Station 2: Jesus Carries His Cross
March 31, 2020–The Cloud of Unknowing
John of the Cross wrote about not knowing if God is present, feeling the emptiness of the soul, but trusting in God in that emptiness. With the same theme, an English teacher, who was dying of cancer, once told me “All will be well.”
When Jesus carried his cross, all he knew was that his life was nearly over, Christ was living in the cloud of the unknowing. Jesus also knew that “all will be well” in that emptiness.
On the streets we are seeing homeless people who are terrified, being pushed aside when they refuse to obey “the man”, as they call authority; People walk a mile around each person, ignoring them, in our doorways and on the street. Many will be housed temporarily , but the vast majority will be in our parks, and our doorways. It will be difficult to have “social distancing” in their shelter. In the heart of the Tenderloin the drug dealers are selling drugs, people are in close contact as if nothing has happened.
“The street transform every ordinary day into a series of quick questions and every incorrect answer risks a beat down, shooting, or pregnancy, (unknown author)”, this is the life of the street, it is living in the cloud of the unknowing.
There is a quote from face book, which tells us our privilege those of us are who practice social distancing:: “Social distancing is a privilege. It means you live in a house large enough to practice it. Hand washing is a privilege, it means you have access to hand washing soap and sink, lock down is a privilege, it means you have a home to be locked down in…”
Our calling is to remember the separation of money, and privilege, from the poor, and seek to even that path.
The call of each one of us is to carry the cross of Jesus, to see the individuals in our door ways, parks, and on the street, as our brothers and sisters, and to remember as we live in the cloud of the unknowing, “all will be well,” and we are invited to carry the cross of Jesus. Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!
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Station 2: Jesus Carries His Cross
Tenderloin Stations of the Cross
Good Friday
Noon-2:00 p.m.–meet at City Hall Polk Street side. You are welcome to join us in person or in reading the Stations and praying with us as we proceed through the Tenderloin at home.
Jesus was forced to carry the cross upon which he would be nailed, ridiculed, and executed. What does it represent? It represents that, for his journey he takes up the weight of all of our crosses: all of our senseless suffering and the weight of all the sin in the world, past, present and future.
Kobe Bryant describes his journey: “When I was young my mindset was image, image, image. I took that approach with the media. As I became more experienced I realized that no matter what, people are going to like you or not
like you. So be authentic, and let them like you or not for who you actually are. At that point, I started keeping all of my answers blunt and straightforward. I would mix in some humor and sarcasm, too. I think fans
and reporters came to appreciate that, came to appreciate the real me.”
A number of years ago a young friend was using Father River’s car. He took it to his private school with an ounce of marijuana, and was somehow caught. River told the school it was his marijuana, which resulted in losing
financial support, reputation, and nearly legal consequences. This young man is now in law school which, with that incident on his record, may not have
happened. Temenos stands with young men on trial for murder, without judgment, and with the hope they will find new life. It is not about being co- dependent, immature, or idealistic. It is about, like Kobe Bryant, learning to be authentic. It means taking up the cross, always seeing the best in people, and giving them second, third, and fourth chances. It means taking them for
who are, and walking with them without applying our expectations of how they should live their lives upon them. It means walking with them as equals.
Bearing the cross of Jesus on the street means withholding our judgment of those we see. It means getting to know each one, and sometimes being hurt
personally. It means to love them, and advocate for each one. It means walking with them as equals and casting out small pebbles in faith. Things are Topsy-turvy in your kingdom, God. The poor bear gifts of great
worth, the dead rise, the meek inherit the earth. Teach us how to live in an upside-down world where we are called to welcome the outcast, prepare a feast for the ragged, and forgive those who offend.” Amen (Common Prayer:
A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals).
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Stations of the Cross Exmin Style
Step 1: Choose a Station. Let’s say we’re focusing on Jesus taking up his Cross. You can read a passage from the Bible that correlates to that scene or simply picture an image in your mind. Then take a few deep breaths and ask God to help you quiet your head and open your heart. Often we only try to focus on getting rid of all the mental chatter inside of us, but it’s also important to place our attention on the waves of emotions and feelings inside us. Something in you might resist focusing—you may feel tired, nervous, or angry, but that’s okay. Allow yourself to find a level of openness that is true to you.
Step 2: Remind yourself that God is all around you. He’s inside you and outside you and his heart beats in yours. Try to feel that reality as best as you can. Then take the picture of Jesus carrying his Cross, and imagine placing the image inside you. Let it take root in you.
Step 3: Ask the Holy Spirit to rise up inside you and give you the wisdom to acknowledge God in your life. Ask the Spirit to help you meditate on the scene inside you. How do you think Jesus felt when this was happening? What was he thinking? What is your cross to bear? How heavy is it? How does it affect your relationship with God?
Step 4: Review your day. Where did your cross feel the heaviest today? Where did you encounter the cross on the shoulders of others at work, on the news, or in the streets? Where is God in these encounters? Ask God to make you more aware and compassionate of others and yourself.
Step 5: Give thanks to God for the opportunity to know Jesus better, and ask God to help you to become more aware of the crosses that everyone carries in life.
Image by Enrique López-Tamayo Bio
Fr. River Sims, sfw, D.Min., D.S.T
P.O. Box 642656
San Francisco, CA 94164
415-305-2124
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