St. Veronica

As Holy Week quickly approaches, I thought I would take this opportunity to spend a little time reflecting on one of the first Jesi of popular culture; namely, the image that has come to be associated with St. Veronica.  For anyone unfamiliar with the tail of the saint, tradition has it that as Jesus was carrying His cross dirt, sweat and blood covered His face and blurred His vision. At one point a woman bravely stepped out from the crown to wipe Jesus’ brow with her veil.  In her merciful act of cleaning Christ’s face, an image of the Lord was miraculously impressed upon her veil. It is not clear if the woman, called Veronica, knew Jesus or the peculiar circumstances surrounding His crucifixion. What we do know is that somehow she was able to look past a condemned criminal on His death march to see a broken person in desperate need of help. She was able to stand apart from all those around her to aid a fellow human being experiencing great suffering.

Her story is not found in scripture, but has become an intimate part of Christian devotions surrounding the death of Jesus through the Stations of the Cross. It is believed that her name, Veronica, is a combination of the Latin word “vera” meaning “true” or “real” with the Greek word “eikon” meaning “icon” or “image.”  Although tradition tells us Jesus’ face was impressed upon the cloth she used, I have often pondered what the real “true image” is in the story of Veronica.  It is not the image on Veronica’s veil, but rather Veronica herself. In her willingness to help someone in need, even to the point of putting her own self in harm’s way, she reflects the genuine “true image” of Christ.  Veronica’s act of mercy is a striking contrast to the violence taking place along Jesus’ walk to Calvary. Her compassion stands as a witness to the way we should live as Christians. How often do we reach out the the those suffering in our lives?  Would we be willing to risk our safety to aid someone who needed help?  May we all embrace the opportunities we have to be the true image of Christ to our hurting world.