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The
First Station Jesus Is Condemned to Die. |
We
live in an age of crime. Our newspapers and television news are full
of reports of trials and their aftermaths. Against this background
of contemporary fact, consider the fate of Jesus at the end of his
public ministry. Betrayed by one of his own Apostles, Jesus was handed
over to the high priest Annas by the chief priests, accused of inciting
the people by His teaching. (Lk. 23:5)
There followed a mockery of a trial at which Jesus was even struck by a guard. No lawyer, no public defender was there to represent Him. Annas sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas, who in turn sent Him to Pontius Pilate. Interrogating Jesus, Pilate found Him innocent and urged the assembled crowd to let him release Jesus. Instead, the mob became angry and insisted that Pilate instead release a revolutionary named Barabbas. Pilate had Jesus scourged and again proclaimed that he could find no guilt in this man. (Jn 19:6) But there was no jury of peers-- only the obsessed crowd that cried out again and again that Jesus should be crucified. Pilate, afraid to resist the will of the people and their leaders, washed his hands of the matter and turned Jesus over to them. For Jesus, accused and convicted, there would be no appellate court, no Supreme Court, no stay of execution. We
adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Jesus,
I know that you were not guilty of inciting the crowds! It was our
sins that condemned you. My Lord Jesus, I confess my part in your
conviction. You loved me so much that you sacrificed your life for
me. I am sorry for my sins! Jesus, from the fathomless depths of your
mercy, please forgive me again. This
meditation by parishioner Bernard F. Coombes
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