OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“Holy God, be with us now as we meditate on your Son’s journey to Calvary. Remind us that still, in this present day, many of your children continue that walk to Calvary, carrying heavy, difficult crosses. May we, struggling with our own crosses, always remember your promises of justice, mercy and peace.” (Catholic Relief Services-CRS Rice Bowl Stations of the Cross)
For Holy Week this year, the CRS Rice Bowl provided a prayerful “talk story” approach to the Stations of the Cross. Through a series of very moving videos narrated by a variety of voices, viewers are invited to meditate on how the suffering of the Passion leads to the hope of Easter. Here are some excerpts from the videos’ narration.
I. Christ is condemned to death
“How many of our brothers and sisters around the world are condemned to lives of poverty hunger and hardship. As one global family, we are called to live in solidarity. We are responsible for one another, for what happens to our neighbors next door and our neighbors overseas.” (Bishop Robert Barron, Archdiocese of Los Angeles)
II. Jesus carries the cross
“As we work with and for the poor, perhaps we will be surprised by what we find. If we truly seek the face of Christ among those who are poor, we will discover something new about ourselves, about what it means to be rich and poor, about what it means to pick up our crosses and follow in the way of Christ.” (Dr. Carolyn Woo, Catholic Relief Services)
III. Jesus falls for the first time
“In our global family, falls can come in many forms. Droughts cripple harvests. Storms destroy homes. Violence disrupts communities. We know what it is to fall, both in our personal lives and in community. But we also know that God invites us to stand back up together.” (Father James Martin, SJ, America Magazine)
IV. Jesus encounters his mother
“Mary walks with her son. She knows his suffering, his sorrow, and she holds it all in her heart. How many mothers around the world endure the suffering of their children, the poverty, the hurt, the loneliness. Let us join in prayer for mothers everywhere as they walk with their children in challenge and in joy.” (Kerry Weber, America Magazine)
V. Simon helps Jesus carry the cross
“Even Jesus needed help. Human beings are social beings, we are called to be in community. By being together, by helping one another, we build a better planet. Let us never forget that so often as we work to serve others, those we go to serve end up serving us.” (Father Rafael Capo, Southeast Pastoral Institute)
VI. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
“What Veronica did was hardly clean or simple. She touched poverty in its rawest form. Jesus’ face was bruised and blooded … We must never underestimate the value of being present to another human being, one who shares our common dignity.” (Lisa Hendey, Catholic Mom)
VII. Jesus falls a second time
“How often do we see that someone has fallen and forget that we too can just as easily trip and find ourselves face-down in the dirt. Keeping our own vulnerability in mind is important when working for and with the poor of the world. It helps us to remember there is no us and them just one human family of God. We all can fall and together we can all can rise.” (Johnathan Reyes, U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)
VIII. Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem
“Throughout Jesus’s mission, we see him deeply involved with the concerns of individual people themselves to learn what they are thinking. Even at the end he is attentive to the hurts and joys of this group of women, he listens to them. We too must learn to act this way in our work, to listen to our global family.” (Joan Rosenhauer, Jesuit Refugee Services)
IX. Jesus falls a third time
“Sometimes it may feel as if we have fallen one too many times. But God never tires of forgiving us, of showing us his mercy. As sons and daughters of God, it is our responsibility to accept that forgiveness, and then to be about the business of justice mercy and peace, the business of building the kingdom of God.” (Christopher West, The Cor Project)
X. Jesus is stripped of his garments
“God calls us to be good stewards of creation yet, we so often act irresponsibly, stripping it of its resources, its beauty, its health. In so doing we hurt those who are poorest and most vulnerable. We strip them of a life-giving environment, of food and water, of clean air. God is present in creation. Christ is present in the poor.” (Thomas Awiapo, Catholic Relief Services)
XI. Jesus is nailed to the cross
“Crosses come in many forms, financial burdens. Family hardships, hunger, homelessness, insecurity. Crosses are part of the human experience, and Jesus knows this … and he doesn’t give up on us. If we are given these second third and hundredth chances, how then should we act towards others?” (Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archdiocese of Boston)
XII. Jesus dies on the cross
“We look at our world torn by war, hunger, disease and hate, and we grow discouraged. But God turns death and failure into life and victory. This is the Easter perspective, the message of the Gospel. We see the suffering, but we see the joy too, the slow work of God and we commit to act.” (Father Robert Twele, Catholic Relief Services)
XIII. Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
“Jesus’ broken body reminds us of his full humanity. He had a body just as we do, that could be bruised and battered and through which he experienced the world around him. This is a common experience of humanity, reminding us of our shared dignity, calling us to solidarity with our global human family.” (Lia Salinas, Archdiocese of Washington)
XIV. Jesus is placed in the tomb
As Christians we know that God wins the day. But that doesn’t always make it easier for us in our daily struggles. We must remember always that our faith assures us that Christ wins, darkness ends.” (Msgr. Ray East, Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.)
To view the inspiring Rice Bowl Stations of the Cross videos, visit www.crsricebowl.org/stations-of-the-cross. We pray all have a blessed Holy Week and Hope-full Easter Sunday. Mahalo
