Joint Project Commissariat of the Holy Land in Canada and Antennes de paix à Montréal
7th station
Station 8: Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem
1st voice
“Large numbers of people followed him, and of women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children.” (Lk 23, 27-28)
These women cry over Jesus. He reminds them of their own plight and the dire condition of their own children, more specifically their sons conscripted to make war, associated to enterprises of population control and assigned to the meanest tasks. True to his non violence, Jesus refuses to condemn those who accuse him, just as earlier he refused to condemn the adulteress. Instead he invites these compassionate women to pass on to future generations the desire to transform the world into an oasis of freedom and peace.
2nd voice
On the road of tears and bereavement that we travel, let the eyes of Christ meet our own. Let us heed his call to adhere to a true movement of compassion. His will is to have us play a major part in his mission of liberation.
As Pope Benedict XVI reminded Christians during his trip to the Holy Land, “The Gospel reassures us that God can make all things new, that history need not be repeated, that memories can be healed, that the bitter fruits of recrimination and hostility can be overcome, and that a future of peace, prosperity and cooperation can arise for every man and woman, for the whole human family …”*
3rd voice
Let us pray:
Jesus, so attentive to the suffering of others, give us the courage to travel without stumbling along the road of justice and compassion. Amen.
* Benedict XVI, Address at the Holy Sepulchre, May 15, 2009.