We don't know much about Saint Veronica. We don't know who she was, why she was in Jerusalem at the time, where she was going, if she was a follower of Christ, or even if her name was actually Veronica. However, we do know that she took pity on Jesus as He was being marched through the streets of Jerusalem and wiped his bloodied and sweated face with either a cloth or her veil. The silhouette of his face was left on the veil and is still venerated today. Veronica couldn't do much for Christ. She couldn't stop His pain or make the soldiers release him, but she could provide a gesture of comfort and show Christ that she cared about him. How can we, 2000 years later, wipe the face of Jesus and ease his pain in our everyday life? While we can't literally go back to the day of Jesus' crucifixion and wipe his face, we can "wipe the face" of those in need. For example, when you provide a small act of comfort for a homeless person on the streets such as giving them a granola bar, a bottle of water, or even just a comforting word and a smile, you are wiping the face of Christ just as Veronica did.
Today, let s ask Saint Veronica to intercede for us and help us to do small acts of kindness in our everyday lives.
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