Tenth Station — Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. The Tenth Station. Jesus is stripped of His garments. At Calvary, the soldiers tore Your robe from You. The Gospel of John, chapter nineteen, records that they cast lots for Your tunic, fulfilling the prophecy from Psalm twenty-two. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. You stood naked, Lord. Exposed. Without dignity, in the eyes of the world. The God who clothed Adam and Eve when they were ashamed in the garden, now stripped Himself in front of His enemies. Lord, I think of all the times I have been exposed. Times I have been embarrassed. Times my failures have been on display. Times I have felt the shame of being seen, really seen, by people I would have preferred to keep at a distance. You know that experience from the worst possible angle. The mockery. The exposed body. The eyes of the world casting lots for what little You had left. But here is the strange truth, Lord. By accepting the shame of nakedness, You took away my shame. The original shame. The shame of Eden. The shame of every secret sin I would commit. By being stripped, You clothed me. Saint Paul writes in Galatians three, For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. I am clothed in You now, Lord. The robe of righteousness is mine. The garments of salvation cover me. Help me let go of the false coverings I rely on. The image I project. The reputation I curate. The performances I put on to seem more put-together than I am. Strip me of those, Lord. Let me stand before You and before others as I really am. Loved. Imperfect. Yours. I pray tonight for those who suffer the indignity of exposure in our world. The homeless. The refugees. The trafficked. The prisoners. Restore their dignity, Lord. Cover them with Your love when human society refuses to cover them. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Have mercy on us, O Lord. Have mercy on us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.