The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

The following is a Lenten reflection written by Paul Marsh, one of this year's South House Volunteers.

I majored in Economics in undergrad. The thing that really gets me going about Economics is that it offers mathematical proof of correct human behavior. One of the basic principles of free trade economics is the idea of comparative advantage, which basically states that no matter how many things you’re good at, you should focus on the thing you’re the best at, and then do that thing for other people. Let’s say we live in opposite land, where I’m great at both cooking and cleaning, and all of my South House roommates are terrible at them both. You’d think that if I were acting in my own best interest, I would just cook and clean for myself, while letting my roommates wallow in their own pathetic attempts to microwave toast. But actually, I’m better off if I do all of their cooking for them, and let them clean. In other words, the idea of “I don’t need your help” holds very little weight. Math backs this up. Math seriously says we should be nice to each other. We see this economic principle of comparative advantage at play in the sixth station, when Veronica wipes the sweat and blood off of Jesus’ face. Jesus could probably do this more efficiently than Veronica, because he is literally God. However, while Veronica is busy wiping, Jesus is able to spend that time performing a small yet beautiful miracle.

This idea of help being a two-way street is expressed most succinctly in the Prayer of St. Francis, with the line, “for it is in giving that we receive.” But we find it elsewhere in the Catholic faith, and often enough that it could be described as a tenet of Catholicism. I've experienced this tenet a lot this year in my work at Taller de Jose. As I've given my time to work with countless clients, many of them have given me things in return. My client Juan gave me a “Buy One, Get One” free card for Cheesie’s, which I was super pumped about until I noticed it had expired 2 years ago. Fernando gave me a very difficult Spanish test every time he mumbled on the phone. Luisa gave me a smelly hug. Jessica gave me a bottle of women's lotion. Mario gave me his life, when he promised he wouldn't kill himself. Linda gave me tacos from El Milagro, which, speaking of small yet beautiful miracles. If someone asked me to present them with everything I'd received at work this year, I wouldn't have much to show, since I ate the tacos in about 2 seconds. But the real gift that I have received this year is a better understanding of what it means to help. Helping is not just an action, it's a state of being. It's a community that we choose to enter in to once we learn, whether it's from our faith, from economics, from wherever, just how much we stand to gain by doing so.