Scriptural Stations Meditations - Eighth Station

Jesus is Helped by Simon the Cyrenian to Carry the Cross

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

They pressed into service a passer-by,
Simon, a Cyrenian,
who was coming in from the country,
the father of
Alexander and Rufus,
to carry his cross.

~Mark 15: 21

We pray:

Lord Jesus, You are truly man,
one like us in all things but sin,
and here we see You so weakened that You cannot go on –
tormented and bloody, barely dragging Yourself
through the dust of the road that will take You
outside the walls of the city to Your death.
In Your unprotected weakness, You need help to reach the end.
Simon does not want to get involved with this criminal,
nor with the mess of an execution;
he does not want this interruption in his life.
But You want to give Simon the gift of helping You,
the gift of the Cross, the gift of sharing in the work of redemption.
Others’ needs are always an interruption for us, a crossroad;
self-giving love is open to these disruptions and delays,
and looks for places in which heartfelt giving
can meet real need.

Lord, when faced with the needs of others,
we are often tempted to turn away, to take the easy way,
or to declare that this is not our responsibility.
But we are called to bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2) and to
make up what is lacking in the work of salvation (Col 1:24).
This is the mystery of self-giving love which You came to show us.
We must serve others and remain
open and available to their needs and weakness,
willing to expose ourselves to their deepest suffering.
We must be ready to help bear what they cannot bear alone,
offering ourselves for their good.

May we accept Your invitation to be unmistakable witnesses to the
unearthly truth of sacrificial love.