Among the numerous men and women who had gathered on the way to Calvary to watch the parade of one of the worst criminals of the time, one young lady stood apart from all of them, and no one knows from where she had the guts to approach the criminal and show an act of mercy and charity to him! We do not know for sure what made her to do this remarkably daring act of mercy to the man who had been condemned by the very people who had been cured of their illnesses by this wandering Messiah, and fed by his munificence, and yet they had not known him enough to raise their voices in support of him, and yet here is a young lady, who could defy all codes of Jewish mannerism, of decency and decorum, to walk forward and wipe his face.
Would I have done that very act which this young lady had done, were I in her position? I am not very sure if I have the guts that she had! How hard it is to challenge the mighty and powerful? To challenge the powerful is to risk one’s life, career, family and friends, and yet if there are no persons to raise their voices against injustice and plead for compassion and justice, then the world would soon become a desert land, and there would be only ferocious new species called human beings may breed and populate the earth! Veronica unfortunately has no mention in the Gospels, and I don’t think she would mind that either, for like the hundreds of men and women, she too would remain an ‘Unknown’ saint!
With the arrival of this young woman, the journey to Calvary takes a new turn; Jesus had thought that everyone of his disciples had disappeared, and there is hardly anyone who would walk with him, but soon he would realize that that was not the whole truth: soon he would realize that his blessed mother was there walking with him, swallowing the pain and agony of encountering her son in great pain; then came the strange Simon of Cyrene, who had established a new law of compassion, and here is Veronica with yet another message : she had gathered her guts to stand by the innocent criminal, knowing well that she had to force her way through the soldiers and she would do it all by herself, come what may! Her determination had brought her face to face with the Savior.
I know from life’s experiences that to have guts is a dangerous thing, and especially if one has guts to oppose the injustice and evil in the society, one can look for other ways of earning a living, make sure to protect one’s parents, spouse and children, and start wearing the bullet-proof jacket to protect oneself from any assault. This is everyday reality for the people who have too much guts; for them justice cannot be compromised, and here is a man who had redefined what justice is! Veronica might have been prepared to face any kind of eventuality, as she gathered her guts to walk that extra distance to be with Christ and assure him of her support.
If we look around, we can see the number of people who are pushed to the edges because they had the guts to question the mighty and powerful and vouched to stand by the voiceless and powerless! I had seen and heard about religious men and women who were sent to remote corners because they raised their voice against the high-handedness of the mighty people. The same kind of treatment is rampant among political parties and leaders. There were some of my companions who were penalized and punished for questioning the dictatorial authorities, and the man had to bear the consequences of gathering guts in favor of the simple and ordinary. Veronica however still continues to fight against injustice.
As a matter of fact, it is not that difficult to gather one’s guts to question the mighty and the autocratic leaders, but it is hard to foresee the consequences, and uni-vocally accept whatever the consequences there may be. We do not know what had happened to Veronica, but if something bad were to happen to her, probably we would have heard in the Gospels about her. It is possible that what she had done was not a great act of charity, but it was essential for the Lord to continue his journey. But for Veronica, he might not have been able to complete the rest of his arduous journey. How many people do I help each day to continue with their journeys? And how many people have frightened me to cut off from my life?
You may not remember by I guess this young lady had been treasuring this little handkerchief for so many months to offer it as a loving gift to you, and least would she have ever thought that she would offer it to you at this hour! But how lovely this young lady had been, to spread your face with a touch of gentleness and godliness! You look at her lovingly and she knows that her heart is too full with your love, and her life cannot be the same from this hour onward. I may never have that much guts to go through the high-handedness of men and their muscles to reach out to a person in need of my kindness and mercy! But today I thank that sweet lady Veronica who is teaching me the need for me to gather guts to stand by you and your people.
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