The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus to Carry His Cross
And as they led Him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26)
It was clear to the soldiers that Jesus would not make it to his destination without help. The amount of blood He had lost from the scourging alone was devastating. They quickly scanned the area for the most able-bodied man within reach. Simon, a disinterested passerby, was chosen for the task. Initially, he resented the inconvenience and the power of the Romans. He never would have anticipated what this inconvenience would mean to him. The look of gratitude from Jesus penetrated his soul. He instantly felt understood and forgiven. For the first time in his life, nothing and no one but Jesus mattered.
Jesus, even though Simon was forced to help you, he was forever changed by his encounter with You. Even as You headed to Your death, You took advantage of the opportunity to touch another soul. I know I can learn so many things from this exchange. How often in the day am I, like Simon, pressed into service, asked to do something that interrupts what I saw as a priority. When my children need me, do I respond on impulse with frustration, or do I see You in them, Jesus, needing my help? To carry the cross was a task for the most despised criminals of Jesus’ time. For Simon, a man on his way home from work, this would have been an extreme humiliation. Many of the tasks during a day in the life of a mother are less than glorious—changing diapers and cleaning up after babies and toddlers vomit, or being embarrassed and disappointed when we see our older children flaunt vices and bad manners in public. It can be especially hard at these times to accept these unsought crosses as ones that can also be offered to You Lord, and therefore be a source of grace.
Sometimes, when I feel that I cannot keep going, help me to remember, Lord, that I can actually be a witness to You by receiving help. I should be able to acknowledge that if I am honest with myself, anything I accomplish is with Your help.
Points to consider:
Am I willing to reach out to friends in the apostolate of asking for help, recognizing that showing my own weaknesses and limitations can be a disarming way to bring someone closer to Christ?
Do I see Christ in my children and others who need my help throughout the day? Do I offer those interruptions for the spiritual needs they may have that even they are unaware of?
Like Simon’s initial response, do I think that I am “too good” for certain tasks or struggles? Do I realize that Christ took on the most humiliating of punishments for my sins?
It is over little things that I worry most. Whenever a real misfortune happens, I am quite resigned, and I await with confidence the help of God. Saint Zelie Martin, mother