Station 9
Jesus Falls a Third Time
We grieve as Russia’s war with Ukraine enters its fifth year.
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light. He has besieged me and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. Though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes. “Remember, Lord, my affliction and bitterness, the wormwood and the gall!”
a woman stands by a strange sea, lost,
with disheveled hair, tattered sneakers,
whispering a name through chapped lips
the locals think this woman has lost her husband
but I heard the name she utters
it’s not the name of a man nor the name of a child
she’s standing by the sea and calling the sea
well the sea also thinks that she’s lost her husband
it doesn’t answer to this weird, unfamiliar name
it just washes up shells and sharp-edged rocks
it just whispers in its own, sea-like way:
hey lady, he’ll return to you,
your Azov
– Untitled (the sea) by Victoria Amelina who died from injuries received from a Russian Missile strike in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, 2023, Translated by Larissa Babij
Let us pray
Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us courage to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.