Justice At The Table

Palm Cross – Photo copyright 2012 John M. Kingery

Station 9: Jesus Falls the Third Time (Planned Parenthood)

Theme: Jesus stands for the sanctity of life of all, while suffering death to redeem us

Tema: Jesús esta por lo sagrado de la vida, mientras sufre su muerte para redimirnos

Scripture: Luke 17: 1-2

He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

Reflection by 40 Days for Life:  Every person is precious. People are more important than things. Jesus tells us, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” calling us to respect the human person. Jesus calls us to respect life in all its expressions: babies, and the hungry, the homeless, the mentally ill, even felons and murderers; to love our enemies, avoid war, prevent conflicts and seek peace. Respect Life! Celebrate Life!

Prayer:  We thank you for the gift of our life and the lives of our dear ones.

WE THANK YOU, LORD

Petitions: Let us pray that we may build a culture of life which welcomes the born and unborn, the handicapped and the frail, the stranger and neighbor, and the saint and sinner.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

Let us pray for all civic leaders and lawmakers that they will seek the good of all people, especially the unborn and the frail.  O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

We commit ourselves to act with kindness towards whomever we encounter, honoring the life in them.  O LORD, WE WANT TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS

LET THE MISSION OF ATONEMENT CATHOLIC AND LUTHERAN COMMUNITY TAKE UP THE CROSS

Song: “Jesus Remember Me” (repeat as needed)

Cross – photo John Kingery (c) 2013

Station 5: Jesus meets his mother (Beaverton Fountains)

Theme:  We meet Jesus in every person we encounter

Tema: Reconocemos a Jesús en cada persona que encontramos

Scripture: John 19: 25-27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

Reflection by Teresa Baden of Rose Haven sponsored by St. Pius Women’s Group:

Rose Haven sees many different faces every day, each with their own unique story, background, and situation. We hear many stories. We understand there exist difficult realities for our guests.

One story is of a woman I will name Tori. Tori lost her job and ran out of unemployment checks. She did not have any family in the area to stay with. The closest family she had was in Arizona, but she could not afford to get there. Tori’s friends were unable to let her stay at their homes for long periods of time because of their lease agreements, and eventually, she found herself having to face the difficult reality of sleeping on a sidewalk. Eventually, Tori got into a shelter where she learned about Rose Haven. Tori never thought she would end up experiencing homelessness. She never thought she would have to ask for help. Before losing her job, she was independent and only relied on herself. She humbled herself to ask for clothing and a meal. She received much more.

At Rose Haven, she finds a different set of friends; women who understand where she’s been, and have advice to help her get to where she is going. She finds a safe and supportive community to help her with her job search, and an outfit for a job interview. We don’t know what happened to Tori, whether she became employed and housed again, or whether she stayed in the shelter system.

We don’t always get to see the endings whatever those may be, but we are present for the story. We see many different faces every day.  We see very strong women, women with hope, and women with courage.  We see women who are supportive and willing to give to each other the shirt of their back when they sometimes have so little. We see hope.

Prayers: Thank you for reminding us of your faithfulness through your mother Mary.

WE THANK YOU, LORD

Teach us to believe that our faith will bear fruit in service to others.  O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

Help us to be ready to share the suffering of our brothers and sisters and offer assistance and love to those in need.  O LORD, WE WANT TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS

LET THE FAITH CAFE COMMUNITY TAKE UP THE CROSS

Song: “Jesus Remember Me” (repeat as needed)

Cross – photo John Kingery (c) 2013

Station 4: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross (Memorial Park)

Theme: We must be willing to help Jesus carry the cross for peace and justice

Tema: Debemos estar dispuestos a ayudar a Jesús a cargar la cruz por la paz y la justicia

Scripture: Mark 15:20-22

And when they had mocked Jesus, they took the purple cloak off and put his own clothes on him, and they led him out to be crucified. Then they forced a certain passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, to take up his cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, a name meaning ‘the place of the skull’.

Reflection by JUSTFAITH/JUSTPEACE Community:

Three-year-old Maria and four-year-old Zeerak were sleeping in their mud hut in Pakistan when a U.S. drone’s Hellfire missile pierced it and exploded. Villagers digging through the rubble found Zeerak’s legs were severed.  Maria was badly scorched. Both were dead.

Today, killing is conducted by means that are technologically advanced (e.g., precision-guided missiles and drone aircraft), but the end result is the same for the victims. The U.S. uses drones.  In Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, hundreds of civilians have been killed as “collateral damage” from U.S. drone missile attacks.  In Pakistan alone, 176 children have been killed by U.S. drones between 2004 and 2012.

We are told that the use of drones minimizes the number of our soldiers in the battlefield. Some say we have to kill the “terrorists” no matter what.   We would not send a Hellfire missile into a Beaverton school to kill a terrorist, sacrificing the lives of nearby children.   Why do we continue to sacrifice the lives of their children to attack a “suspected” terrorist?

Our current use of drones denies those targeted a fair trial and likely violates the U.S. Constitution and international law. It violates God’s law by ignoring the sanctity and dignity of the lives of those in its path.

Prayer: We thank you for those who by choosing charitable service have endangered their lives to help others.  WE THANK YOU, LORD

Petitions:  We ask God to awaken our leaders and military to the pursuit of justice, and to respect the lives and rights of all people.  O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

We ask God’s blessing on the men, women, and children who have had their lives taken by war.  O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

We will seek peaceful, just ways to settle our disputes and will encourage our country and community to do the same. O LORD, WE WANT TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS

LET THE ST. PIUS CATHOLIC COMMUNITY TAKE UP THE CROSS               

Song: Vengan a la Cruz, Adoremos (repeat as often as desired)

Cross – photo John Kingery (c) 2013

Station 2: Jesus takes up his cross (Bethel Congregational UCC Main Entrance)

Theme: Jesus’ passion for justice and peace calls us to pray and to serve

Tema: La pasion de Jesus por la justicia y la paz nos llama a orar y a servir

Scripture: Luke 6: 27, 35

“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this:  Love your enemies.  Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.  Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior:  Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them.  Don’t pick on people; jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless of course you want the same treatment.  Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier.  Give away your life; you’ll find life given back; but not just given back – given back with bonus and blessing.  Generosity begets generosity.”

Reflection by The Reverend David Randall-Bodman, Bethel Congregational UCC:  As we reenact Jesus walk to Gethsemane today, there is no greater, more radical teaching that binds all Christians together than Jesus’ call to “love your enemies.   Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them.”  Jesus was always turning the world upside down.  Surprising us with a grace and love almost too huge and too divine to understand, let alone practice.  And yet it is exactly this unbounded love, and the audacity to dare to live as Jesus taught us to live that keeps us walking in his shoes – serving as his hands and feet, as his heart and mind in the world in which we live now.

To walk the journey of faith we need to be fed.  Over the centuries, we Christians have relied on prayer, worship, ritual, song, and sacrament to sustain us and to nurture our spiritual lives.

An ancient spiritual practice that has experienced a renaissance in recent years is called labyrinth walking.  Labyrinths take many forms, but have one thing in common:  they take us on a walk that symbolizes the journey of life.  Labyrinths are pathways that circle about, go in many directions, but lead to one Center.  Walking a labyrinth is a form of prayer that involves movement, thought and the senses.

Our labyrinth is unique.  It is constructed out of canned goods and other food items.   For us it combines our need to pray with the world’s need to be fed.  An ancient spiritual discipline designed to strengthen our faith simultaneously stocks our food cupboard so that we can help those in our community who lack the basic human need for food.  We have been gathering canned goods during the season of Lent.  Today we walk the labyrinth.  Tomorrow we stock the food cupboard.  Prayer and service – the fruits of Jesus passion for justice and peace.

Prayer:  Holy God, for the many ways you feed and nurture us: WE THANK YOU, LORD

Petitions: We pray for the courage to see our enemies and to respond to them as we would want them to respond to us.   O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

We ask for forgiveness from those whom we have ignored or looked past, hardened by our own sense of superiority or by our fear to be the change we long to see. O LORD, HELP US TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS

Bethel UCC Good Friday Labyrinth will be open from 12:00-1:30 if you would like to visit after the Walk of the Cross.

LET THE HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC COMMUNITY TAKE UP THE CROSS

Song: Vengan a la Cruz, Adoremos (repeat as often as desired)