Why a Via Crucis of young people?
If meditating on Jesus pierced on the cross was his starting point, contemplating young peoples suffering was a frequent stopping point on Andr Coindres path. The compassion he felt for Jesus became transformed into compassion for young victims of chaotic social changes. His heart made the jump between the abandonment Jesus felt and that felt by the little girls of St. Nizier, between Jesus incarceration and that of boys in Roanne and St. Josephs prisons, between Jesus failure and the colossal failure of village schools. Many years ago, while making the traditional way of the cross, I was stopped by the words of Jesus to the women lamenting him, Do not weep for me, but for yourselves and your children. (Lk 23: 27-31) What struck me was that Jesus, despite his own suffering, felt compassion for the children of Jerusalem. He transcended his pain to turn the womens gaze from himself to their children. He turned me around as well; it was as though he said, Stop practicing devotions centere
