Sixth Station — Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

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 Sixth Station. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. This station is not in the Gospels, but it has been part of the Stations of the Cross for centuries. A woman named Veronica saw You staggering. She broke through the crowd. She had nothing to give You but a piece of cloth. She used it to wipe the blood and sweat and dust from Your face. The tradition holds that, when she pulled the cloth away, the image of Your face was imprinted on it. A miracle of love rewarded. Lord, this woman is a model for me. She did not have political power to stop the crucifixion. She did not have wealth to buy You out of it. She did not have status to command the soldiers. She had only a cloth and the courage to step into the street. She did the small thing that was hers to do. Tonight, Lord, what is the small thing that is mine to do? Probably not change the world. Probably not solve the giant problems I read about in the news. Probably just the small kindness in front of me. The text to a friend who is hurting. The patience with the slow cashier. The smile at the grumpy neighbor. The minute of prayer for the colleague going through a divorce. These small acts of mercy may seem too small to matter. But to You, they are everything. The cup of cold water given in Your name will not lose its reward, You said in Mark nine. Send me Your face, Lord, in the people I will encounter tomorrow. The hungry I can feed in some small way. The lonely I can sit with for five minutes. The frightened I can reassure with a kind word. Let me see You there, and let me serve. And imprint Your face on the cloth of my own life, Lord. Let me not pass through this earth without bearing some real likeness to You. The kindness of Christ. The patience of Christ. The mercy of Christ. The willingness to suffer for love. 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.