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| "Via Crucis VI - Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus" by Lawrence OP is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. |
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you. For by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
Veronica isn't found in the gospels, and this single station of the cross is pretty much the only thing we have of her.
There's a lot of mystery about her. All we have is her name, Veronica. Vera- icon, true image.
Did Veronica know who Jesus was? I like to think she had no idea, that she was a kindhearted person who simply saw a suffering man in front of her and offered help.
In my mind's eye she's a middle aged, no- nonsense type who's raised a couple kids already. She sees a man stumbling towards her, blinking sweat and blood out of his eyes and unable to wipe his face. Without really thinking about it, she slips off her outer veil, steps past the guards, and wipes it gently for him, the same as she would do it for a small child with a runny nose. Not because she wants to make a statement, but because taking care of people around her is a part of who she is. I don't even think she notices the guards.
Her act leaves her with an image of Christ. In ministering to Christ in that moment, she obtained the face of Christ. She obtained His icon and became a true image of His mercy.
I think it's like that with everyone who shows an act of mercy. When we act with love and mercy, we gain the face of love and mercy. We bear the image of Christ.
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