Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

The Tenth Station

Jesus is Stripped of His Garments

"When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom" (St. John 19.23)

I took a deeper look at myself today. I went to confession having missed the penetential service and the Saturday slots.

One of my greatest fears as a Christian is that I am not being authentic. I want to be real. I want to be a real person who believes in Christ and His Grace and Mercy. I don't want to pretend that everything is hunky-dory now that I living my faith or now that I am a “committed Christian”. Because it isn't. And reality hits hard. Things are never simple. Things are never black and white. And the only way through any of it, if you want to come out intact on the other side, is to have God in your life.

When I pray I want to pray earnestly and honestly, as I am, stripped of my false pretenses and of the platitudes that I am used to spouting when praying. When I talk to others, I want to be stripped of falseness and dishonesty. I want to be stripped of fake conversation. I just want to be me: Seb. Who I am. And I want to be who I am with Christ at my centre. No more, no less.

I have heard stories of people meeting friends who have converted to Christianity who say, “He's changed.” or “He's not the same.” They are right. He has changed and he isn't the same but I feel that at a persons core, the person they are is truly good and that is what his “friends” were attracted to in the first place. Being Christian isn't about covering up... It's about stripping down. Down to who I am at my very core. Down to who God created me to be. My true self.

Christ, you were stripped of Your garments and we mocked and laughed at You. I pray that I can be stripped too, Lord and that I can, with Your help, bear the torment and mockery that may come from being truly and honestly myself with you at my centre.

Amen.