The Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments. “We adore thee O Christ and we praise thee, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the World”.
When we began the Way of the Cross it was with great awareness that Jesus came down from heaven to bring God’s salvation to our world. To this end He became like us in all things but sin. He is now stripped of all His garments. This in a very real way is what the coronavirus is doing. As with Jesus it is happening with the help of the powers that be, for Jesus it was the Sanhedrin and the Roman Army. As I listen to people in the very limited windows that are open to us; I cannot but echo how much our lives have been stripped by the virus. One echo that I could identify with, was one persons desire never to listen to the media in the morning. It is just shocking the length they go to gather the worst news they can find. Also, the deep, deep affliction of those isolated by the virus left abandoned and in pain as death draws closer. As He is stripped of His garments we are stripped of our comforts, and our distractions, while especially our children were stripped of their school, their supports, their access to life and friends. For others the opportunity to find work and also to access the life of the sacraments. Jesus is stripped.
One our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory be to the Father.
The Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross. “We adore thee O Christ and we praise thee, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the World”.
Options and choices are now so limited. The sponge and the vinegar are galling and yet offered as a comfort. Our lives can echo these realms of loss. The memory of my dad with his constant pain, ministering as a priest opens ones eyes to deep afflictions. The nails signify His abandonment, there is no way He could crucify Himself – yet He is God. He could put a stop to it . So often the afflictions in our lives as in the Gospel reading today are so self afflicted. In the Gospel of St John 5: 1-3, 5-16. Jesus heals the man on the sabbath and tells him to take up his mat and walk. The powers that be, and they are the religious ones, are down to him. He is breaking the sabbath. The flow out of the vaccine is a very important element to us returning to a stable life. Interruptions are a challenge and this to my family in Ireland at the moment has become a disturbance. With the help of Him who loves us and died for us, obstacles will be overcome. Jesus bows His Head and dies. Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
One our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory be to the Father.