The Wild Reed: In Remembering All Who Suffer From Violence, We Remember Jesus

Wednesday, April 01, 2026

In Remembering All Who Suffer From Violence, We Remember Jesus

Shane Claiborne, author and founder of The Simple Way, has shared a “new presentation of the Stations of the Cross” for Holy Week 2026. Writes Shane:

This week is Holy Week. As we remember Christ – the Prince of Peace – we also remember all those who suffer from violence, for it was Jesus who said “Whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do to me.” We are grateful to our friends at the Guatemalan-Maya Center for creating these images.

I share today some of the images of this “new presentation,” one focused on the dehumanizing policies and actions of the U.S. government as they relate to immigration. To see all of the images, click here.

I have to say that these powerful images and the message they convey remind me of the “Economic Way of the Cross” which I participated in over 25 years ago in Washington, DC. Following is how I described this event on my Faces of Resistance website.

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The Economic Way of the Cross
Washington, DC – April 10, 2000

In April 2000 I traveled from the Twin Cities to Washington, D.C. to participate in a range of rallies, demonstrations, and teach-ins aimed at protesting the structure and policies of both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – two organizations that, along with the World Trade Organization (WTO), are the key architects of the corporate global economy.

Collectively, the various events in Washington, D.C. of April 2000 were termed A16 – a reference to April 16, the main day of protest. A16 brought 15,000 people onto the streets of the capital and, like the protests in Seattle against the WTO in November 1999, united a range of people – environmentalists, union members, students, religious people, peace activists, and individuals representing organizations from those countries most devastated by the unjust policies of the World Bank and IMF.

By far the most powerful event I was part of was the “Economic Way of the Cross” on Monday, April 10, 2000. Organized by the Jubilee 2000-aligned Religious Working Group on the World Bank and IMF, a coalition of over forty religious organizations, the Economic Way of the Cross was a prayerful procession through the streets of downtown Washington, D.C. The event sought to draw attention to the policies and practices of various corporate and governmental institutions that devastate the lives of millions of people throughout the world. The Christian underpinnings of the event reflect the theological understanding of Christ being continually crucified while ever people and other aspects of creation experience suffering and death as a result of oppressive structures of power.

“The Economic Way of the Cross invites people of faith to relate prayerfully the Passion of Jesus Christ to the suffering of women, men and children throughout the world today,” noted key organizer Anne Pettifor. “Often, this suffering is the result of unjust economic relationships, what we call social, or structural sin.”