The Thirteenth Station of the Cross: Jesus is taken Down from the Cross

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The lifeless body of Jesus is tenderly placed in the arms of Mary, his mother

Michelangelo's Pieta at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome

Reflecting upon Michelangelo's Pieta

By Charles Kinnaird

Revolutionary words,

Valiant tasks,

And the highest of aspirations

Having been brought to an end,

She looks with compassion

   upon his lifeless form.

He is enfolded and finds rest

Within the fully human and never-dying

Mother of all.

There is room in her flowing earthly garments

To enfold every missed step,

   every high calling,

      every miscalculation.

Each pointless task

Together with all fruitful endeavors

Are gathered into her bountiful lap.

In stillness and silence

Her fully human and never-dying love

Brings redemption to the son.

As all shall know

When the clamoring and shouting have ended,

All things are brought with compassion

To the bosom of the

Heavenly and Earthly

Never-dying

Mother of all.

*    *    *

Migratory bird caught in oil spill in South Korea (BBC photo)

In the wake of Empire, souls are often crushed. When an oil company wreaks havoc upon the environment, many lives are lost. When we try to restore the damage, we are taking Christ's body down from the Empire's cross of death in hopes of seeing life come forth again. As a matter of public relations, Empire will apologize for the deaths and may offer a pittance in compensation. Afterward, however, Empire will continue its strides in death-making.

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