Station VI: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Veronica's courage to extend kindness to Christ in His Passion is unequaled. She sees the degraded appearance of Jesus, and the danger of coming forward to wipe his face, but she is moved to act, recognizing the dignity of the person and seeking to restore as much of that dignity as possible in her circumstances.
The name "Veronica" is derived from the phrase "vera ikona" meaning "true image". The image of Christ impressed upon her veil is a true image of Christ. Even more is Veronica herself a true image of Christ in that she recognizes God even in the most degraded of circumstances, and acts fearlessly to serve the needs of the poor and suffering who also bear His true image.
In Genesis, God creates humanity in His image, after His own likeness. In the incarnation, Christ reveals the true image of God in humanity. That image is most clearly seen in those who are the least of His people.
The Divine image in which humanity is created is degraded by sin. It is for us as Church to be Christ restoring the dignity of that image.
It is not enough to reach out to others from a sense of duty or responsibility (though that is a beginning). True charity is an expression of Love. God calls us to love as He loves, which is to love humanity as He does - and God loves humanity simply because God finds humanity worthy of love.
