As we confront the heartbreaking images coming out of war-torn Ukraine, many of us are inclined to ask: “Why God? Why? What about the promise you give us in the Scriptures that you will ‘comfort your people and show mercy to your afflicted?’ Where’s the mercy and comfort for the poor innocent people who are suffering because of the violence perpetrated by others?
If we dare to pray in such a way, will we also stick around long enough to hear God say in return, “Where are you? What are you doing for my people? Do you remember that I want to act through people like you?”
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For reflection: “Your face, Lord, do I seek. Hide not your face from me.” (Psalm 27, 8-9). Veronica (at the Sixth Station on the Way of the Cross) embodies the universal yearning of the devout believers of every age to see the face of God.
On Jesus’ Way of the Cross, she at first did nothing more than perform an act of kindness: she held out a facecloth to Jesus. And yet, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” the Lord had said in His Sermon on the Mount, “for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5, 8) Veronica’s act of kindness was actually an act of love which impressed the true image of Jesus not only on her cloth, but also on her heart. Only with the heart can we see Jesus. Only love purifies us and gives us the ability to truly see. Only love enables us to recognize the God who is love itself. Only love helps us see His face reflected in the faces of our brothers and sisters. What are we doing to love His people today? Do we remember that He wants to act through people like us?
