Wednesday, April 8, 2020

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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