In this Station, Jesus teaches us that strength is often disguised as weakness that is, responding with humility in the face of scorn and mockery is the real strength of spirit, because it requires a tempering of our thoughts and tongues. Paul says “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom” ( 1 Corinthians 1:25): it’s because we appear weak in the face of our opposition when we surrender to it without rebuttal or defense. The extreme humility of Jesus speaks a bold proclamation that no words could suffice to explain: We must be willing to be condemned by the world and accept all that God permits to befall us. We become uncomfortable and even frustrated as Jesus stands before His accusers with little to say, because we want Him to defend Himself – as we want Him to defend us when we are persecuted for our faith. We may believe Jesus is silent in our lives and world as He was while Pilate questioned Him, based on the accusations of the crowd. As the mother of a child with a rare disease, I often hear from nonbelievers, “Why would a benevolent God permit suffering in the world?” To the skeptic, this question hold exceptional validity, but we can turn to the First Station for the beginning of our answers. The world still condemns Jesus through its rejection and skepticism. My Jesus, though we are accused daily of being fools, let the vision of Quiet Dignity standing before Monstrous Injustice, give us all the courage to be Your followers.” ~ Mother Angelica Scripture also tells us that we participate in the universal suffering of the Body of Christ by compensating for the lack or avoidance of suffering by others (see Colossians 1:24). When we unite our suffering with The Cross of Christ, we become transformed by His grace. So many aspects of our lives parallel the suffering of Christ, yet we often unnecessarily separate our crosses with The Cross. As we meditate on the first four stations, we can choose to walk this journey with Jesus. We begin the journey to Calvary with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, yet the Stations of the Cross place us with Him in front of Pilate as He is condemned to die – cruelly and unjustly.
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