
THE TENTH STATION: Jesus is Stripped of His Clothing
We adore you O Christ, and we praise you,
because by your Holy Cross
you have redeemed the world.

The final indignity,
the clothes he is wearing are stripped from him.
He is left with nothing.
The wounds of false accusation and hatred uncovered,
clear for all to see.
Our Lady brought him thus into the world through her labour in Bethlehem; now she experiences the labour of her Son as he enters the birth-pangs of resurrection life.

In Populorum Progressio, Pope Paul VI starkly challenged us that,
“No one may appropriate surplus goods morally and solely
for their own private use when others lack the bare necessities of life.”
Hearing these words, how am I challenged? Do I have more than I need, whilst others go without?

As the clothes were ripped from Jesus,
he was stripped of his dignity in front of an irreverent mob.
Jesus sacrifices everything.
He holds nothing of himself back.
Here, on the threshold of death,
even more intensely than during his lifetime, he is a being-for-others.
He surrenders everything in order to ransom all. Jesus continues to be stripped of his dignity in those who have their good name taken from them and the intimate details of their lives exposed through the media. Society takes on the role of judge and jury as we curiously devour the details.

We Pray:
Forgive us Lord for being an irreverent mob, prying into people’s lives.
Forgive us for being consumers of gossip under the name of ‘news’.
Let us never expose anyone.
May we respect the dignity of others
and leave judgement to God.
Let us see the good in those around us
and so enable them to reach their full potential.

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