets it. This happened so that the scriptures would come true which say: They divided up my clothes among themselves and gambled for my garments. The soldiers then did what they had decided. Word of the Lord. The Joy of the Gospel: Pope Francis: I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor! It is vital that government leaders and financial leaders take heed and broaden their horizons, working to ensure that all citizens have dignified work, education and healthcare. Why not turn to God and ask him to inspire their plans? I am firmly convinced that openness to the transcendent can bring about a new political and economic mindset which would help break down the wall of separation between the economy and the common good of society. (205) Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross. John 19: Jesus knew that he now had finished his work. And in order to make the Scriptures come true, he said: I am thirsty! A jar of cheap wine was there. Someone then soaked a sponge with wine and held it up to Jesus mouth on the stem of a hyssop plant. After Jesus drank the wine, he said: Everything is done! He bowed his head and gave up his Spirit. Word of the Lord. Words from the Pastoral Letter: Welcoming the Stranger Among us: Unity in Diversity, U.S. Bishops 2000 The new immigrants call most of us back to our ancestral heritage as descendants of immigrants and to our baptismal heritage as members of the body of Christ. Immigrants, new to our shores, call us out of unawareness to a conversion of mind and heart through which we are able to offer a genuine 4

5 and suitable welcome, to share together as brothers and sisters at the same table, and to work side by side to improve the quality of life for society s marginalized members. The Church of the twentyfirst century will be, as it has always been, a Church of many cultures, languages and traditions, yet simultaneously one, as God is one Father, Son, and Holy Spirit unity in diversity. Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb. John 19: Joseph from Arimathea was one of Jesus disciples. He had kept it a secret though, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. But now he asked Pilate to let him have Jesus body. Pilate gave him permission, and Joseph took it down from the cross. Nicodemos also came with seventy-five pounds of spices made from myrrh and aloes. This was the same Nicodemos who had visited Jesus one night. The two men wrapped the body in a linen cloth, together with the spices, which is how the Jewish people buried their dead. In the place where Jesus had been nailed to the cross, there was a garden with a tomb that had never been used. The tomb was nearby, and since it was the time to prepare for the Sabbath, they were in a hurry to put Jesus body in the tomb. Word of the Lord. The Joy of the Gospel: Pope Francis: The disciple is ready to put his or her life on the line, even to accepting martyrdom, in bearing witness to Jesus Christ, yet the goal is not to make enemies but to see God s word accepted and its capacity for liberation and renewal revealed. Finally an evangelizing community is filled with joy; it knows how to rejoice always. It celebrates every small victory, every step forward in the work of evangelization. Evangelization with joy becomes beauty in the liturgy, as part of our daily concern to spread goodness. The Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized through the beauty of the liturgy, which is both a celebration of the task of evangelization and the source of her renewed self-giving. (24) 5

6 Fifteenth Station: The Resurrection Galatians 3, Each one of you is a child of God because your faith in Jesus Christ. All of you who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have clothed yourself with him. There does not exist among you Jew or Greek, slave or people who are free, or male or female. All of you are one in Jesus Christ. Word of the Lord. Words of a Catholic priest in a parish that serves immigrants. Faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us the opportunity to be free from Racism there does not exist among you Jew or Greek; to be free from economic privileges no difference between slave and people who are free; and to be free from sexism no difference between male and female. Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for the opportunity to work for justice for all immigrants documented and undocumented of all races who live in the United States. Glory be 6