Station twelve:Jesus dies on the cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

 





It was now about the sixth hour and the sun's light failed, so that darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The veil of the Sanctuary was torn right down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice saying, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' With these words he breathed his last.

Luke 23:44-46

This cry echoes through all creation and all time. In Jesus’s death, God has fully united Himself with the human experience.

 

Experience of death is a central part of the lives of refugees and forcibly displaced people. Loved ones may have died as a result of whatever made them flee. Journeys are dangerous and many die trying to reach safety. Since January 2014, it is estimated over 40,000 men, women and children have died travelling dangerous migratory routes. Each of those was an individual with their own hopes and dreams. Christ unites Himself to each and every one of them in His death on the cross.

 

We pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of those migrants and forcibly displaced people who have died on their journeys. We especially pray for those who have no one to pray for them. We also pray for those who are missing and whose families and friends are left uncertain of their fate.

 

I love you, Jesus, my love above all things,

And I repent with my whole heart of having offended you.

Never permit me to separate myself from you again,

Grant that I may love you always, and then do with me what you will.