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Author Archives: Christian

ICDS Way of the Cross – 2020/10

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 10: Jesus is robbed of his clothes
  3.  
  4. Exposing …

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English

Station 10: Jesus is robbed of his clothes

 

 

Exposing …

 

“I can count all my bones. They stare at me and gloat; they divide my garments among them; for my clothing they cast lots.” (Psalm 22:18-19)

Arriving at the place of execution, Jesus gets his clothes torn off. He is exposed, exposed to the eyes of the many, exposed to them with no protection. Jesus is enduring this: He is on the same level as the defiled, the humiliated, the exposed of all kinds. Deprived of all his possessions and dignity, he now stands at the very bottom of human society.

Again and again, it happens that people expose each other – often without even noticing it. Be it through ruthlessness, shamelessness, lack of respect, sometimes stupidity, – or perhaps deliberately, to hurt the other, to belittle, to degrade. Continue Reading

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ICDS Way of the Cross – 2020/8

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 8: Jesus meets the crying women
  3.  
  4. Empathy and Compassion

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English

Station 8: Jesus meets the crying women

 

 

Empathy and Compassion

„A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children.“ (Luke 23:27-28)

Some women who witness the collapse of Jesus are deeply moved by the suffering of another, even when the other is apparently presented as a “criminal”. They don’t question him, they don’t question guilt or innocence, they just see the broken, tormented, a person badly treated to the extreme. Continue Reading

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ICDS Way of the cross – 2020/9

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 9: Jesus falls down under the cross for the third time
  3.  
  4. Lying on the Ground …

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English

Station 9: Jesus falls down under the cross for the third time

 

 

Lying on the Ground …

“To all my foes I am a thing of scorn, and especially to my neighbors, a horror to my friends. When they see me in public, they quickly shy away.“ (Psalm 31:12)

Jesus lies motionless on the ground. Defenseless, exhausted, at the end of his human strength. He lies there like an abandoned, tormented person, exploited and used up. It is difficult to bear this image – and yet we expect it of many of our fellow men. Continue Reading

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ICDS Way of the Cross – 2020/4

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 4: Jesus meets his mother
  4. Getting Touched …

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English

Station 4: Jesus meets his mother

 

 

Getting Touched …

The words that old Simeon spoke to Mary at the temple are beginning to come true: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (comp. Luke 2:34-35)

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is moved by compassion. She does not withdraw in this distress but shows her Son that she stands by him in everything and that she is with him with her love. She does not leave his side, does not avoid the visible pain, accompanies him and remains present. Continue Reading

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ICDS Way of the Cross – 2020/5

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 5: Simon helps Jesus to carry the cross
  3.  
  5. Going Along With …

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English

Station 5: Simon helps Jesus to carry the cross

 

 

 

Going Along With …

„They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.“ (Mark 15:21)

The way of Jesus crosses with the way of the surprised farmer Simon. He is perhaps tired from work and on his way home. Now he is to bear the execution beam of a “criminal”. Simon has no idea who this condemned man is and how he finds himself so suddenly and inexperienced in this situation. Faced with the surrounding violence, without question he takes the heavy beam on himself and accompanies Jesus on his last journey. Continue Reading

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ICDS Way of the Cross – 2020/6

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 6: Veronica hands Jesus the sudarium
  3.  
  5. Alleviating Needs and Sufferings …

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English

Station 6: Veronica hands Jesus the sudarium

 

 

 

Alleviating Needs and Sufferings …

„Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.“ (Matt 5:7-8)

The crowd enthusiastically follows the spectacular spectacle with mockery, violence, cruelty and curiosity. Veronica, a woman on the way, has the courage to break out of the crowd. She cleanses and refreshes the suffering face of Jesus. Continue Reading

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ICDS Way of the Cross – 2020/7

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 7: Jesus falls down under the cross for the second time
  3.  
  5. Collapsing …

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English

Station 7: Jesus falls down under the cross for the second time

 

 

 

Collapsing …

“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.” (Psalm 22,7-8)

The cruel brutality, the injustice, the ever more oppressive burden, the physical and probably also mental pain, make Jesus collapse a second time. How close Jesus is to us in his human fragility and vulnerability! The people around him stand there, looking, shouting, mocking, scolding. Some are affected, others are not, they appear to be curious, helpless, or happy not to be affected themselves. Continue Reading

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ICDS Way of the Cross – 2020/3

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 3: Jesus falls down under the cross for the first time
  4. Falling Down …

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English

Station 3: Jesus falls down under the cross for the first time

 

 

Falling Down …

“But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee, … they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me.“ (Psalm 35,15-16)


People suffer some defeats in their lives. Instead of getting help from others, they get only the feeling of being a “total loser”. – Who of us has not “fallen” in life or seen someone else “fall”? – Is it right then to mock the one lying on the ground even further instead of reaching out to help him? – Perhaps we should understand these traps of Jesus as a sign of his solidarity with us. – “… he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found to be human in appearance, ” (comp. Phill 2:6-7) Continue Reading

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ICDS Way of the Cross – 2020/2

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 2: Jesus takes the cross on his shoulders
  4. Bearing and Enduring …

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English

Station 2: Jesus takes the cross on his shoulders

 

 

Bearing and Enduring …

Jesus is forced to carry the crossbeam on which he is to be crucified. Without resisting, he carries it like the other two accused. Doesn’t this remind us of his earlier enigmatic message: “”Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me “? (comp. Matt 16:24)

Taking life as it is. – every human dreams of a bright future, of a fulfilled life. But the reality is different for most people. The words from above sound hard, they admonish us and do not invite us to take the easy way. Let us remember the pictures from the newspapers and news. – Sisters and brothers who are persecuted, humiliated, killed because of their race, their faith, their skin colour. – People who even today are traded like cattle, exploited and abused as modern slaves. – Children who have their lives taken away before it has even begun. – People who have to live in and with conflicts for which they themselves are not to blame. Continue Reading

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ICDS Way of the Cross – 2020/1

Updated on date by author
Contents
  1. English
  2. Station 1: Jesus becomes sentenced to death
  4. Condemning …

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English

Station 1: Jesus becomes sentenced to death

 

 

Condemning …

Jesus becomes innocently sentenced. Pilate asks him, “What have you done?” Jesus answers: “I came into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (comp. John 18:35-37)

How quick we are today with prejudices – especially against people who do not fit into our way of doing things and our lovely picture of how life should be. How often do we hear about slander, today also called “mobbing”, – or are perhaps even affected by it ourselves – as victims? – as confidants? – as perpetrators? Continue Reading

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