Actors playing Roman soldiers laughed as they repeatedly kicked Jesus, played by Marcos Gonzalez, to the ground while he carried a solid wooden cross nearly twice his height. One of the falls left him with pain in his elbow after the emotional Good Friday mass at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Telephone Road.

“Right now, it hurts, but it doesn’t compare with none of the sufferings of Jesus,” he said afterward.

Before Christians across Houston celebrated Easter Sunday, Gonzalez played the part of Jesus walking to his death on Good Friday while being beaten and kicked down. The 45-year-old construction worker from Guanajuato, Mexico, has been attending the church for six years. He usually plays one of the soldiers, but on this occasion, Gonzalez decided to bear the cross himself.

As Gonzalez circled the 81-year-old church, emotional spectators cried and yelled Jesus’s name as actors whipped him with ratchet-tie straps and foam noodles.

He was finally “crucified” outside the church. Tears rolled down the eyes of actors and viewers alike. Gonzalez’s draped body was carried inside. The loud jeering just moments before was replaced by a somber and quiet nave, with families packed into the aisles and crammed into corners.

Gonzalez cleaned off the fake blood dripping down his head and chest, changed into a fresh shirt and pants, and joined the mass. He took communion with the rest of his community.

“The truth is that it was a work of love,” Gonzalez said. “And now, yes, the people gave and felt the suffering of our lord Jesus Christ.”

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‘It was a work of love': Why this construction worker portrayed Jesus on Good Friday

by Antranik Tavitian / Staff photographer, Abdelraoufsinno
April 1, 2024

<h1>‘It was a work of love': Why this construction worker portrayed Jesus on Good Friday</h1> <p class="byline">by Antranik Tavitian / Staff photographer, Abdelraoufsinno <br />April 1, 2024</p> <br /> <figure class="wp-block-image alignfull size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_06-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26617" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Actresses playing followers of Jesus Christ are silhouetted before the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on March 29, 2024, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <p>Actors playing Roman soldiers laughed as they repeatedly kicked Jesus, played by Marcos Gonzalez, to the ground while he carried a solid wooden cross nearly twice his height. One of the falls left him with pain in his elbow after the emotional Good Friday mass at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Telephone Road.</p> <p>“Right now, it hurts, but it doesn’t compare with none of the sufferings of Jesus,” he said afterward.</p> <p>Before Christians across Houston celebrated Easter Sunday, Gonzalez played the part of Jesus walking to his death on Good Friday while being beaten and kicked down. The 45-year-old construction worker from Guanajuato, Mexico, has been attending the church for six years. He usually plays one of the soldiers, but on this occasion, Gonzalez decided to bear the cross himself.&nbsp;</p> <p>As Gonzalez circled the 81-year-old church, emotional spectators cried and yelled Jesus’s name as actors whipped him with ratchet-tie straps and foam noodles.</p> <p>He was finally “crucified” outside the church. Tears rolled down the eyes of actors and viewers alike. Gonzalez’s draped body was carried inside. The loud jeering just moments before was replaced by a somber and quiet nave, with families packed into the aisles and crammed into corners.</p> <p>Gonzalez cleaned off the fake blood dripping down his head and chest, changed into a fresh shirt and pants, and joined the mass. He took communion with the rest of his community.&nbsp;</p> <p>“The truth is that it was a work of love,” Gonzalez said. “And now, yes, the people gave and felt the suffering of our lord Jesus Christ.”</p> <figure class="wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_01.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26578" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_05.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26582" /></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">(Left photo) Playing a Roman soldier, Jose Arreola crosses the street to start the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on March 29, 2024, in Houston. (Right photo). Rey Benitez, at right, helps Abel Santalilno secure his cape before the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_12.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26588" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jesus Christ, played by Marcos Gonzalez, at left, conducts the first part of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on March 29, 2024, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_14.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26590" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_15.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26591" /></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">(Top left) Jesus Christ, played by Marcos Gonzalez, is covered in fake blood after being whipped during the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on March 29, 2024, in Houston. (Right photo) People playing followers of Jesus Christ scream out as Jesus is whipped by Roman soldiers. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_17.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26593" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jesus Christ, played by Marcos Gonzalez, is whipped by Roman soldiers during the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on March 29, 2024, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_21-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26620" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">People follow as Jesus Christ, played by Marcos Gonzalez, walks while carrying his cross during the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on March 29, 2024, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_22.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26598" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_20.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26596" /></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">(Left photo) Maria Torres cries as she watches Jesus Christ, played by Marcos Gonzalez, hang on the cross during a crucifixion re-enactment on Good Friday at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on March 29, 2024, in Houston. (Right photo) Jesus Christ, played by Marcos Gonzalez, is surrounded by people playing his followers while carrying his cross. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_23.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26599" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jesus Christ, played by Marcos Gonzalez, hangs on the cross during the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_11.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26587" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_25-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26621" /></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">Jesus Christ, played by Marcos Gonzalez, is held by a person playing Jesus’s mother after he died on the cross during a crucifixion re-enactment at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on March 29, 2024, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240329_STATIONS-OF-THE-CROSS-0327_AT_31.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26607" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After he was finally "crucified" outside the 81-year-old church while tears rolled down the eyes of actors and viewers alike, Marcos Gonzalez, who performed the role of Jesus Christ, was carried inside Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Good Friday on March 29, 2024. (Antranik Tavitian / Abdelraoufsinno)</figcaption></figure> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/why-this-construction-worker-portrayed-jesus-on-good-friday/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://abdelraoufsinno.com">Abdelraoufsinno</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://abdelraoufsinno.com/?republication-pixel=true&post=26610&amp;ga4=" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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