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riverdamien · 5 years ago

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Tenderloin Stations of the Cross

He Hung Upon the Cross

Today we remember that on Good Friday God got his hands dirty, when in the person of Jesus he was nailed to the cross.

Today we walk with Jesus to the cross, and we suffering from our own personal crosses are called to walk in solidarity with Jesus.

Our faith is not one for the individual, but of solidarity, for in walking in solidarity with others our own sufferings become easier, as we join in the healing of others. Personally when I am suffering from physical or emotional issues, we find in walking on the street, listening to the problems of others, healing and solace. In solidarity we find unity. Henri Nouwen writes:

There is a real pain in your heart, a pain that truly belongs to you. You know now that you cannot avoid, ignore, or repress it. It is this pain that reveals to you how you are called to live in solidarity with the broken human race.

"You must distinguish carefully, however, between your pain and the pains that have attached themselves to it but are not truly yours. When you feel rejected, when you think of yourself as a failure and a misfit, you must be careful not to let these feelings and thoughts pierce your heart. You are not a failure or a misfit. Therefore, you have to disown these pains as false. They can paralyze you and prevent you from loving the way you are called to love.

It is a struggle to keep distinguishing the real pain from the false pains. But as you are faithful to that struggle, you will see more and more clearly your unique call to love. As you see that call, you will be more and more able to claim your real pain as your unique way to glory."

God in the form of Jesus, got his hands dirty, "He who hung the earth upon the waters: today he is hung upon the cross." (Common Prayer: Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals).

Today as we walk the Stations of the Cross from our homes in spirit through the Tenderloin, each of us will be present with those on the street, and your prayers and thoughts will join with me in our suffering with Jesus so that we walk in solidarity:

Small Pebbles

Mark 4:26-34 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Parable of the Seed Growing

26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

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Standing in front of City Hall in San Francisco, one is overwhelmed by its size, beauty, and the power it contains. It is from here that millions are given for the homeless and disenfranchised. Each year millions are spent, and each year the misery on the streets continues.

Each spring and throughout the summer there is a spot in the County Park in Marinwood where we walk. In a corner between the fence and the path, nasturtiums and morning glory vines grow and flourish. Our grandmother planted both as we were growing up, and our memory returns to those years of nurture and love. They are small pebbles reminding us of love, a love that continues to flow in our veins. Small pebbles like the mustard seed speak to us through the portals of time. They continue to blossom, ever so slowly.

Recently we received an email from a lady we had encountered late one night on Polk. We had simply bought her a meal and spent time chatting. We had no memories of that night. That was years ago. She wrote, “That one meal saved my life. I found life worth living in those moments with you.”

Small pebbles cast like mustard seed.

There are few opportunities for grand gestures, but we can practice what Dorothy Day called “pebbles” of kindness.

In the area around City Hall, moving out into the neighborhood, we are surrounded by misery. People sleeping on the street. Minds blazing on drugs. Drug dealing on our corners.

Jesus began his journey to Calvary, and invites us to journey with him, adding our light to the sum of his, and giving small “pebbles” of kindness to others.

Dear God,

I so much want to be in control.

I want to be the master of my own destiny.

Still I know that you are saying:

“Let me take you by the hand and lead you.

Accept my love

and trust that where I will bring you,

the deepest desires of your heart will be fulfilled.”

Lord, open my hands to receive your gift of love.

Amen. Father Henri Nouwen

Station 1: Jesus Condemned to Death

Jesus is condemned to die when we sit with complacency, passing the buck to others, and simply throwing up our hands. Ugandan Theologian Emmanuel Katongole reminds us:

“Mary represents the ‘rebel consciousness’ that is essential to Jesus’ gospel. Wherever the gospel is preached, we must remember that its good news will make you crazy. Jesus will put you at odds with the economic and political systems of our world. This gospel will force you to act, interrupting the world as it is in ways that make even pious people indignant.”

Homeless campsites are being moved out of parks, our doorways, and people are scared. They lose all they have in one sweep, with nowhere to go. In Santa Rosa, one of the largest camp sites was removed from near a hiking trail and suburban housing, and shelter could only be offered to a third of the population. Residents rejoiced; they could now hike in safety and without seeing the homeless. Out of sight, out of mind.

Alex is an eighteen-year-old black young man from our area who is HIV positive. His parents kicked him out because of “the sin he brought into his life.” He has had difficulty in finding services, and panhandles on the corner near our public library. People walk by ignoring or condemning, while some offer money. A small pebble of caring through talking, giving money, time, and food makes all the difference to Alex.

In Alex and the people in the tents in Santa Rosa, Jesus is condemned to die. His innocence enters into the humanity of those ignored, shunned, condemned, and despised.

Let us pray:

While we sat in darkness, Lord Jesus Christ, you interrupted us with your life. Make us, your people, a holy interruption so that by your Spirit’s power we may live as a light to the nations, even as we stumble through this world’s dark night. Amen. (Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals).

Station 2: Jesus Carries His Cross

Jesus was forced to carry the cross upon which he would be nailed, ridiculed, and executed. What does it represent? It represents that, for his journey he takes up the weight of all of our crosses: all of our senseless suffering and the weight of all the sin in the world, past, present and future.

Kobe Bryant describes his journey: “When I was young, my mindset was image, image, image. I took that approach with the media. As I became more experienced I realized that no matter what, people are going to like you or not like you. So be authentic, and let them like you or not for who you actually are. At that point, I started keeping all of my answers blunt and straightforward. I would mix in some humor and sarcasm, too. I think fans and reporters came to appreciate that, came to appreciate the real me.”

A number of years ago a young friend was using Father River’s car. He took it to his private school with an ounce of marijuana, and was somehow caught. River told the school it was his marijuana, which resulted in losing financial support, reputation, and nearly legal consequences. This young man is now in law school which, with that incident on his record, may not have happened. Temenos stands with young men on trial for murder, without judgment, and with the hope they will find new life. It is not about being co-dependent, immature, or idealistic. It is about, like Kobe Bryant, learning to be authentic. It means taking up the cross, always seeing the best in people, and giving them second, third, and fourth chances. It means taking them for who are, and walking with them without applying our expectations of how they should live their lives upon them. It means walking with them as equals.

Bearing the cross of Jesus on the street means withholding our judgment of those we see. It means getting to know each one, and sometimes being hurt personally. It means to love them, and advocate for each one. It means walking with them as equals and casting out small pebbles in faith.

“Things are topsy-turvy in your kingdom, God. The poor bear gifts of great worth, the dead rise, the meek inherit the earth. Teach us how to live in an upside-down world where we are called to welcome the outcast, prepare a feast for the ragged, and forgive those who offend.” Amen (Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals).

Station 3: Jesus Falls the First Time

In your imagination can you see a friend, or yourself, fall to the ground? The cross became too much for Jesus and he fell, powerless in the moment. Jesus falls each day in the homeless who suffer from mental illness and drug abuse.

In San Francisco, the estimated statistics are that 37% suffer from alcohol/drug abuse, and 35% from mental illness. It is difficult to separate these two figures because they both play into each other.

In the story of the Gerasenes demoniac from the book of Mark, we read:

“5 They came to the other side of the sea,to the country of the Gerasenes.[a] 2 And when Jesus[b] had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed[c] man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus[d] to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

This is the scene we see on the streets daily. Healing those who suffer from mental illness was a part of the ministry of Jesus. It should, by extension, be a part of our own. All of us have something to contribute, including those without professional or pastoral expertise in mental health care. We do not have to be therapists, but we must be the face of Jesus.

Mental illness has biological causes, but it also impacts one’s spiritual life: the ability to find meaning. We all have a role to play in helping others restore their confidence, find support, and rediscover their value.

We all fail in our care of the mentally ill and addicted, but Father Henry Nouwen calls us in these words to get up and to love deeply:

“Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love even more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence, or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds.”

In the same way, we fail each time we criticize or condemn someone that we disagree with or simply do not like. Today it was announced that Rush Limbaugh has lung cancer, and many responses put forth have been to wish him much suffering and some death. Growing up we were friends with Mr. Limbaugh’s family; his granddad was a partner in a law firm with my best friend’s dad. They are conservative, but very decent people. When my dad was dying from lung cancer himself, the Limbaugh family often gave my mother and me a place to stay.

Through the years I have received death threats, along with all sorts of painful “shit” said to me at first through the phone, then email, and now social media. For the most part, these come from people who do not know me. Those words hurt and tear me apart. What I have learned through my experience, and the pain in the experience of others who have been hurt by the judgment of people, is that only in caring and loving each other can we truly find wholeness and happiness. Judgment belongs to God!

Station 4: Jesus Meets His Mother

As we reflect upon the fourth station of the cross we can hear Mary saying:

“As I pushed and shoved to move through the crowds to be as close to my son as I could, we came to a place in the road where he stopped. He saw me. And we looked into each others eyes. I didn’t want him to see my tears or know my pain, but I long ago accepted how thoroughly he knew me. The love from my heart poured out in the only embrace I could give him. My lips quietly said the prayer he taught us, “Father, may your Kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” He nodded so slightly, took a deep breath and moved on up the hill. The sword passing through my heart had blessed his mission and I knew he knew it. Thank him with me, even now, that he took up that mission for us. Thank him that he has tasted the separation and loss that every person in the world knows who has lost a loved one. And, he has understood the heart of every loving mother who grieves at the suffering of her children. He has become completely at one with us” From “Stations” Ignatian Press.

As Jesus looked into Mary’s heart, so he looks into ours. With those eyes that are completely one with us, he speaks with so much love:

“Consult your own heart and decide what kind of person you want to be. You have a brief journey on this planet: how will you treat yourself, your work, and those you meet along the way? Your values are not what you say, but how you treat people, how you run meetings, whom you hire, how you treat your child who wants to play when you come home exhausted, whether you inconvenience yourself to support your friends, and how you react in a host of daily moments such as how you treat homeless people on the street, if you feed the homeless, advocate and provide housing, and health care for those who have none.” ( The Ignatian Book of Days).

St. Ignatius said that love ought to be shown in deeds rather than in words.

If your deeds could speak, what statement did you make in the past twenty four hours?

Let us pray:

Savior of the world, save us from our sins, our sadness, and our self-deception. Give us courage to live in a world we cannot fix with hope that has already been redeemed. Amen.

Station 5: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

For a moment reflect upon what it must have been like for Jesus to simply not be able to carry the cross any farther alone. A stranger was asked to assist him. Jesus came to know the experience of depending upon others.

We all depend on one another. Look around and see the individuals on the street, in the doorways, and meditate for a moment on the words of Thomas Merton:

“I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine, and I theirs, so that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness. .”

How would our day be different if we could see every person as God’s beloved child?

Let us pray:

“O God most holy, in Jesus Christ you have laid a foundation upon which to build our lives: Help us to follow your perfect law of love, that we may fulfill it and observe it to the end. Amen.” (Revised Common Lectionary Prayer, page 6).

Station 6: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

On the face of Jesus was spit, blood, and violence. As Veronica wiped his face she saw the depth of his solidarity, his union with us in our suffering and rejection.

We are reminded of a young man, on a Snickers TV commercial, who was paid a fee to go out and give people Snickers bars. As he gave them out, his face shined and he commented, “I spend the majority of my time on social media, and this is really fun, interacting one on one with ‘real people.’” Our smart phones, computers, and social media cut us off from face to face contact. We become robots, have no sense of union and solidarity with others, no sense of the suffering of others, and of sharing our own suffering.

St. Ignatius teaches us “indifference.” He describes letting our lives center on God, being of service to others, simply serving and giving of ourselves. We do not worry about the costs, effectiveness, expectations, and criticisms of others--we simply give of ourselves in service.

Veronica wiping the face of Jesus symbolizes our caring for people in the name of Jesus without expectation. Each night thousands of people of all ages sleep on our streets, suffer because of no food, health insurance, and, more importantly, suffer because of their lack of love. People suffer because of our robot response.

Veronica calls us to care for each other in our personal interactions, in simple ways, in our one on one relationships. Rather than worry about our present, past, future, our health, and well-being, let us live and enjoy each moment of life, and care for each person we come in contact with. Let us give out Snickers all day long! Let us pray:

Jesus, our vocation comes out of who we are now, which is our greatest strength and our greatest need. You call us to follow you. We are not pointed on the road to independence, but through our weakness are reminded to keep following you or we will otherwise be lost. You are the Savior we need. Amen.

Station 7: Jesus Falls the Second Time

As Jesus progressed towards Calvary he became tired emotionally and physically, and fell a second time. People, many of whom had supported and hailed him on Palm Sunday, were now yelling threats of condemnation and hatred. People are fickle, and when we are in crowds of those like us, we stick together.

We see this in the divisions of our society. The wealthy, the upper middle class, and the middle class white privileged people stay separate. People of color stay in their groups. The homeless huddle together in theirs. Youth and young adults form their groups. We are afraid to cross over our boundaries; in not doing so, we fail to understand each other, and fail to be each other’s brother and sister.

Jesus breaks down��boundaries, which is one of the reasons he is carrying the cross. He recognizes that each of us, in the words of Douglas Preston, has “a Monster within, [and] the difference is in the degree, not in kind.” Jesus fell under the weight of that knowledge.

He calls us to open our eyes to each other, get out of our boundaries, and love one other. He calls us to break across our borders and see each person as an equal, all on the same journey, all needing support.

During this election year we see, hear, and feel the divide among people. Painful and hateful words are said, and one can see there is a “Monster within, the difference is in the degree” of each of us.

Our friend, the Reverend Gregory Weeks, wrote a blog article, and one that personally all of us should take to heart. Reflect upon his words. Remember Jesus falling under the weight of the cross, and the rejection by his brothers and sisters:

Christian Values and the Presidency--By the Reverend Gregory Weeks:

“After witnessing the recent State of the Union speech and its aftermath, I’ve made a resolution.

In the election of our next president, I no longer care much about political party, nor even about a conservative or liberal orientation. Rather, after the votes are tallied in November, I hope the result will be the election of a president who embodies at least a few Christian values.

While there may be disagreement between the right and the left in terms of what those values may be, I’m talking about the ones that are non-debatable. They’re what Jesus laid out in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). He said his disciples should be: Compassionate. Merciful. Humble. Honest. Moral. Non-judgmental. Courageous. Peace-loving. Forgiving. Devout. Disciplined. Self-aware.

He never limited these values to only the populace and not the leaders. Nor did he say that to embrace such characteristics you had to affirm creeds or dogma. Simply put: to live in the kingdom of this world as his disciple, you must live as if the kingdom of God really matters.

So, regardless of party or even religion, I want our next president to claim such a moral stance.

This sounds idealistic and naïve, given the hard realities of political life. A good leader must also be smart, politically savvy, experienced, and a strategic thinker. The person must also know when to compromise for a greater good, such as when armed conflict may be the only alternative.

Yet, I will feel a lot more comfortable knowing that the most powerful person in the world has a solid moral base.

Having a moral base promotes a broader vision rather than a narrow one. Christian values transcend national boundaries and party lines. They are the glue bonding the whole of human society.

Also, someone who lives out such values is a person I can trust. They have integrity. I will more likely believe what they say without having to first fact check it.

Finally, if a president’s values align with those preached by Jesus, then the values will impact policies. Immigration. Relations with the international community. Equal rights. Climate. Health care. Business regulations. Policies reflect priorities, and priorities should arise from what someone holds as sacred truths.

So, in the ensuing debates, caucuses, and election, I’ll be re-reading Jesus’ first sermon as a refresher. I hope whoever wins in November will do the same. If so, regardless of the person’s creed or lack thereof, I’ll sleep better. If they share values Jesus thought was important, that’s good enough for me.”

Let us remember that each of us can plant small pebbles of Love!

Station 8: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

Jesus, in his own pain, comforts a group of women who greet him along the way to Calvary. They try to comfort him, but he looks on them with love and compassion and their hearts are transformed, as they see their mission is that of love and compassion without judgment. It is good to reflect here, with him, on the mission each of us has; it can be shaped by this encounter with his suffering, death, and resurrection.

Terrence McGrath, a wealthy Piedmont resident, opened his $4 million home to a homeless couple last year. Mr. McGrath entered into an agreement with the couple that they would find jobs and get their own place. In living with them, though, he has learned several things. First, that his exclusive neighbors would not understand, and have been afraid. Second, that ending homelessness is not a matter of getting a job or “tough love.” This couple has been homeless for several generations, the daughter is homeless.

McGrath has learned that the root of homelessness has many facets; it is not just a housing problem. Not everyone has the capacity, physical or mental, to do what it takes to support themselves.

McGrath, in the evolution of his thoughts on homelessness, has given them his word he will not kick them out. If he moves, he will provide for them.

The street is about survival, an existence that’s physically and mentally draining. Homelessness breaks down minds, bodies, and hearts. Recovering from that drama takes more than four walls, but walls help tremendously. McGrath has made a commitment to them: “I’ll never abandon them. I’m never going to not finish with them.”

Jesus is never finished with us! He will never abandon us!

It is good to reflect here, with him, on the mission each of us has that can be shaped by this encounter with his suffering, death, and resurrection, “for me”. Thank him for this brief time to recall the gift we have received and ask yourself, what small pebbles we can cast?

“The street transforms every ordinary day into a series of quick questions and every incorrect answer risks a beat down, shooting or pregnancy.” (author unkown)

Let us pray:

“Lord, show us that reconciling with those we imagine different from us is not only for peace, but also for training us more deeply in the faith that honors everything created by your hand. Help us see that reconciliation leads us to deeper knowledge of you. Amen. (Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne)

Station 9: Jesus Falls the Third Time

This final fall is one we will always remember. Having endured a beating and losing so much blood, Jesus is so weak he falls a third time. He appears dead lying on the ground. His arms spread out, Jesus found solidarity with all who fall any way.

Remembering how the soldiers roughly pull Jesus up and made him take his last steps to Calvary, we identify with individuals who are in our door ways: the mentally ill and those beaten down by drug abuse and by mistreatment in general. They are dirty, lying face down in the dirt. Many will never be able to get up again and live as we imagine they should live. The truth is that life sucks, and we often do not draw the higher card. We fall, we cannot get up.

As Jesus understands our every weakness, especially those we cannot overcome, let us express gratitude for his understanding. Let us pray that we, too, may understand the weakness of our brothers and sisters whose weaknesses lay them flat on the ground. Let us, in the name of Jesus, provide housing, health care, and food for every person, without exception.

Let us pray:

O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us. May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all beings. Help us become a community that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens and the weight of glory. Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our world. [Please add your own intentions.] . . . Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God, amen. Fr. Richard Rhor

Station 10: Jesus Is Stripped

Jesus was stripped. Can you imagine how violated Jesus felt when he was stripped naked. They intended to shame him by crucifying him with no clothes. They simply had to strip him of any dignity he had left.

As we read of the journey of undocumented immigrants on our borders and in our cities, we see them stripped of their dignity. They are placed in “camps” and treated as if they are POW’s. This is not just something happening now. The United States has isolated and imprisoned immigrants from day one, mostly people of color.

We see the homeless being treated with “tough love”, being pushed into shelters where food and living conditions are unacceptable, and living on our streets.

Nelson Mandela once said: “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” If we truly want to be free, our lives must be lived with seeking to respect and encourage the freedom of the dispossessed, the poor, the immigrants, and minorities.

Thomas Merton described one of the best ways to strip ourselves of our ego and our fears, and in so doing, completely identify with those who suffer, like Jesus did:

“Humility consists in being precisely the person you actually are before God, and since no two people are alike, if you have the humility to be yourself you will not be like anyone else in the universe. It is not humility to insist on being someone that you are not. It is as much as saying that you know better than God who you are and who you ought to be. How do you expect to arrive at the end of your own journey if you take the road to another person’s city? How do you expect to reach your own perfection by leading someone else’s life?”

May we lead our lives being who we are, acknowledging that we all are on the same journey and are entitled to the same benefits. Let us cast pebbles of love and, in so doing, touch the lives of all in creation. Let us pray:

Jesus, as we see you stripped and humiliated, we are reminded that to identify with you, we too must be stripped of our ego, our self-centeredness, and live our lives as we are, with no pretenses. In so doing, we become one with you and with our brothers and sisters everywhere. Amen.

Station 11: Jesus Nailed to the Cross

We wear crosses made out of precious metal, some with diamonds encased, and they are lovely. But the cross Jesus was nailed to was made of rugged wood, and crude nails were hammered into his hands and feet.

The very hands that healed so many were held open; nails were driven in, causing them to gush blood. The look on his face gave a glimpse of the spasms of pain which ran through his body.

Jesus was nailed to the cross not as an atonement, a sacrifice for our individual sins. He was crucified as one who is seeking to restore justice through demonstrating his absolute love for humanity, calling each of us to seek restoration of our lives and society.

Retribution is seen in our world through our methods of dealing with people on the margins. When we see people on the street—the mentally ill, the drug abusers, the people of color, the poor--come to the surface, we are afraid, and seek retribution. It’s our way of pushing aside what we choose not to see or deal with. Our prisons are full of people of color and the poor.

We can talk about “social justice,” and “peace and justice,” in general terms. It gives us goosebumps as we see social justice as packing food, giving used clothes to people, and sharing food that is given to us by the food bank from behind a table. We feel good as we go home to our nice apartments and houses, visiting with our wonderful friends, believing we have done our part. Just gives us goose bumps!

But Jesus tells us to “Take up your cross” and “follow me.” His call is for each of us to walk the streets, to pound on the doors of politicians, to give people housing, to provide for medical treatment and food. To walk with them as Jesus, who is nailed to the Cross, and in so doing, point to the Resurrection and to restoration.

When we reach the bottom, we are experiencing what it means to be “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), where we have no privilege to prove or protect but much to seek and become. Jesus calls such people “blessed,” and Dorothy Day said as much in these words:

“The only way to live in any true security is to live so close to the bottom that when you fall you do not have too far to drop, you do not have much to lose.”

Let us become as small pebbles being cast into the sea of restoration.

Let us pray:

God, as we meditate on Jesus being nailed to the cross and his pain, we ask that our changed lives can be open to love. His willingness to suffer for humanity moves us to follow him and give ourselves away as well, becoming “poor in spirit.” In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Station 12: Jesus Dies on the Cross and Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

Jesus struggled to breathe, pulling himself up to let air into his lungs. As he hung on the cross, he spoke of mercy and love, forgiving the thief and his enemies. With his last breath he died.

As we have moved through the Tenderloin we have seen people selling drugs, begging for food, and sleeping in the doorways and in the alleys. We see life and we see death.

We see Jesus being laid in his tomb. As we picture this scene, let us place the image of the empty tomb before our eyes. Whenever we stand outside of any tomb and grieve, remember this empty tomb. Know that through the eyes of faith, all tombs are empty. Through the eyes of faith we can become Christ and empty the tombs of hunger, homelessness, meaningless, and want.

Oscar Romero speaks to us in these moments:

“We live in a time of struggle between truth and lies, between sincerity, which almost no one believes still, and hypocrisy and intrigue. Let’s not be afraid brothers and sisters; let’s try to be sincere, to love truth; let’s try to model ourselves on Christ Jesus. It is time for us to have a great sense of selection, of discernment.”

How will we practice Christ Jesus’ way of love, justice, and truth this day? How can we be small pebbles in the world?

Join me in signing ourselves with the sign of his cross, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Amen.

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Fr. River Damien Sims. sfw, DMin. D.S.T

www.temenos/org.

[email protected]

415-305-2124

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