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Veronica,
Vero Icon,
anonymous woman,
as so many women are,
named for the unexpected,
unanticipated response
to your gratuitous,
brave,
compassionate
gesture
– reaching out
regardless of dangerous judgements,
a spontaneity rising from the depths of her being.
Ah, the feel of a soft cloth,
Mopping the sweat,
The blood,
The spittle,
Even momentarily.
In our suffering world today
can I feel
the urge,
the knowing niggle,
the call,
the basic humanity
to relieve
the suffering the Christ today
in Gaza,
in Ukraine,
in Haiti
in Mount Street
at my own back door?
Where is
my Courage?
my compassion?
What ‘momentary relief’
can I offer the Christ today?
(Image from St Margaret Mary Catholic Church, FL)
Anne Harte Barry OSU