Tenth Station: Jesus is crucified

And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, they crucified him there; and the robbers, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. And Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. But they, dividing his garments, cast lots. And the people stood beholding, and the rulers with them derided him, saying: He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the elect of God.
(Lk 23:33-35, Douay-Rheims Version)

When the Shourd of Turin was photographed in 1898, an amazing discovery was made. The blurred image on the cloth became a clear picture of a man’s face in the negative of the photograph. This renewed researchers’ interest in the piece of linen that was thought to be the burial cloth of Jesus. In the years the followed many studies were done and it shed light on what crucifixion entailed. For example, the shroud accurately showed that the nail through the hands was positioned close to the wrist. Pictures of the crucifixion often show the nails nailed through the palms of the hand. If the nails were pierced through the palms, the weight of the body would have caused the hands to be torn because the muscles and ligaments would not have been able to hold a man’s weight. Instead, the wrist was able to bear it. Research of the shroud helped us to come to a greater understanding of the cruelty of crucifixion as a form of execution.

Jesus must have suffered tremendously during the crucifixion. Jesus would have bled slowly. His breathing would have been laboured due to the positioning of his arms. The pain he would have endured to push against the nails on his feet to ease the difficulty of breathing. The physical pain would have been aggravated by the absence of most of His disciples. His dignity as a human being would be nonexistent because he was totally naked. As if to make fun of him. the soldiers gambled with his last pieces of clothing. He was derided by passers-by. His suffering was not just physical but also emotional and social.

Jesus was obedient to the Father. St. Paul describes this beautifully: he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.(Phil 2:8, Revised Standard Version) In his obedience Jesus was willing to give his life. He did it so that he could become the example for all who are called to be children of God. We are called to be children of God. Are we willing to be humble, and so become as obedient as Jesus was?

Even though Jesus was nailed fast to the cross, he was not a prisoner. He was free; free to be who he was: the obedient Son of God. We sometimes give in to fear and thus enslave ourselves. For example, when we give in to our fear of not being acknowledged, we enslave ourselves to the esteem of men. When that happens, the pursuit of other’s esteem becomes a burden and we become miserable. Initially, we might be able to convince ourselves using the saying no pain, no gain. However, our hearts will become heavy with worry and anxiety.

The paradox of Jesus crucified was that although he was in agony,.he was not worried or anxious. He was free. His mind was clear. That was why he was able to utter his seven last words on the cross, the first of which is “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34, Revised Standard Version) Jesus was free from anger and resentment. He was free enough to forgive all those who had caused him the agony he was going through. When I keep grudges, I am not free to forgive. This is because I am enslaved to my anger and my hurt feelings. I may use many different reasons to keep my anger and hurt feelings. I say that I want justice; I say I need satisfaction; I say I do not want to be hurt again. These reasons do not change the fact that I am enslaved. When enslaved thus, I suffer miserably. By letting go of my anger and hurt feelings, I free myself to receive the healing of God. By receiving the grace of being healed, I will have the ability to forgive others. Then the Lord’s Prayer I pray every day would be true: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.