Station 1: Jesus is Condemned to Death

The crowd yells, “We have no king but Caesar!” as Jesus is handed over to be crucified. I wonder how Jesus must have felt at that moment.

In the First Contemplation on the Incarnation from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, a scene unfolds in which the three Divine Persons look upon our world and see humanity in its brokenness:

“…they decide in their eternity that the Second Person should become a human being, in order to save the human race” (Sp Ex: 102).

In this beginning moment of the Passion, I wonder if Jesus felt hopeful.

• In the scourging, did Jesus remember those who suffer at the hands of others, wounded by the world?

• In the humiliation, did Jesus remember those who experience shame and powerlessness?

• In the condemnation, did Jesus remember those who feel trapped by sin, suffering, or despair?

Through his Passion, Jesus enters into our pain with deep compassion. Through his Death and Resurrection, he offers us healing and new life. We, captives of our own brokenness, become Pilgrims of Hope—because in Jesus, hope is never lost.

Jesus remembered us first, and so now, we walk in hope. Even in condemnation, perhaps Jesus saw beyond death, knowing that the story was not over.

Min Keun Daniel Park, SJ
Jesuit Scholastic at Ciszek Hall Jesuit Residential College, Bronx, NY.