THE WAY OF THE CROSS

PREFACE: 

A CALL

Come!   Come!   This is a path that is ever new!   A path soaked in blood!   A path of sacrifice!   A path that strode toward victory!  This is not merely the road to Calvary; it is the battlefield of humanity!   This is the path of the poor man's tears; the laborer's sweat; the liberation of an enslaved people!  Let us walk, for just a few moments, upon this sacred path trodden by the Lord Jesus.   In his suffering, let us see our own suffering; in his struggle, our own struggle; in his victory, our own victory!  

FIRST STATION: Jesus is Condemned to Death

Justice!   Justice!   Justice!   Tell me, in the name of this very word, how many injustices are committed?  Look!   The innocent Son of Man stands in the courtroom.   Is he guilty?   Not a single false charge!   Yet the crowd shouts: "Crucify him!   Crucify him!  "False witnesses!   Priests consumed by envy!   A governor paralyzed by the fear of power!   All of them together condemn an innocent man to death.  What kind of justice is this?   Does the one with might always become the one who is right?   Does the one with money always win?  Brothers and sisters!   How many Jesuses are unjustly condemned in our society today?   The voice of the poor is silenced.   The rights of the laborer are denied.   How many are crushed simply for the color of their skin, for being born into a so-called 'low' caste?  Yes!   Pilate's courtroom still stands with its doors wide open today.   Jesus still stands there.   We too may one day have to stand there.   But let us stand for justice!   Let us stand for truth!   We will not bow our heads before injustice!  

SECOND STATION: Jesus Accepts His Cross

Heavy!   A terrible weight!   A burden!   A fearsome load!  Look at that piece of wood.   How heavy it is!   And they order him to carry it, on his wounded body, on his lacerated flesh!  He did not refuse.   He did not grumble.   He carried it!   When that cross settled on his shoulder, all the sins of the world settled in his heart.   All the burdens of the working class settled upon his shoulder.  Look!   This is not mere wood.   This is the symbol of labor!   This is the emblem of sacrifice!   It is the burden of the mother carrying firewood for her hungry child.   It is the load of the laborer bearing weight for his livelihood.   It is the cross of the hero fighting for his nation, his language, for humanity itself!  Do you understand now the words he spoke: "If anyone wants to come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me"?  Each one of us has a cross.   It is the burden of life.   It is the weight of our responsibilities.   Let us bear it.   Let us walk with our heads held high!  

THIRD STATION: Jesus Falls the First Time

He falls with a thud!   He falls to the ground!  The path is rough.   The burden is immense.   The body is weak.   Yes, was he not also human?  He falls!   But he does not cry!   He does not grumble!   He does not curse!  He gets up!   He places the cross on his shoulder once more!  What a marvel!   The one who fell, rises!   He does not accept defeat in his fall!  This is life, brothers and sisters!   Life is about falling and rising.   The worker falls in his struggle.   The farmer falls in famine.   The freedom fighter falls in prison.   But if the one who falls knows how to rise again, no one can ever defeat him!  You who fall!   Listen!   Jesus fell.   But he rose!   You too may fall.   But rise!   Rise!   Rise again!  

FOURTH STATION: Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

That meeting!   The meeting of those eyes!   The meeting of those hearts!  The mother comes.   She comes with a trembling heart.   She comes to see her son.  He comes, covered in blood and sweat, bearing wounds and injuries, carrying the weight of the cross.  They meet!  The mother's eyes spoke: "My son!   Is this your state?   Did they strike your face?   Did they tear your flesh?  "The son's eyes spoke: "Mother!   Do not worry!   This is my path.   The path for the redemption of the world!  "A sword pierces her heart.   But she does not weep.   She does not falter.   She who came to give courage to her son, stands there courageously herself.  Mothers!   Here is your role model!   Look at Mary!   She is the mother who bore the sorrows of the world.   She is the mother who agonized over her son's suffering.   Yet she stood unshaken.  Mothers who tremble at your children's suffering!   Come to Mary.   Find strength.   Your sorrow is not alone; the sorrows of all the mothers of this world mingle with Mary's sorrow and stand before God.  

FIFTH STATION: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

Jesus cannot go on.   He cannot walk.   He stumbles.  Then Simon comes.   Simon of Cyrene.   A simple villager.   A laborer.   Was he returning from the fields?   Coming from his work?   Who knows?  The burden falls upon him.   They force it upon him.   But he carries it.   He helps.  Who is this Simon?   He is you!   He is me!   He is all of us!  Yes!   We receive the blessing of carrying the Lord's burden.   We receive the fortune of sharing in the sorrows of others.  Helping is not the great thing; coming forward to help is the great thing.   It is not just about showing love; it is the seeking of a way to show love that is great.  Salutations to you, Simon!   That help you gave, unknowingly, history speaks of it even today.  Let us too become Simons.   Let us bear the burdens of others.   Let us share in the sorrows of others.   That itself is service to the Lord.  

SIXTH STATION: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus 

A crowd!   A huge crowd!   Some mock him.   Some jeer.   Some just stand and stare.  But one woman!   Her heart could not bear it.   She could not look at that face, covered in blood and sweat, dirt and dust.  She defies the crowd and comes forward.   She ignores the soldiers and draws near.   She takes her veil and wipes his face.  She wiped it!   That was all!   But in that wiping, how much love!   How much compassion!   How much courage!  What did she get in return?   That face was imprinted on her veil.   An eternal imprint.   An imprint that conquered time!  Women!   Here is your glory!   You are Veronica!   You are the mother who wipes her child's face!   You are the wife who wipes her husband's sweat!   You are the sister who tends to the wounds of society!  Is there anyone who suffers?   Let us wipe their face.   Let us bind their wounds.   That itself is the primary service to the Lord.  

SEVENTH STATION Jesus Falls a Second Time

The fall again!   Another fall!  No!   This is not merely a fall!   This is the continuation of the struggle!  He tries.   He tries to get up.   He cannot.   The burden is too much.   The wounds are deep.   His body has given up.  But his spirit has not given up!   He tries again.   Slowly, he rises.   He walks again.  What determination!   What resolve!  Brothers and sisters!   What lesson does this second fall teach us?   Falling once in the struggle is not enough; we may fall many times.   But each time, we must rise.   We must stand up again.  Workers!   You may face defeat many times in your struggle.   But that defeat is not the final defeat.   Rise again!  Farmers!   Famine, scarcity, debt may fell you.   But rise again.   Sow the seeds.   Reap the harvest!  Warriors!   Valor lies not in falling; valor lies in rising!  

EIGHTH STATION: Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem

Women are standing.   Standing in a group.   They are weeping.   They are lamenting.   They weep for him.  Do you know what Jesus said to them?   Listen!   Listen carefully!  "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  "What words!   What profound words!  "Do not weep for me" - meaning, do not grieve over my suffering.   Do not shed tears over my fate.  "Weep for yourselves and for your children" - think of your own state.   Think of the future of your children.   Think of the injustices that prevail in this society.   If you must weep, weep for that!  Forgetting his own plight, he thinks of the state of society.   He thinks of the sorrows of others.  This is Jesus!   This is his supreme nature!  Let us also learn this.   Instead of wallowing in self-pity, let us feel the sorrow of society.   Let us learn to shed tears for others. 

NINTH STATION: Jesus Falls a Third Time

Calvary is near.   The destination is close.   He stands at the threshold of victory.  Yet, he falls!   He falls for the third time!  A fall at the threshold of victory?   Yes!   This is the truth of life.  Even at the last moment, trials will come.   Even in the final stage, the struggle persists.  But there is something special about this fall.   This is the last fall.   After this, only victory remains.  Look!   Slowly, he rises.   He stands, stumbling.   He lifts the cross.   He climbs the hill.   He is about to finish!  We too may have reached the final stage of life's struggle.   We may be weary.   We may have fallen.   But rise!   This is the last fall.   After this, victory is certain! 

TENTH STATION: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

Cruelty!   Cruelty!   This too is a form of cruelty!  He endured the whips.   He endured the weight of the cross.   He endured the falls.   But this too is cruelty!  They strip away the clothes that cover his modesty.   They humiliate him.   They leave him naked.  It is always easy to rob the poor of their dignity.   No one can rob the rich of their dignity.   But the dignity of the poor?   It is in their hands!  This happens even today.   They rob the laborer of his labor.   They rob the farmer of his land.   They rob the poor of their livelihood.   This too is stripping away their garments!  O Man of dignity!   They stripped away your garments.   But they could not strip away your spirit.   They could not strip away your resolve.   They could not strip away your love.  Grant us that same resolve.   Grant us the resolve that even if our garments are taken, our spirit cannot be taken. 

ELEVENTH STATION: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

The cross lies on the ground.   They lay Jesus upon it.  The sound of the hammer!   Noise!   A terrible noise!  Nails!   Large nails!   Nails in the hands!   Nails in the feet!  The cross is lifted.   He hangs between heaven and earth.  Look at this scene!   This is not merely an execution.   This is the height of injustice!   This is the peak of cruelty!  But at the same time, this is the height of love!   This is the peak of sacrifice!  He says, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.  "What words!   Even as the nails pierce him, forgiveness!   Even when the pain is unbearable, forgiveness!   Even for his murderers, forgiveness!  This is the teaching of Jesus.   This is his life.   This is his death.  Let us learn to forgive.   Let us conquer hatred.   Let us sow love. 

TWELFTH STATION: Jesus Dies on the Cross

Darkness for three hours!   The earth quakes!   The veil of the temple is torn!  Nature itself trembles!   All creation shudders!  He says, "It is finished.  " He bows his head.   His life departs.  Is it finished?   Is everything over?  No!   No!   This is not the end!   This is the beginning!  He conquered death.   He trampled upon mortality.   He turned darkness into light.  He died on the cross.   But that very death gave life to the world.   That defeat became victory.  You who fear death!   Look here!   Jesus has conquered death.   We who follow him will also conquer.   Death is the beginning of a new life.   It is the end of one journey and the start of another.  

THIRTEENTH STATION: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross and Placed in His Mother's Lap

They take him down from the cross.   They receive his body.   To whom do they give it?   To his mother!  That body rests in Mary's lap.   The breast that once nursed him.   The arms that once embraced him.   Now they hold his broken form.  Look!   The Pietà!   The sculpture of compassion!   The final meeting between mother and son!  The mother's lap endures a sorrow never before endured.   It also endures all the sorrows yet to come.  Mothers of the world!   Today Jesus lies in Mary's lap.   Tomorrow your children may lie in your lap.   In war, in violence, in famine, in terrible disease - how many children breathe their last in their mother's lap!  Beloved mothers!   Tell your sorrows to Mary.   She will understand.   She will offer solace. 

FOURTEENTH STATION: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

They carry the body away.   They place it in a new tomb.   They roll a large stone across the entrance.  It is over!   Everything is over!  Darkness falls.   Silence prevails.   Saturday evening.   The Sabbath.  The work is done.   The struggle is over.   The journey is complete.  But, brothers and sisters!   Is this truly the end?   No!   This is the silent preparation for a new beginning!  The stone is sealed.   But it will not remain sealed forever.   Darkness surrounds.   But it will not last forever.  The dawn will come!   The day of resurrection will come!  Do not lose hope.   Beyond the darkness, there is light.   Beyond death, there is life.   Beyond defeat, there is victory.  The tomb is not the end; it is the beginning of a new journey.   Wait!   The dawn is approaching! 

CONCLUSION: A CALL TO ARISE

Thus concludes the Way of the Cross!  Jesus walked.   We too walked.   He suffered.   We too suffered.   He died.   We too died.  But, brothers and sisters!   This is not the final end!   From here, a new path begins.   The path of resurrection!  The cross is not a symbol of defeat; it is a symbol of victory!   Death is not the end; it is the beginning of life!  We who have walked this path, let us now walk the path of life.   Let us walk the path of truth.   Let us walk the path of justice.  Let us show love!   Let us forgive!   Let us bear the burdens of others!  Long live Jesus!   Long live his sacrifice!   Long live his love!  Amen!   Amen!   Amen!