Joint Project Commissariat of the Holy Land in Canada and Antennes de paix à Montréal
5th station
Station 6: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
1st voice
“For my part, I made no resistance, neither did I turn away. I offered my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who tore at my beard; I did not cover my face against insult and spittle.” (Is 50, 5b-6)
Silence. The procession comes to a halt. Veronica dares to elbow her way through the throng to assist a condemned man, but not just any man under sentence of death. Her solicitous care goes out to Jesus, man of peace delivered up to hatred, to this Jesus, a free man confronted with the prejudices which destroy a reputation. In exchange for a gesture of compassion, the humiliated Holy Face from this day forward casts a non-judgmental look on the world as a way to call out for peace between us all.
2nd voice
By drawing nearer to the condemned man, let us learn to overcome our repugnance to see those wounds that sully our own humanity.
Haunted by the eyes of the humiliated Christ we will find those gestures of consolation that appease the dying, words that bring together after years of estrangement. By greeting the benevolence of the Father who comes to meet us, we will advance with the “imagination of love” to tear down the walls that separate the members of the human family. We will work tirelessly to preserve the human heart from hatred, anger or vengeance. As His Holiness Benedict XVI proposed in Bethlehem, we will be “bridges of dialogue and constructive cooperation in the building of a culture of peace to replace the present stalemate of fear and aggression.” *
3rd voice
Let us pray:
O Jesus, reflected image of the Father’s benevolence, we pray for those who suffer in their bodies, disfigured by illness, a handicap, a wound or an accident that has caused irreparable injuries. May your goodness cover them with the cloak of your care and give them the grace of a heart having found peace in spite of suffering. Amen.
* Benedict XVI, Homily at Manger’s Square, Bethlehem, May 13, 2009.