Scriptural Stations Meditations - Fifth Station

Jesus is Judged by Pilate

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
He said to him in reply, "You say so."
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
"Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of."
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed....
Pilate said to (the crowd), "Then what do you want me to do with
the man you call the king of the Jews?"
They shouted, "Crucify him."
Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder, "Crucify him."
Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barrabas...
[and] handed [Jesus] over to be crucified.

~Mark 15: 1-5, 12-15

We pray:

Lord Jesus, Pilate embodies the acclaimed powers of
this world, parading authority and wealth that are not their own.
Before this lie, You stand firm –
Your power and authority are independent of this world.
Pilate expresses his own struggle of conscience before all,
trying to appease the mob and ease his conscience
by compromise and ceremony. But the crowd is not appeased
and he will still be tormented by his decision to hand You over
though he finds no guilt in You.
His fear of losing what he has outshouts his sense of justice,
so he washes his hands of the matter,
but our actions and inactions have consequences that
water and human words cannot erase.
Maintaining the status quo or protecting one’s interests
causes the innocent to suffer and allows evil to gain a foothold.

Lord, in this world, unjust power often prevails and
the innocent suffer needlessly,
and this exploitation is often wrapped in deceptive words.
Help us to see in Your example the need to
bear each day’s injustice toward us,
especially the confusion of those who
know what is true but refuse to act.
Give us the wisdom to know when it is better to
bear injustice patiently and when we should speak out.
Give us the grace to trust that You can use
even the injustice of the world for Your greater glory,
because light shines brightest in the darkest night.

May we never lose sight of the true cleansing
found in Your Word and the life-giving water of Your sacraments.