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V. SIMON OF CYRENE

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Bible Reading
[Luke 23: 26-31]
And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyre'ne, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, `Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, `Fall on us'; and to the hills, `Cover us.' For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

Reflection
- Simon was a bystander. He was minding his own business when he was pressed into service to carry someone else’s cross.
 
- But what an honor it was! To carry the cross of the Savior of the world! To have such a meaningful role in the salvation of the human race!

- It is quite possible that Simon was bothered and irritated when he was first told to help Jesus. But with an open heart and the grace that was being poured out upon the world at that moment, we can expect that he would have had some realization, by the end, of what he just did, and whom he had just helped.

- But what about us who believe in Christ as our God and Creator? Would we be so open-minded? Would we let our bitterness subside and allow ourselves to realize that we just helped our Lord?

- Simon carried the cross of Christ – a cross suited to our Lord, hand-crafted with him in mind, not Simon. Yet he carried it.

- We are asked to carry our own cross, not that of Christ. Our cross, no matter what it is, must be so much lighter than the one that Simon carried, and yet we grumble against God because of it.

- God gives us crosses to carry – difficulties in life, in work, in family, in our own souls – for our own salvation. God prepares us a cross that is perfectly suited to our soul, a weight precisely balanced to make us stronger when we carry it, but not so heavy as to break our backs. God measures it perfectly, and we believe in him and say that we trust him.

- And yet we grumble and complain, telling God that it is too heavy for us, too irritating, too painful, too annoying, as if we knew better than He!

- If only we were worthy to help Christ carry his cross! Rather, the contrary is true. We cannot lift even our own without his help.

Hymn – O CROSS OF CHRIST, IMMORTAL TREE
O Cross of Christ, immortal tree
On which our Savior died,
The world is sheltered by your arms
That bore the Crucified.

From bitter death and barren wood
the tree of life is made;
Its branches bear unfailing fruit
And leaves that never fade.

O faithful Cross, you stand unmoved
While ages run their course;
Foundation of the universe,
Creation’s minding force.

Give glory to the risen Christ
And to his Cross give praise,
The sign of God's unfailing love,
The hope of all our days.