CowPi Journal

Jesus is stripped of His garments.

At the end of the long, crueling walk through the streets and crowds, out the city gates and up the hill of Golgatha under the weight of the heavy Cross, Jesus stands alone one last time before His moment of glory. The soldiers hastily remove his clothing, reopening the bloody wounds that had begun to dry. The last vestige of the world is removed from His body. Jesus stands before us in His poverty, about to give the last thing He can claim to have.

To become human means to become “poor,” to have nothing that one might brag before God. To become human means to have no support and no power, save the enthusiasm and committment of one’s own heart [by grace]. Becoming human involves proclaiming the poverty of the human spirit in the face of the total claims of a transendent God. (Johannes Baptist Metz, Poverty of Spirit)

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Like you, we too will have to face our poverty before God. Because we are weak, we dare not face our own poverty. We turn to sin and away from You. Please forgive us. But You give us strength to face our destiny to be human through Your Cross. We are poor, but with You, we have everything. Thank you Lord. We love You. Amen.

This post is a part of the Via Crucis Grid Blog for this Holy Week. Find others to read and pray, #9, #10, and #11.