THE NINTH STATION: Jesus Falls for a Third Time

But his father ordered his servants, “Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.”

—Luke 15:22

Sometimes it may feel as though we’ve fallen one too many times. We can’t possibly get up again. God must be done with us—how can we be forgiven once more? We keep falling, keep failing, and we’re weighed down by shame and guilt. No one can love us enough to enable us to go on.

But God is not done with us; God never tires of forgiving, of showing us mercy! Failure should not keep us down. When it comes to mercy, as in the story of the Prodigal Son, we have only to ask. God does not want us to wallow in guilt—no, God tells us we’re forgiven and invites us to get up and do God’s work. As sons and daughters of God, it is our responsibility to accept that forgiveness, accept that new opportunity, and then to be about the business of justice, mercy and peace; the business of building the Kingdom of God.

We have much to learn, perhaps, from young Mayra of Honduras. Certainly, she faced frustrations—she “fell”—in her school work. But when given the opportunity to get back up and begin anew, she seized it. Now, as a successful student, she looks for ways to help her peers improve. What can we take from this story—especially as we, ourselves, struggle back to our feet after our own falls?