In 2005, I participated in the “Magdalene Journey”, a parish tradition. Our group of six women met weekly from January until Good Friday. Each of us took on the identity of a woman in the Bible and deepened that identity during our time together. On Good Friday, we six gathered to reflect on our individual experience of Jesus’ suffering and death. I had chosen Veronica, portrayed in the sixth station of the cross. During Jesus’ walk toward Golgotha, Veronica stepped out of the crowd to wipe Jesus’ face. Each year I reflect on that bold act and Veronica’s message: that each of us might not be able to single handedly stop the violence of today’s world, but we can comfort the victims of that violence, be it in Ukraine, Gaza or our own community.
