What do You See?

Is this the face of God or a criminal?

In the Sixth Station of the Cross, Veronica wipes the bloodied and battered face of Jesus. There are many messages to take from this story. On the surface, this is a clear message from God that, like Veronica, we are called to take care of others, especially those that are hurt or sick. Consider some other factors to look for a deeper a message.

Although we know now, looking back from the 21^st century, that Jesus was God, this was not the majority view at the time of his crucifixion. In fact, it was a large crowd of people that convinced Pilate to sentence Jesus to death. Therefore, He would have been viewed by many who watched his journey with the cross as a criminal—a criminal so terrible that He was to endure death on a cross. No one would want to be associated with Him. However, Veronica pushed through the crowd to run towards Him and not away from Him. Although His face had been disfigured, she still saw it as the face of God.

After this reflection, I think God is trying to tell us to embrace the problems in our lives. Although things may appear ugly or bleak, we must run towards them, not away from them and look for God in ALL things. When others struggle with their problems, like Veronica, we should offer them comfort--the same comfort we find in God.