Thursday, April 10

The Eleventh Station: 

Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross

“He replied to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’”

-Luke 23:43

We’ve all been there-stuck in a seemingly impossible situation, weighed down, perhaps, by financial burdens, family obligations or the opinions of others. We’ve all been nailed to the cross. And it may feel as though we’ve come to the end; we can’t move, can’t maneuver our way out of this bleak situation. We have been left alone to flounder.

This is a part of the human experience that all of us go through, regardless of our wealth, our nationality or our past experiences. And Jesus knows this, and never gives up on us. Even the thief with whom he was crucified was given the opportunity to be made better.

And if Jesus offers us these second, third or hundredth chances, what then should we offer to our neighbors? We see that Louisma Toussaint responds by caring for her neighbors, volunteering to provide better healthcare to a community often nailed to the crosses of illness and malnutrition.

What can we do to enable others to come down from the crosses of hunger, homelessness or sickness? What type of paradise are we building into which we can invite those around us?