In August 2007 seven fishermen from Tunisia saved the life of 44 African refugees who were about to drown close to the Italian island of Lampedusa. The Italians took their fishing boats and the fishermen were arrested and brought to court because of their lifesaving action. A modern Pontius Pilate sentenced the fishermen to 30 months in prison and fined 440,000 Euro. Help for refugees seems unwanted and politically unintended. What did the fishermen do wrong? They didn’t close their eyes. We also should not close our eyes: The destiny of an uncountable number of refugees around the world is huge. After a perilous flight they are unwelcomed in many countries and sent back home where they tried to escape poverty, political injustice and hopelessness.
Those who condemn – they only do their job!
Song: El alma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUed26NaIz0&feature=related
2. Jesus takes his cross
Jesus you do carry the cross with those far beyond our alertness. Behind the red lights are people suffering. Women – even children – are kept in brothels, clubs and apartments to serve as sex workers against their wills. They have to take their cross since there is so often no way out! Violence pushes hard on them!
Song: Dans nos obscurities
3. Jesus falls the first time
Jesus, you are with us in our crises. Over the last months we often could see you in hard times of abandonment: Humiliated children and youth who become victims of sexual violence. Every fourth woman and every seventh man (in Germany) is supposed to have experienced sexual violence either in the family, the youth group, sports club or even inside the church. Let’s look into the faces of these people: Victims and wrongdoers. In between those who knew about the crime and kept silent or hushed up the misdeeds. Jesus, you fall with every victim. You know them as well as you know their pain and their fear to speak up.
Song: Behuete mich Gott Behuete mich Gott, ich vertraue dir, du zeigst mir den Weg zum Leben, bei dir ist Freude, Freude in Fuelle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDSyinS_E-k&feature=related
4. Jesus meets his mother
Jesus, on your way with the cross you also meet companions, those who listen and see and who are not afraid to touch. They’re touched by the doom of their brothers and sisters. People, like Mary, are often humble and quite. Meeting them is like finding hope and strength to continue ones journey, they are like oases in the desert. They stand up for solidarity, friendship and love and bring life into places of loneliness and even to places where death seems to be stronger.
Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2o27qpvfUc
5. Simon helps Jesus to carry his cross
This can be anywhere. Maybe the entrance to a help desk. One more cigarette, a last one before going in. Getting ones courage up to go over it, to tell ones story. Getting out of drugs, getting out of violence, what to do with an unwanted pregnancy … there are so many stories in our lives. There are people who help! People who really care! It’s good to have them on our journey. God, you taught us that we all are Your children and that the suffering of others matters us as it matters you!
Song: Bo-num est con-fi-de-re in Do- mi-no, bo-num spe-ra-re in Do - mi-no.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPkb_gLnutY&feature=related
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
Between Veronica and Jesus – real encounter! She might have acted just as it came right from her heart. She didn’t ask whether it was the right moment, the right person, the right gender, the right religion or the right social status. And grace to her loving kindness she received the image of Jesus. We’re sometimes afraid to connect with those who are different in any way. But if we over- come it, there is a chance for real encounter, then we might even be able to understand ourselves better through the story of someone else. It’s a gift when we face each other and grace if we can share one another’s life stories.
Song: Da pa-cem Do-mi-ne da pa-cem O Chri-ste in di-e- bus nos-tris.
7. Jesus falls a second time
Addiction of all kinds brings people to fall, so does Jesus. Often not able to face their own problems, they try to forget and escape in alcohol and drugs. People are addicted to Internet and gambling. They lose contact with family and friends who have to suffer in consequence. No friends, no money, no future. Where should he go? He falls down, why to get up again if there seems to be no more perspective in life.
Song: Mon â-me se re-po-se en paix sur Dieu seul: de lui vient mon sa-lut. Oui, sur Dieu seul mon â-me se re-po-se, se re-po-se_en paix. Mon …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpV_T8g5Zco
8. Jesus and the women
The women do not run away. They stay and they express their feelings. It’s an urging and a calling. Similar to the people in Jerusalem, people still stand up for the rights of others who might be unheard, unseen and unappreciated? It takes courage to stay and these people take risk to soon be as unappreciated as those who they give their voices.
Song: God is forgiveness. Dare to forgive and God will be with you. God is forgiveness. Love and do not fear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE5WpHokIOo&feature=related
9. Jesus falls a third time
Devastated again. Living with a social stigma. Sometimes alone with all the pain, rejected by those who are supposed to give support and love. It’s not only the sickness of a virus in the body, but the sickness of the society that condemns and we’re the society. Jesus, during your lifetime you choose to be close to those who were unwanted. This last journey of yours is the consequence of it. Others didn’t want to be challenged by you. In fear and pain – you Lord are near!
Song: Behuete mich Gott, ich vertraue dir, du zeigst mir den Weg zum Leben, bei dir ist Freude, Freude in Fuelle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpmlQOTFEeE&feature=related
10. Jesus is stripped
How often are people taken away from all that they have? From one second to another people lose everything. In these days we try to be connected with our brothers in sisters in Japan after that tragic earthquake and Tsunami. And there or others too, even closer to us. Those brothers and sisters to us whose story nobody is interested in. They’re not in our daily news stories but right in front of us.
Song: Ky-ri-e, Ky-ri-e, e - le-i-son. Ky-ri-e, Ky-ri-e, e - le-i-son.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9pDyBHh-gQ&feature=related
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
All was taken away - even harder the pain of mistrust! “It is better that he dies than a whole nation”. God, you are close with those people who are seen as a risk to security – prisoners in so may ways. While your keyword is trust, ours often is security! Trust is not safe! That’s why people are locked in behind high walls - in safe places. Even sometimes children - who have no home - are locked into prisons, as they might disturb the beauty of a town and pedestrian areas where people want cleanliness while doing their shopping. God, how often do we try to protect ourselves behind high walls? You’re the one who goes through walls and closed doors and you encourage us to do the same, to visit prisoners and sick people and to proclaim redemption!
Song: Stay with me, remain here with me, watch and pray, watch and pray.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QN9xJEyu7s
12. Jesus dies on the cross
Nobody can go this last way for someone else. It’s hard to say goodbye. Even harder if there is nobody to say goodbye to, if there is nobody who cares and then there will be nobody to mourn. Jesus, let us find a new way to each other - as new people, as a new family, inspired by your way of life and love. Go with us to the bedside; go with us to the beggar on the street or to prisoner in the high security prison.
Song: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoX8EYgnO4c
13. Jesus is laid into the arms of his mother
Jesus, broken lays your body, which brought the Good News to us, in your mother’s womb. The fright of your unnecessary death comes also to life in the death through hunger, war, banishment, preventable sicknesses, exploitation and torture. People sometimes run away and turn their back to all these sufferings. Only a few people are strong enough to hold on.
Song: In manus tuas, Pater, commendo spiritum meum, in manus tuas, Pater, commendo spiritum meum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFUEktpjCBw
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb
Anonymous, maybe forgotten – but in you nobody is forgotten. You, Jesus, do not forget any of us. You went after those who were pushed towards the edge of society. You ate with them and paid respect to them. That’s why you were killed. The thoughtfulness of God shouldn’t become famous. The equality of all people seems to be a dangerous reality in the eyes of some people and regimes. We have to find you and your revealing message more and more.
Song: Cru-cem tu-am a-do-ra-mus Do-mi-ne, re-su-rec-ti-on-nem tu-am lau-da-mus Do-mi-ne. Lau-da-mus et glo-ri-fi-ca-mus. Re-su-rec-ti-o-nem tu-am lau-da-mus Do-mi-ne. Cru-cem tu- … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRrYRORosgo
