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)